Blue water cruise as a newcomer: "Just do it!" - How Dirk Wahl sailed single-handed across the Atlantic twice
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We meet Dirk Wahl at his remaining farm, which he is living in again after 13 months away from sailing. The 57-year-old agricultural engineer, who advises farmers for the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture, shows us into his study. The view from the window is of meadows where his sheep have grazed in previous years, as he explains. The bookshelf contains sailing classics by Wilfried Erdmann and Bernard Moitessier as well as sailing reference books. There are a few bottles of rum in a cupboard. "I brought them across the Atlantic on my own keel," smiles Wahl.
On his desk is the Atlantic crossingsailor with his own course history and a meticulously kept logbook. Wahl seems down-to-earth, grounded, almost a little shy. "I was never out for publicity," he says, but he was repeatedly approached by people who couldn't believe that he wasn't writing a blog about his voyage. Eventually, a friend simply set one up for him. Wahl's most important concern: "To tell people that it's possible!"
YACHT: Mr Wahl, you have sailed over 9,000 nautical miles single-handed, including two complete Atlantic crossings: from the Canary Islands via the Cape Verde Islands to the Caribbean and then back via Bermuda and the Azores. Was that a long-cherished dream?
Dirk Wahl:It actually turned out more like this. I was in a rehab clinic in 2020 because of hip problems. I was so bored that I browsed through all the boat sales websites. I always thought I couldn't afford a boat like that for a long sea voyage. But then I suddenly realised: It's possible! I had completed an SKS at the adult education centre in 2007 and bought a dinghy. But holiday sailing on the Baltic was somehow not the right thing - after a week I was already thinking about going back, it was always over before it got really exciting! Everyone knows the feeling of wondering: what if I just didn't have to go back now? That's when I started thinking about an Atlantic tour. So many people put everything off until they retire, and then they don't set sail because some illness intervenes.
And why one-handed?
Neither many of my friends nor my children are experienced sailors. And to be honest, living together on such small boats is not everyone's cup of tea. Coordinating lots of fellow sailors can also be exhausting. However, my daughter and son and some good friends joined me for a few weeks in Europe, on the Canary Islands and between the Caribbean islands. But apart from that, it quickly became clear: I sail alone.
Sounds brave. Was it?
My experience in life has always been that if something has to work, then it will work. As a farmer, you have to be able to do everything, constantly have to overcome problems, be your own technician. Why shouldn't I be able to do the same as a sailor? You just have to have confidence in your own ability and then just do it! I asked my employer, who authorised me to take a one-year sabbatical. The model was simple: 50 per cent income for two years, but work full-time for the first year and then take the second year off.
Did you already have a boat?
Yes, a small 22-foot keelboat. And before that, a dinghy that I sailed on the Steinhuder Meer. But of course that was nothing for ocean sailing. When the "yes" came, I quickly had to start looking for a boat. It had to be a long keeler, stable, affordable and uncomplicated so that I could repair it myself. I found what I was looking for in Scotland. A Halmatic 30 was for sale there. I went there, looked at it, negotiated and finally bought it for 15,000 euros. I sailed the boat in three stages from Glasgow to Bremerhaven, my first real offshore experience as a skipper! Including my first night sailing. I thought that was great, it was an adventure and training all in one right from the start!
That was all the preparation?
Before that, I did a one-week bunk cruise as a co-sailor on the North Sea. I had only sailed around Rügen once before and once in Denmark. I had my first experience of tidal waters on the North Sea, and afterwards I felt ready for the trip.
And the boat?
I brought it back to my barn and got started - completely renewed the electrics, replaced the water system, changed the windows and bought a few things for the long trip: AIS and an active radar reflector so that other boats could see me. That worked really well on the way: first the radar reflector came on, and when a ship came closer, the AIS sounded the alarm. So I always felt safe. A Garmin InReach was also on board so that I could receive and send messages via satellite. There was also a freezer compartment, two autopilots, a life raft - that sort of thing. The sails, the standing rigging and the hull were all still very good, the engine was from 2008 and the previous owner had given me an Aries wind steering system.
The single-handed trip at the start of the journey from the Weser to Brest was the test run. After that it was clear: I can do it!"
And then it started?
Yes, I left Bremen on 2 July 2021 and sailed single-handed along the coast. But I had my first setback in Normandy. The engine, although freshly serviced, suffered water damage because the exhaust pipe was broken. This was not immediately noticed because of a thermal band around it. In Fécamp they said the repair would take six weeks. That was too long for me. So I first sailed on to Brest and had a new engine fitted there. Then I sailed non-stop across the Bay of Biscay with a friend. My daughter came on board later in Portugal. After that, I had another engine failure: the mechanics in Brest had forgotten to tighten the drain plug of the gearbox during installation.
It fell out at some point and the oil ran out! I then topped it up and the gearbox worked, but it howled terribly. At first I tried to organise a repair, but that would have taken weeks again. So I travelled on to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. In Mindelo, two local mechanics removed the gearbox, dismantled it and fitted new oil seals. After that it worked again. Not great, but the noises were much more bearable (laughs).
When you were about to cross the Atlantic for the first time, did you ever ask yourself whether you could do it, whether you could cope with being alone and the lack of sleep?
No. I enjoyed every one of the 19 days of the crossing, I never felt lonely. Never before in my life have I had so much time to myself, to indulge in my thoughts. The vastness, all that life around me! I had never seen flying fish before! I was really excited about the first one. Have you ever seen them flying in front of the ship at night in the moonlight? Fabulous! Hunting seagulls, dolphins, once a huge tuna followed me around for three days! I had the feeling they were all waiting for me to flush out the flying fish so they could strike. I was never afraid at any time. I kept myself awake at night with alarm clocks every 15 minutes. On the long stretches, I slept for two hours at a time once a night. I coped well with this, as the AIS and radar alarm worked very well. I was also surprised how little traffic there was, I only saw one ship on the passage off Cape Verde! Even in the English Channel there was always enough time to get out of the way thanks to AIS.
Was there a storm on the way?
On the way to the Canary Islands, I once had a wind force of eight. That actually went well, the wind steering system coped with it easily. But at some point the furling line on the headsail broke, so I had to go to the foresail in the storm and furl the sail by hand. That wasn't much fun. But if it has to be done, it can be done.
What kind of sails did you have with you?
Main, furling genoa and storm jib. I had a blister from the previous owner, but I never set it. I even bought a recovery tube for it, but then didn't use the sail at all. The telescopic spinnaker pole I bought was great. It was much easier to handle when pushed together than the original one, and if you wanted to unfurl the foresail in the Passat, you hooked it onto the sail, then pulled it out and hooked it onto the mast. That was practical.
One of your pictures shows you with your arms raised as the boat sinks. Was that after completing the Atlantic passage?
No, it was just one day during the crossing when I could hardly believe my luck that I had actually done it! You have to realise that first. Halfway across, I was really pleased that there was so much distance to cover. That's when I took this photo.
You sailed to Barbados first. How was the arrival?
It was a bit surreal. You come from Europe, spend 19 days alone and then end up in a completely different world. Dream beaches everywhere, turquoise water, palm trees. I first dropped anchor and jumped into the water, jubilant - I had been dreaming about it for weeks. I had chosen the island as my destination because I had always wanted to go there. There are also good direct flights to Barbados, and a friend wanted to join me for four weeks.
When I arrived in the Caribbean, I felt like I was in another world"
We then travelled northwards along the Antilles arch across all the islands to Antigua?
Yes, I was completely blown away by how one beautiful island and bay followed the next - like something out of a picture book! I stayed on some islands for a very long time, I spent almost four weeks on St Lucia. Or the incredibly beautiful beaches of Barbuda: these colours with the turquoise water and the bright white beaches! I also hiked a lot, up the volcanic cones on Guadeloupe and St Vincent. The vegetation in the rainforest is great, you start at the bottom and pass through rain and fog zones. I spent four weeks exploring Martinique with my son. Four months to discover the islands, it was simply a dream. I was also impressed by the cheerfulness and friendliness of the locals, even though some of them live in real poverty and in simple shacks. You could always strike up a conversation.
Did you anchor a lot or spend time in harbours in between?
I anchored off the French islands. Further south, where there are sometimes security problems, I sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable on my own, so I spent longer periods in marinas. That was also pleasant for my visitors, but of course it cost more.
And how was the long one-handed stroke back?
I actually wanted to sail non-stop from Antigua to the Azores and had planned 26 days, but that didn't materialise. Before the start, I had obtained long-term weather advice from Wetterwelt, because the northern route is the real challenge of the whole trip: more wind risk, longer distance. As the route was long, we had agreed that I would receive an update by satellite text message after four days. It came, and it said: "You're sailing into a hurricane with 45 knots of wind and 6 metre waves!"
They strongly recommended that I turn off to Bermuda, which I did. It was worth it, a great island! Everything was as good as new, beautiful old houses, no rubbish, the people were super nice and helpful. The rest of the Caribbean was pretty rubbish in places, which was really sad. When people asked where I was coming from and where I was going, they all threw up their hands in disbelief: "Single-handed? By boat? Oh my God!" I think I can be glad that my parents and children didn't really realise what the journey really meant. After four days, I set off again from Bermuda and everything went well. I only had one brief gust of 8 Beaufort.
Then you travelled to the Azores?
Yes, great, the best landfall ever! The atmosphere there is simply magical. Most of the sailors you meet have just completed a sailing season in the Caribbean and the difficult Atlantic crossing on the northern route. You walk on air, everyone is in a great mood! That feeling of having managed to cross this huge Atlantic in such a nutshell, that it just works! Of course, the Atlantic left me in peace, crews arrived a few days after me with their sails in tatters. You meet everyone at "Peters Café Sport" and tell each other your stories. That was great!
I would rather plan a new project. That's why I ended up selling the boat again"
What happens now?
The boat has been sold. I'm not the type for a weekend home on the water. But I'm already looking on the internet for a bigger boat. Planning the next long trip, that's it! My son is moving out soon, what am I going to do alone in the big house?
Dirk Wahl's sailing CV
- 2007 SKS
- Dinghy sailing on the Steinhuder Meer
- Three 14-day holidays with the trailer dinghy and a 22-foot bilge keeler on the Baltic Sea (around Rügen and Denmark)
- Two bunk cruises on the North Sea
- Transfer of the yacht from Glasgow toBremen
- 13-month transatlantic round
The boat
- Type: Halmatic 30 (GRP long keeler from Great Britain)
- Design: John Sharp
- Year of construction: 1979
- Length: 8,99 m
- Width:2,90 m
- Depth: 1,37 m
- Weight: 4,5 t
The cruise in figures
- Duration: 392 days
- Distance: 11,708 sm
- Thereof one-handed: 9,141 sm
- Average speed: 4.5 kn
- Longest passage:19 days
- Harbour days:224
- Harbours and anchorages visited: 74
The budget
- Boat purchase price:15,000 euros
- Refit and new equipment (Garmin InReach, electrics, refrigerator compartment, diesel pre-filter, solar panel, equipment rack, AIS, active radar reflector, telescopic spinnaker pole, new windows and hatches): 19,950 euros
- Repairs:13,470 euros (replacement engine: 7,270 euros, lazy bag: 1,050 euros, gearbox: 840 euros, autopilot: 840 euros, furling jib system: 3,470 euros)
- Total boat costs:48,420 Euro
- Proceeds from the boat sale:22,000 euros
- Travelling expenses: 23,725 euros or 1,825/month(Demurrage: 5,200 euros, diesel: 1,300 euros, small items: 4,225 euros, food, restaurants, cruise fees, hire car, bus and train, etc.: 13,000 euros)
Balance sheet after 13 months: 50,145 euros for boat and living expenses
