Tell me, Samuel ...
... how many books fit on board?
I actually wanted to turn my six-metre boat into a sailing library and store all of my 350 sailing books. But by the time I had 100 on board, it was starting to get cramped.
How does one come up with such an idea?
That was in corona times. I wasn't allowed to sail because of the protective measures, but I had rented a large box on Lübeck's Teerhofinsel where I could put my three small cruisers one behind the other. In order to at least be on the water, I moved on board and had one boat as a bedroom and one for cooking. I wanted to have a library on the third boat so that I could at least read about long sailing trips.
Why did you have three boats at the same time?
They were very cheap at the time. I could have bought a bigger boat instead, but I like travelling with simple boats. You learn to appreciate how little you really need.
What was your favourite book to read?
"My destiny is called Kathena" by Wilfried Erdmann, a symbol of good seamanship. I was also fascinated by "Shrimpy" by Shane Acton. The man sailed around the world for eight years in a 5.5 metre long plywood boat.
Is that where your love of small cruisers came from?
My first sailing boat was a Vindö 40, but then I sailed a dinghy with a friend and realised how wonderfully uncomplicated small boats are. From then on, my boats got smaller - and the books gave me the idea of venturing out on a long voyage myself.
In summer 2020, you sailed the Midsummersail for the first time with a Kievit 680. How did that come about?
I wanted to sail a long distance, and the regatta to the northernmost point of the Baltic Sea - 900 nautical miles - was an obvious choice. I found a nice crew via the internet. We were the last to arrive, but with the smallest boat.
You even wanted to top that in the following years, right?
Yes, one year later I started with a Leisure 20. Then in 2022 even with a Kielzugvogel. But the regatta organisers disqualified us because of the open boat. We still sailed alongside until Sweden.
It's now the end of November and you're sailing off Holland on the North Sea. Where are you going?
I want to spend the winter in the Canary Islands. I've actually bought a slightly larger boat for this trip, a Najade 900, because a bit more space on board isn't so bad for long journeys.
And what will become of the library idea?
As long as I'm sailing, most of the books will be stored on land for the time being. But then they will come back on board. Anyone can then borrow some from me. And who knows, maybe one day I'll even write a book myself.
Samuel Tonne on Instagram: @sammy_summer.de
