Code Zero Shredded at 3AM After DIY Repair Fail—Offshore in the Dark | GTFOplan 116 #SailingLife

IN THIS VIDEO: #SailRepair and #GTFOplan As Dennis and Ann sail overnight from Guadeloupe to Sint Maarten to pick up crew for their North Atlantic passage to the Med, disaster strikes. During Ann’s night watch, a loud rip and flapping sail break the silence—yep, the Code Zero has torn dramatically... in the dark... mid-passage. She blasts the horn to wake Dennis, and together they recover the sail. Dennis is convinced it’s a total loss. Before leaving Guadeloupe, Ann checks them out and takes Schatzi on her final island walk 🐾, while Dennis tops up GoTFO⛵️’s diesel tanks and jerry cans (fuel's only getting pricier in Europe). Ann scores a case of Carib and Nutella, because priorities. At sea, the sail looks calm by day, but ominous music hints at what’s coming. Ann wakes in a panic, thinking Schatzi is missing—only to remember she’s up top with Dennis, avoiding the cabin in rough seas. Schatzi pulls an all-nighter, then crashes next to the cabbage and watermelon. 🤣 Dennis recounts being jolted awake by Ann’s long horn blast—an "all hands on deck" signal. After switching to the jib, he’s sure the Code Zero is beyond repair. Ann couldn’t care less about the rolly Sint Maarten anchorage—she just wants off the boat. The damage? A brutal rip from tack nearly all the way up the luff. Not a Zoom Sails issue—GoTFO⛵️ was well under the 25 TWS limit. After checking into Sint Maarten, they drop the sail at Tropical Sail Loft and head straight for a drink at Lagoonies. 🍻 Back onboard, Dennis gets cheeky with innuendos (and Ann’s butt) while removing dinghy wheels. He also tackles winch corrosion caused by a poorly installed flap from Balance. Turns out the patch Ann added using a Sailrite video had weakened the sail—thankfully, Tropical Sail Loft can repair it at a reasonable price. 🙌 Oh—and they show off an awesome gift from their best friend, Rob. Total legend. Tropical Sail Loft - great prices and fast service! Mattie was so helpful❣️ WhatsApp +1 721-553-2759 Zoom Sails zoomsails.com Sailrite suggested repair was in our 94th video: https://youtu.be/EWt0JSk7A78 CREDITS: Hitman by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ CURRENT LOCATION: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV-GTFO/ ABOUT OUR CATAMARAN: We love our new Balance 482 - it's a perfect size for a cruising couple to handle and is a great "balance" of performance and comfort. One of our favorite features is the excellent ventilation since we mostly live as "hookers" (aka at anchor) where the boat automatically turns into the wind so we stay cool and we don't need to battle mold. We also have starlink for easy off-grid life. Our 2400 watt solar panel array also means we rarely need to run an engine to charge our batteries. ABOUT US: We saved for a our future boat, sold everything that we owned, and shipped the rest in a container to Cape Town, South Africa. We then flew there and explored South Africa by way of a safari and touring Cape Town before moving aboard our boat. We then sailed to Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Fernando de Naronha (Brazil), Martinique, Sint Maarten (Dutch and French side), the US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas), the British Virgin Islands (Anegada, Norman Island, Jost van Dyke, and Anegada), The Bahamas (Inagua, Crooked Island, Long Island, George Town, Staniel Cay, the Exumas, and Eleuthera). We then sailed back to the United States, making landfall in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From there our destinations are endless! Both Dennis and Ann grew up military brats with Army fathers. Dennis (the Colonel) served 30 years in the US Army and his retirement pension helped us retire in our 50s. Ann (the ship's Captain) wrote Test Automation in Python and Java. Dennis and Ann met on Match.com where Ann had in her profile "Do you want to sail the world with me?" Ann easily brought Dennis into sailing, and he loved the GTFOplan of retiring early and sailing the world. After many years of saving, living on one income but earning two, and cutting back on everything possible, they saved enough to buy a Balance 482. Follow them as they get real about boat life and all the hassles of buying a new boat because we all know N.E.W. means Not Everything Works. Kisses, Ann & Dennis Twitter: @GTFOplan Facebook: https://facebook.com/anndennis.snellikin.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtfoplan/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/gtfoplan Email: gtfoplan@gmail.com