July 2026  Crystal Clear

By Rael Dobkins

On the 26th of September 2025, at about 22:00 I kill the engine.  A long cliff lays to Starboard.  20 knots of fresh air pound us from the North, as we head out to the West.  A steep, close swell, annoyingly creeps up from behind kicking our buttocks, as it sends us flying away… a very dark and unknown night is unfolding as we exit the Turkish straights, heading into the Northern Aegean. Adrenaline was present for as long as I can remember.  It surely kept fear at bay, since we had never been out at night in a near gale, exiting highway 1

The Turkish Dardanelles are a congested piece of water.  Dominated by tankers and freight liners.  We were the only camper wagon afloat, on that night!  It was rocking and rolling, 3 knot currents and more, are normal here. The howling wind just added even more to the elements pushing us out.  It's in these uneven surfaces that multies shine, all of them!  They all glow in a very different way to monos, the sideways rolling is there yet I suppose, the wider base turns the motion into a more predictable and maybe restricted one? That difference makes it easier for us mortals, to quit slamming the deck, every time we fall on it.  In mono world, lifelines and harnesses are a must, due to displacement more than anything else.

What I'm saying is, a plank of wood would always move in an easier motion to a wallnut, if both got struck by a wave... one may roll, the other will surely surf. I stand up and raise 2 panels aloft with ease, just standing holding onto the mast. Waves that hit us broadsided, just went under and kept going their merry way.  Multihulls are cool, monos are not safer! But they surely are homier!! 15 years ago, we sailed a 22 foot mono from England to Bulgaria, how I miss her! Baby Mana had a head, a galley!  Even book shelves.  Essentials, like tools and gear, filled her hold, all your needs came aboard and there was always room for more. Crystal Clear,  on the other hand at 24' long, offers none of those.  Down below every inch is packed with gear and provisions , headroom is a whopping 1.2 meters!  Your bunk is just big enough for you and all the gear, stacked on both your sides... On deck, under way, in a blow... Spray is everywhere, getting soaked is inevitable! We head out, into darkness. Deeply reefed, 2 very different hulls yet both share the same waterline.  

The Fijians made the Drua for long voyages, commonly out of the trade winds. These craft were equipped with the longest outriggers, making the Drua the most logical form of outrigger canoe, for offshore cruising… "Crystal Clear" is just that. She's a Balkan Style Fijian Drua, she's extremely hard to live with, yet she's extremely fun to sail on!  The further we head out the fresher it blows. As Turkey slowly fades away, we're cruising at 10 Knots, surfing at 15! That night over 60 Miles flew astern in under 6 hours. The last leg of our 200 Mile direct flight, from Istanbul to Limnos, was under perfect control. The 3 of us slept through most of it.

I had been dozing on the wheel most of the trip. We weighed anchor at 21:00 last night and crossed the sea of Marmara, 25 hours later we're surfing down steep walls at exhilarating speeds.  Jenia lies on deck at mid ship, our inflatable bracing her to the left, the anchor box, her back-rest. The three make for a very tight package which didn't budge, no matter how fast we surfed.  It was a long run.  My hand, glued to the helm! My eye-lids, 2 tons heavy. My oil skins, holding in gallons of water.  We're soaked to the bone!  Ahead, big ships steam away.

Suddenly they vanish between huge trees, in a never ending forest. A huge fishing net appears above . It fades away, each knot turns into a star, in the never ending clear black sky. It's obvious, I'm hallucinating. The tiller is featherlight! Maybe, a slightly heavy feather. It truly does require more calories to pull on. We are flying very low, under the radar. Yet, Crystal Clear responds precisely, to the finest shift of her rudders. Her hulls easily switch, between displacement and plaining mode.

As we drop bow down, flying directly into quantum leaps, time stops. I never imagined having such control, at 15 Knots! On a heavy cruiser,  If I chose to, I could even let waves go by, as I head up, just before the drop.  It was overwhelming, my body on auto pilot, my instincts take over. I ride waves how I wish, all night long.  Broaching??? None of that! As she planes, your wish is her command!  Growing up on a surfboard, then surfing countless waves on this girl.  At some point, on that night, it all just became second nature.

Keep junking, Balkan Shipyards.  The Force is Strong!

[Rael's youtube channel is at Rael Dobkins - YouTube   Ed.]

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