British yachtsman and his wife rescued after two days stranded at sea on their way from Tonga to New Zealand Continue reading
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Peter Foerthmann Blog
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SV Rancho Relaxo,Guilermina AckermannAR+David EitzingerAT
Shipwrecked on the reef of Tetiaroa – and getting off by Digger – VIDEO
David explains: We were on our way from Moorea to the Tuamotus when we hit the southern reef of Tetiaroa at around 3am local time. It took only a few seconds and the ship was thrown onto the rocks. Everything went very quick. The kids got lifevests on, I used the VHF to send out a MAYDAY with our position and situation. As soon as we knew that help would come (in the form of a Navy helicopter) we started to gather our most important things and prepared to abandon ship, I got the sails down and closed all windows just to be sure. Continue reading
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SV Drifter, Coby + Arnold Lelijveld NED
SV Kira von Celle gemeinsam mit SV Drifter in Fiji, Nabouwalu Bay, Insel Ono im Oktober 2012.
An diesem Ankerplatz haben Beate und Detlev Schmandt das INTERVIEW mit
Coby und Arnold Lelijveld geführt und einige gemeinsame Wochen mit Grillen, Baden und gemeinsamen Abenden verbracht – und lebenslange Freundschaft beschlossen. Continue reading
Posted in Columns, Portraits
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SV Parranda, Mariano Alvarez Lopez ES
Hanse 430e sailing with PACIFIC fitted between hull and davids
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SV Blauwe Pinquin, Ben Rutte NED
Successfully returned from a Circumnavigation after 36.000 nm, back to the home port of Amsterdam
Ben Rutte and his VICTOIRE 34 made the trip around the playball during 3 years.
Posted in Word of mouth, YouTube
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SV Trotamar III, Juan Bassols BE
Hallo Peter,
Nach über 6000 Meilen mit deinem Windpilot sind wir vor zwei Monaten in Azores angekommen. Der Windpilot war unser bester Steuermann, übrigens heißt er Timoteo und wird immer wieder von uns liebevoll für seine Arbeit gelobt.
Nun wartet unser Boot in Terceira das wir am nächsten Sommer weiter segeln und die Azoren erkunden. Ich plane schon die nächste Langfahrt und so lässt sich auch das Leben an Land aushalten.
viele Grüße
Joan
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SV Thule, Ursula+Rainer Woehl, GER
Nach 3 jähriger Weltumsegelung ist die Familie Woehl wohlbehalten in ihrem Heimathafen Flensburg eingetroffen.
Die Thule, eine im Jahre 1971 bei Abeking & Rasmussen Lemwerder in Aluminium gebaute Ketch und den heutigen Eigner verbindet eine lebenslange Geschichte. Rainer Woehl hat bei A & R das Bootsbauer Handwerk erlernt, als die Thule dort entstand.
38 Jahre später und auf der Suche nach der idealen Fahrtenyacht, fand er das Schiff über das Internet auf dem ERIE See in den USA und überführte es zurück nach Deutschland, wo es für die Weltreise gründlich vorbereitet wurde.
36.000 nm hat das Schiff seine Eigner nahezu ohne Schäden wieder in die Heimat zurück gebracht.
Das Schiff ist heute 41 Jahre alt und entspricht in Bezug auf Bauweise und Konstruktion immer noch den Idealen einer perfekten Blauwasseryachtt.
Posted in Word of mouth, Yachts
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SV Christiania – Johan Petersen NOR
RS 10 Christiania was the 4 th vessel produced to the original Colin Archer rescue-design. (RS 2-5, 7 and 9were converted pilot-boats or other designs.) She was built in 1895 by Carl Arnold at the Christiania shipyard and was named after Norway’s capital (later renamed Oslo). She was stationed in Finmark in northernmost Norway. During 37 years of active service she saved 257 people, 90 ships and assisted 2,881 boats — a record only beaten by her sistership RS 8 Oscar Tybring.
After retiring from the rescue service in 1932, she was converted to carry cargo by the addition of an engine and wheelhouse and a much-reduced rig.
In the 60s she was returned as a gaff-rigged sailing boat by Erling Brunborg, and later Richard Cook.
Tori and Carl Emil Petersen assumed responsibility of Christiania in 1977. Before long they had fitted a new deck, replaced the topsides planking and carried out a complete restoration of the boat — at which point she was considered ‘as good as new’ As a family-boat she partisipated in many Tall Ships races in the 80s and 90s, taking gold, silver and bronze medals, in her class as well as overall. Their three sons, Carl Emil jr, Børre and Johan gradually assumed responsibility of Christiania.
In September 1997, on the way to London, she sank in the North Sea at 495 meters of depht. 19 month later, she was raised by the Seaway Kingfisher from the offshore engineering company Stolt Comex Seaway.
She has since sailed in Scandinavia, North of Europe, Tall Ships Race, through the Russian waterways to the Barents Sea, to Spitsbergen, Northern and western Norway, Caribean, Canada, Greenland and Island.
SV Olgalou – Vassilingalou
Hallo Peter!
Vor vier Tagen ist unser letzter Las Palmas Besuch abgereist, mein Bruder, der uns auch die Ersatzteile von dir gebracht hat, noch mal viiiielen Dank dafür!!!
Nach einer gefühlten Ewigkeit bin ich auch endlich mit einer Zeichnung für dich fertig geworden, siehe Anhang. Hoffe es gefällt dir!
Schöne Sonntag und liebe Grüße,
Vassilingalou
Posted in YouTube
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SV Blauwe Pinquin, Ben Rutte NL
After their circumnavigation of 3 years and 35.000 nm SV Blauwe Pinquin – a VICTOIRE 34 – returned safely to her homeport Amsterdam where they arrived on 28.july 2012
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SV Silver Queen, Myles Mass US
Hi Peter,
Just a quick note from the Azores.
Our recently purchased Pacific Windpilot for our LAVRANOS 43 has been fantastic and steered most of the way from the Chesapeake to Bermuda and on to the Azores. Just wanted to say thanks for all your help and an amazing product. The rest of the pleasure boat marine industry could learn a lot from you on customer service, product knowledge and a product that does what it says it will.
Best,
Myles, SV Silver Queen
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The second-hand yacht
Just how much does it take, in terms of liquid assets, to turn dreams into reality, to convert flickering mental images of swaying fronds into real living and growing palms on a South Seas beach? And how much of the rewards of life’s labours can safely be devoted to sailing without leaving the kids in rags and risking a terminal loss of enthusiasm for the water (or worse, for a life together full stop – with potentially painful and expensive consequences) on the other side of the marital bed? Note to catamaran sailors: yes, you can have a hull each if you fall out, but the two hulls need each other if you want to go sailing.
Fateful questions are these no matter how expansive your dreams and, indeed, your resources. People considering a self-build project need to be especially meticulous in their cost-assessment: underestimate the cost – in material, time and/or relationship terms – and the consequences could hardly be more grave. Let me make it clear that I speak from extensive experience on this subject, in fact I spend a significant portion of my time taking confession from sailors, listening attentively to what they have to say and then, should I happen to be asked, doing my best, quite forcefully where necessary (even when it hurts), to help them avoid repeating the mistakes others have made before them. >continue reading
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Jester Azores Challenge 2012 #2
ARRIVALS 19th june 2012
12. Basil Panakis in Jaba
11. Andy Lane in Bula
10. John Apps in Glayva
9. James Stock in Fly
8. Howard Chivers in Sandpiper
7. Nick Bridges in Dolphin
6. Thomas Jucker in Marta
5. Denis Gorman in Lizzie-G
4. Paul Mead in Independence 2
3. Tony Head in Triple Venture
2. Roger Fitzgerald in Ella Trout III
1. John Margarson in Muffin
AT SEA
Latest known positions and messages/news:
Edward Zajac in Holly: “Dear Eric, Holly’s position from 18.06.2012 1548: 41º33’.5’N; 12º 4’.5’W Best greetings, Marek”
Trevor Leek in Jester:
Nigel Stillman in Greta L:
Tim McCoy in China Blue:
RETIREMENTS
Chris Garbett in Jasabe
David Knowler in Headway III
Bill Churchouse in Belgean
Peter Pochon in Merganiser Too
Howard Brown in Mary Ellen
Jonathan Hopper in Francesca
Peter Evans in Federwolke
Ken Docherty in Solo
Tony Stattersfield in Contessina
Paul Turner in Lasten
Philippe Hautfenne in Libid’eau
Jean-Jacques Lassale in Grigou
Chris Cowlard in Roulette
reported from Ewen Southby-Tailyour UK
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The good, the bad and the just plain odd
MISADVENTURES IN THE WINDVANE SELF-STEERING MARKET
Are you sitting comfortably? Here comes another unlikely – but entirely true – tale from the world of windvane self-steering. If you were still steering by hand in the 1970s (or if, indeed, you were yet to be born), you will have to take it on trust that the events I am about to recount really happened.
In 1976, ownership of Windpilot passed to me, Peter Förthmann, in exchange for a steel yawl. I lost my boat, but gained a job I loved and saw my horizons expanded beyond all measure – albeit at the price of one or two rather unpleasant experiences. Life (mine at least) has always been a magical mystery tour of shocks and surprises though, so my encounters with my fellow purveyors of vanegear fit well into the established pattern. continue reading here please
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