TROGIR, CROATIA – I’m not sure what’s more stressful, preparing the boat for summer or dismantling her for winter. I’ve again given myself four full days, until Thursday, to clean up, move out, plan the winter maintenance, pay the bills, etc. It’s a great help that Big Steve, having just sailed the last two legs, is sticking around a bit longer to help out.
(Sunday, August 25) By the time Lukas left this morning, we had both sails rinsed, doused, and folded, a huge relief. Last night went pretty late, so I needed some prodding from
Big Steve to get some things done. Together we replaced a window with an original factory window that I’d brought over from California this summer. The new window was slightly and intentionally oversized, and grinding away at the fiberglass opening was a major bitch due to a lack of proper tools.
We roamed around town this evening and ended up running into a local called Martina, someone I’d run into already twice this summer. She and her cousin, a Croatian that more or less grew up in Holland, entertained us for a while. The contrast was huge between the cousin’s western-style open-mindedness and Martina’s closed-minded eastern vibe.
(Monday, August 26) We were back in window mode this morning, this time removing the aluminum operable window in the head. We struggled with it, but it cleaned
up nicely and went right back into place, its opening properly sealed from the elements for several more years.
Luckily the weather these days has been super pleasant, meaning a max of 27C and cloudy, cool and shady enough to do boat tasks without dripping in sweat. We ended the workday early, expecting Jackie and her boyfriend to arrive at 5pm for dinner. I met Jackie during my first day ever in Trogir back in 2008. She’s from Trogir but grew up in Las Vegas of all places. She came back
“home” in 2008 where she’s been ever since. At 8pm they arrived with their dog and grocery bags full of hot food. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in Croatia. We hung out, laughing and drinking as we usually do.
Big Steve and I ended up in town later for his final night after 16 days here. We ran into Martina and her cousin again, sharing some beer and a fun chat. Turned in responsibly at 1am.
(Tuesday, August 27) I helped Big Steve off the boat by 7am under wet skies. Alone for the first time in four weeks, two days remain to get Geja shipshape. Would’ve preferred to haul her
out of the water today, but crane service is unavailable on Tuesdays. She’ll be hauled tomorrow morning, leaving less than a day for all of the out-of-the-water preparation.
Popped open my 2012 notebook detailing last year’s winter prep, which was a great help. One task is to renew Geja’s annual sailing permit, which is discounted by 50% now that I’ve been here for five years. I suggested that they chill some champagne for me when I return next year for my sixth consecutive permit. This actually got a laugh out of the normally surly officials.
I’d planned to spend the remaining two nights at the hostel, so I took all of my laundry, sheets and everything, to be done for tomorrow. Decided to just sleep on board anyway tonight – it’s sometimes just easier. Hung out at the hostel anyway for dinner, meaning some takeout food and a beer. Met a traveler there from Oakland – always fun to chitchat with someone from home. Also met a local called Ante, an experienced local sailor and really cool guy.
It rained a bit while I walked back to the boat, where I kept going with various tasks such as clearing out the remaining food and beer. The rain let up, and I noticed two girls sitting
on the dock opposite of Geja, enjoying some beer together. They were from the neighboring charter boat, and were shaking off the cabin fever caused by the evening rain. I contributed my leftover beer to them, sharing a few laughs while learning some Hungarian words, such as
palinka. The night went later than I’d expected, which I’ll probably regret during tomorrow’s final day.
(Wednesday, August 28) Three days ago, it seemed like four days would be plenty of time to “winterize” Geja. Today the to-do list seems daunting. At 10am I backed Geja into position under
the crane. It took them a while to power wash the hull and get her into position in the parking lot, the clock ticking louder and louder. In the meantime I met Ante for coffee (well, Coke anyway) while watching Geja get moved around.
The remainder of the day was hectic, though I did get some help from the two Hungarian girls. Though I insisted on settling things earlier in the week, the boatyard crew and I spent a valuable hour going over invoices. The sun went down,
and the hours kept ticking away. I’d planned to spend the night at the hostel, but suddenly it was 11pm and there was nobody to check me in. It was just as well, with plenty left to do on board. Luckily I’m flying early tomorrow morning from the nearby airport, unlike in the past when I’ve taken an overnight bus to the capitol, Zagreb. I hadn’t yet figured out how to get to the airport in the morning. I panicked until I had the night watch guy call a taxi. I finally crashed at 4am.
(Thursday, August 29) How nice to wake up at 6am after just two hours of sleep. Oh well, nothing much to do today aside from spending 14 hours on airplanes. The taxi came as
scheduled and whisked me away, allowing me a quick stop for a final breakfast burek.
I left Geja feeling inspired to return and spend some more time fixing her up. I’ve really rejuvenated her since the dark initial days in Pisa five years ago. But since 2008, I’ve never really done any major work myself, such as taking down the headliner and re-bedding potentially leaky deck hardware. Maybe next year I’ll allow myself more time to really dig in and tear things apart. Aside from sailing, boat owners like to tinker, fixing and tweaking things being part of the enjoyment.