Dear readers,

It won't be long now before we're back on the water. Isn't that marvellous? More and more people are already enjoying their first days in the harbour, while others, like me, are still waiting for the big water.

• Are you still wrenching? The last-minute check for the start of the season

I'm already looking forward to the moment when the freshly painted keel breaks the surface of the water and the first drops of water roll off the freshly polished hull. When the sloshing of the waves at the water's edge fills the silence, because the boat is no longer high and dry, but floating in its element.

It's the start of a new sailing season, closely linked to the excitement of all the adventures that await. At the same time, it marks the end of a busy winter camp, a time when the to-do list grows inexorably and the online shopping basket inflates like a balloon. All the work and tedious hours that have gone into it.

Yes, the beauty of a boat and the experiences associated with it have their price - both monetary and temporary. You realise this when you decide to buy your own boat. Or you learn it quickly, especially with older boats.

This can go so far that in the initial euphoria caused by the thought of buying a wooden or GRP classic, the danger of being overwhelmed by the amount of work involved and the associated costs is overlooked. This is how a boat dealer in an article by my colleague Morten Strauch that is well worth reading.

In it, he shows many ways to realise the dream of owning your own boat at a reasonable price. At the same time, he also names the hurdles that need to be overcome to ensure that the salvaged refit project actually finds its way into the water in spring - and not to the nearest scrapping company.

Of course, there is little reason to fear that this could happen with most boats. Nevertheless, I occasionally wonder what the reason is for all the ghost ships that languish in the corners of shipyards, or for the adverts in which boats are offered for sale at any price. The fact that "for sale" is written instead of a suggested price is hardly surprising given the condition of some of the offers.

Over the past two weeks, I have learnt to appreciate the passion and dedication of classic yacht enthusiasts all the more. I recently had the pleasure of mingling with these classic yacht enthusiasts. Around 350 of them met at the Classic Yacht Symposium in the Finnish capital.

High maintenance costs and a continuous workload are constant companions for many of them. The discussions also centred on how the immense sums of money involved in maintaining a Zwölfer, for example, can be raised.

But there was not a word of regret or complaint. Quite the opposite: I was thrilled by the dedication with which the classic yacht fans who had travelled from all over the world were committed to preserving these impressive yachts. Their fascination for the preservation and care of maritime heritage, their love of freshly varnished mahogany and the elegant lustre of polished brass is something special - and this passion is infectious.

Of course, not every boat that leaves winter storage in spring is a refit project or a historic yacht. But they all have one thing in common: at the latest when the keel breaks through the surface of the water and the first water beads up on the freshly polished hull. When the engine purrs gently and the sails are ready for action. By then at the latest, all the effort, hurdles and costs are forgotten. Then the winter season has come to an end and the sailing season can begin. Isn't that marvellous!

We wish you a great start to the season

Fabian Boerger

YACHT editor

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