I was introduced to sailing by my father and uncle on the
river Odra in the Polish city of
Wroclaw.
To give you an idea how long ago it was, I will just say that water in
the river was so clean that one could actually drink it!
After sailing all sorts of dinghies, including Finn,
505, Hornet and Flying Dutchman on the river and later on the Great Mazurian
Lakes I finally decided that racing is not for me and settled on cruising.
Soon even the Great Lakes became to small (although the
lakes are one of the most beautiful and extensive waterways in Europe and
I will always cherish the memories of my numerous trips there).
The sea was calling. My introduction
to serious sailing came on board of
"Zawisza
Czarny". It was there and then, during a long, cold and stormy night
on the Baltic Sea, when I finally decided that to be really happy I need to
have my own ocean-going yacht somewhere in the warmer climates. Australia
and Sydney - the most beautiful
harbour in the world - was the obvious choice.
Ten years later, in January 1988, Australia was celebrating
its bicentenary. Among scores of visiting yachts and
tall
ships was "Panorama" on her maiden voyage, under the command of Capt.
Remigiusz Trzaska, from my home Yacht Club AZS Wroclaw.
I joined her crew for a short trip
to Lord Howe Island.
Work commitments forced me to fly back to Sydney from the island. Waiting
on Ned's Beach for a car to the airport, with tears in my eyes I was watching
"Panorama" slowly disappearing in the mist. I knew that the time has come:
I was ready to buy my own boat. In July that year she was finally mine.
Her name was Gwenn a Du .
It must be something about July, because 19 years later, in July
2007, I bought my second boat: Il Vento ('The Wind' in
Italian). In 2009 I've realised my dream of sailing my own yacht
around Australia.
Last modified: 2010-05-19 16:20, Ben Rodanski, Sydney, Australia