How a 45-mile passage to Fakarava deteriorated into 30-35 knots on the nose
Lauren departed for Fakarava expecting a challenging 42 to 45 mile sail with a wind angle of around 30 degrees, hoping it might open up to 40 degrees so the boat could sail most of it. Almost immediately after rounding the corner of the island, the true wind angle dropped to about 20 degrees and the wind started building. The sails were quickly reefed and cameras were put away as a squall moved in. Conditions kept deteriorating: the squall seemed endless, and with only 15 miles covered and 25 still to go, the boat was pounding into 30 to 35 knots of wind at just four knots of boatspeed. As Lauren reflected afterward, the day was so bad it could not even be called a sail.
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