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STORMVOGEL - 1978
STORMVOGEL - 1978
Jacek Pałkiewicz2006-06-17 14:59:41
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www.palkiewicz.com
Stormvogel is a classic racing ketch built in South Africa. She duly celebrated her inauguration by winning the Fastnet Race of that year skippered by Sir Francis Chichester, a victory which would become the forerunner to a string of victories in all the famous yacht races of the world. Indeed, world-wide voyaging rapidly became her hallmark - during the first seven years of her life She logged over 200,000 nautical miles, equivalent to one round the world voyage every year! Even her construction was revolutionary for the era . . . her deck was the first constructed entirely of GRP, and her mainmast was in 1961 the highest alloy mask ever rigged.
Caribbean Ahoy!
Seated by the helm, I savoured the pleasure of steering a vessel which has its name inscribed in the annals of sailing history, the "Stormvogel", while around me the water sparkled in the sun, mottling the newly-white-washed deck with its reflections. The sails, swelling in a strong wind, almost seemed able to lift the keel from the water. The only sounds to be heard were the creak of the rigging and the rush of wind and water. I could almost believe that I was the owner of both the ocean below me and the sky above.
This yacht is the subject of fond memories for many sailors, who have seen it under sail in all the different seas of the world, winning all the races in which it took part.
I and some friends had left from Fort de France in Martinique to fulfill the dream of every yachtsman : a Caribbean cruise. The Caribbean is paradise. The sea is enchanting, there are many quiet coves, the wind is fresh and constant, the people cheerful, friendly and hospitable. Before we left, we would enjoy several barbecues of grilled fish on the sands, listening to the music of steel bands.
Only the day before, we had been stuck at Milan airport, wrapped up against the cold, uncertain of whether the fog would lift to allow us to take
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See photographs from:
French Polynesia Gallery
I remember the Stormvogel, 2008-05-03 07:34:34