Dear readers,
Does this sound familiar? On the way to your sailing trip, you’re still getting annoyed about train cancellations and flight delays, but as soon as you’re on board, you take delays in your stride. Provided, of course, that you don’t spend the whole week of your holiday stuck in the harbour. But apart from the worst-case scenario – too little wind? Too much? – then the leg of the journey is simply postponed until tomorrow. After all, you can’t argue with the weather.
Or perhaps it is?
Actually, sailors spend a surprising amount of time doing exactly that. I’d like to put forward a controversial and, at first glance, contradictory theory here: sailors are both the most laid-back people and the biggest grumblers. When there’s no wind, we long for wind. When it’s blowing hard, we’d prefer it to be a bit lighter. And it rarely comes from the right direction either. If the wind keeps shifting, trimming the sails becomes a nuisance. On the other hand, if it stays steady for hours on end, it somehow gets a bit boring too. We’re constantly on the hunt for the perfect day’s sailing: enough wind, but please not too much. Steady, but please not boring. Challenging, but certainly not exhausting.
A year ago, I was sailing in Brittany. Instead of the breeze I’d been hoping for, there was a lull for days on end. This year in the Solent, the opposite extreme awaited us. On the very first day, we were stuck in harbour due to strong winds, and over the following days, the wind strength and direction seemed to change every minute. No sooner had we trimmed the sails properly than the next gust or shift in wind direction would hit. For a holiday cruise, where you want to cover as much ground as possible whilst staying as relaxed as possible, that would probably have been exhausting. For a training cruise, however, it was perfect.
There was always something to do: re-trimming the sails, reefing, adjusting the course or reassessing the weather forecast. One thing’s for sure: I learnt more this week than I would have on a trip with a steady twelve knots of wind from the right direction.
I think that’s exactly what makes this sport so fascinating for many sailors. However much we grumble about the wind – that’s exactly how we want it: unpredictable and uncontrollable, in a way that few things in everyday life still are. We cannot impose our will on external circumstances. The wind isn’t interested in our sailing itinerary or our booking at the next harbour. So we adapt. We wait. We change our plans. Or we use the time to learn something. In the case of my manoeuvring trip in the Solent, that meant theory sessions over a steaming cup of tea below deck whilst 30-knot gusts tugged at our anchor chain outside.
And perhaps that’s also why, after this week’s sailing trip, I came home feeling much more relaxed than when I set off. Because when you’re sailing, you learn anew every day to come to terms with the things you can’t change anyway.
Jill Grigoleit
YACHT editor
Editor’s reading recommendations
New podcast episode
Withdrawal from the Vegvisir Race – what happened on board?
Six months of preparation, and then a shock just before the start: YACHT editors Fabian Boerger and Ole Puls were forced to pull out of the Vegvisir Race.
Offshore wind power
‘He Dreiht’ now operational – the North Sea is getting busier
The He Dreiht offshore wind farm is now operational, whilst the safety zone remains in place. At the same time, further fixed obstacles are being installed in the German Bight.
Shipwreck museums
Hell on Christmas Eve – St George’s Shipwreck Museum
On Christmas Eve 1811, one of the greatest tragedies in maritime history took place on the remote North Sea coast of Jutland, claiming 1,400 lives. It is documented by the St George Shipwreck Museum in Thorsminde, Denmark.
Crime
Spate of thefts at Wieltsee
At Wieltsee in Lower Saxony, thieves broke into seven boats within the space of a few weeks. Several of them were subsequently found adrift on the water. The perpetrators stole engines and engine parts.
Fountaine Pajot 55
First pictures of the Loft under sail
The Fountaine Pajot 55 is positioned as the largest model in the standard range, just below the exclusive yacht line. The 17-metre catamaran has been designed for long-distance cruising and clients with high standards of comfort. The design is particularly striking for its unusually spacious lounge areas, including the XL flybridge, which measures 23 square metres, and the forward cockpit with direct access from the saloon. First pictures.
40-foot multihulls
These five offer more than just space
A look at five multihull boats around 40 feet in length: from a foldable 20-knot trimaran to a sporty cruising catamaran with a versatile interior layout.
Tracker analysis
Why ‘Malizia 4’ only came fourth despite having the fastest speed profile
The tracker data from the Ocean Race Atlantic shows that ‘Malizia 4’ was often faster. Why, then, did three teams cross the finish line ahead of Boris Herrmann?
The Kiel Canal
Free of charge for pleasure craft from 2027
From 1 January 2027, recreational boaters will be able to use the Kiel Canal free of charge. This means that the approximately 10,000 pleasure craft that use the canal each year will save between 12 and 43 euros per passage in future, depending on the length of the boat. This is intended to relieve the administration of a procedure whose costs have now become significantly greater than the revenue it generates.
‘Pavane’
How details and materials were harmoniously incorporated into the restoration of this classic car
The “Pavane” lay neglected on dry land for years before the young boatbuilder Kyrell Becker took her on and restored her. Now, a new rig is set to give this classic Olin Stephens racer better performance in light winds.
Second-hand boat of the week
Compromis 999 – a small long-distance cruiser
The Compromis 999 impresses with its generous living space and solid cruising comfort, but when buying second-hand, you’ll need to take a close look at the year of manufacture, the underwater hull, the windows and the fittings.
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