Ausgewassert & Eingewintert – On the hard

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After completing the cruise into the Baltic, I was very busy for almost 2 weeks first in the river Schlei, then in Strande near Kiel to get Shiva ready for wintering. Some repairs had accumulated along the trip, but grace to the support of local friends this was completed within a few days. I’m very pleased with the quality of this work, which contrasts quite distinctively with what we have seen last winter in Italy.

The last passage from the Schlei to Strande was a farewell from sailing for this year. Even though only the Genoa was left, it was a pleasant and speedy passage of 25NM. Most of the equipment and textiles had been taken out of the boat and brought to a storeroom. This protects the materials from the humidity and the cold.

Taking Shiva out of the water meant also lifting the mast and removing the complete rigg. As such an exercise was new to me, it sounded very challenging. But in the end I’m quite glad we did this, as it allowed a thorough inspection of all wires which hold the mast. We are planning to buy new sails, at least a new Genoa and Main sail. Those are after 15 years due for replacement.

Hence Shiva is getting ready for next season in an even better state than ever. Already during the 5000NM cruise from the Med to the Baltic around Scotland we continuously worked on various items. In particular we fixed the issue of leaking coolant from the engine (no more need to refill after every use) and replaced the complete radiator and exhaust on the generator. The crew was of valuable help, be it with their expertise and knowledge, be it by transporting spares.

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