Often dreamed of, but never done - Sönke Roever and Helmut Adwiraah no longer need to say that about themselves. They are travelling with their "Hippopotamus". Not in the big wide world, but on the Baltic Sea.
Once anti-clockwise, along the coasts of ten countries bordering the Mare Balticum.
Sönke Roever, 29, and Helmut Adwiraah, 27, were bitten by the travel bug when they set sail from Hamburg on 9 April. Despite a few incidents, their enthusiasm and the urge to experience and see more has not waned so far.
For example, the engine of their Ohlson 8:8 went on strike in mid-May due to overheating. Then they lost the bow fitting in heavy weather. The sailing duo have many stories to tell about these and other nerve-wracking and exciting challenges. Some of them can be read on the Internet. The "Hippopotamus" logbook on the worldwide web already has several thousand "readers", reports Sönke Roever proudly.
However, the "Hippopotamus" website not only tells a lot about the problems of such a long journey. The sailors also describe their carefree days there.
Along the east German coast, with a detour via Bornholm in Denmark and several Polish harbours, the route of the almost nine-metre-long yacht first led to the Baltic states. From there, the sailing adventurers set sail for Finland, where they are currently taking in the beauty and peculiarities of Finnish nature and culture.
Over the coming weeks, her voyage will take her across the Gulf of Bothnia, through the Göta Canal and on to Oslo. The wind and waves should bring the sailing ship, which was built in 1976, home for the harbour festival in Hamburg's marina in Wedel.
All information directly from the ship under: www.hippopotamus.de.
