My first sailing alone
My first experience of solo sailing happened when a big storm started. My IF boat "Sunflower" was anchored near the shore in an open roadstead. When the waves at the shore became threatening in size and one nearly turned the yacht, I hoist up the storm sail and sailing the boat into the open sea. I could hide in the port, but I was wondering how I would run the yacht alone for several days without an autopilot. After several such storms, the next season I decided to make my first serious solo sailing.
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"Sunflower" started in mid-May from my home in Lazarevsky. I knew perfectly the navigation to the Kerch Strait. In the daytime, I ran the boat and at night anchored near the shore. The weather was nice and warm. The first and last time in my practice I led a logbook in a notebook on which it was written:
Freedom is in danger better than slavery alone.
But in the Kerch Strait I ran aground. I had a manual electronic navigator, but with road maps. Then I realized how stupid to leave the fairway, the more experienced yachtsmen warned me of the dangers in the insidious strait. There was a real swamp around, the grass was sticking out of the water and there was nowhere to wait for help. I started the outboard motor and turned the boat to the fairway and close reach. So I reduced the draft and the boat got off the can. While I sailing to the fairway, the keel constantly clung to the bottom and the propeller of the outboard motor wound the grass.
The Sea of Azov is very shallow and sailing without good navigational charts is an adventure. Close-hauled on the course, I learned to sleep while the boat steers itself. My destination it was Taganrog, but I ran into some difficulties.
Record from the ship's log:
The wind intensifies. While taking reefs on the main sail, the halyard groove itself was unfastened and the end of the halyard remained on the top of the mast…
Under one jib "Sunflower" tried to tack into Taganrog Bay, but I was completely exhausted.
...Drop anchor. Depth of 2 meters. The crew climbed onto the mast and took out the end of the halyard.
When I came down from the 9 meter mast, where I climbed without any insurance and assistance, I was in shock. From the top of the mast, I saw that I was doing sailing near a low sandy spit. On my car navigator, of course this danger was not indicated. I soberly assessed my chances and returned safely home.
So, I sailing alone for about two weeks. It was not as difficult as it seemed at the beginning. On the one hand, I had to do everything myself, but on the other I did not have to spend my energy on interaction with the crew. I certainly risked when, without someone else's help, I climbed the mast, but this experience came to me in the future when the mast of my yacht was five meters longer))).
CREW
We are just dudes who do not like to be bored and we have solutions. Let's sailing around the world with us.
Our captain Akela is poorly adapted to life on the shore, but has enough experience to drown some kind of boat. He have a skill of 10.000 miles and twice sailing around Europe.
The wife of Captain Sonia Medusa often suffers from seasickness, but she is a wonderful artist and a yoga teacher. She also has several thousand miles of sea experience as a jellyfish.
Our boy, was only conceived in the ocean, but perhaps he still has to sniff the salty wind.
You can write something for the crew:
telegram @CapitanAkela