Monday 18 August 2014

15th - 16th of August Helsinki-Tallinn race 2014 17th August back to Helsinki

We all gathered in the afternoon at the home docks. Finally we started to steam towards the starting line. This year the start line was located again west of Rysäkari Island.
We prepared well with sandwiches and drinks before the start. The weather -actual and the forecast looked promising. During the transfer. The wind blew steadily from W-SW 7-9m/s.. The forecast was little lower, but possibility for the thunder storms existed.
Just before our start the wind went down! We had a good start and we even used spinnaker. After passing the second turning point (1,5 m from the started) the wind tilted totally! We stayed at one place more than two hours. We made a decision that if we do not reach the Helsinki lighthouse before the midnight we will go back to Helsinki.

Luckily the wind came somewhere and we started to move. Unfortunately we were staying two long time in the eye of the wind so our race was over from the start. We were not the only ones. Bad luck in the wind-lottery. Night was beautiful The horizon was in flames because of the thunderstorms on the top of Estonian continent. Luckily the thunder never came on us. 
In the Saturday morning we reached the finish line at 6.06.00. Final position 26/33. Not very good sesult but we beated another Swan 371 Trinity (match) by 15 minutes so we should be satisfied on this. Somehow makes me wonder that the LYS-coeffient is not really upgraded to the older boats. Next year we probably try ORC where there are real measurements and age corrections.
 In the afternoon we went to our hotel suite "Sergei Bubka" again. Enjoyed some drinks and Sauna. The most famous drink is of course "Lumivalge ja seitse naberguliaist" (Snowhite and seven dwarfs ;) ;)....
 Then we went to dinner, this time to the hailed Pegasus restaurant with S/Y Sunday bastards (they won us by fifteen  minutes, donnerwetter!). Excellent food, wine and company. Besides we reached one of our goals by getting the cute waitress to blush. Mission accomplished!

Sunday morning we started at 9.00 going first to the filling station to fill the Diesel tank. Anssi was sleeping in a hotel suite and came in the last minute to the Yacht. Just before we left. We engined in the low wind (me and Stidi decided not to wake up the crew. Autopilot drove us to the finnish waters where we had a new kind of incident.
Somewhere between the Helsinki Lighthouse and Gråskärsbådan the Finnish Border Guard came to check our papers. One unnamed crew member forgot his passport or ID home (only driver's licence he had). The Border guard removed him to their boat and he was fined by 300 €uros. Better to take IDs with next time.

Home docks were reached at 18.10. Nice day, nice trip  in all possible ways.

Thanx guys!

2015 ORC!

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