STORM FORCE @ CAPE HORN [Ep. 108]

This is it! These are the conditions we sought to test us. We encounter FORCE 10 48+ knot wind gusts and heavy seas as we sail around Cape Horn to starboard. This is scary sailing, on the edge, and it is not for the faint of heart. You may get seasick. Don't try this at home!
#sailing #adventure #epic
This is the sailing we know you wanted to see when you subscribed.
You wanted to see if we were tough enough.
You wanted to see if we could make it.
You wanted to see a great adventure and sailing in extreme conditions.
We went looking for these conditions as we felt that choosing a calm weather window to round Cape Horn would be, well, disappointing, not to you, but to us. It would not be the challenge we were looking for.
We wanted to summit the Mt. Everest. Somehow, climbing that mountain on a sunny warm day with no wind and waves felt like selling ourselves short. We wanted huge waves. We wanted gale force winds. We wanted freezing cold temps.
Some may say seeking out these conditions is unsafe, or risky. Those people are not 100% wrong, but we say those people are living in fear. Don't be afraid! To experience true freedom is to live life without fear.
That being said, do not go sailing in these conditions without being well prepared and able to self rescue, do not put your life, your sailboat, and the lives of sea rescue personnel are at risk. We are both very experienced sailors and have sailed countless miles in harsh conditions while racing, solo sailing, and doublehanded sailing to prepare for this type of sailing.
Now enjoy a sailing video that we had lots of fun making. Click subscribe and come along for this awesome rollercoaster ride of an extreme sailing day!
Want to support our content, get behind the scenes information, real time updates, and thousands of photos from our journey? Join our crew on Patreon: / ruca
Website: www.sweetruca.com
Short Book: "Sharing the Journey" amzn.to/41bhEn8
Facebook: / rucasailing
Instagram: / rucasailing
Twitter: / rucasailing

[@aytacercen944]

Watching the two of you work the sails and manage high winds is like listening to a finely tuned symphony. I admire you guys seamanship and skills.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Wow, that is music to our ears :-) Thank you Aytac.

[@bernardlawson665]

SPOT ON!!!!

[@johnadams7402]

Amazing. Fine teamwork and coordination. What a great adventure!

[@elisabethancelin5773]

Magnifique

[@karolinakv]

I admire the peaceful companionship. So supportive and feels good to listen to.

[@emilym1854]

Looked up this video as I was reading “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder”

[@robdodson9700]

Awesome book! Tough customers

[@MrJoshuagarland]

Same

[@mikehiggins1987]

Me too! Ha!

[@Custardpie174]

😂...me too...

[@tmann8826]

Add another one to the list!

[@MrFroggypapa]

best damn sailing video I've ever seen!

[@daveyoung3880]

Excellent video ❤ good ⛵ sailing in extreme winds congratulations

[@Eddie-jr6bs]

Risky; basically everything and everyone had to perform as planned. But I think J Boats owes you a free boat; or a sponsorship. Aside from the risks taken, that was a relationship and, well, a how-to-be-a-good-person, skipper, and mate video I will watch again. If I’d seen it 20 years ago, it might have made all the difference. Well done.

[@cherylweso]

Wow, for a while there it looked like sweet Ruca was in the washing machine! Waves coming from both directions!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You got that right!

[@abdulkkhan5095]

Awesome sailing couple. Thnx for the info.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Abdul!

[@greenebank]

Great boat handling with a light racing hull, good on you both!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Jack! She is a fun boat for sure! ⛵️

[@sauerjoseph]

Congratulations! You did it! I am very happy that you made it; I was on pins and needles!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We are happy we made it too! The real star was Sweet Ruca 😁🤩

[@johnproudlock1085]

Well you two rounded Cape Horn. You now join an elite group who have rounded the Horn the "wrong" way. Robin Knox Johnson, Lyn and Larry Parker, Miles & Beryl Smeaton. Congratulations.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

The wrong way indeed, but it was a wild ride! Thank you!

[@tom12146]

You forgot all the men that did it the first time racing. It was called the British steel challenge and my father was on board Group 4 skippered by mike Golding.

[@the-fiddling-fox]

Great video! I loved seeing your excitement as you passed the Horn. I felt just the same, even though I did it on a cruise ship. I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat for the rest of the day. 😃

[@SailingSweetRuca]

That is so heart-warming to hear 🥰🥰🥰 This comment certainly made our day!

[@Waterverf51]

Great teamwork. Compliments guy's. ❤👊

[@akathesquid5794]

Ballers! we have the same attitude, we set up our boat that if the weather isn't named we are sailing. this is so cool. inspiring. love the action of adventurous people sailing the capable boat. thank you so much for the content and competence ~~~sv nautilus valiant 42. hope to some day meet you out here.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Hey A Squid! Good to hear from you. We love hearing this about your boat! That's the way to do it. We hope to see you out here somewhere also!

[@guycourtney9794]

Wow! Impressive indeed! Well done. Fun to learn from you both...

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks so much!

[@leevandyke8524]

I just found your channel, U2 are amazing, going through the roaring 40s with not a care in the world , very impressive, I’ve been selling my 40 foot Beneteau for 20 years here on the East Coast of the US to the Bahamas and back. I’ve never quite run into Anything like the roaring 40s you guys did on a J boat, which is a great boat to run that with. Good job.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

The Bahamas have some serious Christmas winds though! Thanks for the kind words and hope to see you out there!

[@tomaszjangogowski9337]

Congratulations! 👍💪🎉😊

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you 🙌

[@davidgreen2703]

congratulations , long way to go, life's journey never ends , blessings

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks David! So true 🙂

[@wadesworld6250]

Congrats guys...that's a huge achievement. I've been around Cape Horn too, though I was on the helm of USS Nimitz. We spent 2 weeks tying everything on the ship down. We were expecting seas of up to 60 feet, but got lucky and went right in between storms and seas were around 30 feet. Still, we were frequently taking water over the bow when we rolled I'd see nothing out the bridge window but grey sea in one direction, and nothing but grey sky in the other. I remember explicitly our captain coming on about 24 hours prior and stressing "If you fall overboard, the motor lifeboats are out of the question and the helo is on a 1-hour standby. Your life expectancy at this water temperature is 13 minutes. We will not stop." I cannot imagine doing it in a small boat.

[@markcleaver6573]

Awesome story, thank you Sir.

[@ericbergdahl6971]

Congratulations on rounding cape horn. Great job.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you!

[@jayman9056]

congratulations !!!!! what an awesome accomplishment

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Jay!🥳

[@davidmink1574]

Congrats on Cape Horn. What a feat. Both of you are tough sailors.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks David! It was a wild ride and we wouldn't have it any other way!

[@kenwilson3549]

Amazing!

[@scomo532]

Kinda surprised that you didn’t have a storm jib that you could fly with that triple reefed main. Good passage, bravo. Hell of a nice boat that J 46

[@SailingSweetRuca]

We do have a SJ, orange even, and a 4th reef. Probably would have made for great video to put it up!

[@3dimsteve]

Well done!!!!! Great episode, guys.😍

[@SVSaltWife]

What an amazing video! So inspiring! Thank you for sharing! 😊💙

[@DD-xx8wh]

wow video!, here's to Sweet Ruca she's awesome!.. and cheers to you two (3?) add Curtis and Kate to an historic and impressive list of adventure and explorer sailors "Rounding the Horn"!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Sweet Ruca is the star! 🤩 Thanks for the kind comment!🥰

[@Cptnbond]

One of your best episodes, if not the best. What epic sailing. Congrats to the achievement. Cheers.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Big cimpliment 🥰 thank you! And thanks for following along 👍❤️

[@marioracicot3699]

You guys are rock stars! I had chills…

[@cathyholt5215]

Now THAT is some fancy sailing! Great job

[@gusmccloy6600]

Congratulations guys for your fantastic achievement! and thank you for the great vision.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks for the nice comment Gus!

[@Lydia4Jesus_]

Extra, extraordinary sail and sailors!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks! 🤩🥹

[@jasonhawkins1228]

What ripper! Great job 🎉❤

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks! 🥳⛵️🌎🙌🤙

[@themiltongroupstudios7943]

Good job guys , excellent teamwork 👍🏿

[@kewool]

Great bucket list check off

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Definitely! ⛵️❤️🤙

[@bobmeador4465]

Awesome!!!! I am green with envy. Good video. Great accomplishment.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

A wild and fantastic ride! Thanks for watching 🥰 Maybe your turn someday?

[@tazionuvolari3593]

Epic!! You guys should sell this video to yacht makers to explain the advantages of in-mast mainsail furling, electric winches, autopilot and furling head sails!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Haha! Love it Tazio!

[@renaissanceman8564]

Just watched you guys live life to the limit. Thank you for sharing that moment and all of your efforts to get there. I could feel your level of excitement was off the chart and am sure when you dropped anchor what a sense of relief that you made it safely. I started sailing last year not realizing what it means to me now as last month I was caught in a storm solo in 8 foot swells and gusting wind on my beam. I sail a Macgregor M so the bottom of the trough was above my ears and there were some crazy currents that made for waves at all angles. At 5 hours in a huge set picked me up and had my first knock down when I broke the helm off at the base holding myself in the cockpit. These are the moments that you either say this is stupid and sell the boat or realize you were able to control your fear and relax to survive the danger. I’ve always enjoyed a good storm as much as a perfect sunset. In sailing you have to understand mechanical, physics, geography, geometry having to put trust on your equipment and how important preparation is to avoid a disaster. In your case sailing is definitely a physical and mental sport and you must have a strong partner to do what you have done so congratulations on living life to the limits and hope you are in for smooth sailing, hot showers , and endless sunsets together ! Peace on earth and ocean , prayers for the people of Maui.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Glad to hear you are out there sailing and having fun in the big stuff also! Sounds like you handled things well. Stay safe and sail fast. We second your prayers for those in Maui, and for that matter, everyone else around the world.

[@julian14204]

Wow ,great team ! Great job !

[@KevCampbell]

Well that was everything you could have hoped for, and then some! Some pretty exciting seas, but well within your skills and preparedness, and even Curtis’ beard is just the right degree of rugged 😅 Couldn’t be happier for your joint achievement 😊

[@raphaelvallar7535]

Wow !!! What a good job! Congratulations. Stay safe

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Cheers Raphael. Will do!

[@billedgecombe9040]

wow what a team ,what a vessel and of course Roxy , congradulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Bill! It was a great ride! Sweet Ruca was the star 🤩

[@migaguiar]

You deserve to be the best KZbin channel do follow at the moment .. amazing .. my dream journey

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Wow! A huge compliment! We do focus a lot on sailing ⛵️ cheers!🥰

[@mammagiggio7824]

Congratulations! Amazing feat. Roxie, you are a rock star, too! 😊

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Roxy is the best! Thanks for the nice comment! Spread the word!

[@10GOLDENWOOD20]

AWESOME! Absolutely awesome. Yeah, as mentioned, BADASS! Loved your embrace of one another as you rounded the Cape!

[@mariuspotgieterproject3437]

Great sailing. Congratulations

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you! 🙌⛵️🌎

[@chhindz]

A long time coming! Glad the dog came up to view rounding

[@tomcraddock244]

That was some awesome sailing!!! Hand steering around the Cape !! Well done!! Fair winds ⛵️

[@robertmray]

Great job you two!! Thanks for taking us along. Stay safe.R.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks for coming along :)

[@jan-willembrunklaus5247]

Congratulations for this achievement

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you!

[@captainsview3303]

Wow, congratulations are absolutely in order! What a grand way to round Cape Horn.

[@reynaldofarahjr5312]

Excellent seamanship. Congrats!

[@mckenziekeith7434]

Videos always make the wind and sea look less dramatic than it was in person. But 21:30 you can really see how the bow wave is getting atomized to the point it looks like smoke. Amazing.

[@fossilfool]

Good vid, I felt the excitement and the danger of the near knock down. Good footage.

[@nffremote]

What a ride! Congratulations.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Peter, we are glad you enjoyed the ride!

[@ConvergTV]

First time watching your channel. Well done.

[@billybeerman2657]

Congrats! Well done! 👍

[@jamesyoung3998]

White caps and surfing waves great action; with you all the way

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks James! It was definitely a wild ride!

[@chappyd5109]

You guys are so professional and fun to watch. Nice to see your accomplishments.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Chappy! That is such a nice compliment!

[@jurgenblick5491]

The dog is priceless

[@SailingSweetRuca]

:-)

[@arribaficationwineho32]

I just started watching….I hope he is clipped on during rough times?

[@sydshuler1941]

I know you put a lot into this! Well done 👍

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you Syd, those words mean more than you know 🥰

[@Ballinbreich]

Extraordinary! Congratulations!

[@tcbunix]

Absolutely incredible! Congratulations!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you Tom!

[@johnlaporte9331]

Wow !!! Neat !!! Congratulations !!! Very professionally done. Amazing. If I had to go, I would only do it with you two !!!😊

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Wow! Huge compliment! Thanks John!

[@johnlaporte9331]

@@SailingSweetRuca You deserve it !!!

[@larrylegg8245]

Good job, and congratulations on sailing the Cape Horn.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Larry!

[@jylaaks]

What a thrill.. Congratulations, well done. It has been a fantastic journey to follow

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Finn! We are just getting started, lots of miles yet to go around the world :-)

[@TurgutKalfaoglu]

Congratulations.. we watched it terrified and impressed of your seamanship abilities.. well done!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you so much!

[@davidshepherd1107]

Great presentation. You know what your doing but I was hiding behind the sofa. I wouldn’t have attempted it.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Haha! We are glad you are able to come along with us digitally and with the safety of the sofa ❤️🙏

[@billjeffery2419]

WOW,THAT WAS A AMAZING VIDEO, CONGRADULATIONS TO THE THREE OF YOU'S. LOVE THE WAY YOU COMUICATE WHEN YOUR SAING THE BOAT.THANKS FOR SHARING.

[@matthewmcdermit8744]

It is refreshing to watch two competent sailors actually take the wheel who find the wind and the waves exhilarating. . . . What is your LOA, LWL, and theoretical hull speed? You are consistently sailing between 11 and 16 knots with a monohull. How are you getting those speeds? You appear to be exceeding the theoretical hull speed. How are you doing it?

[@angelcortes7772]

Woa Guys. You achieve a big goal sailing Cape Horn. Yours skills and knowledge of how to... are excellent. By far you are the best sailor couple. Congrats..... You earn the sailors earring....

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Angel. That is a huge compliment! Spread the word 🥰⛵️

[@sailingyknot]

Great sailing video. That is living life to the fullest.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

You got that right!

[@doekle-janhaisma3508]

Awesome, awesome, awesome well done you two cape horner's now, I'm just as excited as you guys well almost you can get your full ship tattoo and wear it with pride! Well done,😁

[@simonwetu]

Wow what a day!! Bloody marvellous stuff! Roxy as always a star!

[@annemillen]

Fantastic achievement! And fantastic footage. I've been round on a cruise ship - it's a daunting place. About 30-35 knots as we passed the Horn, and 1.5 hours later, 66. Kept my thermals on for the life raft! 😂

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Ha! Thanks for sharing that story! The weather can change so quick down there!

[@janicechilders4885]

You both did a great job! You work well together. We enjoyed the ride, even though my husband and I are in sunny south Florida😊❤

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you! We always say we make a great team. Maybe we will see you in Florida someday? We could use a little sun! 🌞

[@captainmadj2149]

Now, that's sailing!! Thank you.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Indeed!⛵️🤙 Thank you!

[@UnPetitPique]

Excellent! We were never that calm, even in 15 knots haha

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Haha! It was quite the rush!

[@rainfinger]

We really enjoyed seeing the conditions you had to deal with, complimenting you both (and Roxy) on your success, being the first KZbin dog, rounding Cape Horn.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Rauf. Roxy is the true hero!

[@user-yt3rq2pw7t]

You're flying.... great little sailing ship! Congratulation

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Many thanks!!

[@Lindyrect]

I have motored down in that area, albeit in a much larger ship, and can attest to to the ferocity of the seas there. Outstanding job!

[@TriathlonRocker]

Great video! Excellent sailing skills and communication. Thanks for sharing

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting :-)

[@miketcq8]

Congratulations Curtis and Kate. Wonderful achievement.

[@melgillham462]

Congrats rounding the Horn. Well done! Ye be sailors true now mates! The sea has claimed her share of souls there. God Bless and keep you. Fair winds and following seas.🤝👍

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Mel! An experience we certainly wouldn't trade!

[@Dan-lk8xz]

Congratulations, job well done. Thanks for taking us along.

[@CapnSaltine]

Good team with great communication.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks!

[@geraldhowse8597]

You guys look like you do this every day and twice on Sunday. Good job wonderful, amazing, epic, fantastic video. Thanks for sharing

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Gerald! Come to think of it, we do spend an absurd amount of time on the water. We are beginning to feel like Kevin Costner in Waterworld :-)

[@geraldhowse8597]

I don't dought it. Thanks for the reply. That was one hell of a sail.

[@SV-Valhalla]

Congratulations!!!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you! ⛵️🤙🥳

[@jamesearly2587]

Congratulations!! Great sailing. 😎

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you James!

[@francojoaquim569]

CONGRATSSSSSSSSS.... KATE & CURTIS.... YOU ARE AMAZING.... 🎉❤🌷🍾🥂..... FAIR WINDS & MY KIND REGARDS..... 🍾🥂

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Franco!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@ambassadorlight3146]

Incredible 😳 the closest thing I would think would be an Olympic toboggan run, hold on and steer the best you can.😃🤗

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Haha thank you for the visual! At times I would say it felt similar! 😂🥳

[@tiochio8476]

Another Amazing episode! With Cape Horn behind you I hope you will find easier sailing conditions ahead! Hat’s off to Sweet Ruca!! 👏👏👏

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks so much Tio! We still have lots of challenges ahead. Next is onto the fjords of Patagonia and exploring the glaciers.

[@pierrex85]

An excellent boat managed by excellent people : wonderfull video !

[@AllieMetcalfgoogle]

Thats epic shit right there. Love how you two work together. Cheers!

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Allie. We make a good team 🥰

[@dgano]

Outstanding! I calculated the max hull speed for that boat and, assuming I did it right, it's 7.4 knots -- and you surfed it up to 15.4! SCREAMING! Thanks for sharing this amazing experience.

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Glad you enjoyed the ride!

[@benlindner5285]

An incredible accomplishment! And you did it the hard way! Congratulations Sweet Ruca from Ben S/V DAWN

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Hi Ben. Thank you. Sail fast and safe aboard S/V DAWN!

[@henryguthery5311]

Congratulations 🎊 👏

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thank you! 🥳⛵️

[@PitStopCrew]

wow…. that was impressive. Edge of the seat viewing and superb sailing from you both.

[@gramos9115]

You two are really good together, thank you for taking us around the Horn x

[@joeltatham5673]

Wow, two serious professionals working together perfectly. Cape Horn fought you, but you were calm cool and collected and succeeded. 🎉

[@SailingSweetRuca]

Thanks Joel! We make a great team 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

[@richardkremer5830]

Looks like fun to me. 30 years of sailing and finally good wind.

[@nearlynativenursery8638]

great job guys thanks for posting this extraordinary voyage