Sailing Polarisvideo
#33 | Sailing to the Faroe Islands: I should've seen this coming!
August 5, 2023 · 30 min · 10K views · Isle of Lewis
What this video covers
The crew of Polaris sailed from Stornoway to the Faroe Islands, a passage that turned from manageable to hazardous due to underestimated tidal effects and localized weather. During the 217-nautical-mile transit, the crew encountered a sudden squall near the rocks of Zumbiar Steinur, where wind speeds jumped from force 5 to force 8, gusting to 10.21:35 The combination of shallow water and a two-knot tidal current created three-meter breaking waves, forcing an immediate course change to deeper water to avoid dangerous overfalls.22:12 Upon reaching the entrance to the fjord at Tvøroyri, the boat faced 52-knot gusts.24:46 The crew successfully furled the sails and used Sena Bluetooth headsets to coordinate a docking maneuver against a pier studded with lorry tires.28:36 A nearby cruise ship experienced a handling error in the same gusts, striking the commercial pier and blocking the harbor entrance for two days.29:10 The passage highlighted the volatility of North Atlantic weather and the necessity of maintaining a wide margin from shallow coastal waters.
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