Refit year 8

 First winter storage at Marina Seca, La Coruña, Spain

For the first time, I chose not to return to Adams Boat Care in Sweden and have another yard taking care of Regina Laska for the winter. It took quite a while to decide which yard would be a good alternative for the Atlantic coast. I put in quite a lot of work to compare the various yards and also had my local Galicien friend Pablo, owner of a fine HR34, to help me decide.

 

The choice to keep Regina Laska at Marina Seca in La Coruña was spot on and a really good decision! It's situated in the heart of La Coruña and has ample space indoors, so I didn't have to buy a cover for the boat. 

A special practical issue is that they have a marina close by, so one can stay in the marina before lifting and after launch at very reasonable prices if you keep your boat at Marina Seca. 

They work professionally and have a good contact network of lokal boatbuilders and boat specialists if they cannot provide a special task themselves. I was definitely not disappointed by their work and look forward to keeping Regina Laska at Marina Seca this coming winter as well. 

What surprised me the most is how dry the boat was inside during the winter. I had a dehumidifyier running on a timer so it ran during their office hours each day and the inside felt even drying than usual.

 GRP-finish

A special thanks goes also to Campillo, who is the GRP-expert of MarinaSeca. Campillo and glassfibre is a synonym and the outcome is FibraCoruna. He's just a magic when it comes to repair, build and work with GRP giving it the finest finish. The polishing work is outstanding and Regina Laska is shining like in her maiden years!

 

 Standard winter service

First of all it's important that the standard winter storage, including lifting, demasting, storage and service as well as replacements and repairs are done carefully, professionally and especially on time. Every work was done to greatest satisfaction and it is a good feeling to have such a personal contact to the yard: Norma at the reception is friendly and taking care of the overall organisation of the work and José-Luis is the technical manager who understands the work to be done and keeps an eye on that the workforce is doing it correctly. 

As always, there are a number of smaller jobs to repair or replace certain pieces of equipment and it was all done very well.

What is especially important for me having guests is that I can trust that the work is done on time, which it was. 

New Sails

For 2020 I ordered new sails by Elvstrøm Sails. They are Triradial Hydranet with vertical battens. The old ones would have lasted much longer, but after 30,000 miles, I thought it would be good to replace them. 

My old sails are now sold through Marina Seca's sail maker, Juan Reboredo.

 

 Diving Equipment onboard

Being able to dive under the boat is a great safety issue, so I brought my diving gear from Malta to the boat and bought a 7L dive bottle from Buceo Galicia, just next to the Marina Coruna. Great to fix things under the boat or just to clean off the antifouling.

 

 New engine start battery

Time to change the 12V engine start battery, which was done by MarinaSeca.

 Updating medical kit

As in each year, I have to replace out-dated drugs. This time, I got good help from my son Jonathan who has just graduated from King's College medical school as a medical doctor. 

Many new items were added at the same time to handle works emergencies. We went through my entire kit and I got good tipps from Jonathan regarding what to use when and how (in addition to all my medical courses I regularly participate in). Jonathan now has a copy of my medical kit so he can support me from shore if I have any questions regarding medical issues onboard.

 

 Stand Up Paddle board 

New for 2020 is a SUP by Redpaddle. We have a lot of fun with it in the Rías, not just for paddling but also just for relaxing, when some time off from the boat is a good idea! I am sure my guests will enjoy paddling as well, since it's so much fun (and good exercise!). 

 

 New Navlights by NaviSafe

Colregs are just as important for smaller boats. Few dinghies carry lights, which is far from perfect. Any boat under 7 meters can carry one omnidirectional 360° white light. But as soon as the maximum speed exceeds 7 knots, you need to cary a red and green nav-light as well. 

These battery-driven and USCG approved nav-lights by Navisafe are really cool! Perfect for the night trip back home after the restaurant! Watertight, they float and are easily attached by the quick-fix "Navimount". 

 

 

 Another ICOM M25 VHF

I bought I fifth VHF onboard. You never can have too many, and the ICOM M25 is really inexpensive, works perfect and is practical ashore and in the dinghy. Always good to have two of these!

 

 New cushions for the cockpit

After many years of annually buying new cushions, I went for the better option to have some tailor made by Stillger in Diez, Germany. They made really nice ones, waterproof interior and great friction fabric at the bottom. 

We just made atemplate out of paper and then he did it! If anyone else is interested, he now knows what is important. Luckily the owner of Stillger is a sailor himself!