Dear readers,

For months, I was the only one in the winter storage shed. Weekend after weekend, I spent around 300 hours screwing, gluing, sanding, sealing, cleaning and polishing to get the second-hand boat I bought spontaneously in autumn ready for sea. Admittedly, it has become a little more than seaworthy. The way it now gleams and flashes in the spring sun shining through the open hall door, it looks more like a veritable refit. Just polishing up the battered and dull gelcoat was a real back-breaking job, but it also brings enormous satisfaction. With every metre that is completed, the boat is transformed back into a proud yacht. Which also increases the anticipation of the first cruise.

I'm not alone, suddenly the other owners turn up - and are gone again straight away. Apparently you can get a boat ready for the season in a weekend. I've never managed that in the last 30 years and it seems all the more illusory given the current project. Sure, I would have liked to have done without the polishing orgy, but even without a complete visual refurbishment, there is always something to do on an older boat. Do they all tinker in the summer?

Then you want to sail and not screw, or am I just being too fussy for professional reasons? In any case, as the crane deadline approaches, I find myself not only checking the list of outstanding work, but also going back over the things marked in green that have already been completed. On the one hand, it's good to see what you've done, but on the other hand, there were so many construction sites that a comprehensive check is due when the crane is lifted.

Want an example? All the sea valves and hose connections in the bathroom and on the engine, the complete cooling water circuit including a new filter and heat exchanger, the fresh water system from the filler neck to the tank and boiler to the cockpit shower, the sea water pump for the galley, the fuel system and so on and so forth. There is hardly a part that has not been dismantled and inspected or replaced during the winter.

There are also around 570 metres of freshly washed ropes waiting to be reeved and rigged. No, we didn't buy a windjammer, but if everything has to be washed anyway, we've also recorded the diameters and lengths so that we can buy any replacements that might be needed. It's amazing what comes together on a 37-footer when you measure out halyards, sheets, trim lines and mooring lines.

However, it's a good feeling when everything comes together again and the boxes with the dismantled fittings slowly empty. Two weeks to go until the crane date, pick up the sails, sprayhood and backstay tensioner from the repair centre and the sailing season can finally begin. Thanks to the preparation, hopefully without any further tinkering ...

What about you, are you team "Refit" or team "One Weekend"?

Hauke Schmidt,

YACHT editor

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