After the 3 weeks in the salt waters of Adriatic sea, we had one more very sunny week during the summer and went again to Lipno lake. We love it, especially the local nature and beautiful atmosphere.
This year we decided to launch the boat in the private marina YC Černá v Pošumaví. The local harbormaster was very kind and helpful.
I have to point that the last trailer modification I made proved it very handy, especially on a gentle slope so I had just to lower the after roller and support pads and the boat went off the trailer easily.
This year we bought a real marine clothing so when we used it one night the storm struck from sudden, I was more than happy we have it. Unfortunately, we had to re-anchor that night to the other side of the island and I missed a good light a lot.
After this experience I decided I really need a bright light on board so I bought the LED flashlight Fenix UC35. It's a waterproof and rechargeable flashlight with an integrated charger using the standard USB. The beam is pretty wide and strong for a single LED diode so searching for a good spot to drop anchor will no longer be an issue.
A few more photos from the trip:
Leaving the dry dock
Phobos 21 and WV Beatle ....both with trailer!
Mast or something
Blueberries, the forest was dry, not much to find
Blue teeth
Caught without the rod
Frymburk
Beautiful daysailer - Saffier Se 26
Statue of Lipno
Notice the cool windex
Marina Lipno
Marina Lipno
Lipno Marina and the Fish fountain
Cableway to the treetop walkway
Lipno treetop walkway
Wild nature
This used to be a car?
Kid's playground ... notice how tidy the boat is :-)
Slip at YC Černá v Pošumaví
Preparing to go home
Panorama from one of the most beautiful bays on Lipno.
We had a great opportunity to visit a nice event held by the Phobos Yacht's official dealer here in the Czech Republic. He brought together the whole line of the Phobos yachts starting with Jumper 19, Phobos 21, Phobos 24, Phobos 25 and also a hot new prototype of the Phobos 24.5, which is supposed to be a replacement for the old Phobos 24 to complement the new design line.
The best thing was that it was held on the lake Slapy so all the boats were available for testing sails.
For me, it's good to see the other boats so I can get some inspiration and chat with other owners of the Phobos sailboats.
Phobos 24.5
Phobos 24.5
Inside Phobos 24.5, great standing height
Phobos 24.5 - head
The smallest - Jumper 19
Phobos 21 - hull #39
Phobos 21 - hull #39 - with a diesel heater!
Phobos 21 - galley with fridge - my wife loves it!
Phobos 24
Phobos 25
Phobos 25 with additional swim platform and retractable ladder
Phobos 25 with the boom tent made by Ovčička Sails - however the rods are not foldable
Mr. Linhart and me with a son
The conclusion from the council of the expert sailors is that Phobos 21 is exceptionally fast boat :-)
Coming soon for the next season: Jirka a friend of mine, decided to buy a gennaker for his Phobos 21 !!!
Since we bought our boat, we have always wanted to sail the sea and one of the most beautiful seas in the Europe is the Adriatic sea. It has very clear and warm water, which is a must for if you have small kids, so let's go there. Unfortunately, it's pretty far away from Prague, around 1000km, but on the other hand, I managed to get 3 weeks of vacation, which is the ideal minimum for such a trip.
Anyway, with the preparation of the boat I've lost a few days, which includes boat bottom job using the McLube's Antifoul Alternative Speed Polish. I was a bit skeptical about it, but it has proved its functionality and protected the boat pretty well from the seawater growth and is easy to apply.
The most extensive task was, however planning of the trip which took me a few months. Get all the required paper maps, Navionics maps for our 7" Android tabled and buy a VHF radio.
I know that fixed mount unit is better than the handheld unit in terms of the range, but I've not managed where to install it so it can be easily reached from the cockpit. So for now I've decided to buy a portable floating radio Polmar Navy-011F. I have to say that this radio is very good and since I'm not sailing too far from the shore, I was able to receive the Croatian weather forecast very clear. Even the communication with other boats a few miles away was ok.
Because it's a long trip and everything could happen, I decided to insure the boat with the Pantaenius Yacht insurance. I must say, that even it's not for free, it brings more peace in mind. On the other hand, we were lucky and nothing happened so I cannot say how the insurance company would deal with the possible claims.
The other thing I have to mention is that we planned the trip with our friend Venca and his MacGregror 26, who has also wonderful family with two small kids. The more kids are around, the better, because small kids simply needs a company and is a more fun :-)
Because we have a huge number of photos, I don't want to put them all into this post so click on the picture below to open a new window with the gallery:
Click on picture to get into the gallery
We also took some video so here it is:
Panorama view from "our" private island, where we searched for gold
This was a very close encounter with the dolphins:
And sailing on the waves:
For those who are interested, here is the log of our trip made using this inexpensive GPS logger Canmore GP-102+. By the way, the Sailtracker.czis the new project of the friend of mine David. Thanks man!
Click on the picture to get more details
I don't want to go into much detail of the trip, but I would like to summarize some value findings:
Solar panel under the boom provided power for the fridge for around 10 days in this summer days. The boom tent prevented the solar rays reaching the panel. It would need some additional solar panel mounted on the stern mast support to give it more power when anchored.
The UCHEN connector used for the outboard motor charging/starting cable deteriorated from the sun and salt water in not more than 5 days. More info at the bottom of this article.
If the centerboard is down it can be very noisy in the choppy water (banging sounds), because there is a big gap between the centerboard and case. One friend of mine who has the Phobos 24 fixed it by gluing a piece of carpeting inside the centerboard. I think I will fix it like this Avar Yacht A25 (formerly Janmor 25)
Centerboard spacer
All stainless hardware is unfortunately made from AISI 304, so a small amount of surface rust has developed. Adriatic sea is very salty, but when we arrived I've cleaned it with the oxalic acid. I've been told that citric acid can also help so I will try it the next time.
