Can’t wait to Explore Without Limits

Words by Sidse Birk Johannsen:

Exploring my inner unexplored places has always been the purpose of my sailing adventures. Previously, I sailed my small B31 yacht during summer and winter around the Baltic Sea and to the isolated islands of the Faroe Islands in the North Sea. These waters were new to me on every trip; I expanded my comfort zone, explored my limits, and grew my confidence.

My new boat is a C&C 37+, and just by now we were supposed to be well on our way out into the North Atlantic. That was the plan, but things rarely work out as we expect…

Set Backs 

I had a serious grounding of my boat last year in Sweden, where I lost the gear in the harbour during heavy weather. The boat spent seven months being repaired at a shipyard, but apparently, we still didn’t catch everything. 

Last week, I had to turn around from my trip toward Greenland because the boat had been taking in water for a week. After searching and eliminating all other possibilities, it was clear that the water was coming from tiny cracks under the mast. The boat needs to go back to the shipyard. The keel is not in danger of falling off or losing the mast, but it needs to be repaired before sailing offshore.

It means I must give up trying to reach Greenland this year. It is not easy to turn away from a dream, but in the end there was never any other choice. Safety must come first. 

Looking Forward

I’m hoping to have the boat back by September and then go exploring. This time, I will let only curiosity lead me north and explore the possibilities of my boat in every season along the beautiful west coast of Norway.

It is clear that my new boat doesn’t take kindly to grounding, and I’m grateful that my various Raymarine devices will help me avoid this — using the Axiom chartplotter and depth sounder while sailing and the alarms when at anchor.

A Waiting Game 

Now, I’m waiting for the shipyard to have time to address my keel problem, and the boat will be lifted out in early August. Until then, I’m taking small trips in calm weather. Just yesterday, I tested the anchor watch on the Raymarine chartplotter. It works very well, and I’m sure it will help me feel more at ease as I begin my travels north, sometimes with crew and sometimes solo. On my old boat I didn’t have a chartplotter or a strong autopilot and already now I can feel how the Raymarine equipment will help me handle my new much bigger boat. 

I can’t wait to Explore Without Limits, to the far flung corners of the map, when “Victory” is ready to splash again.