A Dream of Solo Sailing to Hawaii in a Small Boat Lost after self-steering failure

Episode # 196 : A Change of Course

Hello Friends,

Here is the story of my ill fated attempt at solo sailing our 30ft sailboat Triteia to the Hawaiian Islands.

We had pushed hard to finally live land life behind and were 2 months behind our planned departure date due to parts shortages and unexpected complications with getting our new mast installed. Our original cruising plans were for James to sail solo to Hawaii then continue on to Alaska where Camille and Mister Steady would come on board. All of the delays and the advancing summer season gave us a very tight time window on making this dream come true. This resulted in not enough time to throughly sea trail the windvane....

After days of beating into 20-30 knot winds, my self steering Windvane began to work its self loose from the boat. The threads in the housing of the windvane itself failed which presented the possibility of losing the vane into the sea or WORSE possibly damage the transom of the boat due to the massive loads placed on this gear at sea. Impossible to fix underway I made the hard call and came about and abandoned my attempt for Hawaii.

Could I have lashed the windvane and continued on? Possibly yes but my concern was once I made it to Hawaii would I get stuck in Hawaii if the vane was not able to be repaired? I also had to consider there is no quick exit from Hawaii. It is 3 weeks or a month sail from Hawaii to anywhere on the West Coast of the North America.

I had not 1 but 2 electronic "Tiller Pilots" as a back up and for coastal cruising in light winds but these units are, strangely enough, Not waterproof and tend to burn out very easily. So I wasn't without redundancies but anyone who goes ocean sailing knows that a windvane is the most critical gear on the boat especially so for a solo sailor.

So as with all things sailing, one must be flexible and willing to change course when necessary.

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Love,
James & Camille

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[danknox]

Also here in SF we have an organization for singlehanded sailors that runs a race to Hawaii. In order to qualify to race you need to finish something called the LongPac which is just sailing 200 miles off shore and back. It’s kind of a shake down type of thing. It pretty similar to what you just did. So now you have sailed 500 mikes off shore so you know you can definitely make it to Hawaii. Every boat comes back with problems to fix from the LongPac and you fix them and then head back out. That’s offshore sailing, full of adventure and boat repairs! Btw your boat looked great in the video. Much improved from when you got her. But I’m sure you can get 100 miles a day out of her. Don’t be afraid to tweak the sails a bit more. Maybe a smaller headsail that’s you can unroll all the way might be helpful. Love your videos. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[raymondramirezb]

Bro, you are my Hero! I'm 45 years old and my dream is to sail to different places on the coast, But I'm to afraid to do it. I have no experience what so ever. I just watch your videos for now, Saludos.

[jodyssey]

If nothing goes wrong it's not an adventure, it's just a trip. That's what I always tell myself, problems make things memorable.

[ShizzieShizz]

One of the boldest men on the face of the earth!!!! Sir, from Arkansas, I love you man....

[mixtina]

Great shot of you in the cabin. With the sounds of the ocean and the rocking of Tritea you really bring in the viewer right there in the cabin.

[eugene]

Totally loved the shots of just the waves behind you and the shots of the waves out the window. It helps me feel I'm there, but with a pucker factor of 10 out of 10.

[sport]

that is what makes a good captain, making the hard decisions. Smart choice, better it failed now then halfway there.

[MitchGaar]

James, I don't know the reason your wife did what she did, but I had the something happen to me, when I was over the road in my Semi. I feel for you brother! You are a cool cat, you will meet an awesome person, with the personality and knowledge you have! Stay strong my Brother!

[paulfrancis]

It takes courage to face that ocean.. Man do i feel old.. We never had auto helm or electronic nav..

[onthemoney]

I always sleep in the cockpit as much as possible much less seasickness for me thanks for sharing 👍🇺🇸

[oldsailor]

Tough decision to make. Reliable self steering is crucial when sailing solo. Have had to cut voyages short on two occasions due to failures. I learned a lot each time, still learning, still trying.

[richardp]

James: Can't begin to know how totally disappointed you must be having to make that decision. Of all the sailing channels I follow was most excited to see you set off on your first long ocean passage. However you showed what a truly seasoned sailor your are by ultimately reversing course. Confident you will make the required repairs, set course for Hawaii and a have a successful passage. I look forward to following you when you set sail for Hawaii.

[theresedignard]

Spare parts are always required on such long hauls. Good choice to return and try again another day. Figuring where the water is coming in is way more important. Good luck on the prep for the next try.

[williamsutherland]

A good honest video and a highly worthwhile shake-down sail, with the whales being your wee bonus. I'm sure you know the next steps without a load of advice. A set-back; a learning curve, but not a failure.

[KB-htuf]

Good call to turn around, live to fight another day. Sailing is always going to throw up problems, it's how you deal with them that counts. Sat here on a sunny day enjoying you're video in the UK.
Stay safe my friend and chase down those dreams👍

[stevepeterson]

Really glad you included this video, sailing is not like the picture in the screen saver : )
I imagine it stings a bit, but still, a really beautiful video, look forward to more : )

[stevehoffman]

Soooo bummed for you. Glad you’re safe. Tritea looked like a million bucks cruising out of the harbor.

[dougieballew]

I love your channel buddy. I watch your youtube vid where you went to Hawaii from California most nights to go too sleep. Respect buddy. I appreaciate your content

[SVFelurian]

Great vid!! Aside from the gear failure, Triteia is looking amazing and you found your stride quickly after a rough condition start. Day 5 started so great, and I'm sure that would have been the vibe all the way to Hawaii. All the right calls were made.

[waywardspirit]

Aww James. I was so excited for you. What a bummer man. You made the correct choice in calling it and returning to port. That vane would have haunted you the entire time.

"If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again." - Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland (1314)