The first snow has melted. Jack Johnson on the record player, coffee cooling on the table. Evenings like this reveal how full the season was. Last December, I wrote my 2024 review and it’s good to see the notes becoming a continuing story.
Winter
Last December began with a winter-jobs plan . It seemed excessive; almost all got done. Thanks to Oleg for suggesting a list. Without it, I’d have missed half the small things.
In January, I went to Düsseldorf Boat Show. Manufacturers, new products, simulators, and a sense of being among people thinking about the same sea.
The marina carried out a service on the engine and repaired the keel joint. Both need repeating this year. Replaced the worn halyard and masthead sheave. Bought velour mattress covers from Temu, which survived the season perfectly.
Spring
From February, major hull work. Every chip opened, reinforced and faired for painting. Almost two months of weekends in the shed; better results than expected. Bright yellow, catching admiring looks all summer.
The deck received new non-slip. The underwater hull was renewed with antifouling. On the electromagnetic log, I continued the experiment: two months unprotected, four with marine grease. Next year, specialist transducer paint.
Bornholm
A week after launch, on 21 April, a two-week solo voyage. I thought it would be the year’s main event.
Aground and fresh fish at Rügen, fascinating people on Bornholm, fairy-tale Christiansø, fog off Fehmarn so dense I wondered whether the boat moved. Long, twenty-four-hour passages, cold night watches, alternating with full days of rest. This format brings sailing fully alive for me.
Back home, I repaired a stanchion and sewed my lazy bag, which faded over the season. More UV-resistant fabric next time.
Summer
A Kiel berth brought the boat closer. I began drafting practical Kiel Canal instructions, noting details rarely in official documents.
At Kieler Woche, Grigory, Sergei and I joined the sailing parade. Becoming a tradition.
One July outing brought my first flood below. A floating carpet was alarming; a failed freshwater tap was the cause.
(Continued below)
#results
(2025 review, continued)
North Sea and Wadden Sea
On 1 August, into the North Sea and Wadden region. Surgical precision in planning. An hour wrong, nowhere to hide.
Two and a half weeks: storm-bound, strong streams, three-metre seas in thirty knots. Heligoland’s gannets so close I wanted to check the softness of their feathers. Düne’s seals watched us, then jumped into the water together, as if we’d disturbed their morning council. Hares everywhere on Norderney, Spiekeroog mud gripping the yacht at low water.
About thirty opening bridges in the Netherlands, a night at a town quay. Sunsets rewarding every mile. A voyage that strengthened my character.
Autumn
Back to repairs. I made a cockpit access lid, restored the pulpit’s shape, and repaired many small faults.
For a break, we visited Hamburg Yachtfestival. Smaller than Düsseldorf, but leak-control training was useful. After both tank and stern-tube seal incidents, I had plenty of questions.
The cold passage back to Lübeck ended the sailing. Moonlight lay softly on the water, as if the sea offered respite. Then ForceSail seminars , mast removal , an accidentally broken electronic wind sensor, and a huge tarpaulin that almost carried me off in a gust.
Statistics
According to SailTies 1,100 miles over thirty-two days, nearly five hundred tidal. Calm to force 7, groundings, surfing, frozen night watches, July sunbathing. Ashore, covered in epoxy, paint and WD-40.
The channel grew from 170 to 310 subscribers. Plenty of conversations: marinas, paperwork, routes, wintering, seamanship. Visitors aboard, meetings on the water. Helping someone feels like another passage, organising experience and making life warmer.
Afterword
A full, sometimes difficult year. Challenges, long passages, lessons, and quiet moments to stop and look. I want to keep going. More routes and discoveries ahead: the reason I keep putting to sea.
#results
Winter
Last December began with a winter-jobs plan . It seemed excessive; almost all got done. Thanks to Oleg for suggesting a list. Without it, I’d have missed half the small things.
In January, I went to Düsseldorf Boat Show. Manufacturers, new products, simulators, and a sense of being among people thinking about the same sea.
The marina carried out a service on the engine and repaired the keel joint. Both need repeating this year. Replaced the worn halyard and masthead sheave. Bought velour mattress covers from Temu, which survived the season perfectly.
Spring
From February, major hull work. Every chip opened, reinforced and faired for painting. Almost two months of weekends in the shed; better results than expected. Bright yellow, catching admiring looks all summer.
The deck received new non-slip. The underwater hull was renewed with antifouling. On the electromagnetic log, I continued the experiment: two months unprotected, four with marine grease. Next year, specialist transducer paint.
Bornholm
A week after launch, on 21 April, a two-week solo voyage. I thought it would be the year’s main event.
Aground and fresh fish at Rügen, fascinating people on Bornholm, fairy-tale Christiansø, fog off Fehmarn so dense I wondered whether the boat moved. Long, twenty-four-hour passages, cold night watches, alternating with full days of rest. This format brings sailing fully alive for me.
Back home, I repaired a stanchion and sewed my lazy bag, which faded over the season. More UV-resistant fabric next time.
Summer
A Kiel berth brought the boat closer. I began drafting practical Kiel Canal instructions, noting details rarely in official documents.
At Kieler Woche, Grigory, Sergei and I joined the sailing parade. Becoming a tradition.
One July outing brought my first flood below. A floating carpet was alarming; a failed freshwater tap was the cause.
(Continued below)
#results
(2025 review, continued)
North Sea and Wadden Sea
On 1 August, into the North Sea and Wadden region. Surgical precision in planning. An hour wrong, nowhere to hide.
Two and a half weeks: storm-bound, strong streams, three-metre seas in thirty knots. Heligoland’s gannets so close I wanted to check the softness of their feathers. Düne’s seals watched us, then jumped into the water together, as if we’d disturbed their morning council. Hares everywhere on Norderney, Spiekeroog mud gripping the yacht at low water.
About thirty opening bridges in the Netherlands, a night at a town quay. Sunsets rewarding every mile. A voyage that strengthened my character.
Autumn
Back to repairs. I made a cockpit access lid, restored the pulpit’s shape, and repaired many small faults.
For a break, we visited Hamburg Yachtfestival. Smaller than Düsseldorf, but leak-control training was useful. After both tank and stern-tube seal incidents, I had plenty of questions.
The cold passage back to Lübeck ended the sailing. Moonlight lay softly on the water, as if the sea offered respite. Then ForceSail seminars , mast removal , an accidentally broken electronic wind sensor, and a huge tarpaulin that almost carried me off in a gust.
Statistics
According to SailTies 1,100 miles over thirty-two days, nearly five hundred tidal. Calm to force 7, groundings, surfing, frozen night watches, July sunbathing. Ashore, covered in epoxy, paint and WD-40.
The channel grew from 170 to 310 subscribers. Plenty of conversations: marinas, paperwork, routes, wintering, seamanship. Visitors aboard, meetings on the water. Helping someone feels like another passage, organising experience and making life warmer.
Afterword
A full, sometimes difficult year. Challenges, long passages, lessons, and quiet moments to stop and look. I want to keep going. More routes and discoveries ahead: the reason I keep putting to sea.
#results
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