Evgeny Gvozdev. The Old Man and the Sea: Evgeny Gvozdev - a lone sailor Gvozdev the traveler

A well-known Russian traveler, 75-year-old Evgeny Gvozdev died, presumably on December 2, during a severe storm near Naples. This was officially reported to the relatives of the yachtsman by the Italian authorities. On December 2, his body was found on the presidential beach near Naples, and a few days later the Getan II yacht, on which Gvozdev made the third solo circumnavigation of his life, was found a few miles further on the beach of Amerigo Vespucci.

The body of a man with a long white beard, about 50 years old, with a deep wound on his head, was found on the presidential beach in the Castelporziano area (the country residence of the head of state is located there. - Note), the Italian newspaper Il Messagero reported on December 2. The body was discovered by the Italian carabinieri during a survey of the coast.

And on December 8, a few miles from the place of the first find, on the beach named after Amerigo Vespucci, a small yacht was found washed ashore with the inscription “Getan II” on board. On it, the carabinieri found many personal items, travel notes and a list of names written in Russian.

The deceased, who was found on the presidential beach, turned out to be the famous 75-year-old Russian traveler Yevgeny Gvozdev, who had already twice sailed around the globe alone, and in September 2008 from Novorossiysk set off on his third solo voyage around the world on the Getan II yacht.

The death of Gvozdev was reported on the forum of the Boats and Yachts magazine by a user with the nickname Davud, who since the beginning of December has been in touch with the Russian consulate in Rome and the Italian coast guard.

Apparently, events developed as follows: on November 29, during a storm off the coast of Naples, a 5-meter yacht capsized and broke the mast. After the repair, Gvozdev restored the seaworthiness of the yacht and announced this on the radio on December 1. Didn't send an SOS signal. But after that, the traveler did not get in touch anymore.

“For me, Gvozdev is the greatest and brightest Soviet/Russian yachtsman-traveler of the last 20 years. It is a symbol of the fact that a simple poor person, having retired (or earlier), can fulfill the dream of his life - to make a "round the world" - even with a minimum of money and without much yachting experience, but with a great desire, - a user writes on the yacht forum Vladimir. - Few people believed in the success of Gvozdev's first round-the-world trip, and he not only successfully completed it, but also made a second round-the-world trip. Throughout his life, he showed that if you really want and make every effort to achieve this, then you can make any dream come true.

And although I communicated with Gvozdev only by phone and via e-mail, he is so close in spirit to me that I perceive his departure as the loss of a close relative.

Evgeny Gvozdev can be safely called a legend of the Russian sailing. After retirement, a full member of the Geographical Society of the USSR crossed the Caspian in single and collective campaigns more than 50 times. On the yacht "Getan" (the first letters of the names of the traveler's family: Gvozdev Evgeny, wife Tatyana, son Alexander, daughter Natalya), he visited all the Soviet ports of the Caspian Sea, passing about 4 thousand miles.

On July 7, 1992, Evgeny Alexandrovich Gvozdev on the yacht Lena (only 5.5 meters long) from Makhachkala set off on his first solo circumnavigation. On August 5, 1995, Somali pirates attacked Gvozdev's yacht and almost killed the traveler. It was only by a miracle that he managed to escape. 13 days after the incident, practically without water and food, Gvozdev safely arrived at the port of Djibouti.

From May 1999 to August 2003, Evgeny Gvozdev made his second round-the-world voyage on a midget Said yacht, only 3.7 meters long, which he built on his own on the balcony of his Makhachkala apartment.

After Gvozdev's second round-the-world tour, the city administration of Makhachkala decided to build Russia's first monument in honor of the legendary yacht and its captain on the seaside Rhodope Boulevard. Now "Said" is temporarily located in the local history museum of the Makhachkala school-lyceum No. 39.

Evgeny Gvozdev set off on his last journey from Novorossiysk on September 19 on a specially built yacht Getan II.

The editors of the VZGLYAD newspaper express their condolences to the family and friends of the traveler.

What does it take to make a dream come true? Evgeny Gvozdev needed almost nothing to set off on his first circumnavigation at the age of 58. In retirement, he devoted himself to the ocean.

IN last years life of the famous traveler he was called grandfather. Yevgeny Gvozdev was born in Pinsk, Belarus, in 1934, lost his parents early, wandered around the USSR, served in the army, graduated from a sailor in Astrakhan, and after 35 years worked as a ship mechanic on fishing vessels. He retired and decided to sail around the world ... His dream came true, he went "around the ball" on a pleasure dinghy, which was specially allocated to him by a yacht company.

In Makhachkala, where Gvozdev lived for a long time, the yachtsman was recognized on the streets, asked to tell about distant countries. Grandfather did not refuse anyone, he gave lectures, but he was eager for another voyage. In the apartment, on the couch in front of the TV, he felt uneasy, he refused on principle to devote his pension to such an idle waste of life.

On the second round-the-world voyage on the Said yacht (see photo), Gvozdev went with 100 dollars in his pocket. In ports all over the world he was met with great honor. The yachtsman said that in the USA all the local media wrote about him - from children's to glossy magazines. The very image of a "half-crazy" Russian bearded man attracted attention to him. In Russia, little was written about Gvozdev, sparingly, as if reluctantly. This is partly due to the “opinion” that Gvozdev allegedly dishonors Russia by being “so poor”, that everything is given to him, although he does not ask for anything special. After all, he didn’t ask for 15 years, while he received permission to go abroad ...

Strange and criminal logic. It also makes us proud of Abramovich's largest yacht and ashamed of the Russian retired sailor who challenged the ocean.

Gvozdev was asked why the Said yacht was so small and he answered: “What a balcony, such a yacht.” When the material was published that Gvozdev was going on his second circumnavigation, a letter from Canada immediately arrived in the mail. The author of an article in an American magazine mixed up the photographs of Gvozdev's yachts and illustrated the material with a photograph of the Said yacht, which Gvozdev was building on his balcony at that time. He literally collected material almost from landfills. He received his pension of 3,000 rubles for 35 years of experience as a ship mechanic and built a yacht 3.7 meters long.

In a letter that came from across the ocean, a wealthy businessman offered Gvozdev his yacht for travel. With the only condition that the yachtsman starts from Canada under the Canadian flag. Gvozdev could not agree to this. It was important for him that the yacht was built in Russia, and sailed under the Russian flag. Yevgeny Alexandrovich did not succumb to temptation. He completed his yacht, lowered it from the balcony and went to the second circumnavigation.

Gvozdev and the Pirates

During the first round-the-world trip off the coast of Somalia, Gvozdev came across real pirates. The yacht was cleaned clean, even the glasses were taken away. As Gvozdev later admitted, he was not killed for three reasons. First, he had no weapons. Secondly, he strove to remain calm, even conducted an educational program for the pirates on the operation of the first-aid kit. Thirdly, according to Gvozdev, he survived because he was from Russia. According to Yevgeny Alexandrovich, the pirates did not allow themselves to shoot a Russian from Russian weapons. Of course, there is a healthy dose of irony in this assessment. They didn't shoot him, but they left him with nothing. They even took cotton pants of size 60.

Gvozdev, of course, went further. After the robbery, the extreme conditions became even more extreme. I had to eat and drink three times less than usual, the left half of the body began to go numb. But the old sailor came to the port, where kind people met, got out, cured of scurvy, helped with food and equipment. Then, in Djibouti, the captain of the French frigate "Jules Verne" asked a Russian sailor: "What did the Russian government and fleet do in response to the robbery of your yacht in Somalia?"

Gvozdev and the whale

During the first round-the-world voyage near Tahiti, Gvozdev's yacht was dangerously close to the whale, he lifted the boat and Lena even slid down the whale's side back into the water. The whale did not bother Evgeny Gvozdev anymore, but the emotions from the meeting almost forced the yachtsman in Australia to sell the yacht and return to Russia by plane. While the "grandfather" was going to Australia, he reconciled himself, survived this experience, and moved on. Gvozdev had a principle: if there was a desire and ability to work, the rest would follow. He had both in abundance.

Four rules

Evgeny Gvozdev was a practical, not a theoretician of navigation. He never taught anyone, he shared his experience. Here are four things a yachtsman thinks it takes to sail around the world. Note, not a word about money.

1. Preliminary training for gaining sportswear and psychological stability.

2. Continuation of psychological training already at sea: the yacht is sailing in a normal mode, and the captain plays emergency situations in his mind - a hole, a fire, a coup, a fall overboard - and "takes measures" to eliminate their consequences.

3. A special psychological comfort is created by the absence of obligations to sponsors in terms of the timing and range of the trip. That is, it is better if the captain is free from promises and decides to stop or continue the voyage.

4. Finally, the most important weapon in the fight against loneliness is being busy. The struggle for the survivability of the ship and ensuring its progress require so much strength that they do not leave time to concentrate and feel the fear of loneliness. That is, the old motto is in force: do business and go forward.

See you in the ocean

Nikolai Litau, the captain of the yacht "Apostol Andrei", recalled that before his third circumnavigation of the world, Evgeny Gvozdev said goodbye to yachtsmen like this: "See you in the ocean." According to the recollections of his friends, it was important for the sailor Gvozdev that his life was cut short at sea, he could not die in a city clinic.

The yachtsman died at the age of 75. His yacht was caught in a severe storm near Gibraltar. In one of the interviews, Evgeny Alexandrovich spoke about Gibraltar, arguing that it was there that yachtsmen met.

The famous navigator and brave man Yevgeny Gvozdev again takes on the conquest of the globe. In September of this year, the traveler goes on another trip around the world. The new yacht "Getan-2" is being prepared for testing. The Moscow Yachting School will cover the entire campaign of the famous sailor.

-What are you going to conquer the seas this time?

This is a walking dinghy of the Lena type, which is designed for four people. Launched in Makhachkala. You can go to Sulak or Kaspiysk without any problems. I made my first round-the-world trip on such a dinghy. By the way, this is the first and so far the only voyage around the world on this type of vessel. Our yacht has a strong hull, but the superstructure, however, is rather weak. Instead of a centerboard, a keel is installed and due to this, of course, it will be more seaworthy. But it will still need modifications. It is necessary to do something on it, to bring to mind. I believe that if a yacht is thrown into the water from a height of three meters and it does not crumble, then it can go out into the ocean. But most importantly, it must be unsinkable.

- There is only one ball. Will you follow the same route as before?

There are several routes. The most difficult - "roaring forties". An easier route is along the equator. But it all depends on how ready the yacht is. And then we must not forget - I am already 74 years old. In short, swimming will be serious, much more difficult than the previous two.

The first time I went on the Lena along the route: Gibraltar - Las Palmas - Panama Canal - Tahiti - Torres Strait between Australia and Indonesia - Indian Ocean - Red Sea - Suez Canal and home. The second time already went through the Strait of Magellan. And everything else is the same. Now I want to go down, go along Africa, well, and so on. But for now it is a bit premature to write about these plans. I'll get to Gibraltar, and there it will become clear to me whether to go south, or along the equator.

What is the difference between this yacht and the one that stands in the lobby of the Makhachkala Lyceum No. 39?

The school has a yacht - "homemade" "Said". It was built on a balcony. Length - three meters seventy centimeters. With her own weight of three hundred and fifty kilograms, she took on board seven hundred. And the new yacht has a length of five and a half meters.

- In fact, you went around the world twice in a "basin". Isn't it scary to tempt fate for the third time?

Scary. If I'm not scared, I won't go to sea

-But you're still going. Why?

Well, if I lie at home on the couch, then I will go to a meeting with the Almighty earlier (smiles).

- What thoughts visit the high seas?

On the first voyage, he crossed the Atlantic - he did not see a single shark. Just passed the Panama Canal and on the first day I saw a small shark. Right on the stern. I grab a harpoon and straight to her head! Blood flows, the excitement of the hunter! The shark broke loose and swam away, leaving a trail of blood. Half an hour later I thought - why did I do this? I wasn't hungry! I still feel like I did something stupid.

-When you go out of the sea into the ocean - something happens? Water, wind others?

All the same. But the most interesting thing is when you meet other people there. And when you get into a hurricane. Tropical. You come out of it whole - you begin to respect yourself.

What to do if a person is lost at sea?

Sit down and think. You know, “lost”, “broken”, “fire”, “hole” and so on - all this is nonsense! First of all, there is no need to panic

What is the worst thing in the sea?

Probably when a person loses his sense of humor and sense of reality. The ocean - it is the ocean-element, hostile to man

- Have you thought about going with someone?

It was offered. I know a family that has been traveling in the ocean for nine years. By the way, it's very convenient. I always dreamed about it, but it was impossible to do it on my boats. For example, the problem of lack of drinking water could become very acute.

Have you tried drinking sea water?

-How did you have fun?

No time for entertainment when the whole day is busy. After all, it is necessary to manage the yacht, wash, cook food. So there was no time to be bored.

- Is it true that when you go ashore, a characteristic sea gait appears?

Not really! Although, for the first time, of course, it happens

-By the way, how are your “languages”?

In Australia, there is a restaurant in the Darwin Yacht Club. On Sundays, regulars gather there to eat and chat. I was asked to speak and tell about myself and my swimming. They invited an interpreter” - a German from the GDR. I feel that I don’t have time, and I don’t know the terms of the sea very well. Well, I myself broke up in English: "ay dount speak English - ah speak Australia." All this was filmed on video. Already at home I showed my daughter-in-law, who teaches English. He says: I understood everything, but I almost died laughing! For me, it is a pleasure to talk with some native and in "pure" English, but with an Englishman - hard labor! In general, schoolchildren often ask what language I spoke. I'll tell a story. On my first voyage, I am standing in the harbor of San Juan Puerto Rico. Fit two divinely beautiful girls from the staff and ask in Spanish: -Señor, banyo problemo?. Well, who does not know what a bath is! Therefore I answer: but, signorita! I show a bucket, depict how I pour myself out of it and rub myself. The girls were blown away by the wind. Then I found out that it turned out that they, showing hospitality, asked if I should go to the toilet. Imagine what they thought of me!

-Is there a difference in how we and abroad get access to the sea?

There it is very simple. You stood in the harbor, got ready to leave - they will simply tell you how much to pay for gas, water, electricity. Paid and goodbye! And with us, when I left for the first voyage, in Novorossiysk, twenty-three agents processed my departure. The country still does not have a procedure for sailing a small sailing private vessel. A private person who owns a sailing yacht has no legal status! Going out to sea for a small yacht just five miles from the shore is formalized in the same way as going out to sea for a huge tanker. Here you have customs officers with border guards, and pilots with tugboats. For example, they require a sailor's passport. And it only happens to professional sailors. Where can we talk about amateur sailing!

You sailed for the first time as a Soviet person, and for the second time as a Russian. When you go out to sea, all this is perceived, probably, differently. The ship has a flag. What flag do you have inside?

I think, after all, Soviet. I would never start from, say, Singapore or Australia, like some people. But from Vladivostok, Novorossiysk, Riga - easily. I was born in Belarus - at 11 o'clock on March 11, 1934. He spent the war there. He was brought up in an orphanage, wandered around the Union. Back in the good old days I read about Shamil. That's why I decided to come here - I climbed the mountains where Shamil had been. Well, this is a long story. I personally define myself this way: "Dagestanis of Belarusian origin."

-They say in the Moscow yacht club you have a monument?

No, my first round-the-world yacht Lena is standing there. And before that, she was lying in a garbage dump.

Let's get back to the upcoming voyage. How are you going to keep in touch with the world, who else has expressed their willingness to help organize a round-the-world trip?

I will keep in touch during the trip through Daud Mukhumaev. On land or not far from the coast, I will communicate by mobile phone or via the Internet. But in the open ocean, this will not work. On my first voyage between the Canary Islands and Barbados it took me fifty-four days. All this time I was cut off from the world.

It would be possible to maintain communication in the ocean using a satellite phone and special solar panels. If I begin to do this, for example, once every ten days, at least for two minutes, then for sure it will be of interest to the readers of Novoye Delo.

Whether it will be possible to acquire this equipment depends on how much sponsorship money or donations will be collected. However, most of the tasks have already been solved. If the yacht is “shamanized” a little, prepared, then with the available equipment I can go to sea even now. By the way, the information that I'm going to the third circumnavigation is already being discussed on the Internet. Someone sends some money, someone sends spare sails. People help. Including the Dagestanis. For example, the general director of the Makhachkala Commercial Sea Port, Abusupyan Kharkharov, was very pleased. He promised to provide support, including financial support. Thank him very much! With his permission, I calmly prepare for sailing in the harbor of the shipyard. I decided to call the yacht "GETAN-2", which means: "Gvozdev Evgeny" and the initial letters of the names of my first wife and children. A deuce - because I already had a yacht under that name. At one time, I used it more than fifty times to go across the Caspian.