Sailing Doodlesvideo

Our First Real Passage… Then the Generator Failed

July 17, 2026 · 18 min · 236K views · Hua Hin

What this video covers

Doodles, a cruising catamaran, completed a 50-mile passage from Koh Larn to Hua Hin, Thailand, while contending with rough seas and a recurring generator failure. During the transit, the autopilot’s rudder feedback sensor malfunctioned, forcing the crew to hand-steer for several hours in 15- to 20-knot winds.4:40 The generator shut down twice due to a fuel delivery issue; the hopper tank, which feeds the engine, had run dry despite the gauge indicating it was full.8:22 The crew resolved the problem by manually activating the fuel transfer pumps to refill the hopper tank and priming the system.14:10 Upon arrival in Hua Hin, the crew anchored off the beach and used a Highfield dinghy to go ashore.15:49 The generator failure stemmed from a miscalibrated fuel gauge rather than a mechanical defect in the engine itself.15:06

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Boats in this video

Island SPIRIT 525Their boat

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