Production and sale of yachts, boat repairs, supply of additional marine equipment. What was the long-distance yacht "Spray" like? Spray yachts

The famous yacht was laid down at the Stulken-Sohn shipyard in Hamburg on November 23, 1937, and on October 16, 1940, it was put into operation as the headquarters ship of the commander of the German submarine fleet, Admiral K. Doenitz, a yacht with the romantic name “Running on the Waves” (“Avizo”) Hella"

He was a true ace in shipbuilding, an impeccable sailor and a man of incredible enthusiasm and determination. His life was devoted to the endless expanses of the ocean, and his death became the main mystery of the century.

A dream that has become the meaning of life

Joshua Slocum was born on February 20, 1844 in Nova Scotia. His father was a hereditary sailor who inherited a small farm and retired from maritime affairs. Although his soul was eager to conquer the blue sea, Slocum Sr. was busy with work on land and therefore abandoned his dreams of sailing. The father actively taught his son to work, initiated him into the intricacies of gardening and cattle breeding, but the inspired stories about the sea, which, from time to time, slipped into his speeches, took a significant place in the soul of the little boy, who was in absentia in love with the endless expanses of the sea.

Joshua could listen for hours about sea adventures, about distant countries and various ships. A 12-year-old boy was delirious about the sea, but from his father his hobbies received only disapproval. One day, seeing Joshua making a vessel from a piece of wood, his father could not restrain himself and gave his son a severe spanking. Having smashed a small sailboat into pieces and ordered his son to work and not to dream about stupid things, he sowed a strong resentment in the young man’s soul, which prompted Slocum to leave his father’s house and, at a very young age, earn his own living.

On board

The guy worked as a cabin boy, a cook's assistant and a laborer on fishing boats. Hard work did not frighten him at all - on the contrary, he was happy to do anything, just to go to sea, learn the basics of shipping and be among sailors. At the age of 17, Joshua Slocum was accepted as a sailor on an English warship. As part of the ship's crew, he traveled to China, the Far East, Gibraltar and Vladivostok.

Traveling as a sailor on various ships, Slocum waited for the moment when he himself would become the captain of his own ship, albeit a small one, and would choose the routes and final destinations of his travels. Such an opportunity presented itself in 1892, when one of the captains he knew offered Joshua Slocum a ship that he simply did not need. Slocum was delighted at this offer, because he had already lived on land for several years and was looking forward to going to sea.

Getting to know the Spray yacht

The captain who gave Joshua Slocum his vessel said the yacht needed some minor repairs. Imagine Slocum’s surprise when he saw an 11-meter vessel practically falling apart, which required extensive repairs. “It seemed that the ship was built before our era,” the navigator commented on his first meeting with the Spray yacht in his book.

Over the course of a long year, Joshua repaired and improved the rotten Spray. He spent more than $500 on materials and countless hours of back-breaking labor, pouring all his knowledge and many years of experience in shipping into his brainchild. When the repairs to the Spray were completed, Slocum said that this was the ideal yacht, capable of surviving any misfortune. The Spray yacht will fully justify these words of its creator, surviving in strong storms and storms, passing mile after mile.

Slocum's trip around the world

Having planned to circumnavigate the world on his yacht, Joshua Slocum spends a whole season fishing and rigging whaling ships to earn money to buy provisions and everything necessary for such a long voyage. On April 24, 1895, the Spray left Boston. Thus began the first round-the-world voyage of a yacht with one person on board in the history of mankind.

The desperate navigator’s entire being was filled with awe and unimaginable joy. He was alone with the sea - beautiful, stormy and endless. Knowing many stories of sailors going crazy and losing the ability to speak when alone on a ship, Joshua Slocum did not stop talking to the birds - during the day, the moon and stars when night fell. He loudly gave commands to himself, sang songs and read poetry.

More than once over the many years of sailing, Slocum found himself in a storm, waves covered the deck, and gusts of wind tried to crush the small ship with their unbridled force. Pirates tried to capture the Spray, the yacht ran aground and got into numerous troubles, but this did not make the captain of the ship regret his idea. Joshua Slocum did not lose his inspiration and sailed only forward. He took notes and kept diaries, which later became the basis for writing the book “Alone Under Sail.”

The end of a lifelong journey

On June 27, 1898, the yacht Spray, with its captain on board, abandoned on the American coast. After traveling for three years, two months and two days, Joshua Slocum returned home a hero. Legends were made up about the great navigator; stories about his voyage were told from mouth to mouth, equating the journey to a feat. Slocum not only proved himself to be an excellent sailor, but also a shipbuilder, whose yacht became a legendary example to inherit.

On November 14, 1909, Joshua Slocum set off for an unknown destination on his yacht, the Spray. No one saw the great navigator again; he remained on the open sea forever, by the will of fate, even after death, not being reunited with land. What really happened to the sailor remained unknown to everyone - he simply went on his last voyage, from which he never returned.

For the first time in the history of sailing, one of the most experienced sailors of his time, Joshua Slocum, circumnavigated the world on a yacht alone. This voyage was, according to Slocum himself, a consequence of his life experience. “I was born under the breeze,” he says, “and, neglecting all the joys of life, I studied the sea, as, perhaps, few people in the world. After sailing, the next most attractive thing for me was shipbuilding. I passionately strived to be a master of both. Over time, I partially realized my desire.”

Indeed, in those years it was difficult to find a ship more suitable for long-distance voyages than the Spray, built by the hands of Slocum himself. Spray length 11.2 m; width 4.3 m; displacement 9 t; armament - gaff sloop (later iol). The lines of the vessel also fully corresponded to the purpose of the vessel. The full bow rode the wave perfectly; the collapse of the branches of the bow frames prevented splashing on the deck. The wide bow of the deck made it possible to easily service the head sails and anchor. When heeling, Slocum's yacht did not trim to the bow also due to the full bow formations.

Experience gained from operating small cruising yachts suggests the need to lift the buttocks from midship to stern very smoothly, since otherwise a high transverse wave will form behind the vessel. On the Spray, the buttocks rise to the transom very smoothly. Slocum notes that “the water flowed smoothly around the Spray to the last inch of its length, without creating any eddies due to the irregular cut of the stern.” The long keel line also gave greater stability on course. In general, the contours corresponded to the well-known formula: “mackerel head, cod tail.”

There were no overhangs on the Spray. This was again dictated by the sailing conditions - on the open sea such a small yacht does not need overhangs. Long overhangs are good for coastal yachts heavily loaded with sails.

The large width allowed the Spray to carry more sail in strong winds. The ship's chine, located close to the waterline, increased stability at large heel angles. The large deadrise ensured relative safety of navigation even in ice, since the Spray was rebuilt from a hunting vessel.

Slocum paid special attention to the strength of his vessel; the entire set was made of oak, the paneling was made of pine. The main type of fastenings is bolts. The grooves of the boards were carefully caulked and painted in the underwater part with copper paint, which prevented fouling of the hull.

The Spray's sailing armament is in many ways inferior to that of modern small-displacement sailing yachts. Small jib, bowsprit, gaff - all this does not make the yachtsman’s work easier and worsens the aerodynamics of the sail, and a long boom impairs course stability. Later, Slocum re-rigged his ship with an iol, which made working with the sails somewhat easier, reduced the roll, and improved course stability.

The general location of the Spray also leaves much to be desired. It can be noted, for example, that it is more convenient to place the boat at the stern, and the cockpit and control station in the middle of the vessel. The cabin should also be located closer to the midships, since everyone knows that rocking is least felt in the middle part of the ship. It is also convenient to service the sails from the middle of the vessel.

Slocum often left the helm, and the Spray sailed with the rudder fixed. When the wind increased, the captain had to re-lay the lashings. Modern yachts for solo sailing are equipped with a special wind wing, which automatically maintains a given course relative to the wind. It should be noted that modern small cruisers are much simpler in design; They are often made from plywood, fiberglass, steel and light alloys. The sailing rig of modern yachts is usually a Bermuda sloop with a top staysail. Very often a rack staysail is installed. It is also noteworthy that modern yachts are much lighter - up to 2.5-3 tons, while Slocum's yacht had a displacement of 9 tons.

The question is often asked: why don’t we build enough cruising yachts? In my opinion, primarily because the USSR Sailing Federation does not consider it necessary to build them. The Federation focuses on the development of racing Olympic classes of yachts. Therefore, too few long-distance voyages are made, and individual cruising yachts are built mainly by teams of large enterprises. Sports shipyards are busy producing yachts of Olympic and national racing classes, which after 2-3 years become so outdated that they have to be replaced with new ones.

V. M. Alekseev

Speaking about Captain Slocum's yacht, I would like to recall one little-known episode from the history of our yacht building. It is best, perhaps, to cite an excerpt from the memoirs of 10 D. A. Lukhmanov, dating back to the period when he was the head of the Leningrad Maritime College (1924-1926).

During these years, there was a streak of solo round-the-world and long-distance voyages on small yachts. Captains Slocum and Fos spoke vividly about their experiences, their books were translated into different languages, and young people read them.

One day, three graduates, led by I. A. Man, known at the technical school under the nickname “Long John,” came to me with a proposal to raise money, organize the construction of a small, durable seaworthy yacht in the technical school’s yard, and sail around the world on it. The idea seduced me.

The organizers energetically began raising funds. The Leningrad newspaper “Krasnaya Gazeta” was the first to respond, contributing 4,000 rubles to this cause. This money was enough to purchase timber and hire two ship carpenters, under whose guidance student navigators worked. Mechanical apprentices began to produce the metal fittings and crafts necessary to build the yacht.

By the autumn of 1925, the construction of a yacht of the Norwegian pilot boat type was completed. The main parts of the set were made of oak, the hull skin was on paired frames made of Siberian larch and resinous American pine. All fastenings are copper. The underwater part was supposed to be sheathed with sheets of red copper to protect against wormholes and fouling.

In those years, maritime educational institutions were under the jurisdiction of the Central Department of Education in Transport, in whose apparatus there were absolutely no sailors.

Seduced by my arguments, the Central Administration went along with the business we had started and even gave 3,000 rubles for it, but then they were afraid of the idea of ​​​​letting the “boys” go on an “unknown” voyage on a “shell” and banned the voyage. The built yacht, called “Red Star,” had to be handed over to the technical school as a training vessel.”

The editorial board appeals to veterans of our navy - former graduates of the Marine College - with a request to tell us in more detail about the construction and further fate of this yacht, which, unfortunately, was not destined to follow the path of the Spray.