Blog
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Dyneema Halyard
· SarastusSarastus had a metal main halyard with a helper rope. The halyard wire had a loop, secure it to the halyard rack on the mast. For some reason racing sailors prefer metal halyards over rope ones, but myself I couldn’t get comfortable with securing the halyard to the rack after raising the mainsail. Many cruising sailors replace the metal halyard with a rope, that not only makes raising the sail more comfortable, but also allows reefing the main.
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Laajahiekka
· Suur-Saimaa · Sarastus · 21 MThe first hot weekend of this summer came finally. On Friday it was between a strong breeze and moderate gale, but by the evening the weather became more optimal for family sailing. The westerly breeze let us sail to Laajahiekka without any tacks. In front of Lintusalo island we were shown a beautiful sunset too. Laajahiekka beach is a nice place in Lapinsalmenmaa island.
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Peräsaari
· Suur-Saimaa · Sarastus · 25 MWe decided to try an overnight sailing trip as a family. By careful planning and packaging all the sleeping bags, the tent and food fit into the bow and aft lockers of Sarastus, all the gear fitted in very well. The westerly fresh breeze allowed us to broad reach, that made the progress fast. During the sail we heard distant thundering, but it remained there and we didn’t need to find a sheltered shore.
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Kaito
· Suur-Saimaa · Sarastus · 13 MThe forecast predicted nice conditions between the two stormy days, that made us have a day trip in Sarastus to Kaito island, which is located behind some shallow and rocky waters. Southwestern breeze allowed us to sail without tacking, that made us get through the shallows smoothly. Most of the island is covered by a nature reserve, but there are also some private cottages, whose privacy is to be respected.
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Päihänniemi
· Suur-Saimaa · Sarastus · 6 MThe school year ended and the sailing season was started. As the surface water temperature was almost 15°C and there was a light breeze, we decided to have a short day sailing trip. We launched Sarastus and headed for Päihänniemi peninsula, to have a picnic there. The wind was blowing from the northwest, that made the local weather on the southern beach was really warm.
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Cold Waters
The springlike weather outdoors starts to be at its best and the last remains of the ice vanished weeks ago. When watching the blue open lake in a warm sunny day, not many boaters can resist the thought of launching for the first trip. However, there is a glacial fact slowing down your enthusiasm, namely water temperature. The normal temperature of human body is about 37°C and it varies depending on the time of day 0.
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Spring on the Horizon
It’s good to start the sailing season with a flower theme again. I don’t know, if this early flowering is related to the famous climate change. Whatever, something similar has happened in the Gulf of Finland too, where the first paddlers and sailors had a “[false start]” for the season. At Lake Saimaa the launchings have to wait still, because the lake is covered by 30 cm ice.
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The Dinghy Cruising Companion
Last year Roger Barnes published a book about dinghy cruising, named as [The Dinghy Cruising Companion]. Many consider it as a classic right from the beginning. The book covers practically all fields of dighy cruising well-informed and accurate way. When the author was younger, he sailed dinghies, but as he became older and wealthier, he decided to move on to bigger sailing boats.
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Team Vestas Wind Grounded
Volvo Ocean Race is likely the most followed around the world like sailing race, which lasts for several calendar months, and is sailed every three years. The current race started in October 19th 2014 in Alicante Spain and ends in Gothenburg Sweden. There are seven multinational teams, that sail under certain national flags. It’s a one-class race for Volvo Ocean 65 boats, which is a 67 feet long and 10,750 kg (23,700 lb) heavy hi-tech sailboat.
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Wayfarer Worlds in Canada
· SarastusWhat kind of operation is it to transport a sailing dinghy over the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, where Wayfarer Worlds sailing race is held? I’m not considering such an operation, because I’m more into cruising than racing, but one of Sarastus’ earlier owners (Peter Morse) took the boat there in 1995. A [report] of the race can be found in the Wayfarer International website.