During the long, dark winter evenings we planned our great journey south. We would cast off on the 1st of June, make a quick stop at Gdansk, and by July we would be through the Kiel Canal and well on our way down the English Channel – in time to cross the Bay of Biscay before the summer was over.
Our boatyard visit in Gdansk was supposed to be a quick two week pit stop on our way far, far south from the Baltic Sea. We ended up staying for five weeks – partly because we kept having new ideas the whole time while observing the work in progress. The end result, a stern arch that accommodates a sizable array of solar panels and quite a lot of other equipment, is a piece of excellent workmanship, so the visit was definitely worth it. Now we should be able to produce all our electricity, without the need of sailing to marinas to plug in.
After a strenuous spring filled with boat projects, emptying yet another land based home, getting stuff for the boat and getting rid of land life stuff while working to save every last penny for our cruising kitty we were finally ready to cast off! No, the boat was not perfectly polished and squeaky clean, but it was ready to sail.
If you’re reading this, it means we have untied the lines and are somewhere out at sea! Heading towards the southern horizon, I hope, and next time you will hear from us when we find land again.
”We sold everything, bought a sailboat and went sailing around the world!”
If you read blogs or watch Youtube channels about people cruising around in sailboats, you may have come across these words a few times. They seem to be the cruisers’ favourite urban legend. But you seldom hear the story behind the words.
Our last destination in the Åland archipelago was the small island of Sottunga. It was a brief overnight stay, but we had time to visit another church very close to the harbour, and this one was especially pretty. It was built of wood and you could tell it’s age by the thick coat of red iron oxide paint on the cladding boards and roof shingles.
I watched from the shore as our blue sailboat became smaller and smaller, moving slowly with the wind. When I could no longer see the people onboard I turned away, started the car, and began my journey home. But oh, how fast the car was going! I felt like my brain just couldn’t adjust to the speed. Things were happening way too fast, I could hardly see where I was driving – I couldn’t read the road signs, I couldn’t focus on anything in that whizzing landscape. Yet, after I while I noticed there were several cars behind me with a frustrated driver in each one, apparently wondering why someone was driving so slowly.
Having been a horse girl all my life – since before I have any memory of anything at all – I realized the other day that sailing and horses have many things in common. Perhaps the similarities are the reason why I was hooked on sailing in the first place, on a somewhat subconscious level.
When I set foot on a sailboat for the first time, it was a calm, sunny day. The sea was perfectly flat, and a light, warm breeze made the boat move ever so slowly under sail. I swallowed the bait and was hooked on sailing from the very first minute.
I must admit I felt a bit nervous as we headed out to the open sea from our safe haven in Hiiumaa. The wind was blowing and the waves were high, again, but this time they were behind us. What a difference it will make! No rocking or bucking, just gentle swaying of the boat’s rear end as she slid down the big waves. We were making excellent speed with just our smaller headsail, travelling southeast into a wide strait between Hiiumaa and Vormsi.
Such a sad, wretched sight – a sailboat out of the water!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many does a video count for? I put together a little sailing video, hoping to show some of the joy and excitement of being carried by the wind, moving fast along the water.
On our way to our next destination, Hiiumaa island off the northwest coast of Estonia, we experienced some of the best sailing we’ve ever done anywhere, on any boat. There was a brisk southerly breeze and we were making good speed on our little boat. By this time she had acquired a large number of affectionate nicknames, most of them referring to her compact size, her pear shaped body, her respectable age, or all of the above. Nevertheless, she proved herself to be a true thoroughbred among sailboats, sailing solidly and effortlessly like a much larger boat. As the wind increased and the waves got bigger she just seemed to grow taller and heavier but remained as responsive to the helm as ever, letting us steer her with just a finger or two.
On August 15th, a beautiful Monday, it was finally time to cast the lines and head off into the blue! We had motored west from our home marina the previous day in no wind at all. But at first light on Monday morning there was a steady breeze from the west, meaning a good beam reach – the kind of wind our boat loves the best. And so we were on our way – heading south!
A couple of hours later the Finnish coastline had disappeared beyond the northern horizon and we felt free as birds in the middle of the sea.
A couple more hours later the southern coastline started to shimmer in the distance. No, not some exotic tropical coastline, since it obviously was not that far from where we left – it was the coast of our friendly and beautiful neighbour Estonia! But it was a big step for us, and with the way our boat handled in the moderate wind and some waves gave us great confidence in her.
Three weeks of freedom ahead of us, and it felt good to be on our way!
The third member of our crew will have the honour of starting this very first post of our very first blog. When it comes to sailing, one of us at least has the right attitude!
