Raw 360 footage - Von Donop - Sailing in against the Wind S/V Amazing Grace

7/16/26 Passage #18 Rebecca Spit to Von Donop. Solo (16), Sailed to/From Anchor (25). Sailed off anchor in just a breath of southerly, ghosting past anchored boats in the crowded anchorage. It took nearly half an hour to ease clear without motoring. Out in Sutil Channel, the current dominated, but a whisper of breeze kept me making progress east. The whales stole the show. First their blows and then the tails, roughly twenty humpbacks, including one within a hundred yards. I radioed the ferry, but they already knew. When the wind filled back in, it brought about 10 knots, still from the south. Good sailing toward Von Donop. The inlet was narrow, wind against, current with me. I committed to sailing in. One tactical error near the rock mid-channel resulted in loss of helm. The boat pointed to shore, had to bear off toward it to regain speed, then turn away with less than a boat length to spare. After that, the rest settled down. Reached my friend's anchorage, started the engine, dropped sails, and rafted up for the night.