Nordwind Transat Deck Log Day 15 (7 June pm): A Classy Owner

Hello from the sunny paradise of the North Atlantic. We have been coasting along at 7-8 knots in about 7-9 knots of true wind in flat seas and bright sunshine. There have been big changes over the past 12 hours making this an ever more interesting competition among the classics. Mariella has been charging from behind and has closed to just over 100 miles further away from the finish than Nordwind with Sumurun a mere 60 miles ahead from more than 200 miles ahead two days ago. "I believe it's going to be very close," said Captain James Gair of Nordwind.

With winds moving to the east from the large high over England and a low off Spain (forcing headwinds upon Sumurun), Mariella, Sumurun and Nordwind are predicted to all be within 100 miles of each other leading up to the Solent. This is easily going to be a nail biter with mostly upwind work turning this into a veritable restart with less than 600 miles to go (roughly the distance of a Bermuda Race, a sprint for us!). "Whoever gets the right angle into the Western Approaches will be the winner." Quite exciting after more then 3,000 miles of racing.

Nearly two decades ago, overlooking the crystal blue waters of Rhodes, Hans Albrecht saw a boat whose lines spoke to him. "I just liked the boat," says Albrecht. "She looked seaworthy and so beautiful. I told my wife that when I grow up I'm going to buy her." Years later he is fulfilling a childhood dream of racing across the Atlantic aboard a boat steeped in history that he finds to be his ideal.

"To me they [classic boats] have more soul," says Albrecht whose first classic was a carvel planked oak sailing dinghy he sailed as a child. "I enjoy the classic racing because it's not very serious, it's very fun racing." He often takes family for regattas in St Tropez and has even taken 24 kids out for an event. Day races, however, were just part of his plans for Nordwind.

"When I read about the 1997 transatlantic I said 'she is the boat for that,'" Albrecht remembers. He recalled sitting in a restaurant on the Med with Ed Cane and IYRS's Elizabeth Meyers enquiring about the 2005 event." I said I would like to apply, Ed looked at Elizabeth and they said 'done!'" So far he has been more than pleased with Nordwind's first ocean race experience.

"I have never sailed in such a strong wind," he says, referring to the second gale about a week ago that forced a close-hauled course to avoid 50-plus knots. "I didn't like keeping her on the nose because there was water pouring into my cabin through a poor seal on the skylight," he says. "But I was never worried about the boat." He says the composite construction, steel frames and 50mm mahogany planking has been strengthened with three extra layers of plank to prevent moisture from causing corrosion issues with the steel. They have not removed any of the original steel frames.

Albrecht, Nordwind's fifth owner, received all the original plans from the previous Italian owner. They were stored in the German Naval Archives and he now has them as PDF files, which he has been arranging during this race. The history of this boat has been the subject of myth, including notions that Hitler commissioned and sailed on the boat. Albrecht, however, is quite sure of the lineage.

"The German Navy in the late 1930s had two training sailing vessels, one on the Baltic and one on the North Sea," Albrecht says. "They were getting old and two new boats were commissioned, Ostwind for the Baltic and Nordwind for the North Sea. "There is no record of Hitler ever being on this boat," says Albrecht, who adds that the boat was never used as a personal craft but is akin to the US Naval academy training boats.

Admiral Donitz, commander in chief of the North Sea submarine fleet at the time, was rumoured to have been aboard Nordwind for her successful 1939 Fastnet Race. These boats were crewed by navy personnel, just like the Kaiser's Hamburg during the 1905 transatlantic race. Both Ostwind and Nordwind were available for use by the commanders and held Admiral's quarters, cabins with appropriate fine accommodations for such a high rank.

With around 600 miles to go in the 2005 race, Nordwind is showing her offshore strength that she has proven in the past. It seems as though Hans Albrecht's vision of her seaworthy, sleek hull being made for this race may just be spot on.

That's all for now. I hope this finds everyone well. You may be able to tell by my longer emails that typing is far easier than the one-handed, 45-degree heeling notes I was sending while waves broke over the doghouse at 2am and 40 knots rattling the ports. I was doing one-handed pushups to stay upright, who knew journalism could be a great physical workout!

The author's cabin The author's cabin is a tight squeeze and, when there is a change of watch, five crew members filter through, pressing against either a bunk or cabinet to let another pass through to the bathroom. This is interesting when a dripping deck watch rubs against a dry, newly awake crew.

On deck Though Nordwind's deck is flush, there are three raised hatches (the central one to the main saloon is shown left) and space for the more than 20 winches used for sail handling. An athwartships jack line just aft of the saloon hatch has served well in safely crossing the boat in big winds and low visibility. Deck prisms are slick as ice and most keep a mental tally when on deck at night to keep from wiping out with a misplaced step.

The galley The tight galley is cozy to say the least, at least you will not be thrown from your seat since you are wedged. From left is the author, Daniel Desierra and cook Anna Maria of South Africa. This was lunch on 6 June with freshly baked bread and focaccia, cheeses and prosciutto.