• The week in pictures
• Recommended reading from the editorial team

Dear readers,

in a traffic jam on the A7 motorway just before the Elbe tunnel. The best wife of all is driving. The radio is playing quietly, tiredness is already tugging at my eyelids after a long day of cranes and winterising. Then it hits me: the list! I frantically fumble out my smartphone and call up my notes. There they are: "Pull mast checklist" and "Crane boat checklist". There's even one for "in" and one for "out". There is a neatly organised list of what the ideal procedure should be. For example: "Get brush, spatula, sponge, bucket for pox off the boat before craning. Don't forget the ladder. Pack old oilskins for cleaning. Mix engine antifreeze and have it ready in bottles. Mark the shroud tensioner threads with a sharpie (so that you can quickly restore the rig settings in the spring). It goes on like this for a long, long time.

The only annoying thing is that I often don't read the list in the heat of the moment. The old crammer's rule actually says: if you write a good cheat sheet, you usually don't need it at the moment of truth. I am living proof to the contrary. Point 9 says: "Order anti-freeze toilet and take it with you". Ouch. And then the disaster: "Seal the mast hole deck with thick foil this time". But again, just quickly sealed with tape. Last time it leaked stupidly into the boat after a few weeks. The thought makes me feel hot and cold. Hadn't the weather forecast said something about four days of cow storms and constant rain? U-turn on the A7?

When I became an owner again three years ago after a long time as a charter sailor, I had completely forgotten how many lists you keep as an owner. In addition to those for craning, there are also lists for rig checks, engine inspections, things to order and when maintenance is due. I even have to admit that I now have a realistic and a dream to-do list. After all, nobody wants to keep scrolling down for that long. There are such money-intensive things as: new sprayhood and cake stand. New upholstery. Compressor fridge. It's a list that makes you sigh, either because you're imagining how great it could be with the piece of equipment you're longing for, or because your bank balance doesn't allow for it at the moment.

Sometimes I think that as a charter sailor you pay the weekly fee for the boat partly so that you are relieved of the burden of keeping a list as the owner. The fleet operators know what a lot of work it is, and they just let themselves be paid for it on top. I don't even want to think about how long the lists of a basic operator are - it's a nightmare. You'd be happy to pay your charter fee with a smile of solidarity!

Because the lists have a terrible effect on me: I always have the nagging feeling that I've forgotten something. And if I scroll long enough, I always find something - see mast hole. Because I should actually have a checklist to make sure I remember the checklist. Maybe write it on my forearm with a sharpie, like I sometimes do with the address and telephone number of someone with dementia? Is there no escape?

So I sit in the car chewing on my lower lip, scrolling through the list with a guilty conscience, lost in thought. Until I reach the end. My wife has secretly added "kiss Ilka" as the last item on the list. The list horror is gone for the time being. As I said, the best of all.

Andreas Fritsch,

YACHT editor

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The week in pictures:

Recommended reading from the editorial team:

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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