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How a-BOAT this! Sailor looking to fulfil boyhood dream by becoming first Pole to circumnavigate globe solo in boat he built in his garage

Starting in October 2021 from the coastal city of Gdynia, Marcin Klimczak intends to complete his epic round journey in 280-300 days, or the equivalent of 10 months, in his 9-metre-long boat made of wood.
samdookolaswiata/Facebook

A sailor from Łowicz is looking to become the first Pole to sail solo around the world on a manmade boat that he is building in his garage.

Starting in October 2021 from the coastal city of Gdynia, Marcin Klimczak intends to complete his epic round journey in 280-300 days, or the equivalent of 10 months.

Spending the last two years and 700 man hours on building his yacht ‘Libra’, the 9-meter-long boat is made from wood and comprises a pine wood skeleton, sheets of plywood which will stiffen the hull and a laminate coating which will create a waterproof isolation.samdookolaswiata/Facebook

Spending the entire time at sea without stopping at any port, and his only contact with people being via satellite phone, Klimczak’s route will take him to the southern tip of Africa, and then around the Cape of Good Hope, through the Indian Ocean, south of Australia and New Zealand.

He then plans to go across the Atlantic, Danish and Baltic straits before returning to Gdynia or Gdańsk.

In so doing, Klimczak is hoping to emulate the route taken by Polish captain Henryk Jaskuła who in 1980 went down in history as the first Pole and only the third sailor in there world to have completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe without stopping at a single port.

samdookolaswiata/Facebook

Though suffering some delays due to the pandemic, Klimczak’s boat is now almost ready and his voyage is still anticipated to start in October or November with a test sail due to take place this month.samdookolaswiata/Facebook

Jaskuła completed his journey on his boat ‘Dar Przemyśla’ (Gift of Przemyśl) in 344 days from June 1979 to May 1980, starting at Gdynia, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, south of Australia and New Zealand, around the Cape of Horn and back to Gdynia, with 1,000s of people greeting him on his triumphant return.

Klimczak is also no stranger to solo sailing trips having previously singlehandedly crossed the Atlantic in 72 days in 2016/2017 and also on a homebuilt yacht, a so called ‘Model 100’, as part of the Setka Atlantic Challenge.

Klimczak’s route will take him to the southern tip of Africa, and then around the Cape of Good Hope, through the Indian Ocean, south of Australia and New Zealand. He then plans to go across the Atlantic, Danish and Baltic straits before returning to Gdynia or Gdańsk.samdookolaswiata/Facebook

But now he is determined to raise the stakes by making the journey in a boat he is building himself.

Spending the last two years and 700 man hours on building his yacht ‘Libra’, the 9-meter-long boat is made from wood and comprises a pine wood skeleton, sheets of plywood which will stiffen the hull and a laminate coating which will create a waterproof isolation.

To be eco-friendly and self-sufficient in energy, in the rear part of the hull, Klimczak has built a spoiler shaped additional sutructure which will be for the basis for the installation of masts for generating electricity, which will be powered by the wind and sunlight.

Klimczak is hoping to emulate the route taken by Polish captain Henryk Jaskuła who in 1980 went down in history as the first Pole and only the third sailor in there world to have completed a solo circumnavigation of the globe without stopping at a single port.Janusz Uklejewski/PAP

Though suffering some delays due to the pandemic, Klimczak’s boat is now almost ready and his voyage is still anticipated for a start date in October or November with a test sail due to take place this month.

Updating the journey’s followers on the Facebook page ‘Samdookolaswiata’, Klimczak’s team wrote: “Luckily, we can announce, that everything is back on track, or rather to calm waters and preparations are in full swing!

“Let’s keep our fingers crossed that a friendly wind will blow into Marcin’s sails.”

PORT PRZEMYŚL Stowarzyszenie/Facebook

Jaskuła completed his journey on his boat ‘Dar Przemyśla’ (Gift of Przemyśl) in 344 days from June 1979 to May 1980, starting at Gdynia, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, south of Australia and New Zealand, around the Cape of Horn and back to Gdynia, with 1,000s of people greeting him on his triumphant return.PORT PRZEMYŚL Stowarzyszenie/Facebook

It will be 41 years since anyone has successfully completed the journey undertaken by Henryk Jaskuła.

Attempts were made by Bartek Czarciński and Rafał Moszczyński, but the former had his yacht turned upside down and broke a mast during a storm on the Indian Ocean and the latter backed out after a fault in the steering over the North Atlantic.

Klimczak said: “I have been dreaming about a sailing trip around the world since childhood. That dream waited a long time to be realised, because its been half a century, but I hope I’ll make it.”samdookolaswiata/Facebook

Klimczak told Fakt: “It is not my ambition to conquer or outdo Jaskuła’s achievement. I have been dreaming about a sailing trip around the world since childhood.

“That dream waited a long time to be realised, because its been half a century, but I hope I’ll make it.”

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