”Realize your dream”

I totally agreed with Magnus Lindén when I listened to his lecture with Sjöskolan in Beckholmen last week. Magnus had a lot of useful information to share with us with upcoming adventures.

The probability of making accurate assessments and make good decisions on board increases if you are prepared and have good general knowledge. After four decades and 100 000 nautical miles Magnus is an inspirational man with many experiences.

Magnus explains that the life onboard is unglamorous – but you should enjoy life when you have the opportunity! With the wind in his face and waves against the boat, he has learned that after many hours at the rudder you eventually get a sense of how to steer. Finally, you won’t need to look at the compass as often, he says.

He highlights several times that you should use safety harnesses on board – it is vital. You can not fall overboard, because if you do , you’re screwed. The waves of the Gulf Stream are very rough at stormy weather, the sea quickly becomes choppy. Too much ice is not good for the boat because the center of gravity will be disturbed and the keel loses its effect.

”Rather a storm in the Atlantic than a gale in the North Sea”

With that said I got butterflies in my belly. Are we – my sister and I – going to throw ourselves out there? Yes, of course we are! But first there is a lot to learn.

This week we will attend a meteorology course with Stockholm Yacht Club to learn more about the weather, tides and currents. But already at Magnus lecture we learned that you should get out just before or after full moon at night sailing. It is an advantage with the light from the moon.

Despite the fact that both Christine and I rarely gets seasick, there will be times it is inevitable. In addition to taking control of the steering and maintaining contact with the horizon, you can cure seasickness with peppercorns. Ask Milo Dahlmann, she told us that if you swallow 8 whole peppercorns you will feel better after 15 minutes. Ginger will also work!

The question is not if – but when things will break, Magnus says. It’s good to have a routine to check the pressure points of the equipment so that they won’t wear on the same spots.

”Be a creative handyman and hope for the best – but prepare for the worst!”

Google Earth is great to check before the landings, you can find more information there than you might think! Speaking of which, I would like to recommend the movie Lion which is about a lost Indian boy who finds his family with the help of Google Earth. Very powerful movie.

Qualities for a successful crew

Magnus raised interesting parts in terms of the crew on board. He pointed on that it can be stressful to be so many people in a small area. It is important to be able to make quick, critical decisions since certain situations can be fatal. This makes some special properties important to have  in a crew. Firstly you should be positive, opportunity-oriented, humble, simple, customizable, happy and humorous with self distance. It is also important for all on board to be able to manage their expectations and concerns, be clearly transparent and responsive. Be able to adapt, take responsibility and actively participate are also good characteristics, to subordinate the decisions, handle disappointments and differentiate between mine and yours.

These are lessons we will bring in creating our own crew and we hope to gather a crew of positive, happy and fearless girls!

Read more about Magnus on his website Bortomhorisonten.nu. There, he has accumulated a lot of links and blogs that can be useful for us preparing for an adventure. We bought his book Beyond the Horizon, I look forward to reading it! It is available to buy here (ad link).