The crew and the friends
We spent our first common summer vacation on a H boat we hired. We have both sailed our childhood and later in the Finnish, Åland and Stockholm archipelago. Still not enough. From the summer 2013 we shall sail with even more experienced Hamu to all the corners of the Baltic sea.
Jukka
The captain of the Hamburg VII comes from Rauma where the sea and a boat are at least as important as the traditional Finnish summer cottage. Everyone could find a place on one of the boats in the marinas, if it was necessary. We think it is a good idea even when it is not necessary.
When Jukka was preparing for the celestial navigation test, he wrote a book about it which he thinks is easier than the other books, Paikanmääritys tähdistä. So far it is only in Finnish.
Marina
Marina's family comes from the Turku Archipelago. For generations her family has moved between the islands the way most of us walk on our backyards, with great familiarity. They have made boats of their own and used some made by others. The lanes between the islands have been taught from father to daughter and follow the traditional shipping lanes usually only when they cross.
Marina sailed and maintained her first sailing boat before she was an adult and selling it still hurts. Only Hamburg VII partially fill the gap loosing the first boat left.
Marina lets Jukka call himself the captain even though she could just as well ask for the hat for herself.
Friends
Dieter ja Ilka Jungjohann
Dieter and Ilka Jungjohann bought Hamburg VII in 1999. They have kept and improved her to her current fine condition. In every corner of the boat one can see their love and care.
Dieter and Ilka are experienced sailors. With their previous steel yacht they sailed around the Atlantic. With their children and Hamburg VII they have sailed the Baltic and from Oslo to the Canary Islands.
Now Dieter and Ilka grow avocados on the paradise island of La Palma.
Jimmy Watt
We learned to know James "Jimmy" Watt and her abilities as a surveyor before we knew about Hamburg VII. Jimmy lives in Thailand and when we were seeking for a surveyor in Europe we asked his advice. James said he will be coming to Spain and France for to conduct surveys and could fit us in to his schedule. We agreed immediately.
When James gave us his report, he told that he had participated to the same Cape Town to Rio race as Hamburg VII in 1972.
Antaessaan meille raporttia veneestä James kertoi että oli osallistunut 1972 samaan avomerikilpailuun kuin Hamburg VII.
Jimmy wrote:
"There were 54 boats in the 1971 Capt Town to Rio race with some fierce
competition for those days. "Hamburg VII" placed 21st on handicap position,
13th overall and it took her 24 days, 08 hours and 2 minutes. She did not
have a good handicap. The skipper was G. Reher and crew were: Ernest, Dr. J.
Hinzpeter, F.W. Lorenz, A. Buell, S. Dieckmann, H. Rochoil, M. Rieck, D.
Martens, G. Mailaender and J. Schmidt. They must have slept on deck! She
just managed to avoid a collision with a tunny boat loaded with spectators
at the start and then held the race lead along with "Striana" for two weeks
but they took the northern route which proved costly against the race
winners who went south, due to a lack of wind. A tough call. She would
certainly have taken the race had she gone south.
I was on an original Colin Archer ketch called "Sandefjord". We had problems and dropped out to fix the boat in St. Helena and as a result, got in 19 days after the winner to miss all the partying but we did continue to the Caribbean where we worked for 6 months before heading to Mystic Seaport in Maine. "
Hamburg VII 2014