2017 HIR3 Photography
Some of the best photos taken on board HIR 3 in 2017…
To be successful at sea we must keep things simple.
To be successful at sea we must keep things simple. – R.D. (PETE) CULLER
Shipyards are building bigger and bigger boats and equipment are getting more and more sophisticated and that’s great for comfortable cruising, but everything is becoming really expensive and complicated.
Although it’s nice to have electric pumps, hydraulic swimming platforms, push-button sail adjustment, electronics and cool gadgets, we must accept the fact that all these systems eventually stop working (usually at the worst possible moment). If you don’t have them on board, they won’t brake and you’ll be able to enjoy sailing, instead of fixing things. Nobody likes gadgets more than me, but I like simplicity on the boat better…. So, my philosophy is: KEEP IT SIMPLE!
We have been working on the boat for quite some time now, but there is still a lot of expensive equipment that we have to install. Friends and colleagues have been halping me and donating useful things which helped us a lot… THANK YOU ALL!
I decided to make an equipment list in google docs that will be updated constantly as we progress, so if by any chance, you have something useful for us… we would really appreciate it;)
Weather finally decided to cooperate and allowed us to move HIR from Poreč, so Andrej, Elvis and me bought food, drinks and started the engine… Finally we were on our way!
I decided not to experiment with the sails until we repair the mast, so we motored through the calm sea by the Istrian coast. It wasn’t very exciting, bit on the other hand we were really happy to be on our way, so we treated ourselves with good food and great Istrian wind we brought. In the evening, we had dinner that Andrej prepared the day earlier in the cockpit… We installed a headlamp on the tiller, so we would be able to see what we were eating and it turned out to be great!:)
Occasionally the alarm sounded because the engine started to overheat, so we decided to take it slow. It was really easy to navigate at night with very little traffic. We took 2-hour shifts, so we got to sleep a little… until early in the morning when I woke up, I noticed something strange… The engine was running, but we weren’t moving! I tried to go in reverse and it worked ok, but we just couldn’t go forward!? Anyway, it was only logical to go full speed astern! We were doing sometimes over 3 knots this way for 15 miles… until we reached the shipyard in Kraljevica… We felt really stupid, but it worked out fine in the end. We reached our destination!
Guys immediately took down the mast and I decided to take the boat out as well to repair the engine and to do the antifouling…
Our project ‘HIR 3 across 3 Oceans’ to sail around the World is a unique opportunity to test the best people, equipment and products in the extreme ocean conditions! We would really appreciate if You could forward our plan to everyone who you think might be interested in joining us as a sponsor/partner. THANK YOU!
Dear All,
Our project ‘HIR 3 across 3 Oceans’ to sail around the World is a unique opportunity to test the best people, equipment and products in the extreme ocean conditions! Everyone and everything that circumnavigates the globe and rounds the Cape Horn will be worth something:) We are filming a documentary about it, writing a book and all the media (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and internet) is already covering our story…
We would really appreciate if You could forward our plan to everyone who you think might be interested in joining us as a sponsor/partner. THANK YOU! Sasa.
Sails are an important and quite expensive part of a boat. When I bought HIR, I got one old mainsail, one completely new mainsail that has never even been used, one old spinnaker, storm jib, storm mainsail and a genoa that has been rolled around the forestay for years without UV protection cover.
Sails are an important and quite expensive part of a boat. When I bought HIR, I got one old mainsail, one completely new mainsail that has never even been used, one old spinnaker, storm jib, storm mainsail and a genoa that has been rolled around the forestay for years without UV protection cover. We took it down immediately and I have stored in in my basement in Zagreb and almost forgot about it.
Recently I decided to have a closer look, so I took the sail out and cleaned it a bit. T be honest, it doesn’t look great, but I decided to patch it up and use it for a while, since I really can’t afford a new one. I stored it in the forepeak for now and hopefully it will work well it light winds, since it’s 42m2… until we get a new and shiny one 🙂
My good friend Marko from Biograd recently got me a slightly used, great looking, big gennaker in a sock which I think will work great on HIR. I can’t wait to try t out!!! Thank’s Marko!!!
It’s the time of year when the boat has to go out of the water for spring preparations, so I organized everything and went to Vrsar with Elvis to do some serious work…
It’s the time of year when the boat has to go out of the water for spring preparations, so I organized everything and went to Vrsar with Elvis to do some serious work. The mariners from the marina towed the boat to the crane, they took the boat with a crane to a dry berth… and we immediately started working.
First, we put the tape on the waterline and sanded the hull, cleaned the prop shaft and the propeller, then we put three coats of antifouling, new sacrificial anodes, greased the seacocks, and polished the hull above the waterline… but we had more serious work to do now – it was finally the time to put back and install the engine!
My friend Zoran from Poreč and his cousin helped us a lot by borrowing us a car with a trailer, so we all went to find the village where the mechanic who did an overhaul of the engine lives. It was quite an adventure. When we got lost for the second time, we asked one lady on the street if she new Filip… and of course, she new where he lived:) The four of us lifted the engine, put it on the trailer and headed back to the marina. It was already 10pm when we got there and one concerned german boat owner started inquiring what we were doing, but Elvis managed to convince him that everything was ok.
The next day the service guys craned the boat back in the water and lowered the engine in place when in started raining. Luckily, my good friend Kruno was there again… He worked and worked, and worked… and managed to install the engine by 10pm… THANK YOU KRUNO!!
The morning after, we motored out of Vrsar harbor for the first time in ten years! What a feeling!!!
Share my dream of restoring legendary Croatian sailing yacht HIR 3 (Caprice) and taking her around the world! I’ve started a crowdfunding campaign on TravelStarter.com…
Share my dream of restoring legendary Croatian sailing yacht HIR 3 (Caprice) and taking her around the world! I’ve started a crowdfunding campaign on TravelStarter.com where you can find more information about the project. Everything goes trough safe and secure PayPal.
Please spread the world and feel free to participate with your donations. I have some awesome rewards for donors! 🙂 Check them out on TravelStarter.com
It has been a while since I’ve been in Vrsar on the boat and I have to admit that I don’t feel good about it. In the meantime, my friend Zoran from Poreč is constantly checking that everything is ok with the boat and occasionally pumps out the water from the bilges.
It has been a while since I’ve been in Vrsar on the boat and I have to admit that I don’t feel good about it. In the meantime, my friend Zoran from Poreč is constantly checking that everything is ok with the boat, sends me pictures and occasionally pumps out the water from the bilges, since it’s raining a lot and I still haven’t sealed the interior completely. It’s really nice to have friends who enjoy working on boats… so THANK YOU Zoran!!!
The time has come for me to pay the balance for the boat and finally sign the contract. I borrowed some money, so I can become a boat owner and now I hope that this is only the beginning of a beautiful friendship:)…
The time has come for me to pay the balance for the boat and finally sign the contract. I borrowed some money, so I can become a boat owner and now I hope that this is only the beginning of a beautiful friendship:)…
Voilier 'HIR 3' 