Summer 2015 was quite normal – I did some flying, climbing, motorcycling as well as travelling in the Mediterranean area. However, when fall came, I started to feel a strong desire to attempt the project of nonstop singlehanded circumnavigation.
I started then to search for a suitable boat, a strong ocean ship which I can rely on. I saw such boat at Martinique. And not only saw, I took as well a couple of pictures of her, so much I liked her.
I told myself, that this would be a perfect boat for me. After having found and contacted the owner, I got detailed information and photos of the interior of the boat.
As I don’t speak French and my English is still not good enough, my friend Anetka helped me with the communication.
The owner agreed with the transaction and it seemed, that I will cross once more the Atlantic Ocean, this time on my own boat.
Yet, all changed when I found out that the boat is made of aluminum and not of steel. Unfortunately I haven’t noticed it at the beginning, here my inexperience appeared. And as I was convinced that an aluminum boat is not suitable for my project, I was forced to search somewhere else.
In the meanwhile, I got in contact with Petr Ondráček and informed him about my plan. I asked him as well for help with the whole project and hoped he won’t refuse. He didn’t and I was extremely lucky that Petr’s huge experience will make the realization of the project much easier.
I was still searching for my dream boat. I was collecting information about steel yachts, about their advantages and disadvantages and read through the experiences of their owners in the whole world. I started to realize as well that find such boat in a good shape and for reasonable amount will be very hard, if even possible.
I went progressively through all web pages with yacht offer, but I still couldn’t find the right one. For some time I was as well thinking about building a new steel boat from scratch.
Another option was to use a laminated boat and strengthen and reinforce her. A construction of a new boat seemed to be too complicated time and money wise and modification of a laminated boat would be too risky.
Then, one morning good luck led me to the web page www.theyachtmarket.com, where I incredulously found pictures and description of an amazing boat, parked close to Liverpool, UK.
The best description of this moment would be: love at first sight.
The description of the boat and her conditions corresponded exactly to what I was looking for. The boat was in an early stage of reconstruction, she spent 10 years on water before being for 25 years hibernated in a hall.
The price was more than convenient and as I planned anyways to rebuild her completely, this was a dream offer for me. I wrote immediately to the broker, who supervised the transaction.
It was still Anetka who helped with the communication in English. Her language knowledge, independence and organizational skills facilitated the negotiations. So Anetka became, after Petr Ondráček the third member of the team.
I learnt later that the broker posted the announcement only the evening before, so I was probably the first person who saw it and reacted.
The boat was then available and I couldn’t wait before I see her. In a couple of days, in the end of March, myself and Anetka hit the road. The visit at the place was even more promising than I expected. The boat had 2 owners – Derick Sinclair and Andrew Harrison.
Derick was that one who showed us the boat. When I told him for which purpose I want to buy her, his eyes shined and everything became much easier. Since that moment our communication moved to much more personal level.
Derick told us that such a cruise has been dream of his life that he cannot accomplish anymore due to his age. The boat’s name was MISCIN (according to Derick first letters of the first owner’s children). Derick and Andrew were therefore second owners of the boat (see Description and history of the boat).
Derick wanted to follow up the preparation of the project and the cruise itself and I was more than happy to promise this to him. Later on we agreed on the transaction.
During our discussion, myself and Aneta discovered that the two above mentioned men are among the British seafarers well known personalities. Derick Sinclair is an engineer who invented some very useful gadgets. He owned or still owns rights to many boat improvements like system of winding of the main sail in the mast or the conception of inflatable life jackets as we know them today.
Together with Andrew, they still invent and implement their ideas and inventions. Even the boat I bought from them had to contain one of their gadgets.
However, Andrew’s health issues delayed the implementation and the whole project in the end lost the state subventions. Both gentlemen have their own boat, so it was decided that MISCIN will be for sale. After our return to Prague, the preparations for transportation of MISCIN to the Czech Republic started.
See the photos
