RYA training cruise in the south of England 2024 (Solent)

Once again this year I was the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) training instructor for three motivated sailors who wanted to improve their sailing skills to a higher level. The weather was good, with relatively strong winds this week. Good conditions to practise and improve existing skills. It was a cool week with lots of great experiences!

Summer cruise in Croatia 2023

Once again travelling with the owner couple and my family. Our daughter was allowed to take a friend with her, so there was plenty of entertainment. It was a wonderful trip from Pula - Pula.

Rhine cruise July 2023

As part of my work, I travelled from Basel to Rotterdam on the cargo ship "Marla Duo" on 14 July 2023. Stopover and overnight stay in Ottmarsheim because the container terminal had already closed in the evening. Otherwise, however, the ship operates 24/7. Bathed in the "Canal d'Alsace" in Ottmarsheim. Then continued through all the locks and travelled to Iffezheim on the open Rhine. Short sleep break and reported to the bridge from 02:00 for the night trip.

Nice night trip and then on 16 July 2023 at about 09:00 h at the Loreley. Very nice weather and quite a bit of traffic.

On via Koblenz, Remagen, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg to Nijmegen in the NL. Loaded freight there again and then via the Rhine-Scheldt Canal to the final destination of Antwerp in the seaport. There we unloaded the cargo at various terminals. I then left the ship in Antwerp.

It was a great trip. Thanks to the skippers Gabor and Jean-Marc and the crew Pavel, Radac and Vladimir!

Training cruise April 2023

As every year, this took place in the Solent in the south of England. This year we had some real training weather again! In the middle of the week we had a few days of really bad weather. One day we even had to stay in Port Solent Marina because we still had 40 kn winds in the harbour 10 nm from the coast. Out in the Solent the wind was force 10 and the harbour master couldn't see any boats on the video monitor. In between, there were more rain showers and wind. Well, the whole thing had the advantage that the surroundings were ideal for practising. If you don't learn in these conditions, you never learn!

And: despite the adverse conditions, everyone passed! That's something too!

CCS sailing trip in Brittany from 15 - 22 March 2014

South of England 2010

Actually a completely normal trip in the south of England. The journey was somewhat spontaneous, as we had to switch from the plane to the bus at short notice due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (a beer if you can pronounce the name correctly) and change crews in Dunkirk. The previous crew took the bus back home and so the journey was even cheaper than the refunded ticket by plane.

Valencia 2009

In 2009, 10 members of our CCS regional group were allowed to travel to Valencia as part of a competition and spend two days sailing the coast on the Open60 "Mirabaud". The dimensions were somewhat unusual for us. Valencia as a city and former venue of the "Americas Cup" is a wonderful place and would be worth a trip for that reason alone. Extensive walks through the city and parks as well as a visit to the former "Americas Cup" site were therefore a must for the crew!

Onboardtörn 2009

In 2009, CCS Switzerland organised its first onboard cruise. The aim was to provide onboard offshore training directly on the ship, followed by an examination a week later on land. The trip was very exciting but also very exhausting. On the one hand because the training is a 24-hour job and on the other hand because there was always something to repair on the ship. I was there as skipper and metrology instructor, Ruedi did all the rest of the training and supported me as skipper 2 and Gaby took care of everyone's physical well-being! We still have fond memories of this trip together with the participants. By the way, the exam pass rate was 100% - what else...

Roald Amundsen 2005

During my 9-month Sabaticcals in 2005, I signed on as a trainee (later promoted to navigator) on the "Roald Amundsen". The brig Roald Amundsen made her first voyage under sail in August 1993 under the command of Immo von Schnurbein, the former captain of the Gorch Fock. And he was delighted: "I very quickly learned to appreciate the brig's good manoeuvrability and excellent sailing behaviour." I can only confirm that.

Accommodation on the Roald Amundsen is usually provided in fixed berths in 4-person cabins (32 berths in total for trainees). For larger groups of young people, there is the option of stretching additional hammocks in the mess logis in the seafaring tradition. Below deck, the ship is completely decked out in wood and has several shower and washrooms with hot and cold running water. Although the Roald Amundsen is a traditional sailing ship, which is why it does without luxury, the safety equipment is state-of-the-art. Radar, echo sounder, GPS, magnetic compass, VHF radio, inmarsat system, border shortwave transmitter, four life rafts, a rescue boat with outboard motor, a fire alarm and extinguishing system, personal safety belts and life jackets, together with the experienced crew, guarantee a high level of safety.

Unfortunately, the photos are all just "fair weather photos". This is because they were taken by my Bavarian colleague. I was only filming. And this colleague was seasick in his bunk during the storms - so no photos. He had been given the trip as a birthday present by his colleagues. His saying: "The first person to ask me about the trip on my return will be sacked ;-)".

The opposite of this was the top chef. His saying: "If there's a storm, I'll cook you something really delicious! Then so many people will drop out that I'll have enough time to make a speciality for the rest - that's no good for a team of 45 men and women!

By the way: The ship runs on an old submarine engine. This has no gearbox and therefore no reverse gear. Stop the engine, relubricate, move the camshaft, start the engine in reverse -> 1 x reverse gear per manoeuvre is ok, 2 x is still just tolerable, 3 x the engineer appears on deck with a large hammer....

Schweden 2004

And then there's Stefan! I met him twenty years earlier in Paris, where we both worked for a large foreign company. Paris was a very intense time for us back then, not least because the wine was much cheaper for Stefan than in Sweden.

In 2004, we travelled with him to the Swedish archipelago. Travelling the country with a Swede naturally gives you a slightly different perspective on things. I learnt about many customs and food rituals at first hand. And the language also seems to be easy to learn - that was my impression at the time. If I didn't live in Switzerland, I would probably be in Stockholm with my family.