Brief return

This is just for us really,  as a reminder. We have come back to Fehmarn to put the boat to bed in its warm shed. Nic's back is nor recovered enough to be sailing this season.

Tina did suggest leaving her outside, like she does with her boat, because then 'you don't have to do anything now'. Well it was a nice thought because she wanted to save us the journey. But when we thought about what we would have to do to protect her from the snow and ice and seriously subzero temperatures ... we decided to go for warm shed as before. She's an old boat and could easily be damaged outside.

So we drove over, see pic of F8 channel crossing, stopping half way in splendid little Hotel Lohmann just off the A1 at Munster. Journey only marred by usual snarl ups round Antwerp and Hamburg.

They can't take the mast off in the yard and Nic can't risk going up the ladder to get on the boat, so for both reasons we are back in the water for 3 days! Detleff and mate expertly warped us along to be across the end of the harbour (pic). Tina has arranged this with the Harbourmaster, explaining we are not fit to go anywhere, and despite two large vessels coming in later today (pic) - one is the regular fishing tripper, and the other an enormous grain barge from Latvia - we saw grain bring delivered to the silo last night by tractors straight from the fields. There is strong wind all this week so it's really good to avoid any difficult berthing. Weilandt do look after us very well, and we are very grateful. 

This is day 1 and we have started down the surprisingly long list of little jobs. Currently Lesley is furiously (in all senses of the word) washing off all the poo from the swallows who love to sit lined up along the guardrail - little blighters. Another excellent reason for not leaving the boat outside for one day longer; she gets very dirty out in the open.

Signing off for now

We're halfway back, still in Germany - it's a big country. Off the A1 into a sleepy little town, a pizza,  and a hotel right under the church clock (pic) that chimes on the quarter. I reckon we'll still sleep.

So this blog is also going to sleep. We'll email when it starts up again, next time with less meagre content.

All best wishes, Nic & Lesley 

Summer's on hold

Couple of quiet days getting little jobs done,  socialising with friends Val & John who arrived this week and testing the lovely anchor windlass - down, up, down, up. In absence of any travels here's pics of SIRENA IV's stern looking prettier with the gantry removed, and a couple of older, character yachts nearby.

Then once more to the orthopaedic surgeon this morning. Nic felt he was making small progress but after an assessment of leg strength the advice was clear: go back to UK because you may need surgery to avoid permanent nerve damage. When Nic pulled a face the lovely Dr med Drewes said "if you were my father, I would say 'come on Dad, just get the surgery done'". 

So tomorrow the boat will be lifted out with mast on, just as she is, and put in the yard; it's safer than leaving her in the water given we don't know when we'll be back. Then we drive home, taking 2 days with lengthy stops instead of our usual 1-day marathon. It's 650 miles to the ferry at Dunkirk.

Traipsing around Schleswig-Holstein

It's a week since we updated the blog and it's been mostly filled with car journeys and medical appointments.

The headline fact is that Nic has now had two spinal injections from a German orthopaedic surgeon and they have brought some relief to the symptoms from his slipped disc although his left leg is still largely numb. 

Each time we go to this doctor in Bad Schwartau it is an 80 mile round trip by car across the Fehmarn bridge and through the beautiful green countryside of Schleswig-Holstein.

Much of this week has been spent in an eerie fog which can suddenly race across the water towards our boat from the other side of the harbour.  

But we did have an outing in sunshine to a Rape Blossom festival in Petersdorf - yellow rape crops grow everywhere on the island. 

There was a dodgy four piece oompah  band with backing tapes - playing to a crowd of OAPs with foaming steins sitting on benches.  (See pic) Think a kind of cross between a standard village fete and Euro vision for the over 80s. 

Finally after a long saga, the workmen actually installed a working anchor windlass and motor in SIRENA IV. In other words a system which will drop and raise our heavy anchor at the push of a foot button which will be essential for any journey to Sweden. 

Parts of this mechanism have been sent from the UK to Germany which did not fit together...other parts came which still didn't fit... now at last it is in and working at the cost of much frustration and large amounts of dosh. The picture shows one delivery of a windlass with smashed packaging. 

We have had some fun around Fehmarn. The island capital Berg is a pretty place for a walk. (See photo) and we have been tempted into several wonderful bakeries which will no doubt bring on spots and flab. Saturday night brought a blowout at the Lotsenhus fish restaurant which is probably the best in town. We love living in our floating cottage. But the next few days will see a decision about whether we stay on her or return to the UK.

Official: herniated disc

In summary Nic does have a slipped disc, and is receiving treatment locally, which is helping already, some of which will be covered by insurance; beyond that we are making the best of our floating cottage. Those who relish the detail ... read on.

We had a quiet weekend, did go to see another marina at Lemkenhafen a few miles by car with an excellent fish lunch (pic) in Aalkate restaurant  (where our friends Susan and Rene, who came to visit on Sunday with Rene's mother in tow, had their wedding breakfast a few years ago). 

We did a few jobs around the boat, with much lying down for Nic inbetween - one was fitting a nifty blind (pic) to our main hatch which is combo blackout and flyscreen; we are anticipating midnight sun and giant mosquitoes in due course.

The diagnosis is more serious than we had hoped but we have had a lucky and productive two days in navigating the excellent German health system. On Monday Nic got a Medical Report from local hospital where he had become a familiar figure last week, recommending MRI; then physio at a health centre to ease the back, where they arranged a private MRI appt. Then our insurance agreed to pay (!). We then went to the "Largest Border Shop in the World" at Puttgarden. The car ferry from Denmark is only an hour, and it seems that all of Scandinavia comes here to buy alcohol at v low German prices. It is an old ferry converted to a warehouse of every imaginable form of alcohol and sweets, everything in large format (pics). We only went in for a look and spent £50 ... on stuff we do need (oh, plus some chocolate).

The MRI was done yesterday, which showed a herniated or 'slipped' disc. The radiologist spent some time with us explaining the state of my spine; seems it is wear and tear, that old friend 'age-related', and the disc just chose now to ooze onto my sciatic nerve. By chance in this same building (only on Tuesdays) was an orthopaedic surgeon, and he agreed to immediately  do a lumbar injection of cortisone to reduce inflammation in the disc and nerve which are rubbing each other up the wrong way.

Today Nic is sitting, which is progress, though the leg is still weak. May need another injection next week. Meanwhile our sailing continues to be postponed, alrhough our anchor windlass may be finally fixed on Fri - we'll believe that when we see the anchor going up and down.

Two swallows do not a summer make

Living in the marina at Burgstaaken in Fehmarn has its compensations- magnificent aerial shows by the resident fleet of swallows.

They are in fact cheeky chitterers who poop on our decks but it's impossible to resent them when they are so very cute (see pic)

We are resigned to being here for another week or more. One factor is Nic's continuing numbness in his left leg and foot due to piriformis syndrome- despite injections and physio. And the other more mundane fact is that we can't drop or raise our heavy anchor because the last set of equipment sent from England doesn't fit with the first set. We await the next DHL parcel drop with resignation.

We finally had lunch in a local bakery that we've driven past in our trips here for the last 2 years. It's in a village in the fertile countryside of Fehmarn, a farming paradise where giant tractors loom around every corner and neon-yellow rape grows feet high. The lunch was good (fresh baked bread and cheese) and we bought a rhubarb tart for tonight's dessert. Nic struggled to sit through lunch...he hasn't been sitting at all for five days as it hurts.

Last week we finally took off the hated spinnaker pole (dangerously heavy 1970s technology) and stored it in a shed. Today we stripped out the ancient dirty ropes which raised and lowered it. 

Despite everything we are relishing being on our beloved boat though it is possible that our little swallows may not herald the perfect summer.

In the Water, going Nowhere

The 5 days in the yard went pretty much as planned. There was something else though - the anchor winch seized up over the winter and was declared irreparable by our trusted yacht engineer here. So had to get replacement organised from UK - another piece of equipment from the 1990s so can't really complain about replacing, but it's going to take time.

The launch stress on Sat morning was heightened by two problems fitting instruments at the masthead; both resolved with minutes to spare at a total cost of €0.20. Yes, a washer and a nut.

Then there were so many boats being launched, up to 15 a day, that we had to motor straight off and tie up somewhere else in the harbour. The engine started immediately after sitting there for 8 months. Phew. (Pics.)

We then had our last night with Susan and Renè, during which Nic woke up with severe back pain and a numb foot. We said our goodbyes, hobbled away, moved the boat to a longer term position in the marina, and got to the emergency clinic at the hospital as it opened at 10am. The diagnosis was sacro-iliac nerve pressure, and treatment was cortisone shot in the bum and 5 days ibuprofen, with instructions to do walking and lying, and to return if no improvement.

That was Sun and during Mon whilst the pain was manageable if not sitting, the numbness progressed up the back of the leg and across the buttock - a most unpleasant feeling - and walking required effort. So this morning it was back to the hospital, saw a specialist, diagnosis  upgraded (!) to Piriformis Syndrome, a form of sciatica where a small muscle in the bum spasms and squeezes the nerve that goes all the way to the foot (bad design, someone). Another shot in the bum with a repeat in 3 days and bigger painkillers. So Nic is crocked again, through no specific fault of his own this time. Aaargh. 

Meanwhile the wind howls and the rain storms sweep across, so we're not missing anything yet, and we have to wait for the anchor windlass to be fitted. We did at least sort out the running rigging today. When the sun does shine we have a lovely view across the bay from our floating cottage and Fehmarn is a very pleasant place to be. So for now it's a static trip and we make the best of it.