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Dear readers,

I sometimes talk to my boat. This fact worries me far less than it might worry those around me, but they haven't even known about it yet. Now comes the time of confession. I talk to my dinghy in particular, a Finn dinghy, because I'm always alone on the water and don't have to embarrass myself in front of a crew with my admittedly rather peculiar behaviour.

For example, I greet my boat when I go out for training or to the regatta course. I tell him what I'm planning to do, what my goals are for the day and how I want to organise my tactics for the upcoming races. And I also ask my boat for its opinion from time to time. Sometimes I even think I get an answer in some way. You just have to be very attentive and listen very carefully - with all your senses.

At best, you may call this behaviour strange, perhaps unworldly, completely crazy or simply infantile. But I firmly believe in it, and I stand by it: I have an emotional attachment to my boat, and I nurture it accordingly.

Ultimately, the conversations with my floating vessel lead me to a relevant question that has preoccupied Christian seafaring in general for centuries and me in particular for a long time: Do boats really have a soul? Or is my peculiar behaviour only based on imagination and mere superstition?

Now this is not a very easy question for me to answer, and certainly not a universally valid one. Despite my perhaps somewhat surreal delusions, as the test editor of YACHT, I am basically and professionally a very pragmatic person when it comes to boats, with few esoteric or even transcendental motives. It is therefore also clear to me that a cruising boat, for example, that comes brand new off the assembly line of a largely automated production line at one of the major series manufacturers, does not yet have a real soul - where does it come from?

I believe that the soul only finds its way onto a ship over time. It comes on board together with the owners and the way they use their ship, with eventful voyages and exciting adventures on the world's oceans, with successes or failures on the regatta course or with destruction and repairs.

So at some point, every boat has its very own story to tell, of blood, sweat and tears, but also of happiness, joy and hope. These are the foundations for that certain something, for the spirit of a boat - for its soul.

Michael Good,

YACHT editor

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The week in pictures:

Charter special: Enjoy a carefree and relaxed sailing holiday

Whether you are an experienced sailor or a layman, chartering a sailing yacht offers the opportunity to explore new places, experience the beauty of the sea and create unforgettable memories. To make your charter holiday a success, we have put together the most important tips in this special.

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