The third call

Vladimir Snegirev – the bronze prize-winner of the Golden Globe Race of UCU, Randmaa.

In the theater the third call is the imminent beginning of the play. In the circumnavigation of survival “Golden globe” for the third time the bell rings about the finish bronze medalist became the Estonian Uku, Ranma.

We can say that in this Grand drama, staged on the expanse of three oceans and brilliantly played by the bravest sailors the world had almost ended. There is, however, another party that will most likely fit into the allotted the organizers of the period (312 days) is an American of Hungarian origin Istvan Kopar, and then the curtain finally closes. The last fifth sailor (of seventeen started on 1 July 2018) Finn Tapio Lehtinen, likely to finish in may, which automatically excludes it from classification.

The rest of the twelve unlucky, dropped out of the race before the horn.

Third place 56-year-old Estonian Uku, Randmaa can be considered quite sensational result. Yes, he had the experience of a solo circumnavigation, but then went on oceans on a fancy yacht, with a modern navigation, communication and other gadgets that are completely forbidden in the “Golden globe”. And has spent time on the circumnavigation of one year. Now UCF turned out for 252 days.

Wow, he tamoshny! Before the start said:

-If I could just get to the finish, the leader was never meant to be. I go in order to have fun, not to win.
I don’t know if he had received this pleasure? Even in the middle of the Atlantic on the way back he ran out of food. Was saved by the fact that fishing. And in the southern ocean, the hull of his yacht so much overgrown with barnacles that had UCF to dive under the bottom of his boat and a knife to clean off the ballast. Once barely escaped when the boat approached a huge shark. Happened and many other adventures – memories on the shore.

It is also interesting that UCF almost from the beginning were Russian Amateurs, they helped him keep in touch with family, support. And the entire second half of the race with him almost daily was when a radio Amateur from Riga Andrey Pankin. It could be called a co-author of “bronze”.

Nice man, this UCF. A typical son of his people. Slow, careful, gentle. Softly spoken drawl. Really “hot Estonian guy”.

He remembers the Olympics-80, because of its yacht program took place in Tallinn, in a place called pyrite.

-UCU, – I asked him before the start of the Marina of the French town Les Sables – because many of the Baltic States after the collapse of the USSR left to seek a better life in the West. And you had this desire?

-Someone went, ‘ he replied softly, someone came back. It is not as disastrous. I – Estonian, cherish their roots and not going anywhere.

How about the sponsor? After all, preparing for GGR-18 cost a lot of money.

-No. All by myself. Sponsor is good, but without a sponsor even better. This allows you to be independent.

-And you in Estonia has fans?

-Probably not. It’s not for me. Go without a sponsor, and therefore no one does and my PR. But I’m also fun to do.

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