Hallo fellow sailors!
My name is Jacob Ziemkiewicz, I have just started the second part of my life century, and all I can say about myself is, “born to sail, but forced to work!”
I can’t remember when I started sailing, but it must be long before my first tooth, and since then, I remember my dreams were always heaving on the far seas waves.
I grew up by the quite large waters of Zalew Szczecinski, and nearby the second biggest lake in Poland, Dabie. From my early days, sailing small craft made by my dad and his friend, I was experiencing adventures, storms, and lonely escapades. Next was marine college, with the hope to get some job on the sea, but instead the brutal reality of early ‘90s put me off, the political and economic situation in a post-communist country, meant without connections, political or commercial, a career in the marine industry was just not possible and I had to make a landsman’s career.
Currently I own a 26’ Westerly Centaur, and I actively sail along the South and West coast of Ireland. Sometimes I deliver yachts for others around Ireland, Scotland and Spain.
But all that is not fulfilling my soul’s desire; having two children and built a home, all that was left to do, is to “run a marathon,” and my marathon, is to circumnavigate the globe, single-handed.
For quite long time I was interested in the Golden Globe Race, organized by Don McIntire, and I always thought that this a real sailing, for mature and tough sailors. I never hoped to gather enough money to get a decent boat to do it, and also the level of challenge would be a bit above my experience.
When I first read about the Mini Globe Race, I got a gooseflesh all over my body. When I found out that the appointed designer for a 5.80 boat was Janusz Maderski, a professional yacht designer as well as a great sailor from my home land, I realized I’ve no more excuses, and that is exactly what I was waiting for, for the last 50 years.
Best Regards
Jakub “Kuba” Ziemkiewicz
