He walked alone thousands of miles across the vast ocean, circumnavigated the entire globe and experienced many amazing moments. His name is familiar to every adventurer who has linked his destiny with the sea.
The teenage years of the future traveler
Victor was born in 1948, in the small resort village of Lazarevskoye, which is currently one of the districts of the city of Sochi. The boy was the eldest son in the family and helped his parents raise two younger brothers. Victor's father, Arkady Semenovich, was an ordinary carpenter. It was he who instilled in his eldest son a love of carpentry and woodworking. His mother worked as a school teacher - from her the boy inherited perseverance and strength of character.
The future yachtsman dreamed about the sea all his adult life. He was engrossed in Jack London and believed that someday he would definitely go to the distant past, about which books would be written. A few days before the boy’s 14th birthday, his father died at sea, going out with a friend on a small boat. A strong storm began, and they were unable to return to shore. That day, Victor clearly realized that he would definitely connect his life with the sea and be able to defeat the rebellious elements.
After school, the guy entered the naval school, then his middle brother Anatoly was accepted there. The youngest, Slavik, trained as a design engineer. This plan was deliberately developed by the brothers so that everyone could design, build and master yachts together.
On the way to a dream
Under Lazarevskaya, it functioned, which became a real second home for all the Yazykov brothers. It was here that their first one took place, here they learned how to skillfully handle sails, build boats, yachts and dinghies.
After serving in the army, Victor went to the Far East to engage in fishing. This work gave him tremendous experience, hardening and allowed him to really assess his own capabilities. Yazykov and his team traveled across the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk, and visited Japan. A job that brought in a solid income was still not what Victor had dreamed of all his life. He was drawn to his native shores of the warm Black Sea.
Having given up fishing, Yazykov devoted all his time to building ships. In 1986, he had to interrupt this activity due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant - he became one of its liquidators. He returns to his favorite activity after receiving a hefty dose of radiation. From 1988 to 1990, Victor builds the yacht Phasis and takes part in the Whitbread race, during which one of the crew members dies. Then Yazykov trains for several months in England, adopts new technologies for building and repairing yachts there, and also establishes close relationships with the best designers.
In 1990, Yazykov completed the construction of the Laguna yacht, his brainchild, with which 2 years later he took part in the Transatlantic race along the route from Great Britain to America.
Transatlantic race
87 daredevils took part in the event, starting from Plymouth in June 1992. For the first time, the Russian flag flew among the pennants of other individuals who decided on this adventure. Yazykov wrote in the ship's log that he was finally able to fulfill his long-term dream.
The yacht "Laguna" had a good start and sailed quite quickly for a long time, but after 25 days the ship fell into a prolonged calm. The long-awaited wind did not help to overcome the remaining distance, as the yachtsman made an unfortunate mistake and got lost. As a result, Laguna managed to enter the port on the 27th day of the race, receiving 4th place in its class and 37th place in the overall standings. Despite the failure, he did not lose his attractiveness for the experienced sailor Viktor Yazykov.
Participation in other races
After finishing in America, Yazykov decided to earn some money for the trip home, but very quickly changed his plans and decided to start a joint project with American Bob Adams. The yachtsmen planned to build a new yacht to participate in the Around Alone race, which was to take place from 1994 to 1995. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to take part in the competition during this period, so we began to prepare for the next one - from 1998 to 1999.
The yachtsmen faced many obstacles during preparation, and as a result, 3 days before the start, Bob canceled his participation. Yazykov himself was late for the start, however, despite this, he went into the race and became the owner of many titles awarded to him based on the results of the race: “Yachtsman of the Month” from the professional magazine “Seahorse”, “Yachtsman of the Year” from the All-Russian Sailing Federation, “Man of the Year" from the Russian Biographical Institute.
In 2000, Viktor Yazykov, on his yacht “Wind of Change”, came second to the finish line at the Transatlantic Single Race. He then goes on to build several more yachts, making each new vessel even more advanced than the previous one.
The end of an era of racing
Despite the fact that he occupied a special place in the life of the yachtsman, he decides to completely abandon participation in racing and devote himself to another activity. Yazykov creates his famous yacht “Daughter of the Winds” and sets off on a test voyage in his native Black Sea.
In 2008, Viktor Yazykov, together with the crew, passes through this ship. In 2009, on the same yacht, he set off on his next solo trip from Charleston () to Southampton (UK). “The Daughter of the Wind” turned out to be the ideal vessel that the yachtsman had been missing for many years.
Currently, Viktor Yazykov continues to do what he loves. Throughout his yachting career, he crossed the Pacific Ocean 3 times, 10 times, and circumnavigated the globe alone twice. He is also known as a man who performed a unique operation on himself on the high seas: during one of the races, Yazykov had to remove a huge tumor on his arm. This man became a real legend during his lifetime.
(1948-10-29 ) (64 years old)Yazykov Arkady Semenovich
Yazykova Nina Ivanovna
Yazykova Lyudmila Vasilievna
Yazykov, Viktor Arkadevich(October 29, Lazarevskoye village, Krasnodar Territory - Russian, Soviet yachtsman, traveler, designer and creator of yachts, participant in many competitions, regattas and round-the-world races, crossed the Atlantic Ocean 8 times and the Pacific 5 times.
Biography
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| Photo by Viktor Yazykov on the website www.putnikost.gorod.tomsk.ru | |
Birth, early years
Viktor Yazykov was born in the village of Lazarevskoye, near Sochi.
At the age of 13, he was left without a father, dropped out of school and went to work at a local shipyard as an apprentice. The idea to dedicate my life to the sea was born early, in 1962. There was a yacht club at the Lazarevskaya shipyard. It was here that he first mastered the skills of handling sails. It must be said that both father, mother, and younger brother Stanislav worked at the Lazarevskaya shipyard. Yazykov himself built his first dinghy in the courtyard of his house. Then he built the catamaran "Hummingbird" - as expected, according to the drawings.
Military service. He served in the Airborne Forces and was demobilized as a sergeant major in a company of paratroopers.
After the army in 1970, he entered the Far Eastern Naval School, navigating department. He studied on the same course with the future captains of modern large-capacity sailing ships “Pallada” and “Sedov” Yuri Arsentyev and Nikolai Zorchenko, as well as with Pyotr Sosedov, who later became a famous TV director. Since 1974, he worked on the ships of the USSR MRH.
Yachtsman career
A typical fragment of a sailing regatta
Achievements, races, projects
A unique surgical operation on the high seas
Oddly enough, Yazykov’s worldwide fame was brought not by victories in regattas and races, but by a unique medical operation that he performed on himself on the high seas.
During a long race, Victor injured his arm; abrasions on his right elbow led to a huge, yellow-purple tumor, the pain of which prevented him from doing anything. The racer was separated from the nearest port by many hundreds of miles. Contacted the race committee. From there they organized a consultation with retired US Navy doctor Daniel Carlin. The operation took a painfully long time, and there was no way to stop the bleeding. I applied tourniquets, then cut them... I warmed my hand for several hours. I fortified myself with red wine and chocolate and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up 8 hours later, it became easier... Meanwhile, on autopilot, Yazykov’s yacht showed the best speed of the entire race and covered 239 miles.
Basic principles of life
Investing himself in a business to the maximum - no matter what he does - only then can he get the maximum in return. After such difficult lessons, you come to the understanding that there is no other way in life - this is a law that cannot be broken. And whoever violates it greatly regrets it.
Notes
Categories:
- Personalities in alphabetical order
- Born on October 29
- Born in 1948
- Yachtsmen of Russia
- Sailors of Russia
- Travelers of Russia
- Participants of round-the-world trips
- Persons:Primorsky Krai
- Travelers of the USSR
- Graduates of the Far Eastern Naval School
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Viktor Yazykov was born on October 29, 1948. Lazarevskoye - his birthplace - was then called a resort village, and now it is a district of the city of Sochi. He was the eldest in the family, then two more brothers were born - me (Anatoly) and the youngest, Stanislav.
Father Arkady Semenovich is a cheerful man, an excellent carpenter and carpenter. From him, Vitya inherited a love of wood and masterly skill as a skipper (with both hands, by the way). Mother Nina Ivanovna is a teacher by training. He is a kind person, but quite strict, domineering and stubborn. Viktor Yazykov inherited his strength of character from her.
They each raised us in their own way, unpretentiously. From time to time, my father would give me a slap on the head for pranks; less often, for very serious offenses, I would get a belt. From the mother - “notations” are a rather frequent, long and unpleasant procedure. The main upbringing is, of course, daily household chores and housework. Since our early childhood coincided with the construction of a house, there was plenty of work. And work in the garden and vegetable garden brought the necessary variety.
Victor has dreamed about the sea since I can remember. His favorite books are about the sea, his favorite writer is Jack London, his favorite animal is the wolf. No, of course, his character is not wolfish, and he does not look like the “sea wolf” - the character of his favorite writer, but he can easily compete with him in strength of character.
“The idea to dedicate my life to the sea was born early, in 1962. I remember that day exactly - a few days before my fourteenth birthday, my father died... We had a small boat on the shore - a tike. My father and I often went to sea on it. One day my father and a friend went fishing. It was autumn, and strong storms often came... The comrade was found a few days later on the shore, the boat was also thrown out by the waves, but the father was never found. I turned out to be the eldest in the family - two brothers, just kids. I had to quit school (I finished my studies later in the evening) and go to work at our shipyard as an apprentice. Then a clear, conscious dream appeared of being in the ocean under sail, going on a circumnavigation. When I saw the yachts at the shipyard, a plan was born in my head. Sailor. You need to get a navigator's education. I figured that it would be a good idea for my middle brother Tolya to become a sailor, too, and that the youngest brother, Slavik, should become a design engineer so that he could then design and build a yacht. Life worked out according to that long-standing plan - all the boats were made together. Slava is still in charge of the construction; not a single unit is assembled without his knowledge. The middle one, Anatoly, also invested a lot of effort and money in the first “Lagoon”, and then in “Wind of Change.”
There was a yacht club at the Lazarevskaya shipyard. It was here that he first mastered the skills of handling sails. It must be said that both father, mother, and younger brother Stanislav worked at the Lazarevskaya shipyard. A kind of second home. Vitya built boats here and learned to build dinghies and yachts. Then, in the courtyard of the house, I built my first dinghy. Then he built the catamaran “Hummingbird” - as expected, according to the drawings. Then this catamaran rotted on the roof of the border post house, where it was placed for unauthorized access to the sea.
Far East
“After nautical school - to the Far East, to become a fisherman. Work in the northern seas is real, masculine. Colossal hardening, there are no weak ones - either this is your element, or go back! As a fisherman, I earned 2-3 thousand a month, with the average salary in the country being 120 rubles! He started as a second mate, but on the next voyage he went first, then as first mate, and then he upped and went to the yacht club for 100 rubles. None of the fishermen just left - it was a very criminal job, but I wanted work for the soul, for myself, and not for the sake of papers! We walked along the Sea of Okhotsk, to the Pacific Ocean, to Japan, and got stuck in the ice a couple of times. But I was drawn to my homeland, to the Black Sea.”
In 1979, being the head of the yacht club of the Nakhodka merchant marine fleet, V. Yazykov brought a yacht to Japan for the first time in the history of the Soviet Union.
In the Far East, he found a family for himself, and we found new relatives - his wife Lyudmila and son Alyoshka. When Victor's mother became seriously ill, they moved to the Krasnodar region, where Yazykov began building his first ocean-going yacht.
Yacht “Lagoon British Friendly”
The construction of the yacht continued intermittently for about six years. In 1986 Victor was called to liquidate the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. He left for six months, and returned, “taking a dose of radiation” after three. For six months, Yazykov was recovering and could not really do anything. A great success in working to get rid of radiation was green tea, brought from Georgia, lying around as a gift from relatives.
In 1988-90 Viktor Arkadyevich takes a break to participate in the construction of a yacht “Fasisi” and in
Ocean
At one fine moment, I simply realized that the Earth is the mother who gave birth to us, and, naturally, she is simply higher than us in terms of organization. A sailing yacht combines these two higher substances - the world ocean and the ocean of air, connecting them in a natural way. It turns out that the yacht is a perpetual motion machine in some sense, because wind energy is inexhaustible. That is, you push off from the firmament, from the body, and begin a journey in the space of the soul with the help of the power of the spirit...
There are, of course, a lot of nuances when we talk about a person in the ocean. We all originally came out of the ocean - this is our ancestor. But people say this, sometimes without completely understanding what they are talking about. Because our parent, the ocean, cannot harm us. And the dangers that await us, as it seems to us, in the ocean - this is what was born in our sick consciousness. First, we need to completely eliminate the concept of danger, because danger does not exist except the one that we create for ourselves in our heads. If we consider what people call danger, then these are simply more or less complex situations in which one must act correctly and, of course, be prepared for them.
I would call a yacht an ideal instrument of knowledge. I think this is the most correct definition. An instrument that is created, of course, by every person, it cannot be bought, it cannot be received from someone as a gift - this is something into which you invest yourself. There is an amazing phrase, I have never seen anything like it before, by Joseph Conrad: “Everything can be found at sea, according to the spirit of your quest.” One word is “everything,” although a person cannot understand this. Many people have heard this phrase. But the main thing is to understand... For a person, the concept of “everything” is absent. I have known this phrase for a long time, and it delighted me, but it was this time that I realized how much a person can gain from the ocean.
How do people generally perceive the ocean? They don't see him. They consider the reflection of the sun's rays from the surface of the water to be the ocean. When you walk on the ocean, you eventually begin to understand something... Sasha Podvodny explained a lot to me. When I asked him why Underwater, he said: “Well, still under water...” There are fish there, including reefs, and everything else. You look, it’s quiet and smooth, you’re sliding along it, and suddenly - bang! - hit a reef or spotted a swordfish. Or you decide to take a swim, you dive - let’s not talk about sharks, the same “Portuguese man-of-war” jellyfish can create a very unpleasant situation. So look around carefully.
The yacht sometimes moves at a decent speed, up to ten knots. First you need to try to swim at a speed of two, three, four knots. The good end must be tied securely, you need to pull this rope, then put it on your hand - there is a loop there. For example, I used to just insert my hand into a loop, but now I make a loop out of this loop, tighten it on my wrist and hold on, that is, it turns out to be double insurance. Before you go down, of course you need to look around. Georgy Ivanovich (Gurdjieff. - Note ed.), he explained everything correctly: “You need to see yourself from the outside, remember yourself.”
Safety
When you do something, think about what you are doing. This rule is the basis of safety in general, and in the ocean too. What's the point? When you do the same thing every day, at first there is a feeling of danger, fear, and you do everything carefully, but gradually you get used to it and begin to think about God knows what while you are doing some serious thing.
You need to constantly practice being mindful of what you do. You can practice while doing anything. For example, I have a knife, very sharp, and I wipe it on my hand all the time. If I use it a little differently, I'll cut myself. In the same way, the more often you go overboard on this rope, the more likely it is that someday some kind of trouble will happen to you. This shouldn't happen. It is not right.
There is no danger, as I already said. As soon as a person utters the word “danger”, he automatically turns on the self-destruction program. The only thing to be afraid of is the feeling of fear. If you're not afraid, then it's okay. And if there is fear, then you should be afraid of it. I have for 44 days and 6 thousand miles (during a solo voyage on the Atlantic. - Note ed.) there was no feeling of fear, danger, or even anxiety and concern. This is certainly one of the most important achievements of swimming. This happened to me for the first time.
Fourth dimension
Of course, this state was formed earlier. The situation has been created over a long period of time. This is how your own world is created, I called it the fourth dimension. Of course, you put everything you dream about into your own world of the fourth dimension. That is, this is a world in which there is no fear, no danger, nothing unpleasant. You have created your own space in which nothing terrible can simply happen. If you are able to maintain this state, it can last as long as you like.
The process of creating a yacht was very difficult, but only when the voyage was coming to an end, I realized that my finish date coincided within a few hours with the finish in , which was 12 years ago. I realized that I had completed a 12-year cycle. It turned out exactly 12 years and 12 hours. It all started from the moment the round-the-world race ended. A lot happened during this time. Construction of the yacht began in the summer of 2003. And all that was done was preparation for swimming. The voyage lasted 44 days, preparation - 12 years. There were such a huge number of events and people who unselfishly took part in this project. Such things don't happen any other way. Of course, I do not take this result as my personal one.
I entered some new space and gained new knowledge. The knowledge that people - each person - lives in their own world. In any situation, he lives in his own world, which he creates through his own efforts, and there cannot be another. No more, no less. And it depends only on him what his world looks like. If, say, you don’t like a certain person, then it’s no one’s fault that you’re such a lousy artist. The way you drew him is how he appears to you. Draw again.
In order to receive everything, you need to give everything. In principle, no one person can give everything, but they can come close to it. Invest yourself to the maximum for a long time, without thinking about anything, despite all fears, fears, efforts... Even a small business is associated with risk. With the risk that nothing will come of it. And is it worth investing in? If you are able to fully invest, you will receive much more than you gave. You get qualitatively different states. A person has only his condition.
Where did it come from, the fourth dimension, the whole situation in general? This is a long-forgotten past... Since childhood, I had a desire to create a similar yacht. It all started with the oars at the age of 10-12, calluses were in all the places where they should be. When I was 16 years old, I read a book about a Canadian captain, about a man who built a yacht and sailed around the world on it alone. His yacht could go with a fixed rudder. In the entire history - and more than a hundred years have passed - not a single similar yacht has been created, with the exception of our “Winds of Change” and. When you go sailing, it’s such a miracle! It turns out that you can move along the surface of the ocean or sea and not push with all your might, leaning on the oars, getting calluses. Just great! I was incredibly lucky in this regard. And, of course, the ability not to steer is very important. For me this has already become a reality. Steering the yacht requires almost no effort.
It’s interesting to look at the water astern - it’s an incomparable spectacle, it’s relaxing. Let's say, if there is something bad, then it is all taken away. And when you want to get something, you need to look at the oncoming wave. When the breeze is still oncoming, you simultaneously feel like water running towards you. These are some interesting things.
What is the meaning of the fourth dimension? How to feel it? The main thing is a situation in which you are minimally busy with anything. This works because the yacht sails itself, you don’t have to do anything. You need to think everything through very seriously in advance so that there is nothing to worry about at all. That is, you create the situation in advance.
A person always lives in the world that he himself created; it cannot be any other way. When a person is in trouble, he blames anyone and does not understand that he himself simulated the situation. But in this case, you consciously and purposefully create a world of a certain quality. That is, there is finally an opportunity to create a world in which you will not encounter troubles.
The parameters are as follows: it should not be cold, there should not be a strong wind, there should not be a lot of work, and so on. That is, in this voyage specific parameters were set for the fourth dimension. Of course, the concept of the “fourth dimension” appears only when you find yourself in it. Already being in it, you begin to understand what it is. It is very important to stay there and not fall out.
At the same time, they give you some signs. There was one sign - the ship appeared. There was nothing before this. Then an even more severe sign - a dove flew in. It was not far from the Cape Verde Islands, there is a sport there - they fly carrier pigeons. I thought he would fly away. But no, I was on the yacht for 11 days. This was a serious warning: he greatly disturbed my situation, since it was necessary to feed him and do something with him. In the end, I thought that he would be with me until the end, and I took it for granted. It was also an interesting practice. When the breeze intensified, spray began to fly in from the side, and the dove began to be overwhelmed by a wave. He got up, flew, flew back, and the wave hit him again. Eventually the bird flew away. It’s a long way from the shore, but it seems that the pigeon met some kind of ship and stayed on it. We can talk a lot about this, because nothing happens by chance.
Yacht
Most people create a kind of world, but it exists rather in the space of consciousness. And the yacht is the situation of the materialized created world. The quality of the space created is of course of great importance. Since we are talking about a yacht, this yacht was deliberately created with certain characteristics so that it would sail itself.
We have created technology for gaining power in the ocean. And, probably, there are people who can take advantage of this matter and use it to their advantage. On the other hand, we used all the experience accumulated by mankind in the field of creating yachts, design, materials science, technology, including the experience of this man... Well, plus, of course, Gurdjieff, his “Fourth Way”, Tao Te Ching, I Ching and everything else that we managed to learn from wisdom. They are also part of a big, life-long work.
Awareness appeared when I first started talking to the waves... The wind is not scary: I removed the sails, and that’s it. And waves often create very serious situations. Well, this was also the beginning of a new practice. A thought that sounds very simple: this time everything will be different. Sergei Resin once told me a key phrase: “Try not to do anything that you don’t have to do.” He didn't explain anything, but I understood. This practice began to work for the first time. In the wake of previous experience, you realize two main things: first, the attitude that this time everything will be different, everything will be fine, and second, you must try to be as busy as possible, then you are free to perceive. Otherwise, you perceive a very small amount of information or do not perceive it at all. This was the first voyage in a new capacity.
Back to the waves. I started talking to them. When you perceive the waves as something dear and close, then they will not harm you. I once mentioned that waves are like huge wild animals. So you start persuading them, promising them something, stroking them somewhere behind the ear, like a big dog.
There is an idea about the spirits of the elements, the spirits of the area. They certainly exist. When an understanding of this appears, then everything begins to happen correctly. For example, there is a tradition of opening a bottle of wine before dinner and first pouring some wine overboard as a greeting. We have our own toast that works. It is important to understand that there are things that you are practically unaware of, but they exist, and they should always be taken into account and treated favorably. In the same way, when you are hanging on a rope behind a yacht, before you fall into the water, you must make some wishes and requests so that everything ends well. That is, you need to create a ritual. The ritual you follow is much more about your safety than a life raft. For some reason I did not attach importance to this very important point. The creation of the fourth dimension is largely related to the yacht. If we consider a yacht as a living creature, then why take a raft with you? In the hope that if something happens to the yacht, you will survive? This is not decent, not ethical. The yacht feels it too, understands it. Most people don't do anything: insurance, life jackets, rafts, not realizing at all that they often cause more harm than good with these things. The main thing to remember is that a yacht is a living creature, and taking care of it and thinking about it are the basis for ensuring safety. And not only safety, but, what is much more important, the creation of the fourth dimension, the creation of your space, your world.
In contact with
About five years ago, in the resort village of Lazarevskoye on the Black Sea coast, a fire burned in the garden of Viktor Yazykov’s house. The fire was needed for the barbecue, and the barbecue was for the guests. There were two guests: the author of these lines and Kevin Dibley, a yacht designer from New Zealand. While waiting for the barbecue, a discussion arose: who goes to sea on yachts and why. Opinions were divided.
After about an hour, Kevin perked up: “Listen, guys, what I’m hearing here should be put on paper. There are thousands of books about yachting in English, but in none of them did I find what you are talking about. All this is terribly interesting! Maybe there’s something in Russian?” This is how the idea of the book “Philosophy of Yachting” was born. However, the book is still far from being completed, but Viktor Yazykov defends his point of view in the most convincing way - soon they will go to sea again.
Actually, in September 2010, Victor set off on a solo voyage around the world, but we have to write in the plural, since “they” are leaving together - Victor and his yacht “Daughter of the Wind.” Yazykov always brings life to his yachts, because he builds boats himself, with his own hands and according to his own understanding. He built a lot of them over half a century, and right now one of his most interesting experiments is beginning in the “Man and Ocean” coordinate system.
Personally, I am proud that there is a person in Russia who has the right to say: “I built one of the best yachts in the world, which showed the highest performance in the single-handed round-the-world race.” At one time, Viktor Yazykov not only created the unique yacht “Wind of Change,” but also single-handedly sailed all stages of the route on it in nine months, taking fourth place in its class. A year later, “Wind of Change” started in the single race across the Atlantic, and this time Victor came second.
However, here we are not talking about Yazykov’s sporting achievements, of which there are plenty, and not even about himself, but about his original approach to creating yachts for “spiritual communication with the Ocean” - this is exactly how Victor himself defines this process. Those hundred thousand miles that he left behind the stern make him respect his opinion. Even for people experienced in yachting, many of Yazykov’s ideas seem like a revelation, despite the fact that he presents them in dry technical language and without much emotion.
If we ignore the technical details and focus on philosophy, then Victor’s basic idea is the following postulate: a yacht is a spiritual creation. The idea is not new: the British, for example, can call a dog or a cat in the neuter gender - it, but a yacht - always she, she. According to Yazykov, the most difficult task for the “king of nature” is to understand that a sailing yacht is a living creature.
And since a “living creature” must be able to move independently, then, starting with “Wind of Change,” Viktor Yazykov builds his yachts without an autopilot. Thanks to the ability to independently sail with a fixed rudder at a given angle to the wind, both head and tail, Victor’s boats give him the freedom to do his own thing, while the yacht itself moves in a given direction. Yazykov claims that his new yacht “Daughter of the Wind” sails independently with almost the same efficiency as if he were steering it.
From a philosophical point of view, the behavior of Viktor Yazykov confirms the law of unity and struggle of opposites. On the one hand, his yachts are becoming increasingly simpler in terms of technical equipment. On the “Daughter of the Wind,” completed in 2007 and then thoroughly tested (there are already over 15,000 miles and two transatlantic crossings behind its stern), Yazykov abandoned not only the autopilot, but also the auxiliary engine with an electric generator, and therefore there was no longer a need and in the fuel tank. On the other hand, the design of the yacht is so extraordinary and combines so many different materials that it requires detailed explanations.
The body of the “Daughter of the Wind” is a sandwich created by vacuum molding using domestic epoxy adhesives. Between rigid carbon fiber and two layers of chestnut veneer there is a light balsa filler. Chestnut wood is light, durable, resistant to rotting, with low coefficients of shrinkage and swelling, has good adhesion to adhesives, making it one of the best for shipbuilding.
And most importantly, the high modulus of elasticity of chestnut is practically no different from the modulus of elasticity of the carbon fiber used on, and this feature allows, by combining the most traditional material - wood and the best of modern ones - carbon fiber, to create durable structures with high strength. In addition, wood and carbon fiber do not accumulate fatigue loads, unlike most other modern materials. The carbon-fiber free-standing rotating mast “wing” significantly reduces air resistance, simplifies the design of the sailing rig and increases its reliability, and also makes it easier to control the yacht.
The aft location of the keel and the centerboard in the mast area allow you to change the position of the center of lateral resistance while moving, thereby creating an ideal balance of forces and the yacht sails at a given angle to the wind, with the rudder fixed independently. Undoubtedly, modern trends in the development of yacht technology and methods of building yachts according to Yazykov’s principles are moving in diametrically opposite directions. Modern yachts are crammed with electronics, and it would seem that what could be simpler than pointing a finger at a computer screen?
But what to do when this equipment fails? The paradox of modern life is that people have come up with the idea of poisoning the world around them with chemicals in order to gain the opportunity to buy “clean products” in expensive stores. But nature created them this way. As for yachts, Viktor Yazykov is probably one of the first yachtsmen to successfully solve the problem of creating an “environmentally friendly yacht.” And just like organic fruits and vegetables, which are not available to everyone, Yazykov’s yachts should be recognized as an “exclusive product.” It’s just a pity that there is no such store in the world where you can buy it for money.
We must pay tribute to Victor - he does not keep secret the accumulated experience over the years in creating his yachts “from the future.” From a practical point of view, all this results in the idea of creating an “ideal yacht” - an animate creature born for free, non-stop movement using the inexhaustible forces of nature. It is precisely these lofty goals that are embedded in the project to create a seven-meter yacht of the third generation, which Victor Yazykov conceived as a tool for understanding the foundations of the universe.
Such a project cannot do without Yazykov’s bold design solutions and unique technologies, many of which I would venture to call genius. This is exactly the kind of yacht Victor is going to build when he returns from a trip around the world, where he will have time to calmly think through all the details. By and large, by creating such a yacht, Victor provides those who strive for self-improvement with a rare chance to optimally approach unity with nature, without causing the slightest damage to it. And of course, the joy of soaring under sails that unite the World Ocean with the ocean of air.
So far, only Viktor Yazykov has had the enviable opportunity to retire with the wisdom of Nature, away from the bustle of people. He will have to travel thousands of miles along the route: Southampton - Cape of Good Hope - Cape Lwin (Australia) - Cape Horn - Southampton. In order to remain silent alone with the Ocean, Victor turns off the radio, and we will be able to monitor his movement only thanks to the radio beacon installed on the yacht.
