1500-kilometer solo voyage of a Belarusian on a weekender across the Baltic Sea
The Weekender is a small, long-keel sailing boat, as the name suggests, adapted for short voyages for a couple of days off.
The sailboat was built at the GARRYSAIL shipyard located in Vitebsk. Link to the shipyard group in contact: https://vk.com/club29709755
Characteristics: Vessel length - 5 meters, width - 180 cm, displacement of about half a ton, draft - 40 cm, speed with normal wind about 12 km per hour
However, Vladimir Konarev, a Belarusian from Vitebsk, traveled on this boat for several weeks, having successfully completed a trip along the Gulf of Finland, then across the Baltic Sea to Finland and finished it in St. Petersburg. Navigation map (clickable, large size):
A manager of one of the Vitebsk computer firms takes a navigator, a laptop and a phone on a voyage in order to post his successes on social networks.
Logbook. Expedition start June 18, 2013 :
The first day of the journey is over. I will be brief - there is no Internet. Passed for Beshenkovichi, 68 km per day. All the time a magnificent wind blew 5-7 m/s, sometimes gusts up to 10 m/s. But he blew in the forehead! So I had 28 km and 7 hours of invigorating maneuvering with tacks of 50-200 meters, then I spat and started the engine. The installation of the keel fully justified itself - the sailboat became predictable. In badewind up to 4 m/s, you can not change to the windward side, at 5-7 m/s it is enough to sit on the windward side. Well, the sheets in my hands, heeled by 20 degrees, and then the heel stopped. Skeptics or "paper capitalsus”, who are used to sailing on large sailboats, they write about me in vain now ... On the lake I went up to 15 m / s, tightly reefed, and normal!
About the adventures. In the middle of the river, he ran aground on a sandbank - he blinked on one of the tacks and did not pay attention to a small tuft of grass sticking out of the water. In general, barely slipped. Several times I caught pitfalls with the steering wheel, so the cable that fixes the pen in the lowered state did not fix it, it just periodically pulled it up. But the most fun was in Beshenkovichi - a pontoon bridge. I had to bring down the mast and jump between the pontoons. The height of the span is exactly 1 meter. Extreme is still the same! The pontoons are at an angle to the current, barely hit the span 2.5 meters widera. Well, that's all for today.
June 20, 2013
9:25 I went to the mobile connection with Volodya, the connection is unstable, now in the shadow of fuel stations, there is no init, by the evening it should be at the border .. as Volodya said, below Polotsk the Western Dvina (Daugava) is two times wider, in places 300-400 meters, it is convenient to go to the tack. 12:15 passed Disna.. Extreme writes. Verkhnedvinsk slipped through, after 10-15 km neutral waters begin, stop at the parking lot. Border control tomorrow. Below Verhnedvinsk, the Western Dvina (Daugava) in places up to 1 km wide, many fishermen ...
17.30. From a telephone conversation with Vladimir, his friend Gary Stepanov learned that he slipped through Verkhnedvinsk. “Border control tomorrow. Below Verhnedvinsk, the Western Dvina is up to 1 km wide in places, there are many fishermen. Along the Desna - a lot of stones, high-speed streams of water, but slipped through in one breath. Volodya will write a report, most likely, only in Riga - the supply of batteries is only for the most necessary, ”Gariy said.
June 21, 2013
9.00. As the traveler's wife Larisa Konareva told NNV, Vladimir had 2 km left to the border with Latvia. At 11:00 he plans to cross it. By evening, the sailboatsman should be in the Latvian city of Kraslava.
14:00. According to the traveler's friend Garii Stepanov , Vladimir safely crossed the Belarusian border.
15:11. They cut through the window to Europe! "Virgo-2" entered the territorial waters of Latvia!
19:25. Hello! I'm already in Kraslava . Daugava gave a light: rapids, rifts, stones… Phew… But, it seems, it worked out, only a couple of times something was hooked on the steering wheel. There will be a few more rolls below, then it’s normal. Now I’ll catch my breath (I need to go somewhere to eat and test the beer of the local brewery). I'll write more in a few hours.
23:30. There was nothing particularly interesting before the Beshenkovichis . But in the morning, when I moved away from the parking lot, just below Beshenkovichi, I experienced a shock. Literally 200 meters below the parking lot there were stone rifts. But there was an idea to go down. At dusk, I would definitely have flown! Further the river is calm, but the wind is contrary.
About 40 kilometers before Polotsk , the Dvina acquired a majestic appearance, the current decreased, and its width increased. But along the banks it was clear that they had not previously been banks, this was due to the backwater of the Polotsk hydroelectric power station under construction. At this stage, I was very worried about the passage of the bypass channel. After all, to squeeze all the power of the river into a narrow channel ... I expected to see something like a gutter. When I approached, I was struck by how much land was turned over during construction. This is a really big building. In front of these "mountains" I decided toget to the shore to go to see if it is possible to go there at all.
I was already met on the shore - a boy of 10-12 years old, accepted the moorings. He volunteered to guide and show me the channel. An inquisitive guy, his name is Fedor . Told me how to get through. I asked a lot about the sailboat and the trip. And in the end he asked to take a picture near the sailboat. A channel is a channel. 50 meters wide, at first glance, a stream with whirlpools, but I was advised even with the flow to give more turns and keep to the middle. And so he did. I passed, it turned out calmly, there are even more terrible places on the river. What was surprising: even below the dam, the river remained as full andcalm. In Polotsk, I decided to add gasoline. I called Gary, he brought to his friend from Polotsk, and he agreed to bring gasoline. By the way, it didn’t take so much: the engine “ate” a little more than 6 liters in 15 hours of operation. Then he passed Novopolotsk and stopped for the night. In the morning I went further, ahead was 100 km to the border. Sailing is calm, I’m used to the measured rattling of the motor (at 2800 rpm it doesn’t tire at all, the sound is low). I have already begun to relax, even warmed up food on the go and made coffee. Entered into the rhythm of camp life.
But the calm ended when approaching the city of Disna . For half a kilometer I saw individual breakers on the water, walked around. I decided to look through the binoculars through the passage - the Dvina in Disna is divided by a large island, and saw that the water ahead was seething across the entire width. Dropped the revs to idle. And without looking up from the binoculars, he began to look for a passage. In the middle, a little closer to the right bank, it was almost quiet, and headed there. But it only seemed that way from a distance. He got closer and it got worse. But nowhere to go - sat on the aft deck. One hand - tiller, the otherth - for the tiller of the motor, and the slalom began! I do not know what was happening around, I just looked at the water along the course and the rules between the breakers. This tactic helped, the rudder blade bounced a couple of times, prudently removed from the stopper, and I was on clear water. There is an island ahead, the navigator shows the fairway from the right bank, and I go there. I enter the strait, I see that there is a boiler there ... In general, it is very difficult to go through such places with the flow, it is impossible to stop. Ten meters to the breakers, I decide to use the usual river tactics, sharply turn to the outerereg. Indeed, there are fewer breakers, but they are across the entire width. I go, choosing smaller breakers, believing that the stones are deeper there. It helped, I didn’t even strike the wheel. Phew! .. Then again, quietly and calmly. The river began to expand, in places it became like a large lake. Clouds came running, it began to drizzle ... It became easier. Tired of the sun.
I did not notice how Verhnedvinsk slipped through. I decided to turn on the navigator: I can’t understand where the city is. I scroll the map forward, and there is already a border. The head of the outpost called, discussed the procedure for the passage and the place of my overnight stay. In the morning I moved to the meeting point with the border boat . I was supposed to be met at the place where Latvia begins on the right bank. Waited an hour, called; they said they were delayed. Okay, I'm standing. I prepared the mooring lines from the starboard side, hung the fenders there. A boat approached - a jet "Cupid" with a cabin. went forthem. At this point, the river is divided in the middle, so I keep to the left bank. Here, when going around the island, an incident turned out. The boat led into the strait, and then I enter the sand. I give reverse, take it to the side, sat down again. I look around: through the water you can see that there are sand drifts all around. The boat passes, and I have 45 cm of draft, I no longer invest. I give back, take it in the opposite direction and drive in so that the sailboat tipped over, standing on the keel. Here I praised myself for choosing a motor. 5-ka "Mercury", washing out the sand of the banner, pulls aground. Turned in the opposite direction. Dayu gas, the sailboat, driving on the sole of the keel along the sandbanks, as if on a hill, takes out to deep water. We approach Druya , the border guards are already warning about shallows, but there is no longer sand, there are stones under water, I go around. Further to the pier, there are pitfalls, but they are visible from the breakers. A whole delegation is waiting on the pier. But everything went off with dignity, in a businesslike way: they filled out the documents, talked. We were escorted to the Latvian pier. It’s generally simple there - they stamped their passport and wished them a happy journey. Daugava met with calmness and scorching sun. Butthen the first 5 km. And then the fun started... Rapids and rolls... I didn't see anything around... Solid slalom! He reached Kraslava safely. We met warmly. The owner of the hotel Priedaine accepted, provided the Internet. The sailboat is guarded. The battery was put on charge, but the current does not take. Looks like I'll have to buy a new one tomorrow.
Tomorrow after 10 am I will go further. There are 20 km of rifts and rapids ahead, there are passages. In the morning, together with the owner of the hotel, Valera , we will make a survey of the passages.
June 23, 2013
2:40. The fifth day of the trip is over. I left Kraslava late, at 12:30 , but the delay was forced. Dealt with the battery. It turned out that he no longer takes a charge, most likely, the plates crumbled. I had to go buy a new one. Then the correspondent of the local newspaper came, talked to him and I set sail. They told me about the first kilometers of riffles, so I walked around easily, but then ... It turned out that for 65 km to Daugavpils the whole river was like that. Small calm sections gave way to extended rifts, and the speedThe current in some places reached 10 km per hour. Somewhere in the middle of the passage, he banged his keel on a stone, as much as the sailboat jumped. Never in my life have I seen such an effect on the river! Feeling like you're rolling down a hill. Visually, it was clear that the river was going down, and in some places it was even felt like the sailboat was sliding down the water slide. But after the Daugavpils, the river calmed down, overflowed and became solid and calm. After an hour, the fatigue from the 5-hour slalom passed. I decided to go while I go. In some places the wind was up to 6-8 m/s. The speed from it fell by 2-3 km per hour. Decided to deploytaxel and regained these 2-3 km per hour. But it was going steeply to the wind, 40 degrees, looking, of course. Tomorrow evening they will be waiting for me with a trailer for transportation to Riga . A little more than 100 km left to the place of ascent. I'll weigh anchor early - there will be 10-12 hours of sailing. Tomorrow is a national holiday in Latvia - Ligo . Therefore, transportation must be completed by nightfall.
June 24, 2013
The sixth day of the campaign ended, the most intense, the most difficult and, as it turned out, also dangerous. The Daugava is a very capricious and capricious river. On the morning of the 23rd, we anchored 35 km below Daugavpils. The river is quiet and wide. Jēkabpils is just over 50 km away. 5 hours of quiet running, sometimes turned the staysail to help the motor. Then there was another 40 km to the place of ascent to the trailer, not reaching the Plyavichevskoye reservoir. After 5 hours of travel, I was about to have a bite to eat, as I noticed breakers ahead of us. It was less than 10 km to Jekabpils. Well roll and roll, alreadyhe's used to it. Coming closer, I saw that it was no longer a roll, but a small threshold. I started looking for a passage. from the right bank the water was almost smooth. But it was a hoax, coming closer I saw that the river was blocked across the entire width, and I was already near the right bank and I was drawn by the stream. The strongest blow of the keel to the stone almost threw me off the stern deck, the sailboat heeled sharply almost to the fender, and turned across the stream. I gave the motor a full rear, and rested on the bottom with a footstock. I managed to turn around and jump off the stone slab. a few more blows of the keel on the kamsyum and I'm on clean water. Phew.. it was already scary.
A family was resting on the shore, I asked around. They said there was a passage. It is necessary to keep to the left bank, the depth is about 80 cm, that's enough for me. But still I went to look, climbed a hill on the right bank. Indeed, along the left bank there is a stream without breakers, I decided to go there. I pushed off, moved to the left bank, I was picked up by the current, I gave the working speed to the engine in order to maintain controllability, I passed cleanly. Before that, I asked if there were still obstacles ahead. They answered that now the whole river is clean and navigable. Okay, I'm moving on. To the horizonJekabpils, and a little closer to me powerful breakers across the entire river. And this is called "pure"? I notice that there is a bucket on the right bank, and the water is calm there, I rule there. But this calmness is deceptive. Water, powerfully twisting, comes into this turn. A jet ski flies past at high speed. I wave to him. Came up and asked about the passage. There is, says, need to keep 10 meters from the shore. "I'll go there now, watch me." Yes, I passed, but I decide to see for myself. I poke my nose into the shore. I throw an anchor from the bow and drive it into the ground, from the stern for belaying the kidI hit the anchor-cat, I also drive my paws into the ground. The shore is overgrown, with difficulty I make my way to the threshold. There is a strong roar of water and a broken wave a little less than a meter high. I go back, tightly close the hatch, set off, and decide to go. Takes on a powerful current. I give gas to the motor, I try to withstand 10 meters from the shore. High waves are met at the very threshold, the sailboat pierces them, cutting them and throwing them to the sides, without even swaying. For a moment - and I am again on clean and calm water.
I enter Jekabpils . I notice a wire hanging over the water and I understand that I won’t pass under it in the middle. I sharply turn to the left bank - it is higher, rubbing sandbanks, I pass under the wire. From below it is difficult to estimate the distance, but it is clear that from the top of the mast to the wire is less than a meter. Going on the same course, I would definitely be hooked. I give a move, keep a course towards the bridge. Suddenly I notice high-voltage wires. I sharply reverse and turn to the shore, I approach at idle, ready to engage in reverse gear. Got by, the wires are pretty highabout. Approaching the bridge, I again shout: “Which of the spans of the bridge is navigable?” They say anyone. I'm going to the middle one. Went okay. The city ends, on the banks - a holiday. Ahead is a large island. On the right, I don't see a passage at all. On the left there is, but there are also small breakers. I decide to go there. There is a wide gap again. A couple of light keel strikes. Passed! There is a fisherman on the shore, I shout to him: “What is ahead? Will I pass? Is there half a meter of water?” She replied that she probably would. I calmly go around the island, there are solid breakers, and the current has already picked up the sailboat. On the left, it seems to be smaller. I'm trying to moverush there. And - a strong blow with a keel to a stone, then another and another! The sailboat abruptly turns around and almost puts on board. The engine roars, I take off the gas and try to tilt, so as not to put it down at all. Again, blows and gnashing, pulling me onto a flat slab, a depth of about 20 cm. I try to push off with the footstock and back up, almost slipping and, like, moving back. I try to turn around in the direction marked for the passage, and again they throw me onto this slab, turn me around and drag me sideways over the stones, the keelreads the stones, and I sit on the windward boat, not allowing the sailboat to fully lie on board. And then the sailboat freezes - sat down tightly. Roll about 20 degrees. I sit without moving, any movement increases the roll. Ahead everything roars and seethes, from the left bank something similar to a passage. I call Ilya , informing him of the situation that instead of a simple transportation, a rescue operation is ahead. He is preparing to leave, says that he will arrive in 2 hours. I'm going to sit these couple of hours.
The locals are shouting from the shores. In general, I have not yet met such an attitude of the natives on the entire river that I passed. Previously, any fisherman whom I asked about the situation on the course meticulously told everything what, where and how to get through. And here - complete indifference or malicious intent. He asked the locals on the shore: from which side is it better to bypass the island and what kind of water is there, are there stones and rapids? They answered that it is too small, but you will pass, there is about a meter of depth. And where is it small? I don’t understand… Then Ilya calls, says that local rescuers have left. Indeed, according to bA fire truck with a boat on a trailer passes by on the river road. About an hour later, the rescuers are already in the water, and one of them is pulling a cable towards me. We decide for a long time what to do: along the intended duct, the rescuer is much higher than the knee. We decide to pull out to the aisle, first asked them what's next. They answered that it was clear further, only you had to keep to the left bank, and then there were no more rapids. For about an hour they tried to pull off the stove. Several times, already, like, having pulled it off, it was thrown back, threatening to turn it over. Somehow they pulled it out, pulled off the cable, I went down - clean. I call anda league that escaped and, probably, I will reach the place of ascent. I passed the turn, I plan a quieter place. And suddenly - a strong blow, the sailboat nods, but slips to the side. Again, the same powerful blow, again a blow! .. I already have a ringing in my head, throws it around the cockpit, the sailboat lists, threatening to capsize, and stops with a grinding sound. With great difficulty, it is possible to deploy it with its nose to the stream. I notice that, most likely, from the strongest dynamic impacts, the shrouds from the starboard side were cut off, and only a thin cord of the flag halyard holds the mast. The mast must be saved. tightnessayu flag-halyard, I disconnect the hafel-halyard and fasten it to the foot rails. The mast is holding. I look around: there are breakers ahead, closer to the middle, the water hits underwater obstacles with great speed, splashing and creating a high wave. Everything looks like a mountain river . There is a roar of seething water. I am in this cauldron. The sailboat, like, again sat down firmly. I call Ilya, to please. He again calls the rescuers. And I sit and curse them. How could they not know that further the river is completely impassable. About an hour later, the same firemen show up. One comes to me with trocatfish, fortunately, 20-30 meters to the shore. We decide to pull to the shore, and there we will already see. He apologizes for bringing it here. It turns out that there was a strong discharge of water at the Plyavichskaya HPP yesterday or today. Here are the stones, which are usually under water, and were exposed. And they were informed about this when I had already gone around the corner. With great difficulty on the stones we reach the sailboat almost to the shore, I also jump into the water to reduce weight and help. The depth is about 20 cm. We decide what to do, a car with a trailer will not drive up here. I look at the coast. Low with soft ground, sometimes overgrown with shrubs,quite gentle. I propose to hook the sailboat with a fire engine winch and pull it up on the keel, like on a ski. Top field. Given that everything here is private, this can threaten trouble. Just approached the owner of the field . He said: do what you need, not so much will be trampled, will grow, but you need to save the sailboat. We hook on the winch, grab the sides, and on the keel the sailboat slides smoothly to the top. Pulled out! After a while, Ilya arrives.
The owner of the field takes his jeep to bring the trailer here and help to load it. And he does not regret that he was torn away from the festive table. He says: “This holiday is every year, and when else will you have to participate in saving the sailboat.” Almost without any problems we drag the sailboat onto the trailer, unfasten it. I fill up and fix the mast on the deck, remove the motor and steering wheel. Photographed for memory. And we leave the field. A cursory inspection showed that the body was not damaged at all, not even scratches. The keel needs to be examined more carefully ... Judging by the marks, it does not seem to have moved, buthedgehog bolts need to be checked. We decided not to take him to the sailboat club, they took him to Ilya's workshop. Now we need a couple of days to eliminate minor damage and prepare for the sea stage . Most of all went to the steering pen. Well, the motor will also probably need a new screw.
June 25, 2013
Today, June 25, the whole world celebrates Day of the Seafarer or Day of the Seafarer. This professional holiday appeared in 2010: the member states of the International Maritime Organization, members of the UN, signed a special resolution at a conference in Manila. The editors of “NNV” congratulate Vladimir Konarev on the Day of the sailor. We are proud that in our Vitebsk there is such an amazing and courageous person who can rightfully be called a sailor. We wish you, Vladimir, a happy return and only good adventures. And to youralong the way, I met as many good, understanding people as possible, ready to come to the rescue at a difficult moment.
June 26, 2013
the second day in the Riga Yacht Club. preparation for the decisive throw 19:40. I'm at the Laivu Centrs water park in Riga . Tomorrow morning - at sea. The forecast is not bad, the east wind is 3-4 m/s.
5:00. According to the wife of Vladimir Larisa, this morning her husband will go to sea and go to Salacgriva . He fully prepared for this: he bought gasoline, water, food. He packed all the equipment in hermetic packs, he will keep the hatches in the sea closed. The charging on the motor was restored, the mechanic said that the motor was in excellent condition. “Vladimir is worried, because this is his first time at sea. And the first miles, of course, will look at the behavior of the sailboat at sea,” says Larisa. And she expresses her gratitude to everyone who supports her husband: “Savedfor everyone is huge for participating in this campaign. How nice it is to realize that there are people who, in our rapid succession of days, are still interested in something. Vladimir shared this observation with his wife: “Here in the Virgo parking lot, like Cinderella. There is a ship right behind the stern, so “Virgo” can be hung on the stern like a boat. And almost everyone here is like that, even simple motorboats, and even then they are big.”
18:48. Entered the port of Skulte, details later.
23:50. Well, the first sea crossing is over. Riga - Skulte I went into the port, in the depths there was a small sailboat parking. Nearby, near the shore, on a fishing launch, three men were doing something. Greeted, asked if it is possible to moor. They pointed to the pier, they say, moor. The older one, who looked like a real fisherman, with a Scottish beard, only a pipe was missing, asked where I was from and where I was going. My answer did not seem to surprise him, apparently, they are used to everything. He told me where the nearest store and cafe are - they know that peoplewho came from the sea, it is necessary. But I was in no hurry, securely tied the mooring lines, rolled up all the halyards, called back the head of the port and the coast guard. Then I decided to go anyway. In principle, I have enough food and water, but the problem is with cigarettes. The price is scary - three euros per pack ! But I can’t quit yet, I try to somehow stretch it. Well, after the sea it's nice to drink a jar of cold beer. By the way, I liked the local beer, I take any, it's still good. Returned to the sailboat. Now a lot of things. Fill out a journal, analyze what has been done, make a plan for thethorny transition. And there is something to analyze. In the morning, at 8.00 (as planned), I left the parking lot and turned downstream. Overcast, light wind, just before departure the rain ended. I'm under the engine. First I pass through the center of Riga. Under the bridges, the height is indicated - 7 meters. My height from the water is about 5, but all the same, when approaching the bridges, I have a feeling that I can catch on. Next came the port facilities. Coal and, below, container terminals. Between them is something similar to a gas pier. Ocean ships are standing.
From the left bank, apparently, a dry cargo ship had just moored, as a large tugboat shook it on board. As soon as I caught up with them, the tug reversed. But he saw me, turned almost on the spot, overtook me and went into the distance. He left, but after him went a big wave. She caught up with me from the side, high, under a meter. The sailboat bounced on it, slightly won the wheel. Everything is fine. About a mile left before the exit from the Daugava . A pilot boat, it seems, was small, but it made such a wave to meet at high speed. She flew to me, bringing downb, about a meter high. He turned his nose to the wave, “Virgo” slightly jumped, broke it with a stem and, as if nothing had happened, went on. Well, the sailboat is behaving as I expected. A huge liner , most likely a ferry, was slowly approaching the meeting. He walked slowly, there was no wave from him.
From the left bank, from the side of the exit to the bay, a sailing sailboat 7-8 m departed. Under one staysail, strange. But she walked briskly. And here is the exit to the bay . The wind blows directly into the river. I guess there will be a wave. Lined up with the output beacons. The wave intensified, but as soon as it passed them, the wave became simply terrible - about a meter and a half high. But it was short, the length of my body. It got scary.
The sailboat took off on the waves like a ball , only cut through the ridges. Here, like, a high wave is coming. The nose flies down, the bowsprit almost touches the surface, and then, without touching, rises up. I see how the bow plunges almost to the edge of the bulwark. I think now it’s splashing onto the deck, but no, a little spray that doesn’t reach the cockpit, and the Virgo takes off, sometimes falling from the wave with a slap. But then it cuts and takes off for a new one. The sailboat behaves impeccably, in terms of safety: even such a steep and short wave is nothing to her. But you feel likehorses. I took it to the right, the wave decreased, turned off the motor. The wind is light, but a large swell is coming from the west. By the middle of the day, the wind had disappeared altogether, and the hour was under the engine. Around 16:00 the wind began to increase and the sailboat ran briskly, the speed at times reached 5.5 knots. But literally within half an hour it inflated to 5-7 m / s.
The wave began to increase, and given that I was walking almost with the wind, it became rather uncomfortable. Turned the staysail, a little later reefed the mainsail. The sailboat began to behave more calmly. But the following wave strongly rocked. The speed at times reached 6 knots. Soon went to the input buoys Skulte . We had to enter on a gybe. But despite the fair wave, on which the sailboat sometimes went surfing, she still handled well. He flew into the port of Skulte, hid behind a pier, threw off the sail, started the engine and went to look for a parking lot. Conclusion: the sailboat is superbly drivent yourself on a short wave, on any courses. The deck remained dry throughout the passage. I'm just surprised by her behavior! By the end of the transition, I even stopped responding to waves, rolls, etc., I just noted for myself, but the fear was gone.
I understood: this boat has a thoroughbred heredity . It was created on the basis of a fishing bank dorry, which was fished at sea in any weather. Look like that's it. I want to sleep, I'm a little tired. Still, despite the excellent behavior and handling of the sailboat, the “chatter” and pitching on such a small boat are tiring.
June 28, 2013
10:45. I go out to sea, from Skulte. I plan to walk 45 miles to LKLA, but if I don’t have time, I’ll go to Salacgriva, 10 miles closer.
June 29, 2013
3:20. By 2 o'clock in the morning he entered Salacgriva . All the way against the wind. By the evening a storm began, the wind - up to 18 m/s. Tired as hell. The sailboat is great, but I got it. More details - tomorrow, no strength.
The morning began at 4 o'clock , with the rattling of diesel engines and the strong smell of unburned diesel fuel. It was the fishermen who started the engines of their longboats, apparently at this time they go out to sea to set up nets. After about half an hour they left, the smell of diesel fuel gradually disappeared from the cabin, and I fell asleep again. I woke up after 9, but did not get enough sleep. Outside, it's cloudy, but it's completely calm. Decided to leave later. I uploaded a video to the Internet, did some work on the sailboat. After 10 o'clock the fishermen returned. He asked how the weather was, the waves and the wind. They said: there is no wind, sometimes something chant from the northwest, the wave is small. I decide to go out.
I gave mooring lines and at 11:00 left Skulte buoys. Wind about 3 m/s from the northwest. A small wave is more from the north. I thought that it would be possible to go close-hauled on the left tack, alas. After walking a couple of miles, I made sure that the wind was blowing exactly where I was going. So there's going to be a twist. The wind picked up a little, up to 4-5 m/s. The sailboat ran more cheerfully, the speed on the tack reached 4.5-5.5 knots, the wave increased slightly. I made a couple of tacks, looked at the map, the result is depressing. In almost 4 hours, on the general course, he moved only 8 miles from Skulte.
Around 14:00 the wind began to grow stronger, in gusts up to 7 m/s. He rolled up the staysail, raised a small storm sail, left the mainsail full. The sailboat began to go more calmly, but did not lose speed. About half an hour later the wind in gusts began to reach 8-9 m/s. I go further. Around 16.00 the wind began to blow steadily at 8-9 m/s. We need to reef the mainsail. I bring it, I lost the course, the wave began to be strongly felt. I do not have time to lower the mainsail, as a wave - into the bow, turns the sailboat into the wind. The sail is pressed against the shrouds, and I cannot lower it. Half-lowered sail flutters in the wind, arr.segars of the hafel and the two upper eyelets. I decide to remove the sail completely and go on the motor. He launched it, turned a little to the wave with his bow, the sail was completely lowered and bogged down. The storm staysail was left to compensate for the sway, and this helped. Completely batten down the hatch. I took only a tablet and binoculars into the cockpit, hung a voice recorder in a sealed package around my neck. I walked like this for a couple of hours, during this time I moved 10 miles from Skulte. The wave increased, the wind increased to 10-12 m/s.
Looks like I'm in trouble. But he did not dare to return back to Skulte: on a tail wave, there is a high probability of flooding from the stern. I decide to go further, especially since the sailboat is behaving perfectly, water practically does not get on the deck, sometimes separate splashes fly. The only thing that worries is sometimes quite strong slaps with a flat bottom on the water when jumping off a wave. I try to drive so that the sailboat slides off the wave. At about 18 o'clock I notice a small warship astern. Looks like it's the Coast Guard. I call on 1Channel 6 to answer everyone who hears me. Answer. I ask the weather forecast, they give for the next 6 hours, the wind is up to 12 m / s. On the map I mark several rivers flowing into the sea. I ask if it is possible to enter them. They replied that one might be navigable for a boat like mine. They asked me to wait, they say, they will drop the boat and have a look. I go further, put on a jacket, but I can’t put on waterproof trousers - I can’t leave the tiller even for a minute. About an hour later, a Coast Guard ship reported that it was impossible to enter the stream, and the only entry point wasthen Salacgriva. I ask how much before. Answer: 18 miles. On the navigator I see the same figure. I look at the speed on the navigator, well ... It fluctuates from 2.5 to 3.5 knots. Not much. According to the most optimistic forecasts - 6 hours. It finally gets dark here around 24:00 . Hope to get in before dark. From the ship they ask about my well-being, the state of the sailboat, the amount of fuel. I answer that so far everything is fine, fuel, even in this mode, is not less than 10 hours of travel. They wish you a safe voyage, they say that they will go to Salacgriva and return, in case of emergency.They told him to call them. I'm getting ready for 6 hours of storm sailing. The sailboat is doing well, I go in small tacks, meeting the wave at an angle of 15-20 degrees. The nose easily floats on a meter wave, on the crest I bear off a little and give a roll so that the sailboat slides off without hitting the bottom.
Although this does not always work, sometimes high steep waves come in 2-3 short waves from the other direction, and the sailboat pierces them with her bow. This is the uniqueness of these contours: it seems that the bowsprit is about to stick into the wave, but due to the large collapse of the bow frames, as soon as the bowsprit touches the wave, the sailboat literally jumps out like a dolphin , raising the bowsprit to the sky. Here it is necessary to have time to deploy it in order to splash down on the cheekbone. But it is not always possible, a powerful blow to the bottom of the water is heard, but the pitching is extinguished instantly. Even if infrom the moment a second similar wave comes up, the same thing happens, well, maybe a little water gets on the bow deck. The sailboat perfectly fulfills the onboard wave: approaching, it simply disappears under the hull and appears from the other side. True, if the slope is steep and the wave has already begun to collapse, a slap is obtained, but the side rises, and the wave goes under the bottom. And I get splashes. But such a regime quickly exhausts, it is necessary to track and work out each wave. I steer literally on the machine, without taking my eyes off the wave and the compass. Time has stoppedexist. I began to feel tired.
Everything hurts : hands - due to constant taxiing, legs and lower back - because he was constantly balancing, like on a horse, helping the sailboat to move or dampen vibrations with the inertia of the body. The neck began to go numb from constant tension. At about 22.00 again a call from the Coast Guard ship. They asked how things were going, how they were doing. He answered that he was a little tired, but the sailboat perfectly fulfills the wave, the engine runs stably. They report a fresh forecast: by the night from 1.00 to 5.00, the wind will increase from the north to 15-18 m/s. They said they would accompany me to Salacgriva. I say hoh, according to my calculations, there are about 7 miles left, confirm. The presence of a Coast Guard ship on the horizon is reassuring. I go further. It's getting dark. I turn on the running lights. The wave becomes longer, already similar to the sea: twice as long as the hull, but also higher, obviously more than a meter. Walking just got a little easier, using every surf slope to increase my speed. By about 12 o’clock it became completely dark, the tablet shows a minimum charge, I can’t connect it, as it began to splash frequently and it began to rain heavily. I keep the hatch closed. The wind becamegreatly intensify. The wave has also increased, the crests are already much higher than the felling, the spray is flying almost constantly. The sailboat began to jump out of the water much more often and fall back with a slap. I try to keep it, not taking my eyes off the coastal landmarks. Fortunately, there are masts with red lights along the coast. The waves are almost invisible, only those that are beating against the side are highlighted by running lights. There are 3.5 miles to Salacgrīva, in general, nonsense, but these are the most difficult miles of this transition.
Rain sometimes turns into a downpour, coastal landmarks are hidden, splashes and rain flood the eyes. I navigate only by the waves and the wind, everything comes from the north, and I need to go exactly there. Periodically I turn on the tablet, I specify the course, if necessary, I get better. The tablet shows a critical charge level . I remember the location of the entrance signs. I note that a little more than a mile remains before the ship's passage. The entrance signs are becoming visible on the horizon, but I need to reach them and turn almost 90 degrees so that I can safely enter thert. The wave became even higher and almost constantly crashing. I am already going ahead, the sailboat cuts the wave, bouncing more and more often, I no longer have any strength to steer , I hold the tiller, not taking my eyes off the lights. I no longer keep track of time. Finally, the green fire is very close. I go around it ten meters and turn right, I see an axial fire in the stern and red from the port side.
I'm on the port fairway . I look for a red light in the port, which I have to go to, at the very entrance on the map there are 2 buoys that limit the shoals, but I don’t see them. I go to the red port, looking back at the green one, in order to stay approximately in their alignment. On the left, an almost vertically protruding pipe suddenly emerges from the darkness . I shy away from it to the right, and after a few minutes the sailboat stops smoothly.
I'm confused, I'm afraid. It feels like it's hooked up to a net. I stop the engine, consult with the Coast Guard ship. Taking a deep breath, I suppress my excitement. I decided to run a footstock along the hull to find out what was holding me there. It turned out to be a sandbar. I inform the ship that I have run aground . The Coastal Rescue Service calls me, asking if I need help. I answer, they don’t hear me: the battery in the walkie-talkie got hooked and switched to low-power mode. I decide to take off on my own. I turned on the reverse gear, I rolled the sailboat and,pushing off from the bottom, I am removed from the shallows. Turning around, I almost drive into a pole. Scared. It turned out to be a plastic green milestone without fire. So, I saw her at the entrance, but, not seeing the color in the dark, I myself went aground. We entered the port at 2 am.
16 running hours, 28 miles upwind. I turned on the tablet, I just managed to notice the direction, as it turned off. I passed by large ships, in the depths I saw some kind of pier. The smallest went to him. And it turned out to be a sailboat pier . He approached sideways, tied the mooring lines to the mooring rings, hung out the fenders. I couldn't believe that everything was over. Changed into dry clothes, it became easier. I contacted the coast guard ship that I had already moored in the port, thanked for the support. They wished you a pleasant stay. Called the coast guardl that has already entered the port. They said not to go out tomorrow: there will be a strong western wind. I put up an awning, I don’t have the strength to cook something. I checked the mooring lines again, sent an SMS to Larisa. And fell asleep.
In the morning, at 10 o'clock , I was awakened by the rocking of the sailboat. A strong western wind was blowing from the bay, and I was pressed to the pier. I decide to cross to the other side, but there, at a distance of 10 meters, there are two large boats, and I need to go in there, turn against the wind side to the pier, just between them. I go at the lowest speed, go in, pull myself up to the pier, turn the motor 90 degrees, give a small impulse to throw the stern to the pier. It seems that it fit normally, the bow mooring lines were stretched into the cockpit in advance. I grab onto the pier, but the sailboat with sioh, it starts to squeeze. I hold it with difficulty, holding on to the mooring ring, the bow tries to move away, I pull the bow mooring lines into the ring and fix it on the wheelhouse. I quickly lay the stern and run to put a new mooring line. I stretched it on the mooring lines, phew ... Now I calmly tie up the mooring lines. The sailboat jerks, I decide to lay two more mooring lines through the shock absorbers. Now it's safe. I make coffee, finish eating a jar of porridge with meat, opened in the evening. A man came to the pier, it turned out he was looking after the pier. Calls someone. I am told the code from the door to the pier. warninggives that a representative of the immigration service should come now.
15 minutes later a girl in uniform arrives. I answer that I understand, but better in Russian. She asks for a passport, looked and left, after 20 minutes she returned with some kind of paper. He asks for a passport again, asks where the number of the sailboat is. I point to the board. He checks some kind of printout, says that everything is in order. He wishes you a good rest and leaves. Half an hour later, a man came to the pier, interested in my sailboat. He says that he himself has a sailboat. Talk about these places. He says that in the evening he will have time, he will come to me with maps, he will help worknext transition. I noticed that the battery is again discharged. Started the engine, charging is not going on. Got to the motor, it turned out, the connector was disconnected. I had to immediately replace it with something with a latch. I drove the motor, replaced it at 2700 rpm, it shows 16 volts at the terminals, it's normal. An hour later I turned it off, I measured it - 12 volts, strange. I recharge the laptop, the converter beeps that there is not enough voltage. I have two assumptions: either the controller discharges, or the battery is shaken in a storm. Now I will check. Now conclusions. Biggest mistake ever madestupidity - that he did not clarify the forecast before leaving with the head of the port and coast guard. Now I won't go out without it. And you can not go to sea with the north and west winds.
My winds are from east and south directions. The sailboat proved to be very seaworthy, practically not flooded (no more than 10 liters of water was poured from the cockpit) and a reliable vessel, easily manageable on all courses. There is a situation where the ship is stronger than the captain. But 15 hours of racing is very hard. It is necessary to work out the route more carefully, before going out, find out and, possibly, call the settlements along the way about the possibility of calling. And constantly consult with the coast guard, they even recommended that I do this. While all. Segone storm, I defend. For tomorrow, June 30, they also promise a strong western wind. I will also stand. It is necessary to deal with the battery and repair the sail mount, check the rigging wiring again. PS I switched the wiring, damn it, the solar battery controller is exactly to blame for everything (overboard it). It seems that it was he who seated the battery and did not allow it to be charged. But I figured out the motor. Normal charging is only at 3000 rpm.
June 30, 2013
19:05. Tomorrow morning, July 1, at 5 am I plan to go to the island of Kihnu . About 37 miles.
July 1, 2013
6:30. The exit has been cancelled. Storm wind, rain. Even at the pier it is uncomfortable.
11:15. The weather calmed down, the coast guard confirmed the weather window until the evening. I go out to Kuviji , a little over 10 miles.
13:30. Went to Kuviji . Just 6 miles. But today I still don't have time to go anywhere. It takes me 10-12 hours to get to Kihnu island, there is nowhere else to hide in this area. And today, after 19, winds up to 10 m/s are expected. I will call tomorrow morning at 5 o'clock. If the forecast is normal, then I will go.
23:15. Tomorrow: according to the forecast, the wind will be up to 8 m/s, it will blow all night, until about 9 am, then it will subside to 4-5 m/s and gradually almost subside by night. Therefore, I plan to leave at about 8 am. I will reef immediately before leaving, in the port, then, as the wind decreases, I will slowly increase the windage. Of course, it will shock the first couple of hours a little, but I will dress warmer, but then it will be easier. Now about future plans. The trip dragged on. The river became very shallow in all sections and became impassable for me. This is on the sections of Kraslava - Druya,most likely, in Druya itself, and then it was shallow. Obviously, it became completely impassable in the area of u200bu200bthe cities of Disna and Beshenkovichi. Therefore, I combine the old and starting plans. As planned, I go to Helsinki, then east along the coast, pass the border in Vyborg and go to St. Petersburg .
Finish - in the St. Petersburg River Yacht Club on the Petrovsky Spit . From there we will transport the sailboat home.
July 2, 2013
10:00. Now it is blowing about 8 m / s, the wave is up to a meter, the sea is in foam. The wind will decrease to 4-5 m/s after 12.00, and will gradually subside towards the night. I will go out as soon as I calm down a little, I expect to reach it in 10 hours. The wind will be fair all the way, you can keep a good speed, if anything, I will help with the motor.
12.50. I sit, waiting by the sea for the weather: the wind and waves do not subside.
21:15. The plan for tomorrow is finally approved. At 3 am I go out to Kihnu.
July 3, 2013
3:45. I left Kuviji, at about 16-18 I plan to be on the island of Kihnu.
7:10. 17 miles to Kihnu, speed 5.5 knots, light wind. I go under the motor and staysail. The wind is slowly growing, I will soon turn off the engine.
14:35. I reached Kihnu in 7 hours, it turned out 30 miles. I'm sorry I didn't go further. But, on the other hand, I want to sleep. I met a professional sailboat captain - Stefan from Germany. Yachtig is his job. Transition details later.
22:20. Tomorrow I leave early, the weather will be calm until the night. Light tailwinds. I am planning a forced march to Rohukula (78 miles). There is Vitsu as an alternate port 40 miles away.
July 4, 2013
14:00. I am five miles from the port of Vitsu. There is time, I will go further to the port of Rohukula. Another 28 miles.
20:55. I called at the port of Rohukula . Traveled 67 miles, travel time - 13 hours 30 minutes.
July 5, 2013
17:30. I am in Haapsalu . Storms, squalls. There is a chance that I will be here for a couple of days.
July 6, 2013
13:35. From Kuviji to Haapsalu . Well, since there was a big break in the diary, we need to fill in the gap. I'll start with Kuviji. In principle, a good sailboat club, but deserted. There are two sailboats, although there are a couple of dozen berths. There is no one in the club building. They charged me 21 euros per day. Expensive. But you can use the shower and the Internet. But Wi-Fi does not reach the pier, the free Internet disappears, I use 3G. I notice that there is a washing machine near the shower, I ask at the reception in the nearest hotel (they charged me for parking there), come inwhether in payment for the use of a “washer”. They say yes, it does, but it doesn't work. Well, I went to the shower in the evening, I look, the standby light is on on the washing machine. I decide to try. Threw underwear, poured detergent, launched, it works. The question is, what was the purpose of saying that it does not work? With battery charging, the problem is not solved, something needs to be done. Stormy, I have one more day. There are columns with rosettes on the pier. Hmm, that would be an ordinary charger, I would charge it and not suffer. And what, in fact, is the problem, next to, in4 km, Salacgriva. I learn that there is a bus every hour. I decide to go - buy a charger and an extension cord. A couple of hours later I returned, I connect it. Hurrah, it works! Now I'm with electricity. I connected to the battery, in a prudently purchased tee, the network charging of the walkie-talkie and laptop. While poking around, I heard the roar of a diesel engine, looked out the window, a sailboat of 12-14 meters was approaching the pier . On board are an elderly man and woman. I jump out, take their mooring lines, help to fix them. On the stern flagpole - the Finnish flag. The man thanks me. I'm startingI have a conversation with him, but he does not understand. I remember all the knowledge of English. He seems to have a little better language than mine.
But I managed to tell about my campaign, to learn something about them. Their sailboat is 20 years old, traveling together in the Baltic. And they are also going to go to the island of Kihnu. I say that I will leave at 3 o'clock. “Oh, then let’s go out together!” - tells me a new friend. They also meet at 3 o'clock. But as it turned out later, they meant 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Morning, the street is quiet, I make coffee and give mooring lines. I go out into the bay, calm, there is a large swell. The motor rumbles, leaving a melting trail behind the stern. But straight aheadbuoys of fishing nets, go around. A little further again the network. Apparently, it will not work to cut the corner, I continue to go to sea along the ship's course. Well, here is the separation buoy, I'm heading for Kihnu. Ahead at a great distance are two buoys denoting nets, next to them one more each. I decide that these are different networks and go between these pairs. And suddenly I notice small floats on the surface, I take them away. The course again crosses a row of floats, and they stretch in both directions. Gotcha. I turn off and raise the engine, raise the rudder blade, the sailboat slowly creeps by inertia.d floats. Passed. I go further, the sun rises over the shore, the breeze slowly pulls. I turn off the engine, raise the sails, the wind begins to blow 3-4 m / s. I go 4 knots backstay.
I notice interesting behavior of birds, I don’t know what they are called. But they are smaller than seagulls, although they look the same. They either fly at high speed, or hover against the wind, hover, being above the same place. And suddenly dive down, snatching the fish out of the water.
A few hours passed, on the horizon the island of Kihnu . I went to the entrance signs. The wind became nervous, lowered the sails, started the engine. Went to a small harbour. The ferry pier is right next to the entrance. A little further down is the marina. All are moored on moorings and bow or stern to the pier. I am looking for a free place to become a board. On the farthest pier, a huge sailboat, a Beneteau Cyclades 50.5, is moored alongside. On the other hand, the berth is free, I'm going there. I prepared the mooring lines, I approached at the slowest speed. A girl and a man run out from a large sailboat, waving, hto throw them mooring lines. Moored. I say thank you. The girl shakes her head that she does not understand, I repeat in English. The man asks in English where I came from. I answer that from Kuvidzhi, but in general from Belarus. And, forgetting the right word, I say something in Russian. “Oh Russian!” he exclaims. And in fairly good Russian, he says that he has a friend from Belarus in Germany, and he practices Russian with him. Let's get acquainted. The man's name is Stefan , he is a professional sailboat captain, his sailboat is his company. Engagedskiing tourists. In the summer - in the Baltic, in the winter it goes to the Mediterranean Sea. Manage the sailboat together with his wife. Lively interested in my "Virgo". He wrote down my contact details, said that he would send them to me by e-mail. He insists that if I decide to go to Germany, I must inform him.
I decide to go to the island. The village is just over a mile and a half away. You can rent a bike or car. I decide to walk to stretch my legs. And I do it right. The nature around is very beautiful. Pine forest. And cleanliness is literally sterile, I do not dare to throw a cigarette butt on the ground. But we didn’t have to carry it far - there are trash cans on the road after 500 m. The village made a strange impression. Looks like not real. There are neat lawns in the yards, all the houses are freshly painted. I find a small shop. I buy SIM cards from Estoniannew operator, a can of cold beer and a cigarette. I'm going back to the sailboat. I sit down to study the upcoming route. The forecast promises a weak tailwind, so I decide to pass Vitsu Island straight to Rohukula. According to the preliminary laying, 78 miles are obtained. I decide to ignore Haapsalu because of the difficulty of the entry. And, as it turned out, in vain. The 13-hour transition is boring and not memorable. Water is like a mirror. The sun is burning. Until 10 o'clock in the morning I still sunbathe, after that I get dressed so that there are no open skin areas under the sun. 10 miles before Witsu I notice wind blades through binocularsryakov, quite a lot. There is a small problem in front of the island itself. Two ferries run to meet each other, and the most interesting thing is that it is not clear where the bow is and where the stern is. You have to pinpoint the coastal landmark in order to understand in which direction they are moving. They run every half hour. I come close to their route, trying to calculate my speed in such a way as to pass them along the stern. It turns out. About an hour before approaching Rohuküla , the wind appears from the stern. I deploy the staysail and reduce the engine speed. I don’t want to raise the grotto - in an hourto lower, and the places there are dangerous and the ship's passage is narrow, there is nowhere to turn. I go to the port. I'm looking for a parking space. Wow, there is no sailboat pier here, only a high wall of a meter and a half high. Slowly, I go sideways, throw in the mooring lines, hang out the fenders.
According to information, there is a good cafe and showers. Plus, I ran out of cigarettes a couple of hours ago. I go to the port building, everything is closed, except for the toilets. I'm starting to get angry. I already regret that I did not go to Haapsalu. There are still three hours before darkness, but the wind has dispersed, squalls are beginning to break. I look at the weather maps, there is a weather window in the morning. I decide to get up at 3 am and go to Haapsalu. At night, the wind went to the west, the sailboat began to shake violently and hit the pier, I wanted to get up and check the mooring lines. But the attempt to get up is prevented by a severe headache and nausea.
Apparently, the transition under the sun affected, it looks like a heat stroke . I turn off almost immediately. At 10 am everything was quiet, I feel much better. The wind died down to 4 m/s. I hand over the mooring lines and go out towards Haapsalu. The markings are like on a motorway, drying stones and shallows are marked on the map around, I don’t dare to cut corners. Two hours later he approached the sailboat berths. There are a lot of sailboats, under different flags. Moored to the nearest pier.
I found out the price for parking. 30 euros is too much. I learned that there are three parking lots. Went to see them. The farthest one turned out to be the cheapest, and the captain of the club speaks good Russian. Allocated me a place more comfortable, extended the electric wire. There is a good cafe on the shore, near the city. In general, I liked it here.
Haapsalu is a maritime city with a rich history. People are friendly and sociable. The only thing that worries me is poorly remembered Estonian names, and asking again is somehow inconvenient.
The club's employees come up one by one, examine the sailboat, ask about the trip and future plans. Everyone recommends not leaving the marked fairway, even for my sailboat there are many dangers outside it. Most Estonians are surprised by the Belarusian flag. This is the first Belarusian flag on the mast of the sailboat in their port.
At about 8 pm a man of about 70 came up and took a picture of the sailboat and me. Let's get acquainted. Valery Larionov , sailboat captain of the Soviet sailing school, racing driver, traveler, photographer. A very lively and active person. He literally puts him in his car and takes him to show the city.
I did not think that such a beautiful town Haapsalu, with a rich history associated with Russia and Scandinavia. I will not talk about it in detail, a lot has been written about this city on the Internet. By 22 o'clock we return to the sailboat club. We exchange contacts. I turned on my laptop, went to my Facebook page, Valery had already found me there. I look at the weather, on July 6 there is a small window from night to 10 am. There is an idea to go out at Dirhami at night, but I feel tired and decide to postpone the exit. A strong squally wind was blowing at night, it stopped only at 6 in the morning. Idecided not to get up early, slept until 10. Made coffee. And I decided to write a report for the past days. Yachts coming from Tallinn have already started to finish today. Strong wind. Today and tomorrow, strong western and northwestern winds are expected in the Dirhami region. By Monday it will subside and I will have a window of hours until 13 noon. You can go out from 7 to 8 July at night.
July 7, 2013
20:50. At 22:00 I go out to Dirhami , I plan to be there in 8 hours.
July 8, 2013
4:35. Here you go. At 3 am I moored in the port of Dirhami . Sailing was normal. For two hours I left the strait under the engine, hoping to raise the sails later. Passed the island of Seaasar , the Baltic wave began to be felt.
By 23:00 it had blown up to 8 m/s. There was no point in raising sails in such a wind, especially since the wave became higher. From time to time, groups of 3-5 waves came, much more than a meter high, with rather steep slopes, some collapsed. Although the sailboat played them well, in order to stay dry, it was necessary, like on a swing, to help: transfer the weight of the body from one side to the other and steer the steering wheel. When even rather high waves approached from the side, it was enough to shift a little to the lee side, and the wave disappeared under the dayseat. “Virgo” rolled over on it and met the next one. The main thing was to catch the pitching amplitude so that by the time the next wave was approaching the sailboat would begin to roll downwind. I played the “swing” almost to the very entrance signs of Dirhams. The entry was with a fair wave, but the long sea wave did not cause such inconvenience as the short one in the bay, although it was much higher. Just before the entrance, when it became much smaller, the wave became short and constantly breaking. I entered easily, first using the navigator, then the milestones became visible, and the. Since it was already quite well dawn, I saw on both sides of the course an abundance of stones sticking out of the water. In the afternoon, I'll go and take a picture. Quickly found a place, moored between two Finnish sailboats. Now you can sleep. Then I go to the office, find out how much parking will cost me.
14:15. Port of Dirhami.
In general, cozy for sailboats. There are all amenities: a cafe, a gas station, a shower, sockets on the pier. About sockets. In Estonia, on all berths, sockets are for three holes, an adapter is needed.
I was charged 16 euros for parking. When entering the port, you must be extremely careful not to try to cut corners, stones stick out all around, and how many of them are still under water, so you need to follow strictly recommended courses.
July 9, 2013
23:00. Tomorrow the weather promises to be favorable. I will try to reach Tallinn in one crossing. It's about 60 miles
July 10, 2013
9:40. The weather is fine, although cloudy. I'm getting ready to leave. I will try to reach Tallinn. As a reserve port, there is Lohusalu Marina 30 miles away.
At 19:30 I called at the port of Lohusalu . More than 20 miles to Tallinn. Tomorrow the weather will be normal, albeit with rain. So I'll skip.
22:25. Dirhami - Lohusalu crossing. Left the port at 9:30, in the company of several more sailboats. A fresh westerly breeze was blowing, about 4 m/s. There is a small wave at the exit. Passed the fairway, about an hour later came to clean water. Raised the mainsail reefed on one shelf and deployed the staysail. It was necessary to go on a gybe. Brought to the backstay of the left tack, the wind increased to 7 m/s. The wave is from the northwest, the wind is closer to the west. Gradually, the clouds dispersed in the sky, the sun came out, it became warm. The wind no longer increased, but jumped from 4 to 7 m/s. overclockedquite a large wave in the stern. But the long sea wave was perceived normally by the sailboat. The wave caught up, the sailboat lifted the stern, the wave, passing under the bottom, lifted the bow, rolling a little on its back, ran forward, giving way to the next one. But despite such a stable behavior of the boat, you can’t relax and be distracted. It is necessary to constantly taxi up on each wave, not allowing it to fall off on the gybe, which is fraught with involuntary throwing of the mainsail to the other side, but also not allowing it to be driven excessively, because when leaving the wave, the crestblowing hits the stern at an angle, which dramatically increases the load on the steering wheel. It's all hard to explain, but the hands do everything automatically. Several times I tried to take video and photos, but it's distracting. And, as if for edification, he received a wet splash . For about five hours he walked on the left tack, his hand got a little tired from constant taxiing, and he sat up too long. So, in general, the whole transition went smoothly. Came almost close to the marina Lohusalu.
He removed the sails and under the motor went to look for a place. The parking lot was literally filled with sailboats. A man in uniform came out to the pier and showed where to stand. I am at a loss: in this harbor there are no places for mooring sideboard, only moorings. That is, either bow to the pier, or stern. I had to face the shore. At low speed, he pulled himself up to the mooring, tied the stern one, the sailboat moves to the berth by inertia, ran to the bow, threw the bow ashore. The duty officer held the bowsprit, I adjusted the tension of the stern mooring line, jumped over the bowsprit tomooring, secured bow. Dubious pleasure - such a disembarkation, and return on board. But okay, I got the hang of it. They charged me 23 euros, not cheap. But the harbor is well protected, there are all amenities, a cafe with excellent food and service, and at the same time inexpensive. For tomorrow, the coast guard said that the wind is northerly, 4 m/s with gusts up to 8, light rain is possible. In general, normal, a little more than 20 miles to Tallinn run.
July 11, 2013
16:30. The weather has returned to normal, the wind is 4-5 m/s, north. I leave for Tallinn .
July 12, 2013
at 23:45 I went to Tallinn .
July 14, 2013
21:00. Yesterday at 23:00 I went to Helsinki . That's just now figured out with the local Internet. From the editors of "NNV": In Helsinki, Vladimir was met by our compatriots who work in Finland - Gleb Kuzmin and Yevgeny Kalyuta , a resident of Vitebsk. They took these photographs as a memento of the meeting, which they sent to our editorial office. The traveler must have enjoyed it.
July 15, 2013
0:10. In general, I somehow miss the reports. The last transitions were calm and everyday. From Tallinn to Helsinki, the sea was generally pampered. The wind, although it was almost headwind, 5 m/s, but as soon as I got close-hauled on the starboard tack, I almost reached Helsinki. The last 2 hours had to go under the motor, because the wind was turned off. It turned out 50 miles and 14 hours of travel. Ahead are quite difficult transitions to St. Petersburg. I sit, make plans for transitions. Tomorrow we move 24 miles. There are no ports, apparently anchorages are marked on the islands. Noted forparking lot on the east coast of the island of Onas. On July 16 and 17 winds up to 15 m/s are expected from the west. Looks like we'll have to anchor for a couple of days.
9:45. Leaving Helsinki.
16:55. Completed planned 24 miles to Onas Island . The wind increased to 10 m/s and stopped my attempt to go further. Anchored behind the island (coordinates: 60°12.1886N 025°32.4198E).
July 16, 2013
Passed the planned 24 miles to Onas Island, the wind increased to 10 m / s and stopped my attempt to go further. Anchored behind the island (coord: 60°12.1886N 025°32.4198E) It looks like I'm stuck on this island for at least a day, at night they promise up to 12m/s, and tomorrow afternoon up to 18m/s.
July 17, 2013
9:35. The weather calmed down a little, I rip sails, I weigh anchor. Paved a route between the islands.
16.00. Now I go around the island of Sondaro from the north.
At 19:40 I entered a small sheltered marina (60°22.3080N 026°1649E). Walked 37 miles.
July 18, 2013
9:00. Went out towards the city of Kotka. 25 miles. Cloudy, light wind.
17:00. Stopped in the parking lot in the city of Kotka . Cloudy, it started to rain. During the whole transition there was a weak wind, then it completely died down. The last 2 hours was under the motor.
July 19, 2013
9:50. I go towards the island of Santio. 25 miles. Cloudy, cool, it's going to rain. Wind 4-6 m/s.
19:05. At 18.00 I went to the island of Santio. Passed control. Tomorrow at 7:00 I leave towards Vyborg - 40 miles. Today turned out to be a beautiful day. From time to time clouds were running up, there was a flurry of about 10 m/s, then rain. Literally half an hour later, everything stopped, the clouds ran further, the sun peeked out, and complete calm set in. Some skeptic wrote to me that the lake experience in the campaign will not be useful to me. However, I see that when sailing in skerries, the conditions are the same. Unexpected approaches, strengthening or disappearance of the wind. I am familiar with all this, so somehow even withit was heap. The only thing that never ceased to amaze and delight is the surrounding nature. To describe what I see, one must be a poet. There are many birds on the islands, ducks, geese, swans. I'm not sure if I want to see the Mediterranean soon, but I want to come back here again. In order to slowly approach the most beautiful islands and land on them. Although... how to choose? All islands are uniquely beautiful!
July 21, 2013
13:00. I passed the border control and today, at 11:00, I got to the parking lot at the Vyborg Yacht Club.
July 23, 2013
3:10. Santio Island - Vyborg. It makes no sense to describe the transition from Kotka to Santio - the most ordinary, without adventures. When approaching the island, I met a Finnish border boat. I went around the island from the south, went into the harbor. The pier, however, is high, but it moored normally. The Finns asked for a passport and a crew list. I rushed to look for a folder with forms of roles, I did not find it. They gave me my form and filled it out. We agreed that I would leave in the morning at 7.00. I just made a small mistake: I wrote the final destination - Peter, but I didn’t write Vyborg. Then it added small prolem. In the morning I woke up at 6:00. Cloudy, raining, cold, gusty wind. But this is the case when I can not go out. Made coffee, brewed a quick porridge, made coffee in a thermos. Dressed warmer. All laid down, we must leave. Left the harbor under the motor, moved away from the island. Wind 5 m / s, raised the mainsail reefed on one ledge. I went to the backstay of the left tack, turned the staysail. I contacted the coast guard of St. Petersburg, said that I was going to Vyborg. The wind became gusty up to 7 m / s from NW, but with a fair course it did not cause much disturbance, the speed reached 6 knots,Oroy on a tail wave accelerated more than 7. So it went for two hours. Then the wind began to pass with squalls up to 8 m / s, at such moments the staysail turned off. Between squalls, the wind subsided to 4 m/s. My course became closer to the northerly direction, and I had to go half-wind, then close-hauled. For 6 hours on the left tack, constant taxiing, the right hand simply refused to obey. But on the other hand, more than 20 miles were covered during this time, which is also good, there were already less than half left. It was necessary to cross the last open space after Cape Crossin, to Vysotsky Island .
He rounded the cape, lay down in the direction of the entrance to the Vysotsky Canal. The wind came to the north, and I had to go close-hauled, but it turned out too steep for me. In order not to go into a maneuver, I decided to start the engine. With the motor and mainsail, I managed to go steeper, just where I needed to. But the wind began to intensify, I decided to roll the mainsail so as not to rattle. Approximately around 14.00 - a call from "Swan-2", requested coordinates. And it’s difficult for me to see them - it shakes a lot. I say that I am in a pair of cables from Andreev's bank. They don't understand me, they ask for coordinates. Useful to lookle read. They asked me why I was going to Vyborg when Peter was announced to me. I explain that St. Petersburg is the ultimate goal, and in Vyborg he planned to pass the control, especially immediately upon entering Russian waters he announced this. I can’t go to St. Petersburg immediately from Santio, based on the capabilities of my boat. They say that I am not allowed to go to Vyborg, they recommend turning to Peter. I said that I was going to Vyborg, and that today's weather was already at the limit for me. While talking, I did not notice that the wind began to seriously intensify and the sailboat began to turn side to side.lol. He threw the walkie-talkie as a high wave hit the side, dousing with cold spray. The motor was running at 3,000 rpm, turned the steering wheel to become a bow to the wave. To no avail. The wave turned the motor a little, and its thrust prevented it from turning around. I had to hold the steering wheel with one hand, and the motor tiller with the other. With difficulty, he turned his nose to the wave and the wind. The rigging howled, usually it howls at 10 m / s. I decided to go against the wave for now until the squall subsides. But the cloud passed, and the wind did not subside. In the rigging, the howl turned into a whistle.
The wind became so powerful that even the breath intercepted. At times the wind even smoothed the waves. I realized that the wind will not calm down, it will be for a long time. I can’t go along the route - for this I need to become a side to the wind and wave. You have to go against the wave to the shore. He began to call the "Swan". There was no connection. He said that there was a strong wind and a wave, and I was going under the cover of the shore, to anchor in order to wait. I did not hear the answer: while one hand was busy with the radio, I was turned around again and almost laid down by another impulse and wave. Again he became against the wave, increasedengine speed up to 3,600. The speed of advance was 2.5 knots. The wind was not going to subside, and the waves became completely abnormal. It seems that they are not very high, up to half a meter, but very short, twice as long as the height.
Groups of waves up to a meter high began to pass. I haven't seen these before. They literally grew in front of a height of about a meter with a vertical front slope and almost the same vertical back. The worst thing is that they went in groups of 3-4 waves. At the same time, the distance between them was a maximum of a couple of meters. The sailboat stuck into the first wave with a bowsprit, of course, thanks to the bow lines, it broke up the wave and rose above it. But the water, driven by the wind, managed to flood the fore deck, and a cloud of spray swept over the wheelhouse at such a speed that inkpit nothing fell, everything flew astern. Apart from what I got. So, after the passage of the first wave, the sailboat did not have time to get off it, as it stuck into the same slope of the next one. The impact was sensitive. Another thing is worse: at such a moment the stern rose with the first wave, and the motor propeller was exposed, the sailboat lost speed and controllability. I had to take off the throttle and increase it when the prop was in the water, while turning the motor, helping the rudder to level the sailboat.
As a rule, at such moments, the next waves, hitting the side, generously poured a cold shower on me. So I walked for almost an hour and a half. Approached the southern coast of the Mukholine Peninsula . I anchored at a depth of about two meters, fortunately, the soil is sandy, and the anchor was immediately taken well. The wind never stopped. Despite the cover of the island, the sailboat was strongly jerked at anchor. Heard me being called, answered, but it seems that they did not hear me. He began to call everyone who hears, in response - silence. There was almost no mobile connection. Finnish sim found only roamingg with “Tele-2″, with other telecom operators was not. Inet did not work. An attempt to call the coastal workers failed, connected to some private number, and this ended the money in the account.
I was left without contact. Taking advantage of the break, I had a snack and a little nap. Around 1800 I noticed that the wind in the squalls became much weaker. Decided to leave. I called again on the radio, a coast guard boat answered me. We clarified the coordinates, said to weigh anchor and follow the route. I've already weighed anchor and am heading for the recommended course. Wind and wave have already become quite acceptable. Around 19.30, the boat called again, asked to come aboard. I moored to the boat, they asked me to come on board with the documents. Poya CommanderI dreamed that an order came from above to draw up a protocol on violation of the rules of passage for me. By the way, they also hardly reached the base, with their walkie-talkie. Is it any wonder I didn't reach out to anyone. In general, the whole writing took about two hours. The commander, of course, did everything in silence, but it was evident from him that he was dissatisfied with what was happening. The only thing he said was that the order came from the headquarters, and he should deal with these papers. He understands that I had no other choice, based on the safety of sailing.
But the rules are such that no one cares what the weather is like. You cannot deviate from the route. They issued a fine of 300 rubles, said that I could go to Vyborg, but go only on the recommended course. They explained the rules of passage and communication in the Vysotsky Canal, gave a forecast and wished a happy voyage. At 21:20 I went further, 5 miles left to Vysotsky Island. Decided to move on with the engine. Approximately at 23:00 I approached the gates of Vysotsky Island. The Coast Guard called again, this time from Vysotsky Island. After entering the canal, they asked me to come to theirslave. As it turned out, the papers were drawn up incorrectly, on old forms, everything had to be redone. Approximately at the beginning of the first night, I moored to the ship of the coastal workers. They apologized, they said that someone at the top really needed this protocol. Well, it is necessary, it is necessary. I do not care anymore. Two more hours of writing. It turned out that now the fine is 2000 rubles. Well, okay, I was guided by the safety of sailing, not their secrets. At about two o'clock in the morning I went on. In general, the shipping situation in Russia after Europe is depressingchee impression. There are no signs, some lighthouses and alignments are not lit, many beacons too. If it weren't for the GPS, I would have bumped into some stone for sure. At about four o'clock he approached Vyborg . Already 20 hours at the crossing.
I went to the sailboat club on the island, it is marked on the map as a clearance point. By the way, the coast guards did not explain to me where to look for the clearance point, they said that there was a booth and a shield with the corresponding inscription on the shore to the right of the sailboat berths, everything was lit, and that there was no need to look for anyone, they would meet me. I did not find a parking lot behind the island, there were some rusty fishermen standing there. Another sailboat parking was marked in the city center, it was necessary to go along the river to it. Strange place to host border control. Went there. Yes, sailboat harbor, along the coastrhymes. On the right side is a high, more than two meters, pier. At the end, near the bridge, there are three sailboats. It's dark all around, there's some kind of cafe and a big billboard on the shore. Probably not here. I look at the map, to the right of the entrance to Vyborg I notice another sailboat parking. Logically, a good place for a checkpoint. I'm going there, it's already light. Yes, there is something like a sailboat club, but I don’t find anything like a control point.
Already the beginning of the fifth, I want to sleep, my eyes are already so tired that I can hardly see anything. I decided to return to the parking lot in the center, anchor in the middle, and let the border guards swim towards me, since they didn’t bother to make the point noticeable. The yellow flag is hung out, I don’t contact the shore, so I don’t violate anything, the rest is not my problem. I went into the harbor, it was already quite light, I decided to once again go to the right side, I saw that the site was fenced off from the coast. A small low pier is occupied on all sides by three sailboats. On the shore on a pillar of the skyLarger yellow sign, turned more towards the coast. I managed to read “Passport Control” through binoculars. Yep, so it's still here. On the same plate it says that they are open from 8.00. I somehow become attached to the huge fenders of the embankment and fall asleep. In the morning I wake up because they are talking upstairs, I hear that they are asking if there is anyone on board. With difficulty I open my eyes, climbed into the cockpit. They say to take the docks and go up to them. It's easy to say get up! I can’t even reach the upper edge of the pier from the cabin, I climb the fenders. Docks issuedquickly, warned that before the exit it was necessary to coordinate the route, and gave me a memo with the phones and call signs of the necessary services. At about 11 o'clock I stopped. Put on the mooring, again I jump on the bowsprit. I went to the store, bought a SIM card, sent messages that I was already there and fell asleep. Now about plans. Normal weather for me starts on July 24, and I will probably go out like that (if the forecast is confirmed). It’s about 90 miles to St. Petersburg, in the middle of the route there is Dubkovaya Bay , where I will stop for the night. If everything goes well, thenI'll get there in two passes.
July 25, 2013
7:55. The weather is normal. I go out in the direction of St. Petersburg, today - to Dubkovaya Bay. 40 miles. At 23:20 moored in Dubkova Bay . It turned out 50 miles and 12 running hours. The transition was calm. At times the wind subsided, helped by the motor. The last 3 hours the wind was westerly, 5-6 m/s, ran well 5-6 knots. Tomorrow morning I go out to St. Petersburg, another 53 miles.
July 26, 2013
Victory!!!! Virgo-2 under the control of Vladimir Konarev entered the waters of St. Petersburg !!! At 19:30 moored at the central sailboat club of St. Petersburg. Walked 55 miles today in 12 hours.
Results. In total, during the expedition, 480 km along the river and 586 miles by sea were covered, in 23 days of travel (in total, the expedition took 39 days, including parking)
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