Setting Sail for a 600-Mile Offshore Passage (But Only After a Little Boat Work)

This week, we’re getting ready for a 600-mile offshore passage from Miami, FL to Beaufort, NC. Before we set sail, I took the chance to get some boat work done: scrubbing and oiling the decks, smoothing out the battens so they don’t get stuck in the lazy jacks when we hoist sail, configuring a system to keep our Dyneema lines from slipping on our booms, installing tie-downs for our portholes, and adding an easy access point to our lazarette. High on the priority list is tightening up our rig before setting sail for a 600-mile offshore passage from Miami, FL to Beaufort, NC. To do this, I dig into my rock climbing gear for a Petzl Gri-Gri and a few slings, and rig an efficient system that gets the job done. Robin had to head back to Massachusetts for some family commitments, so I pulled together a crew of two guys to join me on the offshore passage: Jesse, a liveaboard we met in Key Biscayne, and my old college friend, Dave. Once in the Gulf Stream, Arabella settled into a cruising speed of around 8 knots, dipping the toe rails regularly as she plowed through 4-6’ seas. The only technical glitch along the passage was a broken connection to the rudder feedback sensor, which I was able to fix almost immediately. When the seas settled down a bit, Dave put out a trolling line with the hopes of catching a Mahi Mahi…and the mission was successful, until we lost the fish at the boat. Bummer! Should have used the gaff… Join us for the rest of the offshore passage next week, and don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to our channel to see more. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com