30.04-02.05.2014.

(sailing along the seacoast Spirit of Hungary sailingboat using Vodafone cellular data)

find  images below

started on April 30 at 9:00 o’clock from Trieste, on a day of calm wind conditions

We started with the calibration of the instruments, and started by using the power engine, in direction of Piran, following the coastline of Istria. Unfortunately we had to proceed with the engine all day.

In front of Pula  we took a turn towards the Italian coast, while we were being followed by thunder clouds. Before sunset we agreed on the shifts, the usage of the MAN-OVERBOARD, gave everyone a life-west and other satefy units.

By the night one of the thunder clouds had reached us, which generated a wind of 20-25 knots, was raining and lightning. Somehow the wind-up wire of the top-genua sail broke free and was waving heavily. We were unabe to wind the sail up so we decided to take it down, as the only good solution.

Well, this was not easy, as it has the size of 140 square meters. 4 people together tried hard to take it down on the deck. Of course we couldn’t hold it and it got into the water. Fortunately it didn’t get under the boat, so later we managed to pull it back up on board.

Meanwhile, two of our fellows experienced the ‘beneficial’ effects of seasickness…

After tidying up a little bit, we continued out journey towards Acona, with two reefs off the main sail plus the fock.

We didn’t get to avoid using the engine the next day either, since there was no significant wind. By the afternoon, it picked up to 22-23 knots, and for the first time, the boat reached a speed of 19 knots.

It was a wonderful feeling. Everything went silent and we were surfing on waves around 1-1,5 m. The autopilot worked beautifully, we tested the hydrogenerators and the keel-hydraulics as well. Everything works well, the hydro perfectly bears the power necessity of the boat, even generating a surplus.

Near the land, we managed to download some weather forecast information, throught out Vodafone mobile net. So far, we had to go by the engine every night, but according to the forecast, this is going to change. The engine performs well, at the RPM (revolution per minute) of 1500, we can reach a speed of 6,5 knots, and it is eating 3 liters of fuel an hour.

We left the ‘heel of the Italian boot’ behind on the 2nd, in dawn. Having a broken sail-batten repaired, we sailed by 11 knots in direction of Brindisi, in 15 kts true-wind speed, windward. The team works very well, shifts are followed as agreed, we can relax easily, the mood on board is very good.

Our radar and the AIS works all right too, warns us about other approaching boats in time. This is especially useful when having beautiful clear nights, with a starred sky.

Bandi is trying to cook some soup windward, in ascending windpower (with not so much success). We have 70 miles till the harbor of Brindisi, were we need to refuel. Attila Déry will get off board and our cameraman Sanyi gets on.

I am sorry for incidental grammar mistakes, but it is not so easy to be typing against waves.

All the best until our next report:

Péter Perényi

Team members:

Nándor Fa skipper, Marcell Goszleth co-skipper,

András Khilenberg  mechanical expert (aka Bandi),

Lajos Varga logistic and rig

Attila Déry co-designer,

Péter Perényi electrical expert,

Sándor Fehér cameramann (aka Sanyi )