40 knots in the Windward Passage - Bare Pole Sailing! [🎥27🇯🇲]
The Windward Passage is a notoriously bad place to go sailing, especially when the winds are up. We had a mild forecast but the winds were double what we expected. And of course, it happened on a moonless night where it got really, really dark.
With the winds approaching 35 knots we exceeded our reefing plan for the Outremer and striped down to a sliver of Genoa. We were worried it would get stronger, and it did. By around 40 knots we took down all sail and were sailing Bare Poles - meaning there was no sail up at all - and the boat was being pushed along using only the natural windage of the boat and poles as "sails." We were still going 6.5 knots, which is very safe and comfortable. Our peak wind speed was 42 knots.
Should we be freaking out? No. Actually. The boat was a champ. Super smooth and confident in extreme sea conditions. We hate how this stuff always seem to come at night, but the Outremer held her own and proved yet again why she is such an incredible bluewater vessel.
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ABOUT US: Welcome aboard. We are a family of five sailing around the world on our "dream boat," a performance catamaran named "Archer."
Ten years ago, before kids, we sailed a Lagoon 380 named "Honeymoon" halfway around the world to Sydney, Australia. Along the way we shared our experiences with family and friends via YouTube, and by happenstance created one of the first sailing channels. But more than anything, we realized what an incredible experience that first trip was and that someday we wanted to do it again, only this time with kids.
We want to share with them the importance of taking time to be with family. To show them a world outside of the one they grew up in. We want them to appreciate how lucky we are to experience (and to care for) the natural beauty of this world. But mostly we want to spend time with our kids during these formative years and create lasting memories as a family. That's why we are sharing our videos weekly - thanks for watching!
OUR BOAT is a Ferrari red Outremer 51 performance cruising catamaran. We chose this boat as it has been specifically designed for the purpose of bluewater sailing. It was designed and built to withstand the stress of sailing multiple times around the world safely and in comfort. It's also a speed demon, which is important when you want to cover large distances of water before the weather changes. Lastly, it's backed by the manufacturer with outstanding customer service and aftermarket support, so we believe she will hold her value well. And, she's nice on the eyes too.
OUR ROUTE has taken us from the Boston/Cape Cod area of the United States down to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and to French Polynesia. We had a mooring break on us in Bora Bora, and after a lengthy repair we are now in New Zealand. We hoped to sail to Southeast Asia in 2020, but now all plans are up in the air.
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