A year ago, I summed up 2023. But 2024 became a year of discoveries and challenges, and I’d like to share a brief account.
Paperwork
Winter is a quiet time for plans. While cold kept me ashore, I prepared for the season: obtained a radio licence (€60), registered the boat (€35), and ordered my first yacht stamp (€15). Small steps that kept me connected to the sea.
Training
I also looked for sailing courses to develop my skills. I chose the scheme called RYA: I studied and passed RYA Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Offshore theory with Ardent Training (€350). With Alexander Guskov at ForceSail, I took seminars on sails (€75) and marine weather forecasting (€75). No regrets about the knowledge gained: it helped me regularly throughout the sailing year.
Maintenance
The marina did the winter service (€503), discovering that the crankshaft had bent the oil dipstick. My heart sank: ‘No season? Thousands in repairs?’ I practically lived on forums and chats, gathering advice and encouragement. The mechanics explained: pull it out myself at my own risk, or dismantle the engine. Leaving it was out of the question. Grigory, author of the Meerbär blog, came to the rescue with a substantial toolkit and helped solve the problem.
Calmer, I contacted the sail loft. New sprayhood window and stitching (€110), reinforced genoa stitching and advice against replacing its UV strip (€132), and a new storm-jib zip (€150).
Meanwhile, hull preparation. Cleaned, polished and waxed the gelcoat. Sanded below the waterline, applied primer and antifouling coating. Separately, treated the propeller. Sander, paint and other materials: around €700.
Spring brought launching and stepping the mast. But the small repairs continued:
- replaced radar reflectors, wind indicator and LED bulbs
– set up Garmin inReach and AIS
- serviced and greased the winches
- resealed the portlights and oiled the wood
- renewed the Victron charging system: Blue Charger and Orion-Tr
- installed navigation instruments
- repaired the Wallas paraffin heater
– fitted a fuel pre-filter and renewed the stern-tube seal’s grease
- fitted a rail-mounted anchor holder
- cleaned the water tank
I learnt all sorts of skills I’d never even considered before.
(Continued below)
#results
Paperwork
Winter is a quiet time for plans. While cold kept me ashore, I prepared for the season: obtained a radio licence (€60), registered the boat (€35), and ordered my first yacht stamp (€15). Small steps that kept me connected to the sea.
Training
I also looked for sailing courses to develop my skills. I chose the scheme called RYA: I studied and passed RYA Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Offshore theory with Ardent Training (€350). With Alexander Guskov at ForceSail, I took seminars on sails (€75) and marine weather forecasting (€75). No regrets about the knowledge gained: it helped me regularly throughout the sailing year.
Maintenance
The marina did the winter service (€503), discovering that the crankshaft had bent the oil dipstick. My heart sank: ‘No season? Thousands in repairs?’ I practically lived on forums and chats, gathering advice and encouragement. The mechanics explained: pull it out myself at my own risk, or dismantle the engine. Leaving it was out of the question. Grigory, author of the Meerbär blog, came to the rescue with a substantial toolkit and helped solve the problem.
Calmer, I contacted the sail loft. New sprayhood window and stitching (€110), reinforced genoa stitching and advice against replacing its UV strip (€132), and a new storm-jib zip (€150).
Meanwhile, hull preparation. Cleaned, polished and waxed the gelcoat. Sanded below the waterline, applied primer and antifouling coating. Separately, treated the propeller. Sander, paint and other materials: around €700.
Spring brought launching and stepping the mast. But the small repairs continued:
- replaced radar reflectors, wind indicator and LED bulbs
– set up Garmin inReach and AIS
- serviced and greased the winches
- resealed the portlights and oiled the wood
- renewed the Victron charging system: Blue Charger and Orion-Tr
- installed navigation instruments
- repaired the Wallas paraffin heater
– fitted a fuel pre-filter and renewed the stern-tube seal’s grease
- fitted a rail-mounted anchor holder
- cleaned the water tank
I learnt all sorts of skills I’d never even considered before.
(Continued below)
#results
Original and discussionOpen post in Telegram ↗