31 May 2012

31 mai - Emerald Bay / Antipaxos



In afara de faptul ca azi am hranit pescarusii cu farfuria zburatoare, ca sico a invata sa vasleasca dupa ce a fost salvat de italieni, si ca am depasit in viteza tot ce misca cu vele in Antipaxos... am si filmat

 


29 May 2012

Igoumenitsa - Lakka - 28, 29 Mai

- "Un Mithos, o Metsovone Saganaki si lemon calamari... si wireless.". Suntem in Lakka un mic golf din carti postale. Prima data la tarm dupa 2 zile pline de sailing si vant si emotii si ancoraje mai mult sau mai putin nereusite.

Dimineata de 28 ne-a gasit in Agios Stefanos, dupa o noapte la ancora, rupti de somn pt ca in loc sa dormim am pazit yacthul sa nu se loveasca de celelate din jur. Ancorasem destul de aproape de un englez cu o asiatica si un Nauticat 42. La un moment dat ( in jur de ora 2) am fost nevoiti sa pornim motorul ca sa nu intram cu prova in , patul lor nuptial .

Dupa un detuor pe la pompa de benzina din Gouvia, am luat cap compas spre Sud. Cum am iesit din Gouvia, un vant de 10-12 noduri a aparut in pupa noastra si in acest mod simplu a inceput prima si cea mai lunga zi de sailing de pana acum. Planul initial era sa ajungem in Sivota, dar nenumaratele tack-uri si jibe-uri dar si debutul in sailing al lui Sico cu Dan , ne-a facut sa pierdem cateva ore bune in mijlocul marii. Intre timp pe cer au inceput sa apara norii, vantul a crescut si a trebuit sa cautam un loc sa ne retragem. Harta arata un golf pustiu, undeva la nord de Igoumenitsa. In jur de ora 6 ajungem la locul cu pricina, insa realitatea e mult mai cruda. Golful este total expus vantului din Nord, care a batut toata ziua. Lasam totusi ancora cu indoiala. Adancimea e de 17 metrii, si regula spune ca ne trebuie minim de 4 ori mai mult lant. asa ca lasam ..... dupa 50 metrii se termina lantul care sare din cabestan si plonjeaza in apa. Norocul e ca avea o sforicica de siguranta , taman pt momentele cand niste fraieri ca noi vor sa arunce tot lantul in apa. Pierderea ancorei nu e o optiune..Dan imi urla de la pupa sa dau in fata.. io inteleg spate... incepe un circ care dureaza. o juma de ora.. dar reusim sa repunem lantul pe cabestan. Mult zgomot pt nimic, golful nu e bun de inoptat asa ca , ridicam fierul si plecam dupa colt in cel mai urat port din lume - Igoumenitsa. Urat da Safe. Ancoram langa ferri-urile si uleiul din port. Dan face bolognese cu ton :) .... incepe ploaia..... si cadem lati dupa o zi extrem de plina ( si 30 de mile de sailing)

29 . .. ne tiram de dimineata ... si marea e lac. ....iesim din Igoumenita cot la cot cu gigantii de croaziera care ne acopera cu valurile iesite din siajul lor . Cap compas - Paxos, perla insulelor din nordul marii Ioniene. Mergem la motor vreo 7 mile, apoi din fata incepe un frumos vant de 12 noduri . Asa ca traveram marea la vele.

Am ajuns in Lakka ( Paxos) un golf la care tot visez din octombrie anu trecut. Acum ca l-au vazut si baietii, cred ca o sa- l viseze si ei. Locul e plin ochi de yachturi care mai de care mai luxoase. gasim ca prin minune un loc gol ancoram.... si fuga la saganaki.

cred ca o sa stam 2 zile aici..... sa nu facem nimic. Voi?









27 May 2012

Ag Stefanos - 27 Mai

La 10.30 am ridicat nasul din perna si la 3pm, ancora. Intre timp, a turnat cu galeata, Dan a facut mancaresi Sico poze. Io m-am chinuit sa inteleg barca, gps-ul, am umplut rezervoarele cu apa, m-am revazut cu Steve Hills (cel de la care am invatat yachting) si am stabilit impreuna cu niste nemti, ca Moorhuhn e un joc bun, si ca Ipadul e perfect pt. navigatie.


Apoi , ploaia s-a oprit, inima s-a urcat in gat, si am plecat. Primele mile au fost si cele mai frumoase, am avut vant si am ridicat panzele. Hardughia ( Filotimo e numele ei) s-a bandat si gurile noastre s-au cascat . In sfarsit . Barca face ce stie si io ce mi place. Am reusit sa facem 2 volte dupa care din pacate vantul a cazut de tot, si am continuat la motor. Dar cel mai important lucru e ca suntem pe mare si ca excursia a inceput.

Dupa doua ore si 10 mile, suntem toti trei in apa. Cu labele si ochelarii si Filotimo parcat la ancora intr-un golf superb undeva langa casa baronului Rothchild : Agios Stephanos. Cerul sa inseninat, si de pe mal vine un miros de peste prajit....

........





26 May 2012

corfu - 26 mai 2012


Pregatita in Decebrie, asteptata o iarna, visata de mult, se intampla ACUM.
La inceput am fost 8 negri mititei... in final am ajuns doar 3
3 baieti si un barcaz de 15 metri.

scriu din Gouvia marina, de la Olympia restaurant, dupa 2 Mythos, 12 ore de condus masina, 2 ore cu bacul si un mini morris tamponat usor ( am uitat sa trag frana de mana in parcarea de pe bac), 45 de minute de descarcat merinde,o ora emotii financiare ( cardul de garantie era gol) ...si un post de blog
rescris pt ca primul draft l-am sters din greseala.

Ei, da, mor deja de frica pt maine, cand va tebui sa punem pachebotul la apa... io, sico, si dan!

Amin!

.............

ora 2 dim.... acasa


sico, dan si Bac-ul
...barcazul...si mancarea







P.s

Virgil , om serios, aterizeaza joi de la Londra, expres, sa ne ajute.

9 May 2012

The Most Beautiful Boat In The World


'the boat project' is the most ambitious undertaking to date for UK-based company lone twin (gary winters and gregg whelan). using the latest yacht building methods, they have transformed wooden objects such as puzzles, guitars, chairs, rulers, furniture, 
picture frames, clothes pegs etc., all donated by people within the UK's south east region to construct not just any vessel, but rather a 'living, floating archive' of people's stories and memories.
















8 May 2012

Best Sailboats - ep. 1

Today I'll  start a series of articles about  world best sailboats, and sailboat makers (my personal top) . All informations and pictures are compiled from trusted yachting sites and books.
.............

1. Hallberg Rassy


   On the northeast cost of Sweden , in the little town of Ellos, is the most beautiful setting for a boatyard in the world. Bold rocks guard the entrance of the small round bay, and behind the houses that line the shore, great hills rise. Hidden into a corner of the bay below a cliff is the Hallberg Rassy yard.Here lie some of the europe's most respected boats, the confortable/ spacious Hallberg Rassy cruisers.




Mr. Cristoph Rassy
Mr. Harry Hallberg
   One day about 30 years ago, a young man named Cristoph Rassy, pushed his old black bicycle off  German soil, onto the ferry bound for Sweden. He took a job on the island of Ellos on the western coast and build other people's boats until the mid.sixties, then  he got his own place and kept building good boats.
   Meanwhile a Mr. Hallberg, who had been building pretty folkboats out of wood since the war, was making himself a good reputation on both sides of the Antlantic with a pretty little boat called P28.
   The Hallberg and Rassy yards  merged in '72. Mr. Hallberg  retired soon after and Cristoph Rassy now stood by himself. Within a dozen years the size of the yard doubled untill now, at 250 boats a year, it is the largest sailboat in Sweden.


     The first new design under the name of Hallberg-Rassy was the Monsun 31, which was created in 1973. The boat proved a great success, and 900 were built up to 1983.

Hallberg rassy 41
     The next design was the Hallberg-Rassy 41. This quickly became a trendsetter. This was the first boat with a proper walk through to the aft-cabin below deck. The basic principle for the layout, though greatly improved, is used to this day. One can question if this is due to routine or if this represents the optimal interior design of a centre-cockpit boat. On further study it becomes rather evident that this is indeed an optimal design.

   The Hallberg-Rassy 41 had free passage from stem to stern below deck in one level. The galley was placed at starboard by the stairs, out of the ways from any passer-by, providing safety at sea and providing full headroom in the whole galley. The chart table on the opposite side was generous and with a real seat in the boats heading direction. 
Further the HR 41 was a long distance vessel with the keel and rudder separated, and among other things a blue brim around the cockpit, which was slightly elevated, to give room for the passage below deck.
To meet the demand the area of the yard was doubled in 1975.
The size of the boat and the outfitting was spectacular for its time: Pressured water, heated water, shower, electric anchor winch, headsail furling system, two separate heads, a powerful engine, solid and elegant wooden interior and gracious lines.
All this is basic, though very much improved, to this day. 105 units of the Hallberg-Rassy 41 were built during a short but intense period from 1976 to1979, a few were also built until 1981

Hallberg-Rassy 38, designed in 1976/77, was also a trendsetter with the same interior concept, though a higher freeboard, and was the first boat with the characteristic blue stripe around the hull.

Hallberg Rassy 38



The Hallberg-Rassy 352 from 1977/78 was a substantial sales success, with more than 800 built until 1989. This was the first time a designer had managed to combine, in a 35 foot boat, a walk through to the aft-cabin with spectacularly elegant lines.
HR 352 offered large- boat characteristics at a moderate price.

 
Hallberg Rassy 352



     In 1983, 16-year old Magnus Rassy built an experimental boat named "Rassker". The hull was built in high tech aramid fibre and Divinycell. This was the first boat built at Hallberg-Rassy to feature an external lead keel and a stern with a bathing platform. The hull length was 26 ft and the boat won many races.
In 1985 two armchairs were built in to the saloon of a HR 49.
This was something no one had seen on a yacht before. Now you can find similar solutions on boats built by yards all over the world, but no armchairs are as comfortable as the original ones by Hallberg-Rassy. In 1987, another boat designed by Magnus was built, the 35 feet "Rassker Magnum".

Also this boat was racing very successfully. These two boats were nothing for Hallberg-Rassy to put on the market, but a good preparation for future developments.





    In 1988 Hallberg-Rassy began a successful co-operation with Germán Frers (pronounced Herman Frers) from Argentina. Frers is as well known for his Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup designs, as he is for drawing cruising yachts with elegant lines. This co-operation has resulted in a new generation of sail-boats, which combine the Hallberg-Rassy renowned good qualities like sturdiness, seaworthiness, comfort, safety, and fine wood-work; with unsurpassed sailing characteristics.
German Frers
     Several victories in the ARC over the Atlantic shows that a modern cruiser does not have to be lacking in performance. Germán Frers has so far made 19 designs for Hallberg-Rassy, in chronological order the Hallberg-Rassy 45, HR 36, HR 34, HR 42F, HR 39, HR 31, HR 53, HR 46, HR 62, HR 43, HR 40, HR 37, HR 48, HR 342, HR 54, HR 372, HR 310, HR 64 and now the new Hallberg-Rassy 412.
     
So far Hallberg-Rassy has delivered 8,900 yachts, whereof Frers designed 2,900.


Today H.R. models are split between to big categories: the famous Center Cockpit Boats and the Aft Cockpit Boats.


Links to Current Models : 


 Aft Cockpit Boats.                                             Center Cockpit Boats
  - 310                                                                       -37
  - 342                                                                       -40
  - 372                                                                       -43 MkII
  - 412                                                                        -48
                                                                                   -54
                                                                                   -62
                                                                                   -64

4 May 2012

Sailing again!

After  7 long months of dry land, i'm back again on the water. Thx to Bogdan, Gabi, Piticu, Nicu, Mihai  and others from YCR  I was able to go with the wind, once again.
And of course, there is Aria ....

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