Today
Uku and Maybi Randmaa “On the road. With and without you
Friends! Yachtsmen! Yacht Russia is preparing to release a new book! It was written by Estonian yachtsman Uku Randmaa, who took part in the Golden Globe Race around the world, which started in 2018, and his wife Maybi, who was taking care of the house and their little twins at that time. We bring to your attention the first chapters of the book.
© Golden Globe Race
Do you know what it is like to spend alone nine months on the high seas? Estonian yachtsman Uku Randmaa took part in the Golden Globe Race around the world, which started in 2018. It was an incredible sailing difficulty, the participants of which set off on yachts of similar sizes and with the same navigation devices used by the participants of the very first such competition, held 50 years ago. No modern technology or communications! Not to mention the opportunity to make a stop at some port.
In this book two worlds intertwined – the sea and the earth, the external and internal worlds. At sea, Uku Randmaa kept a diary, and at that time his wife Maybi took care of their house, of their little twins. As a result, a book appeared in which the thoughts and feelings of two people intertwined, who were not easy, but who were saved by love, which they manage to save, even when loved ones and loving people are very far from each other.
We are ready to accept pre-orders for the book Uku and Maybi Randmaa “On the road. With and without you. ” It has more than 300 pages and more than 100 photos! The cost of the book is 800 rubles. You can pre-order by sending a request to the editorial office – [email protected], indicating the letters "Uku" in the subject line.
In the meantime – the goods face. We bring to your attention the first chapters of the book, which will say a lot about its authors and about the race in which Uku Randmaa took part, which has already become history, and the participants are its protagonists.
Uku and Maybi Randmaa “On the road. With and without you
This book is about how dreams that seemed unrealizable come true. And about how some leave, leaving relatives and household chores, and for years looking for a blue bird, knowing that it does not exist. And she is about the difficulties that meet in the way of man, and about heartache. And of course, this book is about the love of someone who decided to go alone around the world, challenging the forces of nature, without outside help and without stopping, using only the equipment and devices that were in use 50 years ago, when such a circumnavigation first became a reality. Contrary to loneliness.
They say that the ships were then made of wood, and the people were made of iron. But I wasn’t made of iron, so I didn’t know if I could, if I could. Time should have given an answer.
Having learned about this race, I found out what are the criteria for the selection of participants. You had to have 8,000 nautical miles on the high seas and at least 2,000 miles of solo sailing in your luggage. I had no problems with this. My yacht magazine listed 34,000 nautical miles, all alone.
I sent a request to Don McIntyre, the organizer of the race. The answer came quickly. I was told that, of course, I can be registered, that's just … my name will be on the waiting list, since all 25 places are occupied. However, one should not be upset, since, according to forecasts, screenings are inevitable … In general, it was necessary to prepare.
And first of all, I had to talk to my wife.
I wanted to speak calmly, carefully, but suddenly got excited, telling how it happened 50 years ago, when 9 yachts started, and only one came to the finish line. I talked about all the participants of that race, about how their fate happened …
The wife agreed unexpectedly easily. I still don’t know why. Although, no, I know: it was driven by selflessness and love. Only love can do that! And if you think that there is little true true love in the world, you are mistaken.
***
When Uku told me about his desire to take part in this extremely dangerous race – non-stop, round-the-world and solitary, which will last about 9-10 months and which will require huge financial costs, I immediately agreed.
Why? Why on earth? So any reasonable person will surely ask. I answer. First, sanity is not mine. And secondly, it was an adventure, or rather, the Big Adventure, where every word with a capital letter, in which I myself would like to participate, if I could sail better and if I had nerves of steel without which spend several months alone.
If a man is now running around his wife with this book in his hands, using it as an argument, why should she enthusiastically applaud his desire to participate in the Big Adventure, which awaits him on Friday night at a nearby pub, then … it's completely different . My husband decided to participate in this trial, where life and death are at stake. But I was confident in his knowledge, abilities, in his thirst for life. And I knew that he would manage, that he would return. And it doesn’t matter when, most importantly, he returns. What else could I experience besides pride in my Uku?
Of course, not everyone shared my confidence. In general, it was strange, and sometimes it’s funny to see how some friends, half-acquaintances and completely strangers explained Uku’s decision to take part in this race. Some, for example, were sure that he was embarking on such a long journey to thoroughly delve into his inner world. Someone agreed to the point that he found the most unusual way to escape from home. Many looked into my eyes with the words: “Woman, have you gotten your brains melted, since you let the father of the one-year-old twins go … there?” They did not understand that it was not at all easy for me to give my consent. But if I needed a regular man, with a mustache and trampled slippers, who relaxed sipping beer on the couch every evening after work, I would have found one. But I needed a special man who could not imagine his life without new impressions, without adventure, who was ready to test his strength. Therefore, I said yes and never regretted it.
There are things, very simple things that a man cannot refuse, if you want to be with him, let him not in aboard his boat – in life.
Therefore, my Uku, in the sea, in the sea!
July 1
Start is the beginning. Every beginning is the end of something. I hope that in my case this is the end of my almost four-year preparation for the Big Adventure.
4 p.m. Already four calm hours sailing. Fortunately, endless press conferences, meetings, receptions were left behind …
I'm smiling. Biscay is gracious today … For training, he took bearings at the airports of La Rochelle and Nantes. After that he took off the door to the latrine. She doesn’t need anything else, I am alone. In addition, without a door, I can use this room to dry clothes, because the air circulation has become better.
6 p.m. I ate some yogurt … The rhythm of the sea lulls, but I'm on watch, setting up a wind autopilot. I have to make it work fine!
After the start, I couldn’t manage to stick to the course – the boats, yachts, ships that escorted us to the sea interfered. Helicopters chirped in the sky. There was no other way but to stand behind the helm yourself.
Finally I figured out what the trouble was. One of the adjustment buttons was in the wrong position. Corrected, and now everything is fine.
Course 250 will lead me to Cape Finisterre, another 600 miles to it.
I see all my competitors. I'm somewhere in sixth place.
The wind constantly changes direction by 30 degrees, forcing to be alert.
Start is the beginning …
God save Le Sables d’Olonne! Meet me in eight months. If you're lucky.
July 2
The night passed calmly. Finally, a good rest after the whistle of the last week.
I do not have an alarm, but I woke up every 50 minutes for a control raid. It looks something like this. First of all – pull crocuses on your legs. Based on my experience, these are the best shoes for a yachtsman: they quickly put on and do not slip on the deck. Then up the ladder and look around – first, what is happening on the starboard side, suddenly there is someone there to whom I must give way. After that, look over the horizon with the naked eye, then with binoculars: for this you need to wait for the yacht to climb the crest of a big wave and catch this moment before we fall down. Next is course control. The autopilot obeys the wind, and in his humility changes course. This can be dangerous, which means you can’t do without constant monitoring. Then, setting up the sails, at night you need a lantern to see how the "witches" behave. Actually, I literally feel with my gut how the sails work, but it is always better to check and see with my own eyes. In the end, it remains to make sure that the halyards and sheets are in order, and that’s all, you can go to sleep in your hole. To wake up after 50 minutes …
That night I had dreams. Mostly about the house and Maybee. Fortunately, these were not nightmares. Rather, talk. I believe that nightmares can drive sailors crazy. I was thinking about our last conversation. I heard something talking on TV, and then Maybi started messing around with some kind of plug, and the TV fell off the mounts. It was funny, but most importantly, she said, "I love you."
Love is the most important, the purest and disinterested feeling that a person can experience. And this is one of the most fragile feelings. Life without love is meaningless. It may sound trite, but here, in the North Atlantic, it seems to me undeniable.
Our fleet was scattered. Some have calmed down and deliberately do not get in touch, while others, on the contrary, have an irrepressible desire to communicate on the radio. I adhere to my humble position and speak quite a bit.
The batteries run out. They lack the sun. The day before departure, I turned on the refrigerator and will use it until I cross the equator, I need fresh products, and as long as possible. But the consumption of 4.2 A is frankly sad.
5 p.m. I switched to UTC, this time is GMT. I plan to keep this time throughout the flight. It’s easier when it comes to radio communications and astronomy.
He pulled Bauget-Jouette Carte Blanche champagne, presented at one of the receptions, from the refrigerator. He took a sip of Neptune to be merciful to me.
I drank it myself. Thoughts were spinning in my head. The waves lifted and lowered me. I saw the horizon, then in front of me was only the blue of the ocean.
Avtorelevoy regularly does its job. I would have to come up with a name for my companion on this long journey. But his assistant is awkward: last night a funny thing turned out – he closes the stern fire, and from the stern it is impossible to see me with all the desire.
Life, meanwhile, is entering a familiar rut. I use fresh water only for drinking and cooking. I don’t use a large stove because it is too much gas, although I bought 15 cylinders before swimming, but gas may be needed to heat the cabin in the South Ocean. I boil water on a small stove, it is both fast and economical.
6 p.m. Engaged in work on the ship, which, as you know, there is no end. I changed the line with which the helm was fixed, because when using a wind device, the helm remains motionless, and it must be motionless! The previous lines were a bit thick for the stoppers bought in Le Sables, but the new one turned out to be just.
7 p.m. I tried to connect to the Russian info hour. In Le Sables, I got their frequencies and contact times from the team’s radio operator Igor Zaretsky, to whom I am “buddy”, because I know Russian.
In addition, today everyone is required to send a message to the judges using a gadget called NI-3 and make a phone call using the SAT system. All this routine is to ensure safe navigation.
In the morning, I was dizzy after a night shift, so I did not want either tea or coffee. And closer to dinner I really wanted soup. There was no choice but to warm up the soup prepared on the shore. O how delicious it was!
Meanwhile, the Irish Gregor lost sight of. In the middle of the day I slipped in front of his nose, hoping to get a slight advantage due to the setting of the wind, and then we lost sight of each other. How great the sea is and how easy it is to get lost here.
To be continued…
57 Today # 10157
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