LAST PASSAGE
May 15, 2026 · 24 min · 133K views · Horta, Faial Island
Sailboat harbor with Pico volcano rising behind
What this video covers
Barry Perrins departs Horta, Azores, aboard his steel sloop Shady on the final leg of a solo circumnavigation, bound for Plymouth — roughly three weeks of sailing.7:15 He spent over a week pinned to a stone quayside in Horta, squeezed between two large catamarans, with fenders popping out and car tyres rigged as improvised protection against hull damage.0:34 Crew from Sailing Fair Isle helped him maneuver clear on departure.9:02 At sea, the passage turns frustrating: days of near-calm leave the 13-tonne boat barely moving, wind from the northeast blocks the desired course, and a cyclone tracking across the Atlantic from the Caribbean threatens to catch him overnight, prompting a precautionary reef and course alteration.17:42 A close-quarters encounter with the French boat Boreal — which ignored five VHF calls on a collision course — highlights the risks of single-handed night watches.18:10 A stomach illness, attributed to local water taken aboard in Horta, forces him back to bottled water.15:24 Ashore in Horta before leaving, he visits Cafe Sport, the Fort of Santa Cruz (built in the 1500s), and explores the island's whale-watching and diving scene.3:39 He also restores a brass fog horn inherited from his grandfather, originally used on a boat called Sparrow in the 1960s.12:41
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