Running the engine overnight to bank miles when wind is absent
When the sails are just hanging rather than filling, motoring through the night is a practical choice. On this passage Lauren covered 170 miles in less than 24 hours largely because the engine ran most of the night. With a light, floppy sail doing nothing useful, motoring preserves your schedule and keeps the boat moving in a straight line toward your destination. It is a trade-off every offshore sailor faces: burn fuel now or bob around losing time and ground.
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What it feels like to transit an atoll for the first time without it being too sketchy
After completing the pass entry, Lauren reflects that the conditions were relatively flat, which made for a good first experience. The key takeaway is that if the waves had been bigger, waiting for them to settle would have been the right c
Drone battery and altitude management during an extended wildlife search
During a wildlife search flight, Lauren Landers Sailing keeps an eye on both altitude and battery level simultaneously. At 40 metres (about 120 to 130 feet) the drone still provides a useful overview, but for spotting smaller species like b
Slowing down deliberately to time a reef pass arrival correctly
As Lauren Landers Sailing closed within range of the atoll, she reefed her jib intentionally to reduce boat speed. She was on track to arrive too early, and entering a reef pass at the wrong time, before the light is good or the current is