Adventure TEAM

Take the road. We arrived in Ibiza, which welcomed us with rain. Was the island crying tears of joy because we’re here, or was it sad that we’ll be leaving soon? That was yet to be revealed... In the marina, our boat was waiting for us, picked up and preliminarily prepared for departure. Jacek handled everything excellently. Unfortunately, he couldn't organize a weather forecast, which predicted strong gusts and continuous rain. The decision was made: we would wait it out. As always: safety first. Additionally, another boat traveling the same route had a engine failure, requiring inspection and repairs. We helped S/Y LARA dock in the port next to us, which gave us two days for sightseeing. And so it was. Finally, I got some sleep! On 30 Oct 2024, at 8:00 AM, we set sail from Marina Ibiza towards Torrevieja. We planned a short stop here to replenish supplies, get some kisses from my family, and then head towards Gibraltar. The day and the sail—I'm writing this at 5:30 AM on 31 O...

The Crew and Preparation. Today, it's all about planning. The final moments of preparation: gathering equipment and dealing with last-minute issues. I know this was supposed to be a continuation of the previous entry about the boat's gear - and it will be. In a few days, from the boat, with photos and videos. This cruise, more than any other, has taken an enormous amount of time and energy to plan. As I’ve mentioned before, it's my first such expedition, and I have no prior experience. I had to learn from somewhere: friends, books, articles, and the Internet - in that order. Now it’s time to express my gratitude: to Andy L., Viki, and P. Pingo. These three gentlemen played a huge role in my journey, providing me with invaluable knowledge, even when they didn’t realize they were teaching me. Each of them has vast experience, and I owe them a great deal of respect. This year has been particularly special for me. January already brought huge changes, and I believe that’s when ...

Thank You to Our Sponsors and Loved Ones. Today, I would like to share some interesting facts about our sponsors, friends, and the people who contributed to making this adventure possible. Certainly, these include the families and loved ones of our crew. Just like for us, this is a unique challenge for them as well. Without their support and approval, we could only dream. Karol once sent me a great picture, which I’m sharing below. :) * " When is the sailing trip and for how many days?" In addition to our families, we can’t forget about work, colleagues, and friends. We dedicate 8 hours a day to our responsibilities. Someone has to cover for us and carry out our tasks. You might think: "vacation." That’s true, but doesn’t a part of our mind always stay at work? After all, someone said that work is our second home, and I fully agree. Friends, neighbors, buddies, acquaintances, and strangers... It’s great to know we have support. That people wish us well and good weat...

Internet - with or without it? A few days ago I had an interesting conversation with friends about the planning and preparation for this cruise. Most of the people I talk to are curious and ask about the details, the route plan, and the expected weather. But some want to suggest, give good advice, and help at least with one word. I always very willingly thank you for every advice. But as it usually happens in life: as many people as many opinions. And some of this advice is... not very useful, or not useful at all. Unfortunately, they only increase tension, stress, and fears but also encourage me, in a way that is no longer necessary, to check again and make sure that we have everything checked and prepared. What could be agreed upon a week before the cruise, we have already agreed. What we could have discussed, we have discussed. Now it remains to wait, and we can slowly start to look at the forecasts, sea conditions, etc. And today a little bit about how: For navigation, we will use ...

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat..." The boat that we will sail is a German-Polish project and made by the company HANSE. Model Hanse 415 with registered name S/Y "NORD STAR" is built from laminate of glass fiber, having 3 double cabins, two bathrooms with shower and toilet, fuel tank 160l and fresh (drinking) water tank 520l. It has a cooker, oven, fridge, and freezer. The 40 HP diesel engine allows at a speed of up to +- 10 knots. The NORD STAR rig is a classic mainsail with Lazy Jack and roller-furling jib. It has 200W solar batteries, a 220V inverter, deck instruments, navigation and safety equipment required for ocean cruising. I am sure that Katon (Radek) will present everything in a separate post showing what it is, what it looks like, what it is used for, etc. I will add note that we will have the latest communication systems on board, including "StarLink" satellite internet and GARMIN "InReach" GSM tracking system, which will allow us to be in c...

Few facts about what we will have to deal with: start of the cruise: Marina Ibiza, Ibiza, Spain. end of the cruise, and destination marina is: Marina San Miguel, San Miguel de Tenerife, Spain. planned dates: 27/10/2024 - 18/11/2024. distance: 1500NM - 2000NM. boat: Hanse 415 S/Y: "Nord Star", 12.40m x 4.17m x 2.10m, 40 Hp diesel engine, 85m2 sails. on the way we will visit ports: Torerevieja and Gibraltar and maybe the islands: Madeira, Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera, Lanzarotte. crew of 6 people: Wiktor, Karol, Jacek, Robert, Radek, Marek You will ask why I provide information like: maybe, a wide range of dates, a large difference of NM? Well, that is the plan.  It all depends on weather conditions: wind, currents, tides. And on... luck. Why luck?  Because on this route that we want to cover, there is a very high probability of meeting oceanic killer whales (Orca), which very often attack sailing boats, causing serious damage, including sinking. Another lack of luck is me...

In just a few days we will be setting sail on this long-awaited cruise. A cruise that has taken us many hours of preparation, even more talks, planning and setting everything up to make it happen.  What it will look like, no one knows, but that is why this website has been created and where, I hope, there will be daily reports of our voyage, where you can follow our live GPS position and communicate with us. We will try publish as much informations, photos and videos as possible.  We will also soon provide more details on who, with whom, with what, where and how...