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The sky stayed gray for most of 26 days and the wind rarely dropped below 30 knots. That’s the stage for Olivia Wyatt’s non-stop crossing straight from Sumatra to northern Madagascar—3,400 nautical miles on a 34-foot full-keel cutter, riding the edges of tropical depressions and threading the risk lines of the Mozambique Channel. We invited Olivia back to unpack the tactics, the fear, and the strange, luminous moments that carried her across the Indian Ocean.

We talk route design, including why she left early in the season and chose a direct line instead of the common island-hopping path. Olivia breaks down her “no motoring offshore” mindset, how long she waited for trade winds, and the day her weather router told her to turn south fast to slip under a wall of convection stretching from Madagascar to Sumatra. From there, it’s raw heavy-weather seamanship: two reefs holding in 40-plus, sleeping on the cabin sole, wrestling rainwater out of a sagging main, and deciding when one knot of progress with engine assist is better than heaving to in a nasty tide-against-current trap at Cape d’Ambre.

Safety is more than storm tactics on this route. Olivia shares what she’s learned about the piracy and crime risk zones in northern Mozambique, why governments advise staying 100–150 miles offshore, and how she handled a chase near Bazaruto by using steep seas to her advantage. We also look at practical prep that paid off: re-bedded deck-to-hull joint, reinforced mast step, rebuilt tanks, and new comms (VHF, handhelds, SSB). She’s now adding a third reef and wants a storm jib after weeks of big breeze and little sun. And yes, we even get into the haunted-boat lore—cabinets that open, lights that flash, and the Fijian ceremony that quieted it all.

If you’re planning an Indian Ocean crossing, curious about heavy-weather tactics on a small boat, or just love honest, unvarnished sea stories, this one delivers. Tap play, then tell us: would you take the straight shot or island-hop the trades? Subscribe, share with a sailing friend, and leave a review to help more mariners find the show.

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SALTY ABANDON: Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL:
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