YACHT: You say that, for you, freedom means waking up in the morning and deciding for yourself where to go. Is that the real reason why you keep returning to the water – or is there something deeper behind it?
Renate Weineck: Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that. I’ve always been the sort of person who likes to make my own decisions. I can do that on a boat. I’m not as restricted as I am on the road. At the time, I’d been thinking about whether to buy a motorhome or get a boat again. With a motorhome, I’d have been on the road, would have had to watch out for traffic and wouldn’t really have seen much of the area. With boating, the journey itself is pure pleasure.
I’d like to talk briefly about your husband’s death, if that’s all right with you. Many people find it very difficult to come to terms with such a loss. How did you manage it?
My husband died six days before our silver wedding anniversary. We’d been together for a very long time and always went boating together. Our other hobby was dancing: in winter we danced, and in summer we were out on the boat. Then, all of a sudden, both were gone. My husband was ill for about nine months in total before he died. That meant I was able to come to terms with it to some extent, because I knew things would never be the same as they used to be.
How long did it take you to get used to being on your own – and finally find the courage to say, ‘I want to get back out on the water; I miss it’?
My children, and especially my grandchildren, were a great help to me. They were still quite young at the time – about four years old – and didn’t really grasp the full extent of the loss. They took my mind off things, and that did me good. That’s how I gradually got back to normal life. After about a year, I started thinking about what I should do with our boat. I wouldn’t have been able to sail that boat on my own. So I decided, to start with, to sell it. Once that was underway, the next question arose: what do I do now? Do I buy a new boat? Among other things, I contacted BOOTE magazine at the time to ask which types of boat might be suitable for me.
When you look back on the time you spent with your husband today: are there still moments of great sadness? Or do you learn to cope with it over the years?
I’m learning to cope with it. But of course there are always moments when it really hurts. Just the day before yesterday, something strange happened: I was watching a concert by André Rieu on the telly. They were playing ‘Roses from the South’, a lovely waltz that my husband and I always loved to dance to. It brought tears to my eyes all over again.
Music and images stir up a lot of emotions. At the same time, life must go on. You had the courage to say: ‘I can drive a motorboat; I know my way around on the water. I’m going to do this now.’ Do you sometimes marvel at yourself?
Sometimes, yes. Especially when I’ve just been through another nightmare journey. Then I think to myself: ‘It actually worked out in the end.’ On Saturday, I drove from Ystad down here to Wieck. It was a bit of a rough ride, because the weather forecast hadn’t predicted what was actually happening.
How do you cope out there on your own when conditions get tough? Do you ever get scared?
Of course, that makes you feel uneasy. But I’ve stopped thinking about all the things that could happen. If I were to keep imagining that sort of thing, I wouldn’t even bother setting off in the first place.
What’s it like for you to sail into a harbour on your own? I can imagine people looking surprised when a 77-year-old woman sails into the harbour on her own.
Renate Weineck: That happens quite often. People look on and wonder: ‘Where’s the other person?’ On the other hand, people are very helpful, and I’m naturally happy to accept their help when mooring is a bit tricky. In Swedish harbours, there are sometimes only very small rings for mooring. How am I supposed to reach these rings from the boat with my boat hook? My large boat hook doesn’t fit in there at all. So you have to rely on someone to help. So far, though, it’s always worked out fine.
Have you never had an investment move that was even remotely disastrous?
Yes, of course. Especially when you’re manoeuvring between the mooring posts and there’s not a soul in sight. In that case, I start by securing my two stern lines. Whilst doing so, you sometimes don’t know what’s happening at the bow or where the boat has drifted off to in the meantime.
Another issue is repairs. How do you maintain your boat?
I store my boat at Bootscenter Wolgast over the winter. It’s a small boatyard that offers winter storage and takes care of everything that needs doing during the winter – inspections and other work. If minor repairs are needed, the staff either organise for someone to come to me or they sort it out themselves. It’s always worked well so far.
You seem very down-to-earth. How do you cope with loneliness when you’re out and about?
I can cope with that just fine. Loneliness has never been a problem for me. I’ve got about a metre’s worth of books with me, plus my e-reader. Once I’ve read everything, I can download new books. There are also book-swap shelves in many harbours. Here in Wieck, you can hand in books you’ve finished reading to the harbour master. There are other books there, from which you can choose something else to read.
Thanks to an article in our sister magazine, BOOTE, you’ve become something of a role model for many people your age. The article was very well received and attracted numerous comments. How do you feel about that? Do you see yourself as a role model?
I was amazed myself by the sheer number of comments. I hadn’t expected that at all. If, above all, it can encourage other women to do things on their own and realise that they don’t have to rely on men, then of course I think that’s brilliant. But I don’t really see myself as a role model. I simply had the courage to go for it. And why shouldn’t other people do the same?
That’s a good attitude. What does your family think? Your children and grandchildren?
They take it all in their stride and are just as relaxed as I am. When I had a new chart plotter fitted, I made sure it had an active AIS. That way, my children can check where I am at any time. They do check in regularly. Otherwise, they just say, “Mum, you’ll be fine.” During my first season with the new boat, I initially sailed in my home waters on the Rhine. My grandchildren were still able to come along back then and thought it was brilliant. Whenever a freighter came along, I’d say: “It’s going to rock a bit now, so hold on tight.” Then it rocked, and they held on tight. The same thing happened with the next freighter. Eventually, it was calm again, and then they asked: “Granny, when’s it going to rock again?”
Do you have any special advice for people travelling alone?
Take it easy. Take your time and don’t rush. That really is the best way. You have to wait and see how the boat reacts at that moment: where is the wind coming from? Where are the waves coming from? Just don’t rush.
The interview was conducted by Timm Kruse.
You can listen to YACHT’s sailing podcast with Renate Weineck here
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