Esther Leuenberger

It has been 5 years since I last sailed on Regina Laska. Since then, a lot has happened. I got so inspired after 3 sail training legs in 2015, 2016 and 2018, the Yachtmaster Offshore theory course in Malta in 2017 as well as an STCW medical course with Reginasailing in the same year that we bought our own HR43 and sailed to the Caribbean with our twin daughters in 2019/20. After the sabbatical, we unfortunately sold our beloved Hallberg-Rassy and after 4 years without a boat, it was time to go sailing again. Of course, it should again be relaxing and cozy sailing à la Leon under the motto “safety, comfort and style”.

Yet, I had three important goals and questions with this trip sailing in Galicia:

1. I wished to get rid of my anxiety regarding tough weather with a lot of wind and waves
2. I was looking for an answer to my question: Do I really want to buy a sailing boat again - or possibly a power yacht this time?
3. What is sailing triggering in me after my own Sabbatical on our HR43? What feelings and emotions would I get when I sail on a Hallberg-Rassy again?

 

As planned, we had quite challenging weather, although the cruising ground is reasonably sized. My fellow crew also had issues with anxiety, so from the original “all-women-leg” this became an “Angsthasensegeln” (sailing for scaredy-cats).

As usual, Leon took a lot of time to discuss all the weather forecasts and we did a detailed passage plan, using PredictWind and Windy to explain all the varieties, models and inputs.

 

During the first day, we had great weather with no waves and we just sailed across the Ría from La Coruña to Ares. On thenext day, however, we had a swell of no less than 2.1m with a period of just 6 seconds. The wind was benign with just 10 knots and we could really feel what this forecast meant in real life: very folly and uncomfortable, namely.

On the third day we had 1.6m swell with a period of 8 seconds and even less wind (so we motored). When the wind picked up a bit we could experiment sailing close hauled with a heeling of some 25 degrees. This then became my personal limit for my nerves when it comes to heeling! But Leon said, there is no reason to heel more anyway, so that felt re-assuring.

I have now learnt my own limits for my personal comfort zone. But best of all, I now better understand how to interpret weather forecasts when it comes to wind direction, wind speed, wind waves, primarily swell direction, wave hight, period and wave direction in combination with secondary swell direction and period and what it all does to your own comfort, rolling and when and how choppy seas. My first goal was thus reached! 

My second goal has not been reached yet, but my tendency is clearly leaning towards a new sailing boat. We did charter a great power yacht (Linssen) in the autumn of 2023 on the river Maas. I must say, motoring was sooooo boring! I believe I need to get very old before I appreciate motoring with a power yacht!

My third goad is not so easy to answer. The entire week, I felt very melancholically nostalgic and was sometimes close to tears. This had obviously something to do with our own sabbatical 2019/2020. We had equally been sailing in Galicia with our own HR43 and had found fantastic felly families with children which were equally sailing to the Caribbean with us! Galicia (and especially A Coruña) was the first place where I could relax and really grow into our cruising project.

It was here, in A Coruña that we had met a Norwegian Family as well as a British couple (where the husband tragically just died).

For me, this sailing leg with Leon gave me an addition piece of puzzle, to live more conscious, enjoying each and every moment and jut having a great time!

Therefore, I would like to thank you, Leon, as well as Christian, Susanne and Susanne for this wonderful time onboard with so much sleep, relaxing, Yoga, reading and talking and pondering in order to jointly conquer our scaredy-cat sailing week.

The discovery that it’s not anxiety which is stopping us, but the way how we approach and master a challenging situation, was new to me. My anxiety has been replaced by the respect for nature! Dealing with the challenging situations actively and positively, I learnt to move the borders of my own personal limits and widened my comfort zone considerably! Or, like my good friend uses to say: “After the trip is before the trip!”

 

 

 

 

See exact track and more photos on Voyoa for Leg 8-2024 here. 

Esther Leuenberger, Switzerland, Sailing Leg 8-2024 from La Coruna, Galicia/Spain to Portosin/Galician after her own sabbatical cruising year onboard their HR43 Fredrika. See www.emkm.ch !

 

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