Solo Sailing Up The Gambian & Senegalese Coast: Dodging Nets, Lasers, & Chased By The Coast Guard
Leaving the calm of the Casamance River was the easy part. Getting Galopin safely to Dakar with a torn Genoa and a "toy" storm sail was a different story.
In this episode:
•The Bar: Navigating the treacherous mouth of the Casamance. With only 5 meters of depth miles offshore, the breaking waves were a constant threat to capsize us.
•The "Toy" Sail: My big Genoa is gone. I’m crossing open water with a used main and a tiny storm sail. No motor noise, no vibration, and no fear of a tangled prop. Surprisingly, Galopin found his stride, giving us 6 hours of pure, silent sailing bliss.
•The Invisible Minefield: Darkness brings a new set of obstacles. Fishing buoys and nets are everywhere, and catching a line in the prop means diving under the hull in the dark—something I desperately wanted to avoid.
•The Laser Game: Out of the dark, a green laser tagged my sails. Then, six massive spotlights blinded me. Fishermen guarding their nets or a phantom Coast Guard? I had to steer off-course and hope they wouldn't follow.
•Surreal Beauty: Despite the stress, the ocean provided a light show. The hull was cutting through clouds of blue bioluminescence, a spellbinding sight that video never quite captures perfectly.
•The Cat Nap: Sleep is a luxury you can't afford. My night was a cycle of 20-minute alarms—wake up, check the AIS, scan the horizon for unlit boats, and repeat.
•Night Terrors: The Gambian coast is a minefield of fishing nets and unlit buoys. Just as the bioluminescence began its surreal light show, I was targeted by green lasers and strobe lights. Was it fishermen protecting their nets, or the Coast Guard?
•The Race: A 20-minute cat-nap cycle and a race against a closing weather window. When you’re 65 and solo, you learn to trust your gut—especially when it tells you to drop the sails before the wind hits.
00:00 Intro
00:30 Breaking waves
02:20 WTF is this?
02:56 Pure sailing pleasure
04:57 Laser beamed & chased
06:06 Dancing around cargos
07:13 Ominous ahead
09:11 Got dancing seal legs
11:06 Mission accomplished
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DISCLAIMER: This series is simply intended to offer and give an alternative to conventional TV... for FREE! And if anyone has the good will to reward this series purely on merit because it's somehow funny, mildly interesting, slightly stupid, or bizarrely entertaining, you can do so by giving it a tip on Patreon or Ko-fi:
https://www.patreon.com/SailorAlex?
ko-fi.com/sailoralex
Stay up to date with the following
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Flickr:
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X:
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Help keep Galopin moving toward the next horizon by joining our Patreon.
#SailingSenegal #WindedVoyage #SoloSailing #GambiaCoast #BoatLife #SailingAfrica
Winded Voyage Sailing
In 2026, Swiss sailor Alexandre Guidetti marks a decade of continuous blue water cruising aboard his 1981 Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40, Galopin. Operating out of Cercle de la Voile de Dakar in Senegal, he documents remote West African anchorages, mechanical overhauls, and offshore navigation with candid technical clarity. His self-produced series emphasizes self-reliance, local cultural immersion, and practical seamanship.
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Leaving the calm of the Casamance River was the easy part. Getting Galopin safely to Dakar with a torn Genoa and a “toy” storm sail was a different story.
In this episode:
•The Bar: Navigating the treacherous mouth of the Casamance. With only 5 meters of depth miles offshore, the breaking waves were a constant threat to capsize us.
•The “Toy” Sail: My big Genoa is gone. I’m crossing open water with a used main and a tiny storm sail. No motor noise, no vibration, and no fear of a tangled prop. Surprisingly, Galopin found his stride, giving us 6 hours of pure, silent sailing bliss.
•The Invisible Minefield: Darkness brings a new set of obstacles. Fishing buoys and nets are everywhere, and catching a line in the prop means diving under the hull in the dark—something I desperately wanted to avoid.
•The Laser Game: Out of the dark, a green laser tagged my sails. Then, six massive spotlights blinded me. Fishermen guarding their nets or a phantom Coast Guard? I had to steer off-course and hope they wouldn’t follow.
•Surreal Beauty: Despite the stress, the ocean provided a light show. The hull was cutting through clouds of blue bioluminescence, a spellbinding sight that video never quite captures perfectly.
•The Cat Nap: Sleep is a luxury you can’t afford. My night was a cycle of 20-minute alarms—wake up, check the AIS, scan the horizon for unlit boats, and repeat.
•Night Terrors: The Gambian coast is a minefield of fishing nets and unlit buoys. Just as the bioluminescence began its surreal light show, I was targeted by green lasers and strobe lights. Was it fishermen protecting their nets, or the Coast Guard?
•The Race: A 20-minute cat-nap cycle and a race against a closing weather window. When you’re 65 and solo, you learn to trust your gut—especially when it tells you to drop the sails before the wind hits.
00:00 Intro
00:30 Breaking waves
02:20 WTF is this?
02:56 Pure sailing pleasure
04:57 Laser beamed & chased
06:06 Dancing around cargos
07:13 Ominous ahead
09:11 Got dancing seal legs
11:06 Mission accomplished
Some say it’s The Best Sailing Channel on YouTube!
Agree or disagree, make your voice heard. Subscribe, like, dislike, or comment.
DISCLAIMER: This series is simply intended to offer and give an alternative to conventional TV… for FREE! And if anyone has the good will to reward this series purely on merit because it’s somehow funny, mildly interesting, slightly stupid, or bizarrely entertaining, you can do so by giving it a tip on Patreon or Ko-fi:
https://www.patreon.com/SailorAlex?
ko-fi.com/sailoralex
Stay up to date with the following
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/windedvoyage/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/windedvoyage/
Winded Voyage Website:
Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckooracha/
X:
https://mobile.twitter.com/SwissSailorAlex/
Help keep Galopin moving toward the next horizon by joining our Patreon.
#SailingSenegal #WindedVoyage #SoloSailing #GambiaCoast #BoatLife #SailingAfrica
Solo Sailing Up The Gambian & Senegalese Coast: Dodging Nets, Lasers, & Chased By The Coast Guard Location
- Senegal (14.497401,-14.452362)
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