Sea trials a fantastic success
On 24 September the whole team met in Slovenia for the first time to work on the boat and get her ready for sea trials. The first evening was spent fitting the essential equipment, which took us late into the evening, followed by a fantastic meal and some nice wine to relax and discuss all aspects of the project.
The first day on water was a wobble affair due to lack of ballast but she felt seaworthy and safe. We found that she moved well, but did not like to turn in the wind much. We played around with the sea anchor and the cooker but essentially just “took her for spin” and were impressed with how she performed.
On Tuesday we loaded her up with 200litters of water as ballast and rations, before setting a course for Venice some 80 miles across the Adriatic sea. We rowed for 22 hours non stop with 2 hrs rowing and 2 hrs rest, until we arrived in the late morning the following day. Rowing into the canals of Venice was an amazing experience. Standing and using our oars like a paddle and paddling up the canals between traditional gondolas will be something we will never forget.
Unfortunately with strong northerly winds we were unable to row back to Slovenia, so we got a truck and brought her back to the workshop for more preparation and work on the boat.
The outcome of the trials is that we managed to solve many problems we never even considered, and we also know of problems which we are still working on to solve, but we all have developed confidence in the boat and our ability to row the Atlantic.
