A Bumpy Beginning

April

Things aren't going too well at the beginning of this season. Hedas is launched mid-April. The plan was for me to stay on board for the next four days and continue work on Lua to complete some of the ongoing projects. However, we notice water in the bilge on launch day. The sea cocks for the cockpit drains are leaking. Every three hours a couple liters of water have to be pumped out of the Bilge. And so, Hedas is put back on the hard again the next day and we all return to Hamburg. I still commute to Fehmarn the following days but driving back and forth takes up a lot of time and is rather tiring.

Ten days later, on Thursday April 27, is Lua's launch day. At least nothing seems to leak this time, but I can't get out from under the crane. The engine won't get above idle speed and once in gear won't come out of gear again. To get to the engine I have to clear out the entire quarter berth, above and below the floor boards. Soon the whole cabin is filled with its contents and you can hardly get around below anymore. Finding no obvious fault with the engine and gearbox I call a mechanic that is familiar with the engine from the previous owners. He too is puzzled at the described issue and he agrees to come round on Wednesday, after the long holiday weekend. I don't have time on Tuesday because I'm handing over my apartment.

May

On Wednesday I'm meeting with the mechanic. The result: I probably put the properller back together incorrectly. I meant well and wanted to remove the old grease before the long trip. But then I most likely reinserted the blades of the variable-pitch propeller at the wrong angle. This creates too much force on the prop and the engine can't work against it.
So Lua will have to go back on the hard as well. Out on Monday, hopefully back into the water on Wednesday.

I stay on board the next few days to stow all the stuff that's still in bags just chucked into the forpeak and to finish some more little projects. During this time Uwe comes to visit for two days as well to make Hedas seaworthy again.

One problem that still needs solving is the weight distribution. After the launch I had already received worried calls that Lua would be taking on water. The heavy anchor with all that chain all the forward in the anchor locker drags the bow down. Add a heavy kellet in the locker and a forepeak stuffed to the deck with bags and the bow is a good twenty centimeters too low in the water.
The kellet is not going to stay on board. My anchor gear should already be heavy enough. After getting that off the boat and putting the content of all the bags in their lockers Lua already looks a lot better. I'll probably remove a couple of meters of chain as well.

Slowly but surely everything finds a place...

With the boat back on the hard, it quickly becomes apparent that the prop's wings are indeed incorrectly inserted. Putting them in at the correct angles still takes a couple of hours despite the mechanic's support.

Back to Hamburg for two days before Lua finally comes back into the water.

Tuesday I spend working on Hedas' log books. Wednesday is launch day. This time without any issues.

Back to Hamburg in the evening to put the final touches on the log books and get them printed.
Finally, on Friday we drive together to Fehmarn. Hedas is launched once more. Sunday (we originally planned for Saturday) we should finally start our journey and sail to Kiel...