This year in Croatia we had a really hot summer (just the way I like it:)…
This year in Croatia we had a really hot summer (just the way I like it:).
I have been busy with working as a skipper on charter boats on the Adriatic, so I didn’t have time to work on HIR, but I guess it’s a good thing I earned some money which I can now spend on my boat. It’s been almost two months since the last time I’ve been in Poreč on the boat, but that’s all about to change, because I’m heading there now… Stay tuned:)…
Sails are an important and quite expensive part of a boat. When I bought HIR, I got one old mainsail, one completely new mainsail that has never even been used, one old spinnaker, storm jib, storm mainsail and a genoa that has been rolled around the forestay for years without UV protection cover.
Sails are an important and quite expensive part of a boat. When I bought HIR, I got one old mainsail, one completely new mainsail that has never even been used, one old spinnaker, storm jib, storm mainsail and a genoa that has been rolled around the forestay for years without UV protection cover. We took it down immediately and I have stored in in my basement in Zagreb and almost forgot about it.
Recently I decided to have a closer look, so I took the sail out and cleaned it a bit. T be honest, it doesn’t look great, but I decided to patch it up and use it for a while, since I really can’t afford a new one. I stored it in the forepeak for now and hopefully it will work well it light winds, since it’s 42m2… until we get a new and shiny one 🙂
My good friend Marko from Biograd recently got me a slightly used, great looking, big gennaker in a sock which I think will work great on HIR. I can’t wait to try t out!!! Thank’s Marko!!!
It’s the time of year when the boat has to go out of the water for spring preparations, so I organized everything and went to Vrsar with Elvis to do some serious work…
It’s the time of year when the boat has to go out of the water for spring preparations, so I organized everything and went to Vrsar with Elvis to do some serious work. The mariners from the marina towed the boat to the crane, they took the boat with a crane to a dry berth… and we immediately started working.
First, we put the tape on the waterline and sanded the hull, cleaned the prop shaft and the propeller, then we put three coats of antifouling, new sacrificial anodes, greased the seacocks, and polished the hull above the waterline… but we had more serious work to do now – it was finally the time to put back and install the engine!
My friend Zoran from Poreč and his cousin helped us a lot by borrowing us a car with a trailer, so we all went to find the village where the mechanic who did an overhaul of the engine lives. It was quite an adventure. When we got lost for the second time, we asked one lady on the street if she new Filip… and of course, she new where he lived:) The four of us lifted the engine, put it on the trailer and headed back to the marina. It was already 10pm when we got there and one concerned german boat owner started inquiring what we were doing, but Elvis managed to convince him that everything was ok.
The next day the service guys craned the boat back in the water and lowered the engine in place when in started raining. Luckily, my good friend Kruno was there again… He worked and worked, and worked… and managed to install the engine by 10pm… THANK YOU KRUNO!!
The morning after, we motored out of Vrsar harbor for the first time in ten years! What a feeling!!!
Share my dream of restoring legendary Croatian sailing yacht HIR 3 (Caprice) and taking her around the world! I’ve started a crowdfunding campaign on TravelStarter.com…
Share my dream of restoring legendary Croatian sailing yacht HIR 3 (Caprice) and taking her around the world! I’ve started a crowdfunding campaign on TravelStarter.com where you can find more information about the project. Everything goes trough safe and secure PayPal.
Please spread the world and feel free to participate with your donations. I have some awesome rewards for donors! 🙂 Check them out on TravelStarter.com
It’s been a long time since I have been on the boat, but now finally the time has come to start work again.
It’s been a long time since I have been on the boat, but now finally the time has come to start work again. I’ve filled my car with new floorboards, toilet, repaired stainless steel fuel tank, new pipes, exhaust system, tools… and went to Vrsar. I worked alone for four days and managed to get some work done, but I also discovered some more problems that I didn’t know I have. For example, I have to find a way to lock a fuel tank in an optimum position, I need a new fuel filter, a few new floorboards… However, I did manage to get some work done, but since I was on my own, I only took one picture, before I started…
It has been a while since I’ve been in Vrsar on the boat and I have to admit that I don’t feel good about it. In the meantime, my friend Zoran from Poreč is constantly checking that everything is ok with the boat and occasionally pumps out the water from the bilges.
It has been a while since I’ve been in Vrsar on the boat and I have to admit that I don’t feel good about it. In the meantime, my friend Zoran from Poreč is constantly checking that everything is ok with the boat, sends me pictures and occasionally pumps out the water from the bilges, since it’s raining a lot and I still haven’t sealed the interior completely. It’s really nice to have friends who enjoy working on boats… so THANK YOU Zoran!!!
The time has come for me to pay the balance for the boat and finally sign the contract. I borrowed some money, so I can become a boat owner and now I hope that this is only the beginning of a beautiful friendship:)…
The time has come for me to pay the balance for the boat and finally sign the contract. I borrowed some money, so I can become a boat owner and now I hope that this is only the beginning of a beautiful friendship:)…
it was great when Maja offered to buy sheets and halyards and when my friend Pavel offered me to use his really major discount at Italian ARMARE.
I knew from the start that all the ropes, halyards and sheets had to be replaced and that it would be an expensive… but it has to be done, because we had to cut and throwaway everything the first time we came to clean the boat. Good ropes are quite expensive, so it was great when Maja offered to buy sheets and halyards and when my friend Pavel offered me to use his really major discount at Italian ARMARE. Pavel lives on his wooden yacht in La Spezia and works on Minis, Class 40s and a Wally. He came home to Zagreb for holidays and brought a few hundred meters of ropes in an Ikea bag. Thanks Pavel!! Thanks Maja!!!
It’s good to have connections in Italy 🙂
The Italian Job…
It’s been a while now since I returned home to Zagreb and I am getting a bit frustrated because everything seems to be happening very slowly, but my friends are trying to help me.
It’s been a while now since I returned home to Zagreb and I am getting a bit frustrated because everything seems to be happening very slowly, but my friends are trying to help me.
Maja bought a new Croatian flag, info chart, teak oil, polishing paste for stainless steel and a cleaner for the water tank, Zoran was in Vrsar the other day and noticed that one of the stern lines snapped, so he replaced it and said that he will pump out the water from the bilges, I was in Rijeka with Elvis and we bought a new exhaust pipe for the engine, gelcoat filler and a new windex and we ordered a new stainless steel fuel tank.
The progress is slow… but every little helps. 🙂
I new from the start that after years of neglect, all the cables, wiring, connections, control panel and batteries had to be replaced. I don’t know much about electric installations, so I was really worried about that… until my good friend Kruno called me one day and offered to help!
I new from the start that after years of neglect, all the cables, wiring, connections, control panel and batteries had to be replaced. I don’t know much about electric installations, so I was really worried about that… until my good friend Kruno called me one day and offered to help! YES, PLEASE! 🙂
Kruno is an engineer who lives on a 10-meter sailing yacht that he refitted and equipped himself, so he knows everything there is to know about my problems. He anchored his boat in front of Vrsar and waited for me to come. It took him only 15 minutes to make me a shopping list, so he could start working. It took me a bit more than that to buy everything though. Mario who is a member of my ‘Dobro More’ Yacht Club sponsored me and his company ‘Kibernetika’ payed for the most expensive cables for the anchor windlass. THANK YOU MARIO!!
When I got back to Vrsar, Kruno started working on the new electric installation. He was incredible. Really fast and productive. He did everything himself in just a couple of days, including a complete wiring plan. He also saved me a lot of money by fixing some of the old switches and giving me recommendations on where to buy thing cheap. THANK YOU KRUNO!!!
The work is not completely finished. There is still a few more things to buy and install – navigation lights, VHF station, repair the fridge and anchor windlass… but everything else works!! 🙂
Voilier 'HIR 3' 