A VELA

SEGURIDAD

– Si vamos a navegar es para disfrutar del viento, el mar y la compañía, así que todos vamos a asegurarnos de que regresamos sanos y salvos. Los primeros a bordo repasaremos los procedimientos y normas de seguridad aunque ya las conozcamos.

Рpara los que navegan por primera vez tambi̩n veremos la forma de movernos por el barco.

– Aunque pienses que no te vas a marear, habrá que tomar pastillas antimareo porque si te equivocas el resto de la tripulación tendrá que hacer tu trabajo, y además, cuidarte. Si no tomas pastillas 30 minutos antes, no zarpas.

– Si navegas por primera vez, no comas mucho ni te pases con el alcohol, pues puede pasarte factura.

– Durante la navegación, entrar en el barco puede ser una experiencia desagradable, sobre todo si la mar está revuelta. Si necesitas algo del interior y no estás acostumbrado, pídeselo a cualquier veterano.

– Después de varios días en la mar es normal sentir que la tierra se mueve cuando desembarcas.

– En el velero hay salvavidas para todos y quien trabaje en el puesto de proa y palo deberán llevarlo.

EQUIPAJE

– Es fácil que te mojes o la ropa se humedezca. Lleva siempre suficiente ropa para cambiarte y mantenla seca.

– El calzado debe ser deportivo con suela de goma pero que no sea oscura, ya que las marcas que deja en cubierta son difíciles de quitar.

РLa ropa externa debe protegerte del viento y el agua. Si tienes ropa de agua, mejor. Aunque naveguemos con sol, el viento te puede hacer sentir algo de fresco. Si vamos a navegar de noche, lleva algo de abrigo tambi̩n, incluido un gorro de punto.

– Trata de vestirte con muchas capas, en vez de una prenda para cada ocasión, estarás más preparado y tu equipaje será menor.

– Aunque en tierra salgamos, el ambiente será informal así que no te va a hacer falta nada sofisticado.

– Piensa que en un velero no hay mucho espacio, y que sus paredes son curvas, así que trae la ropa justa y en una bolsa deportiva blanda.

– Aunque a veces hay sábanas y mantas, tráete el saco de dormir y la toalla.

– No olvides la protección contra el sol: gafas, cremas y gorro. Y si además es época cálida, un bañador y ropa corta.
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SAFETY

– Sailing is about enjoying the adventure of wind and sea with good company of friends and discovering new places and see the world from a different angle. On the other hand it is crucially important to understand that it is equally important to ensure we all return safely and if possible without (material) damage. During the first days I will try to make you familiar with the general safety procedures and rules on a sailing yacht. Its is bit like being on a plane where there are no passengers but only crew and a pilot.

– Never think «I wil not get sea-sick because I never get sea-sick». It is unpleasant for the person affected, and bad for the rest of the team. It means, that the team finally has to do the job of the sicked man. If it is only one, is ok, but if 50% of the crew get sick, it is not nice at all. So, as prevention, all members of the crew wil have their anti sea-sickness pill at least 30 minutes before leaving the harbour. The person that will not follow this order, will not board the boat. We will stock a reasonable amount on board, but if you have your own remedy please dont hesitate to bring it with you.

– The night before sailing for the first time, dinner has to be light with not too much of an alcohol excess. Having a strong hangover helps to get sick on board.

– While sailing, going inside the cabins can be a bit of a challenge if the boat is moving with the waves. Things can fly, you can fly, and besides, you can get sick easily, so, if going down is necessary, then try to be a shortest time possible. If you don’t feel well and need something from inside, you can ask me or someone else to do it for you.

– Normally after a day or two you get used to the movements of the boat and after a week you think that the earth is moving when you get back on land. The two days of «training» should get us all used to the boat and the movements at sea.

– On the boat there will be life jackets for everyone. All people working at the mast or on the bow, will have it on.

– About how to move on the boat, and this kind of things, Koert and me will explain «in situ»

– Feet have to be dry and warm all the time. That’s really important. Ok, they can be wet during a rain shower or when beating upwind, for about a couple of hours, but not more. Solution for this is carrying a pair of dry shoes & spare socks, and/or a pair of (sailing) boots.

LUGGAGE RECOMMENDATIONS

– Socks enough for having warm and dry feet.
– Sporting or sailing shoes, with a soft rubber sole for good grip and eventually impermeable boots. It is important that your shoes do NOT have a black rubber sole, as that will give a lot of black stripes to clean on the white deck of the boat !!
– Wind and waterproof jacket. Hopefully it wont rain, but nevertheless a good outdoor or sailing jacket is a pre to keep dry and warm when facing the wind when the sun goes under. And something able to stop the wind. If you have waterproof trousers they can be useful as well.

-Something thick and warm to avoid the cold at night

-a fleece hat can be useful at night.

-It desn’t mean that we need a lot of things, it means that the best way of dressing is like an onion. T-shirt, Polo shirt, jumper, fleece jumper, impermeable stop wind something.. It it is warm you can take something out. If cold you can put everything on.

– Some clothes for going out will be needed as well as on the island we will make excursions and we will assist the different parties that are being organized. The whole atmosphere will be very casual, so little need to bring sophisticated things.

– All clothes have to be confortable and sport. Sailing is sport with periods of calm and relax and periods of intense activity. The chill factor is important, so with little wind and sun, we can be sun bathing, and when we go upwind against a modest breeze with no sun, it can be chilly.

– With regards to the amount of luggage to bring, and how to pack it, you must think of sailing as backpacking with a tent. That means, dont bring things on board «just in case» they might be useful, the problem is not that much the weight, but more the storage space. A boat is having all odd shapes, so a normal suitcase will not fit well. It is better to bring a soft bag that can be easier stowed away, and when it moves around doesnt break anything. Similar to this idea of backpacking with a tent, you will have to bring your own sleeping bag and towel. (No need to bring your tent though ..)

– Last but not least. If the weather is such as the weather is today in Barcelona (little wind and very sunny) you should not forget to bring your sunglasses and sun proof. And a bit depending on the final forecasts probably as well a pair of short trousers, and maybe even a swimsuit for those of us used to the colder waters of the nordics.

Koert ya ha realizado el presupuesto, que incluye:

1. El velero (alquiler, seguros, limpieza, …)
2. Inscripción en la regata
3. Licencia federativa
4. Primera compra de provisiones
5. Combustible y amarres
6. Cartas y derroteros de las Pitiusas

(desglose)

Como somos 9, supone poner un bote inicial de 500 € por tripulante. Como puede que haya algún gasto más antes de largar, en regata haremos el cálculo exacto.

Como este presupuesto no incluye los gastos que hagamos en tierra una vez que alcancemos la llegada, habrá que poner algo más.
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Based on certain assumptions Koert has made a cash budget of all «his» expenses that includes:

1. The boat, including all extras (insurance, end cleaning, etc)
2. Inscription for the Ibiza sailing event
3. Personal insurance for all crew («sailing licence»)
4. Some food basics for on board at the start
5. Diesel and mooring fees
6. Paper chart and Ibiza Pilot

(more details)

Assuming that we will be with nine !! people on board, I come to 500 Euros per person for the whole week of sailing (Monday to Monday). The only thing that is not included in this estimate are all consumptions in bars/restaurants ashore, and additional shopping for food and drinks we do during the week, for this we will work something out once we are all together. Also once we are all onboard and leave the harbour so to say, Koert will be able to calculate the exact amounts, and he can give us the exact number. When we go sailing we carefully share all costs equally (per person), and this time will be no difference.

Como cada tripulante procede de un lugar distinto, tiene un plan diferente:

Lidia y Koert — Tienen pensado salir el lunes 6 desde Barcelona hacia Denia en coche después de comer para llegar al barco sobre las 20:00. Regresarían en coche el lunes 13 por la noche.
Mikhail y su mujer — Estarán desde el fin de semana anterior en Barcelona y viajarán con Lidia y Koert. Vuelan de regreso desde Barcelona el lunes 13 o martes 14.
Jorge — Vuela el martes 7 desde Madrid a Alicante, y se incorpora a primera hora del miércoles al entrenamiento. Regresa desde Valencia a Madrid en avión el lunes 13 por la noche.
Juan Luis — También se incorpora al entrenamiento del 8 junto a Jorge. Regresa a Zaragoza en coche el lunes, dejando a jorge en el aeropuerto.
Antoine — Viaja a Alicante el lunes para estar en los entrenamientos del martes y miércoles. Le gustaría regresar a Madrid el lunes.
Hermano de Antoine y pareja — No tenemos detalles todavía.
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Lidia & Koert — The current plan is to leave from Barcelona on Monday after lunch, say 15h, and then to travel to Denia by car (roughly 4 hour drive), to get to the boat before 20h. The way back, Monday April 13 at night.
Mikhail & wife — Stay the previous weekend in Barcelona, and travel by car with Lidia & Koert. On the way back, fly on Monday April 13 or Tuesday 14 from Barcelona.
Jorge — will join us on Wednesday early morning for a full day of sailing, traveling back on Monday afternoon, from Valencia to Madrid by air
Juan Luis — also joins on Wednesday early morning, traveling back on Monday to Zaragoza by car, dropping Jorge in Valencia
Antoine — joins on Monday afternoon from Alicante, for a full two days of practice sailing (Tuesday/Wednesday), and I guess travelling back to Madrid on Monday
Antoine’s brother and partner — no details yet

Foto: Guillermo Baixauli

Desafortunadamente Nuno, nuestro tripulante portugués, no ha visto viable su participación con nosotros en esta regata. Por motivos profesionales y personales no le es posible estar en denia para nuestra salida. Seguro que en próximas ocasiones lo vemos con nosotros. En su lugar tenemos dos nuevos tripulantes:

El hermano de Antoine >> con experiencia de navegación desde el océano sur hasta el Mediterráneo.
Y su pareja >> Es alemana, así que nos vendrá bien su recto y metódico espíritu para mantener el orden a bordo … y el rumbo. 😉
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Unfortunately, Nuno, our Portuguese sailing crew member, had to decide that his participation was no feasible option this time around, as profesional commitments (just started to work for a new department) and some family pressure left no time to be in Denia on time for the start. Obviously a pity, and I hope to welcome Nuno on future sailing trips.

But we have got two new crew members on board what means we should be able to operate in «full regata mode» all time ! Our new crew members are based in Dubai, the secret winter traning spot of the Alinghi Americas Cup team:

Antoine’s brother >> sailing experience from the Southern Ocean to the Med
Antoine’s brother’s partner/fiancee >> she is orginally German, so we will have to stick to the rumb line and sail straight lines this time 🙂

El modelo elegido para esta aventura es un Dufour 43 Classic llamado Cayo Coco II. Este barco tiene en la Ruta de la sal dos segundos puestos y un tercero. Las caracteristicas del barco son:

– Dufour 43 Classic
– Mayor sableado, genoa enrollable, Spi Simetrico, y Spi Asimetrico (Genaker), todo con su aparejo, braza, escotas, poleas, etc, etc.
– cuatro cabinas dobles, salon convertible
Рdos ba̱os, cocina y nevera, vajilla para ocho personas
– despachado zona 60 millas (zona 2, «B»)
– material de seguridad, incluido arnesses y lineas de vida
– cartografia actualizada (papel o en formato electronico)
– cumple con todos los requisitos de ANAM en cuanto a Seguro y material de seguridad (Radiobaliza)
– Rating 2009
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Nice and well maintained boat of 13 meters (a Dufour 43 Classic), with 4 double cabins, convertible salon (sleeps two), two small bathrooms and a kitchen and fridge. This is sloop rigged boat with a full batten main sail, furling Genoa, and two spinnakers (one symmetric and one asymmetric).

Salida Jueves Santo, llegado Viernes Santo. Previamente entrenamos las maniobras y la táctica con SPI (Simétrico Y Asimétrico !!) el Martes y Miércoles previo. Después de la llegada en San Antonio nos espera una fiesta el Sábado por la noche con entrega de premios (el barco con el que vamos ya ha tenido trofeo en varias ocasiones anteriores..) dependiendo del tiempo y ganas volveremos el Domingo durante el día, o sino el Lunes a Denia (solo son 60 millas, y no 160 como a Barcelona).
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* Tuesday – April 7 (or evt Monday evening April 6)
– On Board in Denia (in between Alicante and Barcelona)
– First training sail (maybe late afternoon?), getting to know the boat, fellow team members, tasks on board, etc. Have some fun/dinner in Denia at night

* Wednesday April 8
– Second training sail – basic sail handling plus if time and weather allows some advanced sail handling with the spinnakers (150 m2)

* Thursday April 9
– Last few things on shore
– festivities before the start, 16h start of the adventure to Ibiza

* Friday April 10
– Hopefully on time for dinner (after 24 hours at sea) we will finish at San Antonio (Ibiza)

* Saturday April 11
– Day-off for Tourism on Ibiza, or a nice sail to the neighbour island of Formentera. Saturday night, party of the regata with prize giving and fraternizing with the «competition»

* Sunday April 12
– Sail back to Denia (straight line – 60 miles, 10 hours), so arrival time mainly dependant on departure time from Denia

* Sunday night / Monday midday
– From board and travel back home

Saldremos con una tripulación mas internacional que nunca (Reino de Aragon, Portugal, SudAfrica/Francia, Holanda y Rusia). Tripulantes confirmados somos:

* Koert
* Lidia
* Jorge
* Juan Luis
* Nuno (de Portugal, con ganas de sacarse el titulo de PER en Portugal ya que sus amigo con barcos le ponen los dientes largos)
* Antoine (aprendio a navegar en los aguas de Sud Africa en el Cabo de Buena Esperanza, pero ya lleva muchos anos sin navegar)
* Mikhail y su mujer (un amigo Ruso, joven empresario joven del año de Moscu, quien se ha sentido entusiasmado por la historia de su compatriota Oleg Zherebtsov, quien después de un crucero decidió embarcar con un barco en la regata mas exigente del mundo, la Volvo Ocean Race, con salida de Alicante y llegada en San Petersburgo)
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* Koert (Skipper) – I like Magnus Olsson view on the role of skipper
* Lidia (2nd in command) – Prudence and safety first, will make sure we all get there and back safely
* Juan Luis – Mariner and happy with his position on the bow of the boat
* Jorge – Keen sailor, always looking for more qualifying miles
* Nuno – The new Vasco da Gama from Portugal, considering to obtain official licence, but first wanting to obtain some hands-on experience
* Antoine – Learned to sail in the challenging water around Cape Town, and is now ready for the more tranquil waters of the Balearic Sea
* Mikhail and his wife- Got inspred by the story of his fellow country man and entrepreneur Oleg Zherebtsov, founder of Team Russia in the Volvo Ocean Race

Esta claro que son los nuevos retos lo que realmente nos motivan. Por lo tanto cuando descubrimos que la regata Ruta de la Sal 2009 cambiaba su recorrido tradicional nos pusimos manos a la obra para organizarlo. Saldremos desde Denia a San Antonio (Ibiza) dando dejando a babor a Formentera y el Puerto de Ibiza nueva. Salida Jueves Santo, llegado Viernes Santo:

* Fechas Semana Santa (Jueves a Domingo)
* Regata Costera en el 80% de su recorrido, y sin tener que madrugar como en su versión norte
* Salida desde un puerto que siempre nos ha gustado mucho, Denia (entre Valencia y Alicante)
* Llegada a un puerto desconicido para nosotros, Sant Antoni de Portmani
* Posible visita a una isla que siempre hemos visto al pasar, Formentera
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No better way to start the 2009 sailing season with a magnificent few days of sailing with good friends and well accompanied (300 boats will join us) from the the Spanish mainland to the beautiful island of Ibiza (famous for almost everything from nightlife to unspoiled beaches). Luckily this year Eastern falls relatively late, increasing the chances on even better wetter.