Languages, Victor Arkadevich

Birth, Early Years

Viktor Yazykov was born in the village of Lazarevskoye, near Sochi.

At the age of 13, he was left without a father, began to study at evening school (SHRM) and went to work as an apprentice at the local shipyard. The idea to devote life to the sea was born early, in 1962. There was a yacht club at the Lazarevsky shipyard. It was here that he first mastered the skills of handling sails. I must say that both the father, mother, and younger brother Vyacheslav worked at the Lazarevsky shipyard. Languages ​​himself, in the courtyard of the house, built his first sailing dinghy. Then he built a hummingbird catamaran - already as it should, according to the drawings.

Military service. He served in the Airborne Forces, was discharged by the foreman of a company of paratroopers.

After the army in 1970 he entered the Far Eastern Naval College at the Faculty of Navigation . He studied on the same course with the future captains of modern large-tonnage sailing ships “Pallada” and “Sedov” Yuri Arsentyev and Nikolai Zorchenko , as well as with Peter Sosedov - who later became a famous television director. Since 1974 he worked on the ships of the MRX of the USSR .

In 1986, he was a participant in the liquidation of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident ^[1] .

Yachtsman career

• In 1975, he became one of the organizers of the Nakhodka Merchant Marine Fleet Vodnik Yacht Club, where he worked until 1984;
• In 1979, as the head of the Nakhodka merchant marine fleet, V. Yazikov, for the first time in history, brought a Soviet yacht to Japan. There, in Nakhodka, he found a family - his wife Lyudmila and son Alyoshka;
• In 1986, he was a participant in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident. He left for six months, but returned, “having gained a dose of radiation” in three;
• In 1988-90, he participated in the construction of the Fazisi yacht and in the Whitbread race. Victor got involved at the design stage, and went the hard way of this first commercial project of Russian yachtsmen. Unfortunately, despite the heroic efforts of the project participants, it turned out to be tragic (the Russian skipper Alexei Grishchenko died);
• At this time, he became acquainted with advanced technologies in repair, and most importantly - in the construction of yachts, and, what is very important, he established close relations with leading yacht designers and designers. After that, these connections will be used by him in the construction of yachts under the project "Wind of Change". There he received an invitation from the Royal Yacht Club of Great Britain to participate in the transatlantic singles race, which was supposed to take place in the next, 91st year. Upon returning to his homeland, he is completing the yacht “Laguna” - so he called his brainchild; ^[2]
• In 1999, the professional Seahorse magazine awarded Yazykov the title “Yachtsman of the Year”, the All-Russian Sailing Federation named Viktor Yazykov “Yachtsman of the Year”, and the Russian Biographical Institute awarded Yazykov the title “Person of the Year” in the “Sports” nomination. In the same year, Yazykov was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Sochi."

Honored Master of Sports.

• In 1989-90, I and II stages of the Whitbread 1989/90 round-the-world race took place on the Fazisi yacht, in the construction of which he took part.
• 1990-1991, transition Sochi - England on the "Lagoon";
• In 1992, V. Yazikov took part in the Transatlantic race Europe-1-Star and received the title of honorary citizen of Newport (USA);
• In 1998, V. Yazykov on the 40-foot yacht “Wind of Change” of his own construction took fourth place in his class in the Around Alone 1998/99 round-the-world race. Following the results of this race, Wind of Changes won the Global Media Choice Award;
• In June 2000, V. Yazikov on the Wind of Change yacht took 2nd place in the Transatlantic Singles Race (Open-40 class);
• 2001-2003, sale of the Wind of Change yacht and work on the construction of the 50-foot City of Sochi yacht in Italy for the single-stop non-stop race Vendée Globe . Due to funding problems, the unfinished yacht was transferred to Lazarevskoye, Russia;
• Values ​​are reassessed and interests are shifted from sports records to internal development through the Ocean;
• 2005-2007, the construction of the 30-foot yacht “Wind's Daughter” according to the drawings of V. Yazikov in Lazarevskoye. The yacht is oriented towards continuous comfortable single navigation without using any autopilot, wind-driven devices;
• May 26, 2007 - launch of the “Daughter of the Wind” yacht, tests in the Black Sea;
• 2008, the second descent of the yacht "Daughter of the wind." The mast was redone, the hull was lengthened, and other important work was done to fine-tune the yacht. Transfer with crew through the Canary Islands to the USA (Charleston);
• 2009 - a single passage on the yacht “Daughter of the Wind” along the route Charleston - New Port (USA) - Southpton (England);
• 2010 Solo swimming Southpton (England) - Canary Islands;
• 2011 Single voyage for 42 days across the Atlantic La Gomera (Canary Islands) - La Gomera;
• 2012-2014 Single round-the-world sailing on the yacht “Daughter of the Wind” along the route Canary Islands - Panama Canal - New Zealand - about. Mauritius - Canary Islands. ^[3]
• 2018-2019 Single, non-stop (nonstop), round-the-world sailing on the “Daughter of the Wind” yacht along the Canary Islands route (09/30/2018), Cape of Good Hope, Cape Horn, Canary Islands (03/31/2019).

Unique offshore surgery

Oddly enough, it was not victories in regattas and races that brought Yazykov worldwide fame, but a unique medical operation that he performed on his own in the open sea.

During a long race, Victor injured his arm, abrasions on his right elbow led to a huge yellow-purple tumor, the pain of which did not allow anything to be done. Many hundreds of miles were separated from the nearest port of the rider. Contacted the race committee. From there, they organized a consultation with a retired US Navy doctor, Daniel Karlin. He operated painfully for a long time, did not succeed in stopping the bleeding. He applied the harnesses, then cut them ... For several hours he warmed his hand. Fortified with red wine and chocolate and fell into a deep sleep. I woke up after 8 hours, it became easier ... Meanwhile, on autopilot, Yazykov’s yacht showed the best speed for the entire race and covered 239 miles. ^[four]

Basic Life Principles

Investing yourself to the maximum - no matter what he does - only then can he get the maximum. After such difficult lessons, an understanding comes that in life there is no other way - this is a law that cannot be broken. And whoever violates it is very sorry about it. ^[2]

• V. A. Languages. Ice Flight // “Boats and Yachts”: magazine. - 1981. - No. 3 (91) . - S. 70-71 .