The post about the ballet dancer now with audio and lots of Ken Burns effects heerrre. Thank you kbs!
Archive for January, 2009
new zealand yacht powers lithuanian millennium odyssey
– In case you wonder what this post is doing here; we stumbled across this expedition after getting a message from a certain mum who knew the Ambersail was mooring in Auckland. Accidentally so were we. –
Captain Simonas Steponavičius is careening on the deck of the racing yacht Ambersail. The crew is raising the main sail which sports a large yellow, green and red flag, adding a Lithuanian touch to Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour.
Originally built to race in the Volvo Ocean Race, New Zealand designed racing yacht Volvo Open 60 now sails around the world’s five continents. The designer of the racing boat is Aucklander Bruce Farr, whose company Farr Yacht Design produced fifty of this type. The body is made of two layers of kevlar with foam in-between. It’s the kevlar that inspired the nickname ‘bullet-proof’. The sixty foot yacht weighs only 13,5 tonnes.
“The Volvo 60 is what the F1 is for the Grand Prix. The Ambersail is extremely responsive. It takes at least six to sail it, with every move done manually. No cruise control, no hydraulics”, laughs Steponavičius.
Next stop: Punta Arenas, Argentina. The Ambersail is facing tough conditions as it will head towards the lower latitudes. Heavy winds and sub-zero feel temperatures make the voyage to Argentina one of the tougher legs, said Steponavičius.
The Ambersail started its odyssey in Klaipeda, Lithuania in October 2008 with the mission to sail around the world and to meet with Lithuanian communities. In the past three months it has sailed 15000 nautical miles via the Canary Islands, Cape Town, Adelaide and Sydney. With the arrival in Auckland the Ambersail reached its furthest destination.
“Auckland’s great”, said Steponavičius, “There are probably more masts in Viaduct Harbour than cars in Lithuania. New Zealand has a big sailing culture.”
“We planned a week-long pitstop in Viaduct Harbour because of the extensive services. I don’t know any other harbour where you can have the boat checked in this short time. The shrouds, the wiring, the steering, in fact all the rigging is checked.”
1000 years
Dubbed The Millennium Odyssey, the journey marks the 1000th anniversary of the name Lithuania, which was first mentioned in a German chronicle in 1009. Lithuania, a European country of 3,5 million is one of the three Baltic States that gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Its lakes and forests are famous, and so is Lithuanian basketball.
Steponavičius: “It’s great to see the Kiwi’s excel in sailing. In America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race they hold many key positions”, he said. “Lithuania only has 90 kilometres of coastline, so we train in lakes mostly. There are not many sailors, though we’re proud that the Lithuanian Olympic sailing team won the bronze medal in Beijing.”
