Wind Hippie Sailing · video

What this video covers

A 38-ft sailboat, *Gekko*, navigates the Great Barrier Reef toward the Torres Strait in 25- to 35-knot winds.Watch The crew chooses an outer reef route to avoid the complex shoals and rocks of the inner channel, despite the increased fetch and wave height. They maintain a close-hauled point of sail using a triple-reefed mainsail and storm jib, hand-steering through gusty conditions before turning downwind into the shipping lane. The crew uses a wind vane for steering and relies on Navionics for anchorage research, though they find limited data on current-heavy passages like the Albany Passage. After dragging once, they successfully anchor at Restoration Island in a sandy patch. The crew plans to time their transit through the Torres Strait to avoid wind-against-current conditions, using a 2003 edition of *Cruising the Coral Coast* and remote assistance via Garmin to gather tidal data.

Reducing sail area and maintaining a balanced rig significantly improves boat motion and speed in heavy, gusty conditions.

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