Sailing alone can be a pretty daunting task at the best of times - let alone taking a solo trip across the Pacific Ocean.
When something doesn’t go to plan, you’re completely isolated from anyone on land who could come to the rescue and you’ve got to rely on your own initiative to get through it.
That’s what YouTuber Garrett found when he set sail by himself towards French Polynesia, leaving the Hawaiian harbor in the distance for a voyage that should take around 25 days.
The 19-year-old vlogged his 2400-mile expedition for his channel called Garrett’s Adventure and it wasn’t long before he encountered his first problem, saying to the camera: “I've gotten probably 30 minutes of sleep total if even that. It's just hard to sleep when the boat is just kind of slapping back and forth from the low wind.”
Advert
The issues with Garrett’s boat didn’t end there as a few days later, he discovered a leak.
Garrett said: “Well, I found my first leak. It’s not a ton of water but it's enough that I want to fix it. I'm not sure where it's come from yet, I noticed it a tiny bit earlier but it wasn't this much.”
The brave teen also struggled with the conditions of the waves at night, which he said were ‘pretty messy’ and ‘not very enjoyable’.
Advert
Because of that, Garrett continued to struggle with his sleep, recalling how, ‘it sounds like a gunshot going off on the boat’ when the waves hit the side.
Then a potential disaster struck as the YouTuber found that he was on a direct collision course with another boat.
He said: “I'm trying to call on the radio. I've been yelling at him [on the other boat] for like 15 minutes, trying to get him to answer. They're going to come really close and I don't know if I should bear off or try to motor into the wind or what, because these guys aren't answering.
Advert
“it's a freaking sailboat, what are the chances I see a sailboat this close out here.”
With more dramatic weather, Garrett couldn’t believe it when a huge wave washed over the top of the boat.
The door to his kitchen and sleeping area was closed but water leaked in regardless, soaking through the floor and bed.
He added: “The cabin is just a freaking disaster. That [wave] was freaking huge, like twice as big as anything I've seen. I'm looking outside and they're like 10, 12, 15 feet, it's nuts.”
Advert
Despite the challenges he came up against, viewers of his vlog were impressed that the teen had faced them alone.
Taking to the YouTube comment section, one user posted: “The way you were able to keep your chill when everything went wrong is actually insane but incredible. I can only DREAM to match that energy.”
A second wrote: “Every sailor whose had the guts to cross the Pacific alone like this brave young man says the same thing. It’s impossible to cross the Pacific alone and come back as the same person who set off. Good luck my friend.”
Advert
A third commented: “I have anxiety watching this, you are so brave for doing this on your own.”
And a fourth added: “This is the prime example of ‘you only got 1 life to live’ this kid is living it.”
It was no mean feat for Garrett to make the journey over to French Polynesia and he celebrated with another act of courage - jumping into the ocean alone.