In this publication10 photos
Friday, 7 November 2025. Thick fog, like an old sea novel. Cold dew dripping from deck. I washed, drained the tank, spread eight kilos of moisture absorbers below. Slightly late: first mould in cupboards. Treat, doors open, mattresses upright. Damp likes cosy corners; I like them dry. Each to our own.
An extra couple of metres
Harbourmaster: half an hour. Engine on, lines released, careful departure. Of course, another mast strike on a mooring pile while turning. My brain knows hull dimensions; mast dimensions, less so. More care needed.
Drifted while another yacht lifted. Alongside the platform, showed the crane operator side photographs of «Rassvet» with sling positions. Twelve-metre bow and stern lines ready to prevent swinging. Yellow hull reflected like an autumn leaf in the water.
What lay beneath
Up she went, cleansing ritual begun: steel scrapers, then pressure washer. Growth flew away as if the hull wanted to shed the season’s memories. I photographed and filmed.
Findings:
• yellow waterline paint heavily fouled and peeling: strip and replace with two-part paint;
• chips and rust at the keel joint: clean back and repair;
• Silic One completely gone from the propeller;
• keel most fouled. A ‘gentle grounding’ might theoretically clean it, but anyone practising that should stay away from me.
Battling the tarpaulin
Cleaned, onto the cradle, to winter storage. A week later, back with a ten-kilo, twelve-by-six-metre tarpaulin. Apparently, I’d chosen the three-headed-dragon model: one sheet, three hours dancing round the yacht. Halfway through, it developed a life of its own, falling on my shoulders or rising with the wind. Any moment, I thought, it would take me flying. Quiet promise: two smaller ones next time.
Now «Rassvet» is sheltered from rain and wind, ready for hibernation or ‘Best Baltic Cocoon’.
All that remains: winterise the interior and engine and charge the batteries occasionally. Main jobs once air exceeds 10°C. For now, breathe. Land can provide adventures too. It does its best.
#maintenance
An extra couple of metres
Harbourmaster: half an hour. Engine on, lines released, careful departure. Of course, another mast strike on a mooring pile while turning. My brain knows hull dimensions; mast dimensions, less so. More care needed.
Drifted while another yacht lifted. Alongside the platform, showed the crane operator side photographs of «Rassvet» with sling positions. Twelve-metre bow and stern lines ready to prevent swinging. Yellow hull reflected like an autumn leaf in the water.
What lay beneath
Up she went, cleansing ritual begun: steel scrapers, then pressure washer. Growth flew away as if the hull wanted to shed the season’s memories. I photographed and filmed.
Findings:
• yellow waterline paint heavily fouled and peeling: strip and replace with two-part paint;
• chips and rust at the keel joint: clean back and repair;
• Silic One completely gone from the propeller;
• keel most fouled. A ‘gentle grounding’ might theoretically clean it, but anyone practising that should stay away from me.
Battling the tarpaulin
Cleaned, onto the cradle, to winter storage. A week later, back with a ten-kilo, twelve-by-six-metre tarpaulin. Apparently, I’d chosen the three-headed-dragon model: one sheet, three hours dancing round the yacht. Halfway through, it developed a life of its own, falling on my shoulders or rising with the wind. Any moment, I thought, it would take me flying. Quiet promise: two smaller ones next time.
Now «Rassvet» is sheltered from rain and wind, ready for hibernation or ‘Best Baltic Cocoon’.
All that remains: winterise the interior and engine and charge the batteries occasionally. Main jobs once air exceeds 10°C. For now, breathe. Land can provide adventures too. It does its best.
#maintenance
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