Wonderful world of microyachts and unforgettable adventures

Microyachts are not toys

When you explore the expanses of the Internet and your eyes stumble upon small boats on which people are trying to cross the ocean, an association with something toy involuntarily arises. However, this is not at all the case. 

Such boats are most often the physical embodiment of the phrase "beauty in simplicity." Despite the surprisingly small dimensions and, in general, a simple device, such yachts are capable of much. Among these yachts is Jann Keene's Baluchon. 

Yann's boat is only about 4 meters long. An elegant mast with one sail rises above the blunt-nosed hull. Yann even managed to realize a childhood dream aboard the Baluchon. He was able to travel around the world in a tiny boat. Yann says: “The boat symbolizes my philosophy. I love such small, neat boats since childhood. I'm still a child at heart, to be honest. Sailing around the world on Baluchon is the quintessence of my childhood and teenage dreams.”

Yann is 51 years old. The yachtsman devoted most of his conscious life to microyachts. He designs, builds and cruises them. Throughout his professional career, Yann has managed to create many yachts - among his works there are 9-meter monohulls and 5-meter trimarans.

In 2015, Yann made an attempt to cross the Atlantic in his plywood boat, which was 4.3 meters long. Alas, he was caught by a storm off the coast of Spain. Interestingly, it was thanks to the boat that Yann survived. After this failed attempt, Kene began building a "bulletproof self-balancing boat" that would be more suitable for ocean travel.

The result of about 4000 hours of work was Baluchon. The peculiarity of its design lies in the similarity with a baby carriage, which protects the sailor from the elements. Moreover, the boat is able to withstand the impacts of the ocean elements. 

History of the issue

Interestingly, the history of crossing the oceans on small yachts is quite long. 

One of the most famous trips of this kind took place about 70 years ago. Then yachtsmen Patrick Elam and Colin Moody made several ocean crossings on a yacht 5.4 meters long (along the waterline). 

The boat was named Sopranino. Elam and Moody share their impressions: “I would not say that the dimensions of the Sopranino are optimal or very comfortable. For sailing on the seas, of course, it fits almost perfectly. But, as it turned out, literally a few inches of length are not enough for the ocean. Due to them it would be nice to slightly lengthen the cockpit. Perhaps we would add another small compartment for drying things. The rest of the yacht is good.”

In the 1950s, some daredevils also contemplated a similar adventure. John Guzzwell wanted to travel around the world in a small boat and consulted with Jack Giles about the creation of a suitable watercraft. Jack was inspired by the idea and created a drawing of a 6.2 m long boat. Guzzwell was overjoyed and built this yacht, which was named Trekka. On it, John managed to circle the globe twice. The navigator did not stop there - in 1972 he went on a trip on an even smaller boat Shane Acton's. Its length was 5.5 meters.

15 years later - in 1987 - yachtsman Serge Tresta broke the record of John Guzzwell. Serge circumnavigated the world on the Acrohc Australis. It was made of aluminum and was 3.6 meters long. After 35 years, his record remains unbeaten. 

Such stories continue to give a spark of hope that pushes more and more enthusiasts to challenge themselves, the elements and the engineering genius of man. Usually, it is the monetary component that is the determining factor in choosing a microyacht for conquering the elements. However, an equally important aspect, as it turned out, is almost a spiritual and ideological challenge. 

Escape from gray days

John Wesleford, like Jann Keene, specializes in small boats. He built two interesting boats - the 5.5m Swaggie, which he affectionately calls "the mighty long-range cruiser in miniature" and the 6.5m Sundowner.

John says that most of his projects are made from plywood and wood. He also adds that his drawings can be found in the public domain and are available to everyone. “This is, shall we say, an enthusiast starter kit,” says Wesleford. “The drawings were created with an eye on absolute beginners who have only basic knowledge of working with wood. I myself was such a beginner - all other skills will come as the project progresses.

Wesleford also adds that even the process of building a boat is already a kind of beginning of a journey: “You don’t have to strive to circumnavigate the world. Enough desire to start doing something. It seems to me that many people who will be engaged in the creation of their own microboat have already managed to find themselves in the trap of soulless work in the office. If that's you, then boats that are easy to build could be your chance to break out of the routine."

In general, it is not surprising that the increase in demand for microyachts has happened at all. Yes, the community is still small and only gaining momentum, but there are already quite a lot of people. And almost every one of them is either an adventurer, or an inventor deep in his soul, or an idealist, or a romantic, and sometimes all at once. 

Courage and passion for adventure

When looking at these microscopic boats, many people sometimes think about "dementia and courage", but do not rush to conclusions. There are quite a few cases when already experienced sea wolves were transferred from their full-size boats to micro-yachts and set off to conquer the elements. 

Among them is Sven Irvind. This guy is 83 years old, has worked as a sailor for most of his life, and has been designing and sailing tiny boats for over 60 years. The love story for small yachts began back in 1962. Then Sven built his first boat. Then there were decades of experiments, failures, triumphs of the spirit and travel.

Among them is Sven Irvind. This guy is 83 years old, has worked as a sailor for most of his life, and has been designing and sailing tiny boats for over 60 years. The love story for small yachts began back in 1962. Then Sven built his first boat. Then there were decades of experiments, failures, triumphs of the spirit and travel.

In 1969, Irvind built a boat 4.2 m long. On it, he traveled to Ireland. In 1971, he built the Breeze boat, it was 6 meters long. On it, he crossed the Atlantic, and then headed to Argentina and Tristan da Cunha.

In 1980, Sven went even further (although there was more of an astronomical leap). He created the boat Breeze II. She was already 5.9 meters long. On it, Sven set sail south to the Falkland Islands. Then he rounded Cape Horn. His next stop was the seas of Chile.

Sven continues to actively create new boats and travel on them. Irvind is currently working on a boat he named the Exlex Minor. It will be a fiberglass sailing canoe with a length of 6.2 meters. On it, Sven wants to cross Cape Horn and once again get to Chile. 

There can never be too much space - the history of the Atlantic Records 

If the world record for circumnavigating the world belongs to Serge Trust and his boat 3.6 meters long, then for the Atlantic this length is no longer new. 

For many years, the record for the smallest yacht to sail the Atlantic was held by April Fool (1.8 m) and her captain, Hugo Vilaine. Hugo was a pilot during the Korean War. In 1968 he crossed the Atlantic from west to east.  

In 1993, his record was broken by Briton Tom McNally. Tom was an art teacher at Liverpool. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a Vera Hugh boat, only 1.6 m long.

When Hugo found out that some Briton had broken his record, he decided that he couldn't just leave it like that. The American created the Father's Day boat, which was only half an inch shorter than Tom's boat. As a result, Hugo covered the path from Newfoundland to Falmouth in 105 days, breaking Tom's record.

Tom decided that this was a real challenge and responded to the call. McNally created an even smaller boat and called it Big C - it was only 1 meter and 10 centimeters long. Alas, Tom was never able to try his luck again. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer. The yachtsman never went to sea until his death in 2017.

old acquaintances

And here our old acquaintance, whom we talked about already in July of this year, interferes in this interesting story - Andrew Bedwell. We will not retell the whole July article, but let's add a few facts. You can (should) familiarize yourself with the original material link.

Andrew will cross the ocean in a slightly modified version of Tom McNally's Big C. Bedwell contacted Tom's daughter and gained access to the boat. “She has never been on the water and has never been equipped! It's time to dust off the boat and break the record!” says Andrew.

Tom's daughter, Lorraine McNally, sold the yacht to a desperate adventurer. Andrew gathers the team and funding. He plans to donate all the money received to the cancer fund as a tribute to Tom and his record. 

Given that the boat is only a meter long, Andrew is in for a tough test. Among them - a very small amount of food, as well as muscle wasting due to the fact that the legs will almost always be motionless. Bedwell says he'll go overboard periodically, but that doesn't sound like a good idea, to be honest. 

In addition, food will be scarce. Andrew brought the diet to 1000 calories a day, but says that he will have time to lose weight very quickly on it. He adds: “My food will be mostly protein, consisting of fat, protein, salt and honey. There will also be a small amount of paracetamol for blood thinning and ascorbic acid - I don’t really want to go down with scurvy. ”

Small boats and a special outlook on life 

In order to become such a conqueror of the seas on such a boat, you need a special mindset. Such people look at the world a little differently, they have their own approach to solving problems. Sven Irvind says that people easily adapt to any conditions: “This is our advantage over any other kind of living beings. 

We easily get used to everything. The famous Lawrence of Arabia simply lived in the desert. He said that wine interrupts the taste of water. The same applies to comfort. It all depends on the setting in our head and how we look at the world around us. Someone rides a bike in the mountains and lives in a tent, someone takes their SUV and sends them to travel through the deserts, someone builds a boat three meters long and conquers the elements. The whole point is that if you get something without a fight, then you're not as happy with the result."

After 31,000 miles and 360 days on the road, Jann Keene says the microyacht is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Kene says: “In fact, a microboat is something with something. If there is no engine, then there is nothing to break, in fact. Of course, such a boat is easy to manage, but there is always a nuance ... "

Andrew Bedwell says that he gradually abandoned excesses: “I went to full-sized boats, they were powerful and beautiful, but I never liked them. A lot of wiring, complex mechanisms ... It's just not for me. I love simple things. I returned to them."

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03.12.2022