SY Zait

11/03/2018

Farewell / Adeus - We will be leaving Brazil (by plane) and need to leave behind a great companion who quickly became a beloved family member. Zait will always have a special place in our memories! We wish him great adventures with his new master and captain.

21/12/2017

This video is a great idea to visualize the huge distance from civilization when sailing the Southern Ocean 💨⛵️

02/12/2017

Enjoying saturday at the seaside. Even for small sailors there is always something new to discover. The weather is far from nice. ☁️💨🌧 But we do our best to entertain the little one below deck. With all the rain and wind outside it is quite cosy down here.

12/11/2017

Strongly recommended if you can spare 12 minutes of your time. Use headphones to capture everything!!!
https://vimeo.com/242346365

*This film is meant to be viewed with headphones and limited distractions* https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2017/11/11/sea-pilgrim/ Sea Pilgrim is a meditative…

12/11/2017

Meanwhile his big brother already knows how to handle the boat, this little sailor is still getting used to live on board and thinking to himself 🤔. “So little space to crawl around! And the floor (they call it deck) seems to be alive 😱 It is constantly moving from left to right. And all this protective clothing against the sun and wind ☀️💨, makes me feel so hot 🔥! Now the others are even jumping off the boat into the terribly cold and emerald water! Didn’t they see the turtles 🐢 swimming around? They might end up jumping on them! What’s the fuzz about sailing anyway? Can someone please tell me? Daddy and all the others seem to like it so much!”

10/11/2017

09/11/2017

It’s great to see the young ones learning the skills of sailing better by each day. I am proud of my eldest son!

18/10/2017

Our Zait is a Samoa 34, designed by Roberto Barros who is honoured in the post below (portuguese).

Roberto Barros, ou Cabinho como é conhecido, desenvolveu mais de 1.500 projetos de embarcações navegando pelo mundo todo, algumas famosas como o Paratii (Amyr Klink), é um nome de obrigatório conhecimento para todo velejador cruzeirista do Brasil, e muito conhecido no exterior também.

O seu livro “Do Rio a Polinésia” é atemporal e apaixonante e agora disponível na "Amazon Kindle". Ele conta como saiu do Rio de Janeiro em seu pequeno barco a vela com sua Esposa e foi até a Polinésia Francesa, sem cartas náuticas ou aparelhos eletrônicos. Na verdade até o Caribe eles não possuíam ao menos um motor de apoio, estando totalmente ao sabor dos ventos.

24/09/2017

Thinking of the beauties only the sea has to offer. Great video, take the time to watch it if you have it.
https://youtu.be/AHrCI9eSJGQ

30 Days of Timelapse, about 80,000 photos combined. 1500GB of Project files. Sailing in the open ocean is a unique feeling and experience.I hope to capture a...

10/09/2017

This weekend we finally introduced the youngest member of our family to the ocean 🌊 and to Zait ⛵️. It was a great day out on the sea and at Praia do Flamengo. We didn't hoist the sails as we did not want to complicate things too much in the beginning. Our young sailor obviously enjoyed himself and in consequence we have the necessary confidence to return soon. 😃
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03/09/2017

"Better late than never" some pictures of our last stay aboard. We will be back soon.

03/09/2017

Who doesn't yet know of this famous and courageous expedition should watch this documentary. Who already knows it may want to repeat. Hopefully soon I will also post news of SY Zait. Cheers!
https://vimeo.com/49401742

No comments at this time.

02/08/2017

As promised two days ago I am publishing a short video (02:16) of our most recent trip to Praia do Bonete.
My intention with this clip was to capture the beauty of Zait as we experience it each time when we are on board. As mentioned in my last post, we were not able to take him out on the sea as often as I liked in recent months. This for a very good reason. But now we are back in business.
The reason for my weekend trip was actually to see if everything was in order to introduce our youngest sailor Tom to Zait for the first time. Although I knew that Zait is always good for a superb first impression, I wanted to be sure. As you can see in the video there is no reason to worry. Everything is just fine and the little details such as a new lateral fence are already planned to be substituted shortly.
So enjoy the video!
https://youtu.be/khDHXka16ec

This is a video of our trip with SY Zait to Praia do Bonete in July 2017.

31/07/2017

Finally we are back on board! After a long absence from sailing I am happy to feel the breeze again! Almost six months ago a second little sailor was born into our family and we were forced to stay on land for some time.
So during the last two days I did a quick check on Zait to see if everything is in order to receive the first visit of the little one. We did a short trip to Praia do Bonete and it seems everything is just fine 😃
As usual I did a short video which shall be ready shortly, so stay tuned! Cheers

14/07/2017

How I'd love to know diving like this! Impressive!

23/04/2017

On friday I seized the moment of the national holiday in Brazil to get some things done on Zait. I got up early to avoid the heavy holiday traffic and arrived after a 3:15h drive at 8:30 at the marina.
The tasks were, get the autohelm finally running, fix some lighting issues in the cabin and do some paint jobs.
To begin with the bad news, I spent almost 3 hrs in plain sunlight trying to fix the cable connection between the autohelm sensor and the terminal. Without sucess! The autohelm probably has a humidity problem and therefore decides randomly when to work and when to stop working. This is no condition for a sailboat where you need equipment one can trust 100%. Unfortunately I couldn't get the cable connections right, so this task remains on the todo-list.
After this first frustrating experience I went for the quick fix of some lighting problems. This was a quick win which got me motivated again. All lamps inside the cabin are now working again 😃
The last task for that day was physically more demanding. I wanted to scratch off the old paint of some wooden parts in the cockpit and the center deck area and afterwards paint them again for better conservation. ☀️UV radiation does its terrible work each day here in the Tropics. Therefore all painted parts suffer a lot and the paint starts to peel off after some time.
I brushed and grinded off the old paint and started with two new layers off coating. Additional layers will be added soon.
It is great to work on the boat, but each step takes much longer than on land. Maneuvering space is very limited, therefore always keep an eye on where to put your tools so that you don't send them accidently for a dive the next time you move. Last but not least, be aware of any sudden movements of the boat! Things may develop a life of their own as soon as an unexpected swell from your neighbours motorboat rocks your boat. This is especially nasty when your paintbucket spills all over your teakdeck. Fortunately I was spared the latter, nor did I have to dive for screwdrivers or other drowned tools.
You may see the progress on the images attached.
The worry which remains... How to fix the autohelm. I will keep you all posted. Cheers and Ahoy! ⛵️

16/04/2017

I am very grateful for the unique opportunity to have been able to receive my whole family on Zait. All together we took Zait on a trip with 8 crew + skipper. It was only a short trip in very well known waters around the S**o da Ribeira and our backyard the Ilha Anchieta but the presence of the family made it a very special one. Now, after being introduced to all of them, Zait has oficially become a member of the family. Few of the family had sailed before and especially for the boys it was a new experience.
My eldest son, already experienced with sailing, was of great help! He enjoys the heavy jobs, hoisting the sail, lifting the anchor and most importantly looking out for his younger cousins! It is great to see how he learns more each time.
The boys enjoyed sailing as much as jumping into the water and swimming or rowing to shore.
For those who still don't know it, sailing is a great family adventure offering so many enriching activities in close contact to nature.
Back home - at school - I am sure the boys will tell their mates about the majestic trees with giant roots, the colourful fish, the great tasting local soft drinks (guarana), the beaches with real palmtrees, and of course the great blue boat which made all these adventures possible.
They are all very welcome to come back soon!

30/03/2017

Check out the inspiring video of our friends from Brazil who are about to make their dream come true on board SV Kauana! I am feeling very happy for you guys! I confess, that Zait also feels kinda "Hallberg-Rassy" when one is sailing him. I hope it works out with your new boat! For all of Zaits friends I recommend to pay close attention after 49 seconds of the video 😃
https://youtu.be/k3XC4dwPQpA

26/03/2017

Last friday I received good news from our mooring neighbour Fred! 😃
But to start from the beginning. After the small repairs we had done during our last weekend (see previous post) there remained a mal function of our Raymarine autohelm. As it seemed the communication between the autohelm and the rudder sensor had stopped. As a result the autohelm display showed "no rudderref". We had had minor autohelm issues before due to humidity close to the cable connections. It had been a quick fix at the time. But this time I couldn't fix it right away, had no time left and needed to head home, leaving Zait alone with this issue. As you may imagine, this is the worst of situations. You know there is an issue, you have no time to finally identify the problem nor to fix it. Then you are back home with this unresolved issue, your thoughts and ideas flying around and there is no way to test if they will work. You will have to wait until next time. These are the moments when I especially feel the distance between our home and Zait. There is no way to sneak out of the office early to check on the boat and be back a few hours later.
Well, but this is where our community of fellow sailors showed its strength! We are a group of more than 40 boats joined in a Whatsapp group (called Ubalegria) where we exchange "boat stuff". As you can imagine 40 sailboat skippers make a pretty good base of knowledge for all kinds of situations. But I consider the spirit of seamanship among the members even more important. If you have a problem with something on your boat there is not only advice at hand but also literally a helping hand closeby!
When I posted my autohelm issue I quickly received a reply from Fred our mooring neighbour from SY Alwine who offered his help. As he is currently refitting his own boat he is often on site (15m away from my little autohelm issue) 😃 As well he seems to know about electronics much more than I do and happens to have a similar autohelm.
So he made a visit to Zait and checked out the equipment.

All of you probably know this situation. You have a problem which you can't fix and as soon as an expert is closeby the problem disappears. I don't know if there is a name for this miraculous effect already, but I know that computer experts are making a fortune on this effect every day and the user usually looks like a fool 😳
So as you can already imagine, as soon as Fred stepped on Zait's teak deck, the autohelm was working again! 😃 As it seems the issue was once more related to humiditiy close to the terminal.
I'll soon fix this once and for all! 🛠

But I shall not forget to thank our neighbour for his help! In the end it worked! Not only is the equipment functioning again, but more importantly I have this issue off my mind. I now can plan the next trip without having to worry about how to first fix the problem before getting out on the ocean again.
As well I know that it will be a simple fix to avoid these problems in the future!

Once again I am glad to be a part of the sailing community! 😃👍🏼

18/03/2017

It is already march and I am about to write about our first trip of this year! It had been a long time since I last set foot on Zait's teak deck, too long! But for very good reasons! Only recently a new sailor was born into this world. We hope to show him the most important element of this planet (water) soon!
But until then I will need to wait some more weeks.

I went to visit Zait last weekend together with my first son and my father in law. We had a great time! I always enjoy introducing new people to the simple joy of sailing.
Me and my son already make a good team! He enjoys the heavy jobs, such as housting the sails and setting the anchor. Being a mechanic my father in law enjoyed servicing the engine and changing a bilge pump which broke that very day! It was fate, as if it was waiting for him!
https://youtu.be/l8jZMWpb9Gw

Veleiro Zait março 2017 - SY Zait march 2017

11/02/2017

As we are currently limited to "imaginary sailing" I would like to share this video with all of you! Inspiring visual and interesting sounds! If you like it check out their youtube channel!
https://youtu.be/u9Ebn-bWcvQ

Sea Change. noun a profound transformation brought about by the sea. On December 31st, 2015 three men and a little dog left their old lives behind to set out...

19/12/2016

I had a great weekend with a first singlehanded sailing experience to Ilha Do Prumirim. 😜⛵
I started on early saturday morning with the prospect of medium winds. Leaving the anchorage I already noticed that the forecast didn't match the real conditions. After passing the channel between the continent and the "Ilha Anchieta" I got strong NE wind (15 knots) and swell of 2m. This increased after 30 min to 20 knots and aproximately 2.5m swell. Zait was taking the waves and wind as if it was a normal day at the office. This helped me to stay calm, especially when the gusts of 23-24 hit the boat from time to time. Zaits top speed was 8.3 kts. Therefore I reduced the Genua sail to 1/3. The pressure on the ropes was quite strong and I broke a piece of a harken cam cleat when furling in part of the Genoa. This relieved the pressure and made things a bit easier. The main sail stayed entirely up as I didn't want to go out on deck during the bumpy ride. The speed remained at 6.7 to 7.1 kts.
As I reached the wind shadow of the Ilha Do Prumirim after 2 hours the wind decreased and I managed to get the main sail down easily. The anchorage ground was good and the anchor held fast. Right after my maneuver the wind direction changed to N and blew with 15 knots and strong gusts of 21 right through the channel between the island and the continent. In the beginning I observed the anchor and my position closely in order to understand whether Zait was savely anchored. Everything was fine and I was ready for lunch and some reading.
At night I set the anchor alarm on my phone which didn't work as precise as I hoped. It woke me several times with false alarms.
The next day began beautiful with a lot of sun and 5kts of wind. After a visit to the still deserted Island I started my return to the "S**o da Ribeira" The wind outside the shadow of the island increased quickly to 15-16knots which was more convenient than the day before. As well there were no surprising gusts and the swell had reduced to 2m. I managed to sail in an almost straight line to the Ilha Anchieta. After that I had only to tack twice to make it through the channel and back to Zaits mooring.
I am quite happy about my first singlehanded experience with Zait. He showed me that I can trust him under these demanding conditions where it might be frightening with a smaller and less sturdy boat! At the same time I reckon that 22 knots and 2.5 m waves is nothing out of the ordinary and that real strong winds start at 30-35 knots. But for a first experience the 22 knots worked for me. I didn't want any knot more of it. These two days made me know Zait better and trust in his capabilities. We have been a good team!
Now I have to take care of him, therefore I already ordered a new cam cleat for him.

05/11/2016

Only 2 days left for the most exiting single-handed nonstop regatta around the globe. La Vendée Globe
https://youtu.be/XPEuw25CUfc

https://youtu.be/XPEuw25CUfc

02/11/2016

We just finished our first video resume of the first 7 months with Zait. See for yourself🎬⛵️🌊😝
https://youtu.be/TIysROJlhxY

SY Zait 2016

16/10/2016

Tonight we had a "Luau" which is basically a moonlight party. Together with most of our friends from the "S**o da Ribeira" sailor community we sailed to the nearby "Ilha do Prumirim" (12nm). In total a number of 29 boats and 100 crew members joined the party.
The beach had been illuminated and a local restaurant had prepared some typical brazilian dishes. Simple but good! It was a great atmosphere and I felt that each time we are together we are getting closer. It is interesting to listen to stories, plans and dreams of the others and discuss your own plans.
It is quite interesting that one knows the others boat name before his personal name. Everybody refers to us as "Zait crew". It seems as if the boat is respected the most after that comes the crew and only then the individual!
I understand this, as the boats are what we all have in common. Each boat has a story of its own to tell and lots of boats already had several owners.
The boats have a history of their own independent from their owners. The crews may change but the boat remains as leading actor.
Our boat Zait was known to our friends long before we got to know them. Even though we bought it 60 miles away they already had heard of it and its history. This is what I like about sailing boats, they come with a history and you as a crew will only be a supporting actor in its story. The owners task is to appreciate this heritage, preserve it and contribute with new voyages and adventures. The boat is at the center of the sailors universe.

15/10/2016

Anchored at Ilha do Prumirim with lots of sailing buddies. Lateron moonlight party on the island!

13/10/2016

Another remarkable story... I heard about it three years ago when searching for documentaries of the Volvo Ocean Race. This incredible but sad story catched my atention!
https://youtu.be/tC007qozN-g

Deep Water - Trailer Click Here to Subscribe: http://bit.ly/1p6EXFw Click Here for the Full Movie: http://www.docclub.com Our Take: Before LIFE OF PI and ALL...

12/10/2016

Worth a look...

A young man's (now a young couple's) pursuit of an unconventional lifestyle - to restore an old sailboat and live on it.

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08/10/2016

Weather 👍🏼☀️💨