Beginning of June 2021

Off we go

After a week of waiting for the electricity & motor repair guy in Kakumäe (he did not show up) and doing final tunings on the boat we decided that enough is enough. We can figure it out on our own! We are a sailboat after all, so we can do without the motor! Paul had bought a small backup battery (7Ah) that we now put in use as the main power source for the depth meter, GPS and position lights. And on a warm Tuesday morning we set sails for the fist trial trip: around the island Naissaar heading to Noblessner port. Said goodbye at Kakumäe, which had gotten awfully homely by now.

Paul doing his thing.

The trip went smoothly. Sidewind until Naissaar, some beating at the tip of the island and sidewind back. We had some troubles reefing the sails when the wind grew, but managed well. We met my dad on his Colin Archer boat at the port entrance and parked our boat relatively smooth considering that we had no engine. My sister and cousin came to hang out with us. They helped us to climb the mast and fetch the radar reflector that came off on the sea, as a side-effect of poor reefing.

Shot by my dad from his sailboat (an old heavy wooden one, which we luckily managed to out-pace on our small chase)

My cousin got all excited about being pulled up the mast. Thanks Rika for helping us out! Only later we told her she was the first one to to go up.

The stay at Noblessner was somehow dissapointing. I had big expectations. I have done majority of my sailing training in that marina, seen it grow and develop from an industrial area with Russian speaking shipbuilders to a hip (maybe even too hip) hangout spot. Where people in turtlenecks sip aperitivo, attend gallery openings and smalltalk with old friends. Don’t get me wrong, I also like doing that at least from time to time, but walking around in full storm gear, it seems slightly ridiculous. Two worlds clashing…

Lohusalu was different. We had a mellow sail there. Encountered several cargo ships. I did my best to find somebody to wave at, but they seemed like ghost ships. Paul tried out fishing (I am still deeply suspicious of it, but I will be very impressed if he catches some). Upon arrival I embarrassed my self by not being able to through a rope to the harbour master, but we landed and were offered sauna and accepted gladly. The place was very scenic, and we had our first dinner cooked on our Primus camping stove and enjoyed the night besides the pine forest and sandy beach.

I went for a morning swim, brushed my teeth in the marina bathroom and after a long discussion made the decision to head out and sail to Alliklepa, a new port on the north cost, close to Liis’ (my second mom’s) country house. I repaired the sail, (and looking at its condition probably not for the last time). Sometime in between trimming the sails it felt like the trip had started…

Written by mia, pubblished on the 22nd of June 2021