Yacht log 08-31to 09-24 - 2006

"In the beginning they could not understand my insistence on getting away from the compass, that god of the West. But in exchange, they began to hear the why and sea talking with the boat. And when blue-tinted land appeared on the horizon, looking as it did to the mariners of old, all nimbed with mystery, a few of them felt that our rigorous techniques should leave a door open to those gods which the modern world tries so hard to exclude."

-Bernard Moitessier, 'The Long Way' CLOSE WINDOW

The Start in 2006...

Audio recordings, a narrative in Hungarian:
2006.09.04
2006.09.07
2006.09.19

Koper trackg
The track of the first (red) and third (blue) week on the Adriatic sea. (His and Bogi's wanderings are classified :-)

Pictures of Carina's test routs, and the days in Koper.

31^st of August (Budapest Hungary; the Danube and the Hárosi Yacht Club).

This morning we removed the mast, and in the afternoon I visited a sponsor and later – the day has not ended yet – dropped in at the Communication Oversight Office; and after that, I and somebody else (a sponsor) pasted decals. (An engineer and I talked over several technical questions concerning a built in instrument.) In the evening I said goodbye to several of my friends and hurried home, where we packed up my godfather’s car with a good portion of my food supply and after that a last glass of wine at my mother’s place. Unfortunately there was very little time left for my dear Bogi, because the packing had to be finished! This is just an example how hectic my last days or weeks became.

(1^st of September (Hungary, Budapest; the Danube and the Hárosi Yacht Club)

In the morning with my friend Csaba and my father we prepared to hoist the boat. While we were doing that somebody from the TV station came and we talked for about 20 minutes. Then after that came a procession of relatives and friends but despite of all this we successfully hoisted it out with a crane. It was not simple or easy, but we were successful. Finally the guys from the TV station left, but we were not done yet, because a newspaper photographer appeared. I talked to him quite a lot about my plan. Finally, in the afternoon, we put the final touches on the boat: painting and glazing. We put the boat on a trailer and this is how we drove 12 hours to Koper. During the trip Jozsi helped us. He had a microbus.

2^nd of September (Koper, Slovenia. Koper marina)

During the morning hours the boat was hoisted with the help of a crane into the water. We had to wait about one and a half hours for our turn. Everybody was very nice.

After we finished putting in the mast; the next 6 hours was spent with packing. It will be tomorrow evening before we really finish. I brought with me too much baggage. I will send some of it back home. The battery is a little weak so I leave the charger on all night.

3^rd of September (Slovenia – Koper, Koper Marina)

This morning we finished packing and finished filling the water tanks. Setting the mast was a little slow since we wanted it to lean a little backwards. I spent most of my time with packing or with tying things. This afternoon we started our first test run. (log: 1246 nautical miles, after that nm.).

The wind was blowing with 5 knots and our speed with full sails was 2.5 knots. I tried out how the mainsail’s reefing is working; it can be rolled onto the boom. It went perfectly. The travelled distance was 6.1 nm. By the evening we repaired the wind generator a number of times. The problem: a defective contact. It works now! Late in the evening we put up the antenna; I will turn the radio on tomorrow, and in addition to that I shall try out the NAVTEX. Far too many hours are spent to find space for everything It is very difficult and sometimes a little hopeless. Today I measured 35ºC; it feels like summertime again. I fear the weather will get worst. From 6 in the morning till 10 at night we constantly work and the only time we stop when we eat. It is also our rest period. There are many small things that have to be glued, many more places to tie down etc.

4^th of September (Slovenia, Koper, Koper Marina)

This morning I have received a weather fax. I am happy that the fax is working. With my radio’s help I could improve the fax’s quality quite a bit, also copied a number of Hungarian amateurs on 3.618 MHz. but by the time I wanted to say something (it was after 7 in the morning) the reception deteriorated. But tomorrow I will try again on this frequency to contact Hungarian amateurs. The 14.290 MHz is dead for the time being and that is the reason that I could not talk with Karesz up till now. I did talk with a nice Hungarian (R-S 5-5), but I could not hear Mária from Kaposvár. At Saturday and Sunday I’ll be around Trogir in the middle Adriatic, and by that time I hope the 20-meter band (14.290MHz) will be usable. I feel like I am popularising radio, but it is so popular and such an interesting hobby that even if I would not be sailing I would definitely be interested in it!

In the morning we put the ropes in order, then we covered the shrouds with tubing in order to save the jib and the genoa from friction. There are many small things to watch for. We are getting ready for tomorrow’s departure. Ozi and I already planned out the first test route (165 nm.) it stops at Sukosan. I put the necessary waypoints into the GPS.

I bought gas and oil, but the pulley I needed was not available, that is to say, there was one but it was very expensive. At the end I successfully put together what I needed from the pulleys that I had on hand! Today’s good news: The wind generator is charging!! The bad news is that I cannot raise the charging voltage above 13 volts. So it is not completely ok. Maybe I have to bring a battery from home. My father has two more and I am sure he’ll lend it to me for two years. :)) My father is a man of many talents, the chief creative. Without him things would slow down quite a bit. (I could not even write my log.)

In the afternoon we went out for a trial run. Everything was OK. I tried out the anchor and it is very easy to handle, and in 6 meter deep water the 10-meter long chain and the 2-meter long rope held quite strong. The distance sailed: 3.3 nm.

We noticed some hammering or pinging in the steering mechanism and that we fixed using a piece of acid resistant wire and a few razor blades made by Wilkinson Sword; this was all suggested by my father. The work goes on continually on the boat!!!

There are many more examples; the previous fix was just one of them. According to my ship station licence my MMSI number: 24000081 is for the sea and the ATIS number: 9243071520 is good for rivers, and my call sign is HGOT.

Note: unfortunately in the last few days I could not properly update my web page due to time limitations. For example it still says that I’m taking 3 life jackets and one book but by now it’s the other way around.

5^th of September

We woke up at 6 and by 6:30 I was on the radio. I realized that I needed quite a bit of patience because for a while the only thing I heard was a heterodyne whistle etc. On 3.618 I heard some Hungarian stations but very weakly. Of course I know that even that is a miracle on this frequency. For some reason I had to wait for a wile for the weather fax (8:00am at 11.084 MHz, England), but while I was waiting I put in my MMSI number into the VHF radio.

So far I did not say, but the Koper Marina is the cheapest anchorage on the Adriatic; of course that is why I am here.

My father fabricated a small logging instrument using a bicycle speedometer; I have one on the boat already, and of course there is the GPS. But you never know it might come handy during the voyage. When I start using the radio this log goes crazy. It starts to whistle and random numbers come up.

After shopping and paying the anchorage fee, we finally started to leave at 8:30. On the open sea I turned on the radio for a while. I turned on the autopilot (TP-10). Since we put it on the left side (usually it is fitted on the right side) it needed adjustment. In the next three days our main task is to experimentally decide which is the best way to operate the auto pilot system. The generic method was working fine: we used an elastic rope and with that secured the rudder. With this arrangement the boat could hold direction for about 10 minutes. The other method is to use the rudder’s stabilizer system, but this method only worked for a couple of minutes. The plan is to guide the boat with the help of the sails using pulleys and ropes. The force developed by this method is channelled to the rudder. (Earlier I have already written about this in my blog).

We are sailing near the shore, which is good; this way we can see the cities as we go by: Isola, Piran and the shores of Trieste. I have not been sailing in Slovenia before. Of course it is not too simple since the territory is so small that one can pass it and does not even know it. We sailed all night near the Istria Peninsula. Encountered mild head winds (1-2).

6^th of September From 6:30 in the morning I listened to the radio. In the first 10 minutes I tuned up the rig. I made a few QSOs: OM5GO, Géza, Ipolyság, 5-7; HA4AA, András, Bp., 5-6; HA0LG, Tóni, Kaba, 5-6; Tibor; Pista, Gyöngyös, 5-5. I was surprised how many of them heard about my plan and me. I copied the usual morning weather fax. The quality of the fax was excellent. (I was able to copy the same fax from Hamburg on 13.88066 MHz. At 9:00 I succeeded to talk with a Hungarian ham on14.290 MHz. He was very courteous. I talked to him on Monday also. He promised me that he’d connect me with Karesz (HA5CAR) tomorrow. So tomorrow I’ll be on the air again. To be on the radio takes about 3 hours and I hope I can reduce this time to 30-45 minutes. I keep telling myself that I am just learning this stuff.

It is nearly half past nine and slowly I start concentrating to sailing. While sailing I am busy with gluing things. There is always something to do. In the afternoon we finished with sealing the door. Now even that is perfect. In the evening, on the gas stove, my father prepared a soup, which came out great. (This was the first try with this stove).

We have to reach Sukosan by Saturday morning, but there is a way to go yet and of course there is hardly any wind. We are sailing all through the night in this changing and weak wind.

7^th of September

I heard that on the index.hu’s forum they started a collection to help me to buy an osmosis pump (although this is not the most important item I need). However this is very kind from people whom I don’t even know and still want to help. In the morning it’s radio time again. The battery charge reads 12 volts. My wind generator is charging too. The wind is 5 knots, and in this wind the generator charges. Three days went by and we are still sailing without stopping anywhere. We make 50 nm a day, but unfortunately we have head winds. At dawn we left Pulat behind and in front of us is Cres. In the morning on 14.290 MHz I was looking for HA5CBM-et (Miklós) and HG2EQA-t (Endre), but could not find them. I did speak, however, with a radio amateur for a few minutes on 14.290 MHz. Today is the same as yesterday – this is what good about the sea :))

8^th of September

The batteries lost quite a bit of charge. So I did not use the radio today. The wind is picking up, which means that instead of 1 it is 2 or 3. The waves are 2 meter high and that fact slows the boat quite a bit, but this way things around me are more interesting. In the afternoon we run the engine for an hour. The reason is that we should reach Zadar by tomorrow morning at 8:00. (At least the motor generator charges the batteries. At the end the battery voltage is 11.8V).

Somewhere there is a leak. We think one of the screws is the culprit. It is not seated properly. We fixed it and I hope it won’t leak again. In the evening the wind picks up. It is 6Bf. (22-24 knots). First we reef the sails, but later we change the sails for storm conditions. Since we do not have maps of the area and it’s getting dark, and our speed is slow due to the storm sail set-up, we decided to cruise in front of the islands (Dugi Otok). This is a really exciting test. The 2 to 3 meter high waves keep tossing the boat constantly and out of this we get quite a bit of water in the cockpit.

9^th of September

At dawn the wind slackened and with the help of the engine we sailed among the islands. The constant wind change was characteristic for the day so I kept reefing and unfurling the sail. During the morning hours the engine just quit. There was some problem with one of the cylinders, but a sparkplug change solved that problem. We arrived at Zadar at 5 in the afternoon. My father left for Sukosan where he will be skipper for a week.

10th of September

I had my boat registered at the district police station (660 kuna). I will spend only one week in Croatia. If I do not go and register than the penalty could be 10 times the registration fee. In the afternoon and evening we spent time checking out the city and after that we replenished our supplies. Late in the evening Ozi and I planned out the route. In the harbour we met a few Polish sailors. Ryszard gave me his calling card and asked me to write to him about my trip as I go around the world. He wanted to sponsor me, but it could be that we drank too much vodka :)

11^th of September

We got up at 6 o’clock in the morning and started out towards Dugi Otok. The wind speed and direction is variable. In the morning I was on 80 (3.620 MHz.) and 20 meters (14.290 MHz) and have successfully been able to talk to a few radio amateurs. At 12 noon using our engine and sail we crossed under the bridge that connects Pasman and Ugljan islands. In the afternoon the wind strengthened but the sailing was still enjoyable. We reached Dugi Otok in the evening (Telascica bay, opposite to Kornati). Unfortunately they were asking for money here (50 kuna/person). No haggling either. Later: romantic dinner on shore, a midnight swim – it was beautiful.

12^th of September

Unfortunately the wind generator is out of action for days now and the batteries are lacking also. I cannot charge them above 13 V. I will buy two more batteries. I probably have to disassemble the wind generator, because something is not right inside. In the morning, as usual, we started out at 6. At 9:30 we anchored in a nice little bay on the southern part of Dugi Otok. The Guardian anchor was a very good choice. It is light, (6 kilo) and holds the boat well. Snorkelled and later fished. The result: fresh roasted fish for breakfast. I wanted to try out my fishing knowledge, and let me tell you, I have plenty to learn yet. Late in the morning we started to sail south next to the Kornat islands. The wind was Bf. 2-3 and our speed about 3 knots. I am constantly trolling a line while sailing. Today I snagged a coat. (For a second I was happy hoping for a fish, but seeing the coat I was in utter despair). Too bad, but today I could not talk to anybody on the radio. I wander what happened. I tried this morning for about 2 to 3 hours on 14.290 MHz. I was looking for the Hungarian amateurs most importantly Gyuri, but nothing happened. In the evening we anchored near Lavsa Island, which is part of the Kornati Island chain. Since this area belongs to the Kornato National Park the fee is 80 kuna/person, but we made a deal and it only cost us 40 kuna and this amount is what they charge to kids who are under 14 years of age. In the bay we anchored near other boats; they came from Pozsony. Unfortunately the feeble wind direction has been changing all the time upsetting the anchor positions and the sailboats were all fouled up. The two sailboats met frequently during the night… But in the end we became fast friends with the crew. After midnight they offered us some beer even, (Pilsner, Urquell)… I told them about my plan and since I slept outside on the deck and also hung out bumpers – everything was OK.

13^th of September

At 6 in the morning we started out. Direction: south. The wind was calm and easterly, but by noon it got stronger. Unfortunately I could not raise the Hungarian radio amateurs, although I was on frequency between 7 and 10. I called a lot of CQs on 14.290 MHz. As a result of this my battery’s voltage dropped to 11 volts. I do not understand what could be wrong. In the evenings we use candle or kerosene lamp for light. My laptop computer uses its own battery. In short I’m saving as much as I can. In the afternoon we pull in to Zlarin that cost us 60 kuna. We climb the mountain and take a walk in the village. The local fishermen gave us a few fish and that solved the problem of dinner. Bogi did a splendid job preparing it.

14^th of September

We started out at six as usual. As we sailed by Murter we had a pleasant wind from astern. We anchored for lunch at Vrgada Island and after that we started to sail towards Pasman. I’m sorry to say but my battery voltage is still very low and so I could not use the radio today. The wind picked up (Bf. 5 from astern). We used the jib. Our speed was 4.9 knots. At Pasman Island a German sailboat’s mast broke. We sailed over but they did not need any help. Their engine was in good condition. We anchored near the city of Pasman; the time was 5-6 pm. While looking the city over we also had our fill on figs. Later in the evening, after the bio supper and according to custom we drank a little fine Croatian wine. Thanks Biopont! (The wind generator is working!).

15^th of September

When the weather turns nasty, then my VHF radio reception turns bad too. This morning the weather report on channel 68 was unreadable. After breakfast and drinking coffee and eating figs we slowly started out towards Sukosan. The wind measured 6-7 Bf. I sailed with the storm jib only, but even with this reduced sail arrangement we reached 3.5 knots average speed. The wind generator charged up the battery to 12 volts! (This is today’s good news.) By the afternoon we arrived to Sukosan where we had to pay 40 Euros to anchor. This applies for all sailboats under 10 meters. Here we met Ryszard, the Polish acquaintance. Some time back we sailed together; Szabolcs and my father was part of it. In the end a whole group got together to look at my boat. My father, Bogi and I will start back to Koper tomorrow. In the evening Bogi and I went out for a farewell dinner (pizza).

16^th of September

Wherever I stop many people admire my boat; she is nice and small. Late in the morning we start out towards Koper. The wind direction is perfect; it is from the south. When we started sailing it was 5-6 Bf and later became a 7Bf. It rains constantly and in the strong wind we raise only the storm jib. By the evening the waves reached 6 meters and just looking at it makes you feel scared.

In the evening the wind strength became 8. The boat was flying with speed of 6 knots; but by 11 o’clock the wind stopped completely. All around us there was thunder and lightning, the wind started to blow and in about two hours later the wind stabilized to 6 Bf. And this went on till dawn. In 24 hours we sailed 90 miles, which is a new record with this boat.

17^th of September

There are dark rain clouds all around us. The whole day the wind is not over 3, but the clouds are very scary. So I do a few sail changes. In the evening, around Pula the wind picked up to a 4. I take off the big sail and keep only the normal jib in ¾ wind and the speed is 4.5 knots. Unfortunately the wind weakens again by dawn. Nothing happened all day that deserves notice. The battery is very weak so we don’t even use it. It is a weird feeling for three people to sail in such a small boat. Like we are locked together, but we don’t mind. We love sailing.

18^th of September

In the morning we used the engine for a short time, but then the wind came (3, northerly). I put together scrambled eggs for breakfast for the whole crew. It came out a little liquidly, but otherwise it was good. Time wise we are a little late because the breakfast happened at 12 noon. In the afternoon close to Umag we ran aground. We were too close to the shore. We acted quickly and I immediately checked the hull under water. The keel was slightly damaged, but not enough to warrant hoisting the boat out with a crane. I leave it as is and I’ll just be a little jumpy. For supper I cooked bean soup for the whole crew and they loved it. I must mention that the recipe came from my father. By the evening the wind just about disappeared only the rain remained. We started the engine. By midnight we docked at Koper. The trials are over. I sailed more that 600 nm. with Carina. And now for the long voyage we will start a 5-day preparation.

19^th of September

During the complete check of the sailboat the following problems came to light.

1/ The water comes in at the first window next to the side stiffener and in the bow

next to a screw. (I found about a liter of water there). 2/ The batteries are defective. (Cannot be charged above 13 volts). I have to buy new ones. The kitchen fell apart (The tie down and lighting part). 4/ I will change the jib’s control rope pulley to a bigger size (instead of size 10 it will be size 12). There are many things to fix. Maybe the most important is to get together with Ozi and MaxSea and make a very good and detailed track-plan for the coming months. This I will download to my GPS (Waypoints, Route). Of course I will use the regular paper maps too. The day-to-day route will be on those.

20^th September

This morning I was on the radio and the reception on 3.6 MHz. was excellent! Meanwhile my father threaded a trim string into the jib so that I will be able to use it in stronger winds. I purchased 21-liters of gasoline, 1-liter of oil and 3 candles. In more than two weeks we ran the engine for 15 hours and during this time that was the amount of fuel we used. I filled up the water tanks; it took 300 liters of water. I divided the weight evenly so the boat’s trim would not be disturbed. If the vessel is heavy than its speed is slower, but it is more stable! In the afternoon we did some shopping and this was the last big shopping spree. Then came the purchasing of the batteries. In front of the store we met a very nice man who not only told us where we can buy the battery but he took us there and back to the harbor. We gave him a tour on Carina. He loved it. In the evening I prepared a detailed track plan all the way to the Canary Islands (about 2500 nm.).

21^st of September

Since Tuesday every day was spent with packing. I have to learn a lot how to pack efficiently. There are only 3 days left to start the great adventure. I’m a little apprehensive but at the same time I can hardly wait!! Early morning I could radio on 3.618 MHz. and I even talked to Lajos (Tompa), but the connection was pretty bad. On 7.093 MHz. we lost the connection with each other. Later we completely removed the front window and put in new insulation. I hope it will not leak any more.

The problem could have been that the mast supporting pole’s upper mounting pushed the window enough that one of the holding screws loosened up or got pushed a little. I also had some seepage at the backstay and at the side brace. I sealed these. Next we went to a sporting goods store where I bought some hooks, a reel and some lures. The hooks that I purchased in Hungary got rusted in the salty environment. My father made a gadget from a shackle, two toroids and rubber. This thing was to stop the turning of the wind generator’s blades in big waves. In the afternoon I got a call from a TV station and they told me that they would be happy to make an interview with me. They will come on Saturday and on that day 16 relatives will also show up to say goodbye to me. Plus a couple of more TV stations, but I’m not sure of that. The sailing boat is about ready to go. My brother and my brother-in-law arrived from England. In the evening we went beer drinking on shore. They brought me a Garmin Foretrex 201 GPS. This will be my backup GPS.

22^nd of September (Friday)

One of the inconveniences on this boat that my seat is hard and because of that the part of my body that I’m sitting on is very painful :) There are only two days left! In the morning I was examining a fax that was sent by Karesz. It contained the weather fax frequencies. On 8.040 MHz I successfully received fax from England. This morning I was listening on 3.768 MHz. and 14.290 MHz. but could not connect with anybody. Nowadays I enjoy life and keep eating chocolate and fruit all day long; and in the evening I even drink a few beers (and sometimes have a cigarette). One has to enjoy life as much as one can :))

This morning my father fixed the kitchen lighting. In the afternoon my brother and I took a trip to Izola. I wanted to buy two pulleys for the jib. Could not find any pulleys but we looked in on the boat show. I thought I would meet with Józsi Gál but unfortunately could not do it. (He keeps his boats there). My mother, my sister and Andor have arrived in the afternoon so today again we went to the Skipper’s Restaurant in the marina to drink some more beer :)

23^rd of September

In the morning I downloaded my planned route into the new GPS. It is a very nice GPS – simple and easy to use. As usual I was packing all day. In a small boat packing is very important. The goal is to fit everything in its place. The left over food supply was brought over by Ákos (150 Kg.) Now everything is in its place and the only thing left is to start. I gave a short interview (1 hour) to the TV reporter. They said they would make a few photos tomorrow. Unfortunately I will not see those. The farewell dinner was great especially the cold beer!

With this I close this log and I hope that soon I will be able to continue my story. I’ll try to make my story more interesting and longer.

I wish everybody good sailing with excellent wind!

On the 24^th of September at 8 o’clock in the morning Aron sailed away

Sailing from Koper (9/24/06): video

Ford: Károlyi L (wa6ypp)