Thursday, August 30, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
TROGIR, CROATIA – This summer’s fun ended way too soon. It was the shortest season yet aboard Geja, just five weeks, and I could’ve easily sailed longer. We ended the voyage in Trogir on Sunday, and my flight home leaves Thursday morning from Zagreb, the capitol. Will this be enough time to prepare Geja for her long winter ashore?
(Monday, August 27) Big Steve left early this morning, but I’ve still got Marte and Inga around until tomorrow. I gave them a few tasks, such as laundering all of the various lines. Every little bit helps during these hectic final days. Without the girls around, I probably would’ve moved Geja out the anchorage. But we’re keeping her in the expensive ACI Marina again tonight – it’s just easier that way. And the two Italian guys on the adjacent sailboat are being very hospitable, especially towards the girls.
I’ll be hopping on a night bus out of here tomorrow night, so I’ve scheduled Geja to be hauled out of the water this afternoon. When the time came to move Geja from her slip to the crane, a pretty solid afternoon breeze had developed. It was an upwind slip, making a singlehanded departure difficult from the med-mooring. Marin from the shop hopped on to help with line handling. Getting Geja positioned under the nearby crane was another challenge in the tight quarters and moderate winds. She just doesn’t turn on a dime like a modern boat does (though for the same reason is a much more comfortable ride under sail). I missed on the first two tries, to be replaced at the helm by Marin who found Geja equally tough to maneuver. My suggestion to have someone on shore catch our lines was finally acknowledged, quickly ending a somewhat stressful ordeal.
Earlier today, I couldn’t help but read the “suggestion box” that the various crews left behind. Some of the highlights are:
-full length mirror
-custom horn with the A-Team theme
-noodle floaties
-twister board game
-a motorized disco ball that spins
With Geja now out of the water, preparations go much slower, as you gotta climb a ladder to get on and off. Though I easily could’ve slept aboard tonight, I got my luggage off of the boat and check into the friendly hostel down the street. I soon met a friend of the hostel owner, a well-known boxer and TV personality from Australia. He confessed to being a bad snorer, so I requested an alternate room. Maybe this was the guy that kept Big Steve awake a few nights ago.
Near the end of the day, the head mechanic and I went through the boat, discussing possible winter projects. With just a few hours to go, he suggested that the aging wooden portions of Geja’s interior be stripped out and rebuilt. But it was far too late to really consider it for this winter. It did plant an interested seed, however.
The 2012 voyage lasted 38 days and 37 nights. Eight awesome people joined the five individual legs, with Big Steve joining three legs. Three additional friends made guest appearances, including my cousin Solveig from Norway. We overnighted in 23 different places, eight of which were new to me. Geja performed fabulously, offseason preparations paying off again. We covered 670 nautical miles, 60% of them with the motor off, a Geja summer record (winds in The Med can be fickle).