Once every 8 or 10 years the house boats have to be taken out of the water for inspection, cleaning, repairs if necessary and in order to get the buoyancy certificate or “swim ability certificate” (This is a literal translation of the German word “Schwimmfaehigkeitsattest” – which I like).
This is the big day! It gets every boat owners blood pressure up …and the bank balance far far down. To get out of the water, the boat needs to be taken to the dry docks, where it remains for several weeks. The Müritz is a big vessel – 40 meters long, 5 m wide. This is a lot of square meters that need to be sweeped, sandblasted, painted, welded….. the dry docks are still operating even in the middle of the Corona Crisis.
We have set aside several days for the preparation for the journey. The water pipe needs to be dismantled, the terrace before the front door, the electricity and phone line cut, the chimneys taken down (in order to pass under the bridges) …. I am taking all the plants and deck furniture off the boat. On the inside, the glasses and loose breakables need to packed – and I get to stay as a guest at my boyfriends flat until I have my home back.
Transport is the first big issue – one way already exceeds a thousand Euros, a costly journey. We are waiting for the push boat to arrive from the Rhine river. Date is set for April 15 2020.
Here she still rests peacefully in her usual spot:
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