solo sailing again! did I make the right decision? [ep 195]
March 5, 2026 · 16 min · 145K views · en route to the next island
Sailboats anchored in turquoise lagoon near coral reef
What this video covers
Lauren Landers sails her Beneteau Oceanis 510, Mako, solo on a 40-mile downwind passage to the next island after dropping off crew Sylvia.▶ 0:26 With two squalls visible at departure, she opts for the jib instead of the spinnaker — a call she second-guesses by mid-afternoon when the squalls pass without incident and her speed drops to around 4.5 knots, leaving her 16 miles short with two hours of daylight.▶ 7:21 She runs the engine through the final stretch to arrive before dark, estimating under 30 minutes of motoring after clearing the pass.▶ 7:39 A swell bridle — rigged by running one side of the anchor bridle aft to the stern to point the bow into swell rather than wind — is released solo before departure, a maneuver she notes is harder single-handed.▶ 1:29 On arrival, a friend named Isla grabs the mooring line in a tight anchorage, and Adam from Inuka dives the mooring to confirm it.▶ 10:48 Running low on propane with no resupply available, she switches to a hot plate for cooking.▶ 12:05 The next morning she snorkels the reef while her buddy-boat group surfs the break.▶ 12:30 Skipping the spinnaker in uncertain squall conditions cost two hours of boat speed on an otherwise manageable solo passage.
Boats in this video
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