Sailing Yabávideo
My First Solo Sail... Then the Engine Died — Sailing Yabá
July 5, 2026 · 33 min · 52K views · Brazil
What this video covers
Ben departs solo for the first time aboard Yabá, a 90-foot, 50-tonne junk-rigged schooner, after his partner MP leaves to pursue her own sailing and marine-wildlife work.Watch The passage covers 46 miles up the Brazilian coast to São Francisco do Sul.4:05 Within hours of departure, the engine overheats twice; Ben traces the cause to a crack in the freshwater reservoir of the heat exchanger, which drains the coolant loop and leaves the engine unprotected.8:45 He explains the two-circuit cooling system — fresh water circulating through the engine, cooled by seawater passing through the heat exchanger — so the failure mode is clear.10:54 With the heat exchanger too hot for epoxy to cure, he shuts the engine down, opens three sails in 5–6 knots of wind, and waits for the unit to cool before applying Tubolite underwater epoxy and fashioning a wedge plug.11:25 The repair holds; he restarts at 1,500 rpm with sails also drawing, reaches 6–7 knots, and anchors in 30 meters off São Francisco do Sul after dark.24:36 A CPT autopilot handles steering throughout.7:59 Existing sails are badly torn and new ones are being built.20:20 Epoxy on a hot heat exchanger will not cure until the component cools completely.24:47
More from Sailing Yabá
From Sailing Yabá — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.