Offshore Yacht Delivery in Squall Conditions

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 Thursday 27th Nov '25

The day started nicely with a colour sunrise.  But, you should always take note of old sayings - "red sky in the morning, sailors warning".  And how that was right today.  We have spent the past 2000nm's in really nice conditions and now we are nearing the end the weather has turned up to slap us in the face. 

It was a sign of things to come.

Red sky on a yacht delivery in the atlantic


Mid-passage in tropical waters, conditions shifted into a full day of squall activity. Wind ranged from light following breeze to 30 knots within minutes, with rapid 90-degree shifts as cells moved through. Radar showed organised lines of convection; visually it was black cloud, heavy rain, and confused sea state for most of the watch cycle. Operational response is procedural, not reactive.

Sail Management in Variable Squalls

With wind velocity and direction changing rapidly, the headsail configuration was adjusted repeatedly throughout the day:

  • Furled in advance of gust fronts

  • Partially deployed in lulls

  • Double reefed during sustained squalls

The objective is not boat speed. It is load control and gear preservation.

Frequent trimming is unavoidable in this environment. Anticipation from radar interpretation reduces shock loading on rig and sail plan. Squall lines visible on radar allow early depowering before the gust hits, rather than reacting once heel and load spike.

Navigation Systems – GPS Signal Loss and Autopilot Protocol

Compounding the weather, intermittent GPS signal loss occurred during the day. When satellite input dropped out:

  • Autopilot defaulted to heading hold

  • Course over ground, speed, ETA, and waypoint data were temporarily unavailable

This is not uncommon in heavy rain bands or electrical disturbance. The critical point is redundancy and procedure.

Options were:

  1. Full system reboot (restores function quickly but requires temporary manual helm and system reconfiguration), or

  2. Maintain heading hold and allow satellite lock to re-establish naturally

During outages, hand steering is maintained as required and paper chart / radar position awareness continues. A professional delivery crew does not rely on a single data stream. GPS is a tool, not a dependency.

Electrical system resets are controlled decisions. Rebooting the entire navigation network offshore must be deliberate, not impulsive.

Tropical Offshore Realities

Persistent squall conditions increase workload:

  • Continuous radar monitoring

  • Active helm management

  • Sail adjustment

  • Electrical systems oversight

Sleep cycles compress and watch discipline becomes more important. Fatigue management during high-variability weather is part of offshore yacht delivery in Southeast Asia and the wider South Pacific.

Morning deck inspections remain routine regardless of conditions. Flying fish landing onboard overnight are common in these waters and must be cleared promptly due to residue and odour, particularly in tropical heat.

Operational Context

Yacht Delivery Solutions provides professional yacht delivery throughout Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and the South Pacific, specialising in vessels over 45 feet — both sail and power.

Squalls, satellite dropouts, and gear adjustments are routine offshore variables. The differentiator is how they are handled.

                                                                     Flying Fish


We have now slowed down as we don't want to be arriving into Le Marine harbour in the dark so we will be spending a few hours going round in circles until day break before heading in.

We are on track to be tied up along side the fuelling pontoon about 07:00 or 08:00 tomorrow - 20 days and 2200nm from the Canaries but I got on in Rome with my sone Declan who came with me to Malaga (great to spend some quality time with the young fella) and the total distance I have travelled on this boat is around 3,000nm or 5,550km.  

Getting off the boat on Friday, going to spend a few days here in Martinique then get a ferry to Saint Lucia (1hr 30m away), spend a few days there then start the 48hr journey home next week.

Time for a break.





Location: 78MJ6MWV+JJ

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