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Dodging Coral Heads on the Caicos Bank
September 13, 2025 · 18 min · 11K views · Caicos Bank
Sailboat glides over turquoise Caicos Bank waters
What this video covers
Paul and Sheryl Shard sail the Orion 50 on a 450-mile, three-day passage from the British Virgin Islands to South Caicos, then cross the 50-mile Caicos Bank to Providenciales, concluding a leg of their Atlantic Circle.0:10 Crew Marilee, David, and Dana — two of them new to offshore sailing — stand four-hours-on, four-hours-off watches in pairs, pairing novices with experienced sailors each rotation.6:50 Pilot charts for March predict easterly winds at Force 4 roughly 41–58% of the time on this route; PredictWind and Starlink supplement planning with real-time forecasts underway.4:44 The boat avoids the unlit shallows of the Navidad and Silver Banks en route.3:56 On day two, David catches a blackfin tuna and the crew makes sushi at sea.7:45 The Caicos Bank crossing demands full keel retraction in depths of 2–6 meters, eyeball navigation in daylight with the sun behind, and a constant bow watch for coral heads identified by their white sand halo and dark center.13:26 The 10-hour crossing runs along previously sounded routes, though Paul notes coral heads shift and grow unpredictably.11:49 The crew anchors mid-bank to snorkel a pristine reef before pressing 18 miles to Southside Marina in Providenciales.14:09 Timing a Caicos Bank crossing for calm, light-wind conditions with the sun overhead dramatically improves coral-head visibility.9:35
Boats in this video
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