A group of us sailed around the island of Saipan as a day trip with Dave from the Saipan Sailing School. There were 3 sailboats that circled the island that day: Official Business, Una and Aoba. We departed around 7am in very calm waters, which changed once we exited the sheltered harbor. We got to see beautiful views of all the coasts, including Marpi to the North, Lau Lau and Forbidden Island on the West, Naftan and Agingan Points to the South, then back up the West coast back to Smiling Cove Marina. This was a great day adventure in the Northern Mariana Islands. The swell was around 4-6ft (1.5-2m), with the roughest part rounding the northern coastline.
We had great conditions for most of the sail, especially the early morning departure. The swells picked up quite a bit outside the harbor and the further we got from the island. Staying on the 'lee of the island' had the most calm conditions as you can see from the video. Sailing around the Northern Coast of Saipan was definitely the roughest. I also thought that was the most fun part of the trip.
We got hit by a rainstorm as we approached the northern part of the island. This is where the different currents converge and there is no shelter from the island for the waves or wind. UNA took a much shorter route across the northern coast, so ended up in front of us as we started sailing south.
There were lots of great views of the island from viewpoints not usually seen. I enjoyed the vantage point of Forbidden Island and surrounding area from the water.
Was a great experience for those of us that joined the adventure. I had to edit lots of the footage out to keep the video under 6 minutes long! Sailing in the Marianas Islands can be great year-round, so come check it out!
Overall we did 46.8 Nautical miles to loop the island and made it back to the dock a couple hours earlier than expected! Departed around 7am and back before 4:30pm.
you can see more sailing and traveling videos on youtube @illusionadaslides
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