40 Knot Blizzard Sailing in High Latitudes [Ep. 117] 

I have never been sailing in such conditions. I think my boat could handle it as it is rigged similarly to yours for the cold but..... I did want to give you a heads up on your diesel heater about something a lot of people don't realize might be an issue. In cold weather particularly, they tend to build soot in the exhaust if there is a dip in that exhaust line. Espar sells a condensate loop that drains the condensate out of that dip in the pipe. Basically it is a coil of pipe that is under a drain hole, that allows water to escape but not exhaust fumes. That condensate in a dip builds soot from the exhaust. That situation can cause fires or choke off the heater. Being on the water makes this situation more dramatic than landlubber diesel heaters. Also some people have to desoot the heater every 1000-2000 hours depending on the quality of the fuel going in. There is a screen around the glowplug inside that needs to be cleaned often as well if not just replaced. Also...and I promise this is the last thing, a lot of diesel heaters aren't tuned properly for their output to their elevation. This causes inefficient burning and soot buildup. There is a way to adjust the RPMs of the fan and the diesel pump injection timing as per the elevation. You just have to tune to one elevation, so this might save you fuel and time cleaning the unit. There are several websites and videos that can give you the proper settings. Oh fantastic, awe inspiring vid!!!

Bravery in the traditions of old . You two would of been right at home with the original sea fairing explorers of old ...

I have empathy for your situation, myself and a couple of friends were exploring the inside passage between Vancouver Island and the Main land BC Canada on a C+C 40 . We were on our annual fall men’s trip that was late in October due to scheduling back in the mid 1980’s It was a beautiful fall until we received the same sort of weather , big seas on the nose and heavy wet snow , we slugged it out for most of the day then decided we had broken enough China stuff below and found a protected anchorage with good holding and stern line ability. Like where you are the tides are big in the 2M +range. Even for a fellow from Alberta where we get - 40 weather it was chilling to the bone with the wind and damp. Love watching your channel! Safe Travels!

Hi! What you saw is a guanaco. Llamas and alpacas are to be found in the north. Great video!!

You Two truly love the challenge of sailing. 😅

another great Rucca adventure

You guys are really pushing this boat to rough conditions!! I love to see how naturally you describe hectic conditions. Get out of there!!!

Aww, you guy's get all the fun. Happy to see ya's.

Looks like you’re home sick, this weather could very well be Ohio….LOL. Thanks for another nice video.

I'd love to live there, that kind of weather and that kind of scenery is just my jam.

Go Roxy Go!!!

Thanks!

Wow what an amazing area of the world!

Better you folks than me, I can not image, the chill from being on the water with snow and how humid cold penetrates even the best clothing and that is from a guy from the Canadian Parries, where we know cold. Damn I'm shivering just watching. Stunning landscape.

You are making my dream come true. Thanks a lot for sharing

Proper sailors relish challenging conditions. When the chips are down, it seems to make your day, and bring out the best in you two. Another great video in a truly spectacular place.

OK. Well you never stop amazing me. You. as I've said many times are my favourite sailors. Love your work. I'm on the edge just like you.

Just today I had the first meeting with a friend to organize our navigation in January from Puerto Montt to Laguna San Rafael, to visit the glacier. You are sailing in one of the most beautiful places in the word. Proud to be Chilean.

So BEAUTIFUL out there…!!! ✅ You guys remind us of some old night IFR freight pilots 🧙🏼‍♂️flying a DC-3. BTW, let us know when you Ever get up ⬆️ as high as South Africa 🇿🇦 now.👍👏👌😎

Just a touch bouncy!

another amazing video

Thanks for this. Giving us something most of us will never experience nor probably see the like on RU-vid. Safe travels

Amazing trip, thanks 😅

OMG 😱 WOW ‼️ A rainbow ending on Sweet Ruca 🎉🎉🎉 What an ending to a challenging episode. Good for you. See you next time.✨ 🌊 💨 💨⛵️❄️☃️☁️🌥️✨

Another fantastic video. Thank you

Fantastic video guys, so interesting

Sweet Ruca for sure is your pot of gold! You all did well on this bumpy day, nice!! That's Patagonia! Amazing! Little questions: - The engine was at its "sweet spot" for fuel economy or a bit higher due to wind and waves? If hogher, by how much %? - Do you think a dog house with windshield wipers would've made life better? - You used the heater while sailing? - The wind generator must've helped a lot on such a windy day, right? Is it being valuable on anchorages? Thanks for any input! And also for taking us on this one of a lifetime trip! My best! Fair winds!

You guys are amazing ! thanks so much !

I can't quite put my finger on it...but this channel is one of the best raw sailing YT channels...Your episodes bring home the realities of sailing life...and ... the two of you are so competent..Kudos..!!

You both are used to Michigan winter weather and it shows… Nice video…(as usual)

I will take the summer heat anytime. Kates great, always happy. I feel cold just watching you guys. thanks for taking me along on your adventure.

Brrrrrr. that was cold. Outstanding video.

Breathtaking beauty you've captured!! You guys are unbelievable killin' it with the videos!!

Amazing adventure! Looking forward to the next ones!

I'm not surprised at the weather you are seeing as this is what happens at this sort of latitudes. During my time on the Falkland Islands (6 months) we could and often would see 'four seasons' in a 24 hour period, such is the changeability of the weather. Really enjoying your videos !! Keep safe.

Beautiful scenery! You saw a "Guanaco" (not a llama or alpaca ...) ... awesome!

Awesome stuff as always!

Great video and love your videos and adventures. Be safe and warm.

I live in Scotland been down to the Falklands in 82 and we had some bad weather , plus getting shot at by the argentinians. I could not sleep in my bunk so jammed my self in my locker with a pillow each side of my head. I was on a RFA tanker not a wee yacht.

Hardcore guys! Sasplanet satellite images on opencpn can be fantastic for places like that. I've a halo+ radar which overlays on opencpn, very reassuring seeing it all match up 😎 Wrap up warm now!

Your episodes never disappoint. well done.

Awesome. Conditions are extreme but you guys are quite the adventurers. Motoring through blizzards, hiking to trees to tie the boat off, dolphins swimming along side, another beautiful video of the mountains and the rainbow was an added bonus. Can’t wait to see what comes next.

Great sailing stuff!

Wow been following from way back and it’s so rewarding to see you where you talked about from the beginning. Just an incredibly unique place that very few will ever see let alone the way you two are!

Breathtaking, exhilarating passage with spectacular views, phenomenal cinematography accompanied by top notch audio. There is no question, you guys are not only expert sailors, yet professional editor's. Thanks again for making our week.

Absolutely a great doco of you Caleta hopping, good to see the real conditions, probably just a gentle breeze for Patagonia, well done.

Epic. So jealous of the adventure. Thanks for sharing it.

Now, those are some Chile conditions to sail in. Well done!

Must be strange anchored off the wind tied to a tree!

Just stunning - well done guys. So jealous!

What a great video. The weather down there is definitely very different from the 3-digit summer in Texas this year. Beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing.

You guys are fearless! You express the audacity of courage in difficult situations. I find your spirit hopeful in facing life in my current 100+ F Texas heat! The extremes are vivid! Thanks for the videos. Look forward to your ongoing adventure. Thanks for exuding positivity!

Great video. Thank you for sharing.

You guys are awesome. And the boat is beautiful!

Spectacular!

What an adventure, very cool, so fun to watch, your enthusiasm for what you are doing is infectious, can't wait to see more. Good job guys

😃👍👍👍❤ You guys can do it all. Sailing, videoing and great editing! This channel will reach 100K subscribers.

Wonderful job on the filming and edit! Love all the details and explanations! Those jack lines are the best! Thanks for sharing

Very good idea. Keep sailing ⛵️ another super cool episode. I wish you guys fear winds and following seas 🌊 and many great adventures.

What a welcome site, the Dolfins must be at that point in your sail? It's a lot to take in, isn't it? So beautiful, yet tenuous at times. Fair winds, Curtis, Kate and Roxy.😉💙🐕‍🦺

The quadruped you saw at Caleta Olla was a guanaco. Llama and alpaca are domesticated , Guanaco and vicuna are not.

Great footage. Stunning scenery on land looking down and around towards SR . Amazing experiences you pair are having. Hard at times I'm sure but these videos show the rewards.

Magnificent! Both the scenery and your absolute competence navigating such a challenging raw channel. Sporty indeed!

As long as Roxy likes the snow.

Awesome video. Kate your editing and narration is amazing. I really liked the thought process for your fuel consumption and the explanations of how you navigate. Beautiful scenery and Roxy playing in the snow. What a place. Thanks a ton for the effort to entertain us. Keep having fun, stay warm and stay safe. Bill

Love you guys! Welcome to Chile The animal that you saw was most probably a Guanaco, although related llamas are domestic and alpacas are from northern Chile

Loved this video, who does this? Sailing in the snow, tying the boat off to shore, watching the dolphins swimming along side, hiking up into the hills to capture beautiful mountain shots. Awesome, can't wait to see the glaciers

I have to admit I really hadn’t appreciated just how tough the conditions were. Curtis’ explanation of the imperative to keep moving makes complete sense - to stay put for too long could doom you! Knowing what you now do about the onset of winter, would you try to be a few weeks earlier if you did it over again - even though that would mean cutting short some of your visits on the way there?

Loved this video

Really awesome video. Great work.

Wow the adventure never ends. I hate to tell you this but its 90 degrees here in SE Florida. Such beautiful area and wild. It's great to see you again.

It was a time to give a thought and credit to Joshua Slocum who sailed that channel with no engine, no radar, no GPS, and no modern charts.

Hola Curtis, el animal que vieron no es una alpaca, es un guanaco. Saludos ¡¡¡

I was thinking....BAHAMAS!! Just saying... A question for you two. Do they make a 4 wheel drive sailboat? Asking for a friend.

Bravíssimo

Thanks for freezing your booties to show us a place so beautiful that we'll never sail to!

one of your best. tx

Refreshing 😊

🥶

Great work!

I missed you guys…

Fantastic video! This is an area I'm really keen to explore too. I'm impressed that you can punch into that stuff at 5-6 knots-- how big is your engine? Phil

For me your jack lines are far too close to the rails, I would be much happier to see them run as close to the centreline as you can. Fantastic adventure for you both.

Don't you feel like Russell Crowe in Master and Commander while going down the channel in the middle of the blizzard?😮

Wow. Very nice! I know Im a few vids behind but catching up. 5-7 kts under power against that crap. Darn good. What is you drive train? Engine, reduction and prop. Not many performance boats can do this. My Cal 46 could with a 3:1 reduction and 90 HP. But not many aux sailboats can.

It looks like Norway

I'm curious to know why you timed your trip to be there in the winter? I thought that was when the wx is most challenging.

Do you recommend your wind turbine? Make, model?

Please utilize the wind filter when audio editing. Thanks.

Love the content, does anyone know when they did this? what time of year I mean. I assume recently given the video has just been posted but then mention "the fall" several times.

Hey Sailors, My name is Steve from Lat 33 N, Catalina Island. A bit milder up here and I'll bet you two are looking forward to closing in on the equator. You mentioned Fall weather, about what date is this episode? May/June?

Amazing video. How do you survive at a very cold temperature, and also on 40 knot speed ?

Amazing you two and such coolness. Awesome! Any swearwords lately?😂😂

Doesn’t you wind generator charge the batteries? I was thinking of getting one but maybe not.

Just found you guys, because I'm reading this just now: The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, may be something of interest to you. Sail well.

What sort of temperatures are you guys experiencing below deck? Do you guys have diesel heater for warmth or is the temp bearable. How do you combat condensation down below? Love your vids. Miss you guys! Enjoy.

Your speed 7 knots in 25 knots of up wind is really high. Do you have a huge engine in that boat?

Another lovely sailing video ! amazing guys. I have a question, what chart version are you use on OpenCPN? Regards

Good trusty motor that one did you have a plan b if engine failed?

Is Ruca (“ol’ lady/wife/girlfriend)the Spanish slang meaning or something else??? In Croatian it means hand… just curious.