Now that we have finally found a catamaran, the move on board has to be planned. Of course, we would like to have short distances, so the first place we asked was Marina Europahafen in Bremen. The immediate response was that there was nothing available for summer 2024 and we wouldn’t have a chance for the next few years either. Hmmm.
In principle, of course, we don’t need a permanent berth for the season. But in comparison, guest berths are much more expensive, so a seasonal berth actually pays off. But it doesn’t help if there’s no space available.
So I kept looking and found the next option in Bremerhaven. But both Nordsee-Yachting and ImJaich Marina have no space for us. Wilhelmshaven? Nothing either. Hooksiel? That brings back feelings of home! Unfortunately, there’s no berth available for us here either. Cuxhaven? Still easy to reach, even by train. We’ve been guests at the Sailing Association a few times with Hello World, but the City Marina would also suit us.
Plan B
As we still want to do some work anyway, plan B is also available as an alternative. We would first put the catamaran ashore and do all the conversion work. During this time, we would also move our household and load the boat as much as possible. Then maybe a few more trips to Helgoland and sometime in July/August we would sail off towards the English Channel, Spain and Portugal. As we know the Hooksiel shipyard well from the last time, it is of course a perfect choice. Unfortunately, however, we realize that we don’t really fit through the lock. We could easily fit through the lock at Inselmann in Bremerhaven, but would the crane be wide enough? Here, too, we quickly ask and get the answer that it is already narrow from 7 m width and more than 7.50 m is not possible at all. Well then, plan B will probably not come into effect for the time being.
Gateway to the world
After many inquiries, we receive an offer from Hamburg-Harburg. Right next to the winter berth of Clipper DJS, on whose traditional sailing yachts I once made my first sailing trips a long, long, really long time ago. The distance is comparable to Bremerhaven and as we have relatives and friends in Harburg and Hamburg, perhaps not such a bad alternative? Unfortunately, you would have to sail all the way up the Elbe, which would virtually rule out the occasional weekend trip to Helgoland. On the other hand, you could enjoy a few more amenities in the big city. What we don’t like are the necessary bridge and lock passages that have to be negotiated and the sometimes very negative reviews on the internet give us more than a little food for thought.
Insider tip on the Elbe
Fortunately, there is always a reliable source of advice in the sailing community and so we finally get a tip from our friend Johannes Erdmann to take a look at the Altländer Yachtzentrum in Grünendeich on the Elbe. He can recommend the harbor and shipyard and was ashore there a few years ago with his Fountaine Pajot. Catamarans are not craned there, but can fall dry at the slip and are then pulled ashore with a lift truck and tractor. Sounds good to us, so of course we ask there immediately. Unfortunately, they can’t offer us a mooring in the water either, but they would probably try to get us ashore via the slip. However, they are not entirely sure whether this would work. If not, we would have to leave again after one tide. In any case, we could then install the required seawater valve for the air conditioning system in Grünendeich. One tide should be enough!
Old Love
In the end we managed to find a berth for “La Ola”. The City Marina in Cuxhaven is offering us a nice berth in the middle of the old center of Cuxhaven for a few months. We also have to cross a bridge here, but we are spared a long journey on the Elbe. And maybe we can take one or two weekend trips to Helgoland. To take a look at the lighthous „Old Love“ and the „Semaphore“ we only have to stretch our feet for a moment. There are also shops and restaurants within walking distance. And since Cuxhaven is always worth a trip, we are already happy if someone visits us in the port one day or another and stops us from working or supports us in doing so!