Matt sent over a good question about what it’s really, honestly like to sail on our Hanse 388 with children aboard (“realistically, how organized can it be?”). I started to write down a few thoughts, but there were so many that I decided to write a blog post instead.
Tag: Hanse Yachts
Night Sailing to Tallinn
It was a bit before eight in the morning. We were blessed with clear skies and beautiful sunshine. I woke Charlotte up to help me get us politely reversed away from the Kyrkogårdsön pier, and then we were off. Next destination: the open seas and our biggest adventure yet.
Hanse 388 — Every Nook and Cranny
Half a year ago, I was trying to figure out (among other things) what gas bottle would fit on a Hanse 388. It was a bit challenging since I couldn’t find any measurements for where it’s supposed to be stored. Now I know better, so starting with the gas bottle, and slowly progressing through the rest of the boat, I will try to write down stuff that hopefully might be useful to other potential Hanse 388 buyers.
Ten Hours of Downwind
It was Sunday and time to turn back home. We were thirty-five miles from our home harbor and after having done ten-fifteen miles a day the previous days, this was to be our longest sail yet. All in gentle to non-existing downwind.
Don't Reef the FCL Jib
Last week we found out that 20+ knots of upwind with one reef in the main and a fully rolled out jib equaled too much sail for our newbie family sailing. Previous experience suggested that reducing sail area by partly furling away the jib wasn’t a good option. But what would have been? I asked the knowledgeable people over at myHanse.com as well as Elvstrøm Sails, the provider of the Hanse’s FCL furling jib.
Sleepover in a Sailboat
Midsummer is the holiday in June when people flock away from their workplaces and city apartments towards their summer cottages and boats. The weather looked nice so we thought this would be the perfect time to go out sailing, all of us, and see what it would feel like, to spend a few days, as well as nights, on the boat.
It's a Wrap!
So, just a few weeks after getting our new boat to Finland, it was up on the ground again. We wanted it to “go all the way to eleven”, and there was just one final push over the cliff (onto land) to make that happen. (If that previous sentence felt partly like nonsense, forgive me, but do check out the Spinal Tap movie!)
With Charlotte, Children and a Dog
It looked like the perfect day to try it for the very first time: to go out on a short boat trip with the whole family (including our newly arrived rescue dog from Romania), and see whether it would turn out ok or a disaster. I was pretty exhausted after our delivery from Germany, but after having talked and thought about it for almost a year, I think Charlotte and I both just finally wanted to do it.
From Visby to Turku
Our first weather reports for our last leg, Visby to Turku, showed 30+ knots of headwind, and that looked so very uncomfortable that we were seriously contemplating plans B and C, and even leaving the boat in Visby for a while. Reality, however, turned out differently.
Freezing from Rønne to Visby
From Greifswald to Rønne it was about 75 nautical miles, so we were able to that in just one long day (from morning to sunset) of sailing. Our route from Rønne to Visby, on the other hand, was set to be over 200 nm, so that meant sailing overnight as well.