The Said yacht of Evgeny Gvozdyov on a boat show 2014

Among luxurious yachts displayed in the show there is one which attracts visitors for the very special reason. It is the legendary 3.7 m micro-yacht Said on which Russian seafarer Evgeny Gvozdev set sail for his second solo circumnavigation in 1999.

The tiny craft was built by Evgeny on a balcony adjoining his flat, lowered on ropes to a lorry and transported to the Caspian Sea. For the Russian retiree it was the only appropriate way to move towards his dream. In fact Gvozdev was offered a bigger yacht fully equipped for long cruise but the proposal forced him to sail from a foreign port flying a foreign flag and therefore was rejected. Gvozdev believed, yacht had to be made by Russian, start its voyage in Russia and come back home.

His first navigation around the world took place from 1992 to 1996 in a 5.5 metre yacht named Lena which was actually a pleasure boat. During the second cruise on the Said Gvozdev passed the unpredictable Strait of Magellan what made Said the smallest boat under sail which performed this passage safely.

The poorness of Evgeny’s crafts left other yachtsmen open-mouthed with astonishment. On Tahiti one of them asked the master persistently about how it was possible to sail around the world having neither GPS nor engine, no autopilot, no water distiller, no radio set, no solar battery. Evgeny just laughed in answer saying «no money, no women – no problem». Nevertheless, some problems had happened, - the seaman’s published letters and telegrams provides the reader with extremely fascinating stories.

This year the Moscow Boat Show opened in the day of 80s anniversary of Evgeny Gvozdev. Unfortunately, the navigator did not live till the jubilee. In September 2008 he started his third circumnavigation at the age of 74 and soon after was found dead on a beach in the south of Italy. Russian admirers of the yachtsman united to pay their tribute by delivering his famous yacht from Dagestan’s Makhachkala to Moscow for the exhibition. For the very short time volunteers from magazin «The Boats & Yachts» forum managed to arrange the delivery, printed leaflets and had some related materials published. The MBS curators placed at their disposal a stand (hall 13) where the Said found its temporal moorage, to the equal admiration of experienced sailors and regular visitors.

According to the participant.