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Sailing to Ao Po Marina while Battling an Unreliable Outboard Motor in Thailand
April 26, 2026 · 35 min · 19K views · Phuket
Sailor battles failing outboard motor in choppy Thai water
What this video covers
A solo passage from an anchorage to Ao Po Marina in Thailand covers 17.8 miles along a coast shaped by acceleration zones, counter-currents, and shoals — with a failing outboard as the central problem.1:44 James departs Triteia, an Alberg 30 full-keel sloop, sailing conservatively with two reefs in the main and 100% of a 125% Genoa, using a new Pelagic autotiller after the Raymarine unit proved too weak for solo work.5:46 Wind drops to near zero mid-passage, leaving the boat drifting toward shoals with an unreliable Honda outboard as the only backup.13:26 The outboard bogs down repeatedly; a partial choke trick temporarily clears what appears to be fuel starvation, but the engine quits multiple times.19:17 Three miles out, James uses WD-40 as starter fluid.26:48 The outboard runs out of fuel in the marina channel, restarts after a top-up, and dock hands at slip 19 catch Triteia as a charter catamaran exits simultaneously.30:52 James notes he could not find the correct fuel-line connector for the Honda at four chandleries in Thailand, leaving him on the small built-in tank throughout.25:31 Starting reefed and adding sail incrementally is presented as the core solo sail-management discipline for a full-keel boat.5:45
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