Five days after our departure from Kiel, we reached the Hamble River near Southampton the day before yesterday, as scheduled. Although: What does “as scheduled” really mean?

For the complete assignment, we had calculated exactly five days plus a return travel day. One day is usually already taken up by the Kiel Canal on this route—and that is exactly what happened. From Brunsbüttel, we then sailed across the North Sea for three days with favorable winds, offshore to Brighton. The next day, we completed the final leg to Hamble, where we were very warmly received by Scott Dawson from Nautor Swan Global Service.

We had the pleasure of accompanying a friendly Swiss owner, with whom we not only sailed and whom we coached, but with whom we also shared many laughs and enjoyed the passage. Essentially, it was a routine job for us.

But a few things were nevertheless special.

First of all: We regularly work with brand-new yachts, and that is always something special. Knowing that you are the first crew to sail a new boat, after months or even years of planning, work, and expectations have gone into this vessel, creates a certain sense of reverence.

With a new Swan, this applies even more. Swan has stood for quality, precision, and perfection in the world of yachts for decades. A new Swan therefore commands even more respect from me than a “typical” new production yacht. Of course, one could say: The Finns also put their trousers on one leg at a time. But they do it remarkably well.

After this passage, I can say: The quality of this yacht was truly impressive. And everything that still needed to be done or somehow refastened after the delivery was immediately noted upon arrival at the Swan base in Hamble and will be completed there. This is not only an excellent yacht, but also first-class service.

What else was special?

The most striking experience of the passage was a squall line that hit us completely without warning at night off the English coast, somewhat southeast of Eastbourne.

Without visible warning, without rain, without thunderstorms, the wind suddenly increased to over 60 knots and briefly put us in serious difficulty. I had just been off watch; my co-skipper Tim was alone on deck. I woke up because something was not right—and was on deck a few seconds later.

There, Tim was struggling to release the preventer, which I had secured to a bow cleat. The boat was pitching and rolling, making it extremely difficult for him to move forward safely.

I started the engine and tried to somehow keep the yacht head to wind, while the mainsail was flogging and we were repeatedly hit by gusts that felt as if someone had directed a giant bellows over a fire. Warm, almost hot air alternated with cooler air, then those hurricane-force gusts came again.

Eventually, we managed to furl the mainsail—shortly afterwards, the ordeal was over.

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. I had reviewed the weather forecasts beforehand. There had been nothing to see! And although the radio had been very active in the hours before, we had not received any gale warning.

After some research, I finally found a clue: In the Windy app, the English weather model showed a strong wind field under “Gusts” moving from the northern French coast northward toward the English coast. Apparently, the extreme heat of recent days in France had shifted northward in a kind of hot air bubble—without generating a classic thunderstorm over the cooler sea air.

I have quite a few miles in my wake and have been doing this job for many years. But one never stops learning. From this passage, I am therefore taking away a few things once again:

1. It never hurts to review multiple weather models—and to explicitly keep an eye on gust forecasts, among other things.
2. The preventer should, if possible, be led from the boom end to the bow or midship cleat and back to the cockpit. Only in this way can it be released immediately in the event of an unexpected occurrence, such as severe gusts, without having to go forward.
3. Tim was not wearing a life jacket at that moment. The jackets were within easy reach, but when something unforeseen happens, there may be no time left to put one on. That was precisely the case here.

In the end, everything turned out well. The Swan is safely in Hamble, the owner is satisfied, and we are richer by a few experiences.

Mission accomplished.