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A bit of a rough sail from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic! I don't think Ella liked 4m waves
December 17, 2025 · 16 min · 20K views · Mona Passage
What this video covers
Vlad departs Puerto Rico's Portoreal anchorage aboard the Amel 50 Mirage with crew member Ella for a 150-mile passage to Samaná Peninsula, Dominican Republic — a trip planned as a light overnight cruise that turns rough.▶ 0:07 Wind arrives out of forecast, squalls hit repeatedly, and waves build to 4 meters.▶ 2:28 Vlad reefs the mainsail to the second reef and rolls in the genoa to match when gusts reach 35 knots.▶ 9:56 The passage crosses the Mona Passage, a hourglass-shaped strait between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where shallow sections on both sides funnel and steepen wave trains; Vlad transits the narrowest, shallowest section at night.▶ 9:11 On MarineTraffic via satellite internet, Mirage is the only sailboat moving in the area.▶ 9:56 Ella suffers badly from the conditions throughout.▶ 2:28 Near the destination, wind drops and shifts dead downwind at 180 degrees.▶ 14:32 They anchor briefly off a small island to wait out rain and sleep two to three hours before motoring the final mile to Marina Puerto Bahia, Dominican Republic, which has a bar, restaurant, gym, spa, and pool.▶ 15:00 A forgotten drain plug in the cockpit locker leaves gear floating in rainwater.▶ 15:00 Scheduling a passage around a fixed flight ticket — rather than buying the ticket after arrival — is identified as the core planning mistake.▶ 3:16
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