A special project in my yacht building career has been Lennuk. Since 2000, the sailboat has circumnavigated 3 times.
Some time in the 1990s, a few fellow Estonians came up with a bold idea to begin the new millennium with a trip around the world. Circumnavigation in the maritime life of open, democratic countries is nothing unheard of. But Estonia had recently regained independence after the Soviet occupation and the idea of carrying our flag around the world, the name of the project, made Estonians’ hearts beat faster.
You can read more about Lennuk’s original journey at Estonian Flag Around the World.
Named Lennuk after the Estonian national epic “Kalevipoeg,” the sailboat was completed in June 1999. Lennuk was based on Finngulf 44. GRP parts were produced in Finland and everything else on Saaremaa, Estonia.
You can find detailed information about the yacht at FINNGULF 44 Sailboat.
Lennuk now belongs to a family in Norway. It is in good condition and holding up great after 20 years of active sailing and several journeys around the globe.
Thank you to the Bråtveit family for sharing snapshots of their adventures with Lennuk!
Lennuk
My hands were swollen and my body aching, but my mind was focused as I was working the wheel hard to prepare the boat to surf the next wave. It was nighttime and the lights on the horizon marked the first land of our home country. The winds of the North Sea blew us into safe harbour in Norway after having sailed the world for almost 10 years. It was magical. The boat somehow felt and looked different in our own waters.
We bought Lennuk in Trinidad in 2008 from her previous owners who had been circumnavigating with friends from 2003. The couple had found her in Mallorca and the boat had made a mark. Of all the bluewater cruisers they had looked at, this was the one: strong, beautiful and well-prepared.
Lennuk, a Finngulf 44, was completed in Estonia in 1999 and she set out to be the first Estonian boat to complete a sail around the world. It has been a joy to read and learn about those adventures and we are proud of her past. She seems to trigger emotions with everyone that has in some way followed or taken part in her adventures.
She is now part of our family and we love her. Lennuk is harboured at Hovedøya in Oslo. We use her for family pleasure sailing in the Nordics. That is until we cannot stop her callings for larger Seas. Out on the ocean where she belongs. When that happens she will be on her fourth long journey home!
Kleng, Anne, Liva, Edgar and Miti Bråtveit
Owners of Lennuk aka La Familia
