Experience report 20 Yachtline – Lake Garda and Croatia

20 The road to YACHTLINE

,

In the middle of 2018 the time had finally come! Bettina and I had left behind many eventful working years and now wanted to devote ourselves to a common hobby that was quite new to us: sailing! In the last few years (decades?!) we had flirted with many boats but were not happy with any of them.

We also managed to accumulate some experience in the past. Starting with Metzeler rubber boats and 5HP outboard and finally with Zodiak and unlicensed 15HP outboard. There were also charters up to 11,5 meters in Sneek, Holland and areas on the plateau of lake Müritz. But this is about boat experience. Various visits to the “Bot” in Düsseldorf and prospectus studies whetted the appetite for all sorts of things, but were also confusing.

So one has to think: What should the boat look like, what technical data and dimensions should it have, what should it be capable of and what price limit should it not exceed?

Our ideas about our own boat

Visually attractive, modern design, 6 to maximum 7 m long, lockable cabin

2-passenger cabin, suitable for overnight stays, most modern, powerful and at the same time economical outboard engine, low overall weight, middle class towing vehicle – passenger car

dimensions that are not towable and required heavy transport permits.

Several boat visits and later test drives, the internet and various test reports finally gave us important information about the boat or the company that could be right for us. A single phone call with Mr. Küffner from the Öchsner-Boote company was enough for us to use the “Basil”.

All in all, it was convincing to visit the exhibition in Kürnach with very competent advice. 20 -Yachtline- fulfilled all the parameters we wanted. And according to the “coincidence”, a 20 -Yachtline- could be freely configured in advance.

At the end of July 2018, actually towards the end of the season, in the special trailer ordered from Öchsner-Boats, there alone in the large salon – the ordered “CARA” stood. After a comprehensive half-day briefing, including the first trip on the Main, we went home with her.

A few days later the first slip in Marina Rünthe harbor on the Datteln-Hamm Canal. It went very well with the support of the harbor master. For two days we tried all the functions, except the electric windlass: Anchoring in the canal is not very good! Everything worked as described and it started to be fun. The engine still had to be run according to specifications, but you can imagine that the 20 -Yachtline with a 100HP Honda engine will move quickly.

Out of the water again and straight to the Moselle in Winnenden next weekend. And indeed, you can stay overnight on this little boat. The upholstered sun lounger in the cabin is enough to stretch your legs.

Soon the practice period was over and we were slowly able to get more and more of our full performance. It was wonderful how quickly the boat started to glide and the banks of the Moselle slowly glided past us. Of course, we also tried “full speed” on the designated Moselle stretches without speed restrictions. We were accompanied by friends with a 6.70m cabin boat and a 140HP outboard. We were all surprised that our little “CARA” could in no way be overtaken by the more powerful boat of the friends.

And then it happened when we were anchored in Cochem. It was windy and the Moselle shook us a lot. Actually when we were anchoring just before the jetty, I wanted to put it in reverse and brake the boat with some throttle. For whatever reason, forward gear engaged and a short throttle boost did the opposite. And Zack, my mistake caused damage to the starboard railing. Damn, that’s annoying!

Must go to Lake Garda in a few days! Fortunately, the damage was mostly limited to the railing. Apart from the railing installation, the hull was not damaged. So the railing was temporarily installed, the boat was out of the water and a few days later we went to “Bella Italia”.

20 on Lake Garda with YACHTLINE

On this long trip to Lake Garda, the boat and trailer “behaved” extremely well and in a complex way. With patient equanimity, the 100 km/h certified trailer chased after our small tow vehicle (Audi A3 Sportback). When permitted and possible, the speedometer hand showed about 100 km/h. However, the thirst of the A3’s small 1.6l / 116PS diesel engine was kept within limits. It only wanted to consume no more than about 8.0 l / 100 km of precious juice. This is also due to the low weight of the boat, engine and trailer.

We rented a rather small apartment in San Felice del Benaco on Lake Garda for 2 weeks. We bought a buoy on Lake Garda for the boat from the Villa al Sol holiday complex. It was a bit awkward to get from the beach to the buoy or the boat. A small rubber dinghy brought for this had to be used. A worthless sight! Less heat sensitive people would have swum safely.

The days were great and the weather was mostly good. We were on the water almost every day and – to the extent allowed – we “circled” Lake Garda several times. Isola del Garda, Salo Bay and places/ports like Sirmione, Bardolino, Moniga del Garda, Desenzano, Peschiera and Garda were our destinations. 20 -Yachtline- did a really good job. Even in strong waves, nothing bothered the wide-beam hull, it always ran exactly in the chosen direction.

In the low speed range, the Honda engine ran extremely smoothly and was really quiet for an outboard. Of course, it rose significantly as the speed increased. He’s not a sailor, it’s a motorboat like him! I can’t tell you much about fuel consumption. After all, this depends very much on individual use and driving style. In any case, it seemed to us that he didn’t want the 140-liter tank to remain empty. Okay then!

20 in Croatia with Yachtline

Next time, we refueled in Fazana, Croatia, the second part of our journey. It is really great to go to the gas station to refuel the boat with premium gasoline, which is not as expensive as in the harbor.

First class gasoline from the nozzle is up and running. The gas station attendant did not immediately see that when the 100 liter indicator on the pump was exceeded, the boat was refueled and received puzzled looks. He looked at me in turn in surprise and then looked again at the little Audi A3.

At the large campsite Plaza Bi Village, we booked a beautiful, brick-built holiday home with a terrace and a small garden for 14 days. Right next to this holiday complex was a small harbor, more of a simple jetty. No chance of slipping, but because of the salt water we wanted to “crane the boat” anyway. A few minutes by car in Pula was professionally done. We were able to park the cars and trailers in the safe harbor area.

From Pula we drove the boat past picturesque bays and islets to the small anchorage just on the edge of Plaza Bi Village near the town of Fazana. A maximum of 6 boats could be tied to each side of the concrete jetty. I wasn’t busy at the time and so our “CARA” lay here most of the time alone or at most in the company of one or two rubber boats.

With a 0.70 m height difference, the transition from deep to high water must be taken into account. So do not connect the lines too short or too long! It worked. Wonderful days at sea followed. Our “CARA” brought us along the coast and the Brijuni National Park with its numerous offshore islands to every port, no matter how narrow, reliably and safely. We saw beautiful places like Rovinj, Vrsar and the long Limski Canal with its mussel banks and oyster farms from a completely different perspective.

From our point of view, the small boat mastered fast stages as well as rough water cruises in a mirrorless sea. There were plenty of secluded coves to anchor in and we learned to really appreciate the onboard electric windlass. When safely anchored, the picnic on board can start with two or three dachshunds. When there was too much sun, the easy-to-use retractable roof helped provide shade and proved to be entirely adequate. We didn’t really try the sun lounger, preferring to just drive the car and explore the area.

Unfortunately at some point the time came to an end. The journey home was approaching. So again the “crane” with the boat, ready for the trip on the trailer for cleaning and mooring. When the boat was lifted out of the water, we saw the very dirty hull. Thanks to the competent and well-equipped harbor team in Pula, it was no problem and after half an hour it was largely cleaned. Then we were able to completely clean the boat from salt water in the car wash area of the holiday complex. The next day followed the long trip to Iserlohn.

Inspection and winter storage at Öchsner-Boats

At the end of October 2018 we took the boat to Oechsner in Kurnach to repair the damage to the railing, inspect it and take it to winter storage. Everything was done professionally and in a friendly manner to our satisfaction.

In April 2019 we took the boat out of winter storage and brought it to our home in Iserlohn. The good part is now less than 2 km from our home. It was placed well and dry in a private single garage. Since then “CARA” has been waiting for new journeys.

For health reasons, we were unable to set off with our “CARA” in 2019. So with a broken heart we decided to give up boating again. With only about 60 hours of work on the counter, fully equipped with all extras, in top condition, we are returning this all-round great boat.

Personal conclusion

All in all, it was a great boating experience. In such a small space, just under 6 meters in length, boats can rarely be so fully equipped with such high quality and comfort. Other advantages from our point of view: Uncomplicated trailerability for frequent changes of travel areas. Parking is easy in a suitable driveway or garage with the appropriate entry height. In conclusion, you should be aware that the boat hobby is costly. Even with a boat length of only 5,95 m and storage on the trailer in a suitable garage.

Bettina and Jürgen