Fastnet Race 2015

Together with Miss Merron we are en route again, heading westwards to Cowes, ETA this afternoon, Monday, 10th August...

The purpose?

Fastnet Race 2015 :)

Start: 16.08

More to follow soon.

Leaving Kiel...in summer gear...

Siesta...before...

...listening to Sunday church ;))

Significant improvement of meteo-conditions alongside the English coast...

All in all we're proceeding well and are looking forward some beers in a couple of hours!!! And finally some SUNSHINE!!!!

Med -> Atlantic -> North Sea -> Baltic

So after some very busy weeks me and NIVEA finding ourselves now together with two Vikings (Peter Gustafsson & Mikael Ryking) in the Swedish Bay of Biscay as Peter Gustafsson (www.blur.se) just explained me. We are on our way to Stockholm in order to take the departure of the Round Gotland Race (http://www.ksss.se/en/AFOR/) upcoming Sunday, 28th of June.

With 3 m draft it sounds like a very nice challenge to get the boat through the rocks forming the Swedish archipelago.

Follow us on http://www.ksss.se/en/AFOR/!

But what actually happened before we came to the Baltic See?

The timeline in pix:)

March:

Leaving Palma de Mallorca - on board with me: the famous Luis Duc, new role model for NIVEA Men 48 h Stress Protect.

After stops in Portimao and Cascais we are forced to visit the Argonautas in La Coruña - due to heavy weather conditions, off course. Luis' Spanish knowledge increased significantly thx to very charming Monica.

Than I became AUNT for a third time - sending kisses to Mariana buhuhuuuuuuhuu!!!!!!!

End of March NIVEA arrived in Lorient, supposed to recover from the winter in the Med;) 

After a month of work, we headed off again. 

April:

This time accompanied by two mermaids, Valerie Tisseraud and la grande Julie Gerecht....and food for appr. two transats!!!!

Three days of downwind :))

At Terschelling, Holland, we are crossing (and overtaking hehehe) my friend Herman van Lindschoten who is a about to bring his Kofttjalk JAN HUYGEN to Hamburg.

May:

A fast delivery of in total 4 days (including Kiel Canal) is bringing us to Kiel, beginning of May. The weather started to look promising...

And the first sail in the Baltic, early "summer" (this is not me on the picture!!!) is really enjoyed;)

June:

Quiet quickly after a family cruise for the opening weekend of Kieler Woche we are now - as initially said - on our way to Stockholm.

Peter is enjoying the helm and ... because we can.... we having WiFi!!

THX for that, Mikael!!!! 

Oh - and in the meantime I had another quick delivery:

:))))))))

More to follow soon!

 

Bye bye Med!!!!

.... 60 liters of water, 20 cup noodles, 30 cereal bars, pasta, rice, lemons, red bull, dried tomatoes and loads of other stuff is stacked and together with Louis Duc we are waiting for the right weather window to leave Palma de Mallorca.

Staying in the med since November last year was a great opportunity to keep on training during the winter. But now it's time to get back to the real world :))) 

ETA Lorient 20.03.3015.

See you soon in Brittany!

On the road again!

Having spent the summer in Kiel, Baltic Sea, we started our way going south to Lorient, France, mid September in order to work on NIVEA's performance.

5 busy weeks after we left again, this time heading even further south: Palma de Mallorca. 

Boat and Crew will spend some training time in the Med until coming back home in spring.

Crew in good mood, passing Ile de Groix (Anna, Thomas, Karine)

Cabo San Vicente, Portugal

Tarifa at night  (Estrecho de Gibraltar)

Blue Boat - Blue Bar ! ...somewhere in Spain.

Et voilà - our new home for winter 2014/15 :)

Routage "Match"

Having been measured and tested in Lorient, NIVEA was delivered to Kiel together with Karine Fauconnier and Thomas Ruyant. 

After quick (!) stops in Dunkerque (eating delicious Tajine made by Thomas' mother), Vlieland and Cuxhaven, Karine and me arrived - as predicted by our "World Cup Routening" on Sunday, 13th of July at the entrance of the Kiel Canal. We were obliged to put the throttle down in order to arrive in time for THE MATCH, Germany - Argentina.

NIVEA got tied up at 20:30 at Knierim Boatyacht, the taxi was already waiting for us and we arrived just in time for the kick-off!!! The after show party was solid.

Huge thanks are going to Thomas' family for their very nice welcome in Dunkerque!

(C) O. Schwall