On the first of September, my mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle, Christian & Gabriela, Vallerie, Jan, Rebecka, Seizi and soooo many more people were waiting for us at the jetty in Lagos. – And we almost sailed past.
We had spent the night before our arrival in a marina just 5 nautical miles from Lagos. We were expected at three, so we cast off shortly after one, in order to arrive on time.
The wind was blowing beautifully, and we were all in a great mood – but I was at least a little tired after our hearty breakfast and flea market trip in the morning. So I went to lay down in my bunk for my 20-minute nap and dozed off.
In between, I woke up once and was sure that we still had to sail around the next cape. Then I went back to sleep. Until my father called me: „Tell me, where are you? I’m out here with a nice sailor just outside the harbor, but we can’t see you.“.
„We just have to sail around the tip, then you should see us!“. …. „No, wait a minute!“, „Oh, I think we’ve almost sailed past, haha. Look to the south, you should be able to see us there.“.
In fact, after another look at the chart plotter, I realized that we had sailed almost too far. The boat having my father on board was right in front of the entrance to Lagos harbor – oops!
We now had to tack up the whole way. Which was totally stupid, because we could have cruised into the harbor quite comfortably. But no matter! – WASA was able to show everyone what she was made of, and she really was shining:
Hard to the wind, one tack was followed by another. With the new rig and the new sail, I can tell: the old lady sails much better than before! We even beat the modern Sirius yacht on which my dad was a guest. – „Awesome!“.
Part of the welcoming group met us on a motorboat. Champagne corks popped, Jack Sparrow music pumped, and our flag parade shone as we sailed through the small canal towards the marina.
Tobins had organized an incredible welcome party: Flags everywhere, Conner was there with his bar & beer truck, a friend was playing music and there were so many beautiful faces waiting for our arrival. It was an absolutely beautiful and overwhelming moment to get off the boat and hug everyone!!
Finally, back to Portugal! – after four years!!!
All photos in this article taken by: Hapitocu
The boat is gone!
Yes, that is correct. WASA has been sold. I had already put her online about a month before I arrived in Portugal. At some point, the bid was accepted with an agreement for a trial sail in Portugal. -Just aA week after my arrival, the contract was signed and another five days later, WASA was already on its way to the Azores.
How do I feel about it? – I think the saying „the happiest two days in a sailor’s life are the day he buys his boat and the day he sells it“ is quite apt. I had a wonderful time with WASA, we had a lot of adventures, and I put a lot of work into the boat. The boat is probably in better shape now than ever before. – Newly painted, redone below water. And with the new rig, she sails fabulously.
Nevertheless, the dream of sailing around the world has come true! The project is over and it’s time for me to try something new. – And the best way to do that is without old commitments: A boat that costs money, which always wants to be moved and needs to be maintained only slows you down.
What now? – I stayed at home at Ammersee until mid-October. I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends. But I also had a lot of organisational work to do.
From then on, I started working for the World Cruising Club:
Basically, I help organise rallies for sailors. Across the Atlantic and around the world. The ARC/ARC+ still serve as training for me. – I need to get to know the company and their procedures, etc. With the start of the worldARC in St. Lucia in January, I and my work partner Lesley will be responsible for the smooth delivery of the rally.
I can pass on what I have learned during my journey (dealing with officials, planning and executing crossings, seamanship, safety, knowledge of destinations, organising excursions) to other sailors who may be about to cross the ocean for the first time or who want to start their world trip with a little more comfort.
That much about work.
As for sports and sailing, I hope to find opportunities to sail on many different boats in the near future. I want to expand my experience and ultimately work towards getting into the regatta/offshore regatta scene. I got a small taste of this during my stay in Sydney and during the Sydney to Hobart Race: racing on the open sea, getting the best out of the boat and crew, fighting with the waves at the bow and changing the sails, getting to know and pushing boundaries.