VASIL POPOV AND YACHT “MAGNOLIA”
The construction of the yacht began on 1 January 2000 in the apple orchard of Vasil Popov’s family. It was launched in the spring of 2005, and christening ceremony took place on 25 April. The yacht was given the name “Magnolia”, and Ralica Delcheva became the godmother.
The start of round-the-world voyage was in Varna on 5 November 2005. At the start of voyage in the crew were Vasil Popov, Ralitsa Delcheva, Diyan Savov, Bozhidar Papanchev, Kaloyan Simeonov, Diana Koleva. Four of them chose to stay in different ports along the way. Two continued from New Zealand – V. Popov and R. Delcheva.
Having crossed the Mediterranean, the „Magnolia” crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Barbados in 27 days. After a 9-month stay in Key West, Florida, she crossed Panama Canal and through French Polynesia, they docked in New Zealand for 6-month stay.
The sailing wasn’t competitive and records weren’t chased. According to V. Popov, that was a round–the-world adventure. It was filled with all the difficulties and experience of overcoming the vagaries of the sea. The crew chose only the route suitable for their experience and the climatic features and weather forecasts. Minor and more serious repairs accompanied them throughout the voyage and to finance and re-equip the yacht, the crew got to work in the port. They endured windless weather, squalls (stormy gusty wind) and overcame overkill (overturning of the yacht with keel up) in the Gulf of Mexico, encounter pirates in the Gulf of Aden. They shared that among the most exciting experiences were meeting with people and unknown nature. They returned in Bulgaria in June 2009.
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Key details of yacht “Magnolia”:
heel – reinforced cement
design – Colin Archer
length – 10,90 m
width – 3,90 m
draft – 1,85 m.
displacement – 12-14 t.
sail area – 70 sq. m.
auxiliary engine – “Perkins” D3900
wind autopilot
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“…sailing is a worthy challenge, a special type of culture and communication, a form of human freedom. And how would you know that there is a Bulgarian folk dance club in New Zealand?” Vasil Popov
