FEHMARN
Day 1 Monday, 20th May 2019
We haven’t set sail yet as Malcolm discovered a leak in the engine yesterday and needs a tiny screw to mend it. Yesterday the Volvo Agent was shut – well it was a Sunday.
A week ago today we brought the car over on the Newcastle ferry to Ijmuiden, near Amsterdam. Then we had a very long drive to Fehmarn, about 400 miles, but we shared the driving, and arrived at our hotel about 6.30 pm.
We have a kitchen, shower room, dining table, sofas and a big bed. That night we had 3 kinds of fish in a restaurant in the middle tower. It was delicious! (But after that we cooked for two nights in our room.)
Wednesday, we went to find our boat which was in a big shed with lots of other boats, just behind Jurgen’s chandlery, Baltic Kolin, and not far from the marina. The skipper was ecstatic to be reunited with his boat! First of all Malcolm fitted the long new window he’d made at home and then proceeded to do lots of jobs with technical terms like impeller, anode, fan belt, sea cocks etc etc. whilst I polished the hull. Over two days we loaded all the clobber from the car onto the boat – all our clothes, sheets and towels, homemade apple chutney (for me), Branston pickle (for M), two jars of Jackson’s Marmalade and our new Crewsaver lifejackets!!
We launched the boat on Friday morning and had the mast put on in the water, before finding our berth. Fortunately, it all came back to us – this sailing thing! Remembered how to tie a bowline, put on the fenders and steer the boat.
Then, over Friday and Saturday, we purified the water tanks with Milton, tightened the rigging, bent the sails, put on the sprayhood and dodgers, and I went shopping and managed to get a parking ticket (fine of 30 euros) in the car park of the Edeka supermarket! Turns out I didn’t have a clock to show when I’d arrived and today I went back to the supermarket and the manager annulled my fine. Malcolm also went into the Volvo agent and had to buy a water pump repair kit for the sake of a screw – 116 euros to mend the leak! (But he really needed the cam plate too.) You win some and you lose some….
Hopefully we’ll set sail tomorrow but the forecast is for thunder and lightening which I think you’re having at home today. Thank you all so much for reading the blog last year and for your good wishes this year. I hope you’ll enjoy reading more adventures too!
Lady Hamilton 2019 