Quite a few long-distance sailors dream of the great North American loop. But only a few actually tackle it. Because the journey is long. Very long. Jörg and Gabi Barczynski from Solms spent seven months travelling in the USA with their Bavaria 350 - and haven't regretted a single day.
The couple, who had been sailing around the world for several years, took a different direction when they arrived in the Caribbean than most other blue water crews. While some fled the approaching hurricane season to the south or west, i.e. to the Venezuelan coast or the Panama Canal, the "Trudel" turned her bow to the north.
From Florida, the cruise initially travelled along the Intracoastal Waterway to New York. The famous waterway runs parallel to the east coast of the USA, sometimes close to the Atlantic, sometimes a little further inland. It is also travelled by numerous European crews, many of whom branch off to the east at some point to sail back home across the North Atlantic.
Not so the Barczynskis. They left the Statue of Liberty on the left and Manhattan on the right and headed for the Hudson. Via the river and adjoining canals, they reached the Great Lakes on the Canadian border not far from Niagara Falls. The previously laid mast could be raised again. Ahead lay Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
Metropolises of millions such as Detroit or Chicago were visited as well as dreamy fishing villages and typical American small towns. The Germans were warmly welcomed everywhere. The further west "Trudel" travelled, the less often a yacht from good old Germany was seen there.
From Chicago, we travelled along rivers and canals to the Mississippi. Even if the mighty river lacked any Mark Twain romance, it was still one of the highlights of the journey. The sailors travelled hundreds of miles further south, explored unique sailing areas in Kentucky, visited the home towns of Elvis Presley and Tennessee Williams - and finally reached the Gulf of Mexico.
The couple have written down their experiences and adventures, which can now be read in the new issue of YACHT (Haft 20/2010, on newsstands from Wednesday).
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
