Newsletter October 2026

Dear friends of Saare Yachts,

What an evening, what a weekend!

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you. Guests from all over Germany, as well as from Switzerland, Estonia and Dubai, came to celebrate with us on September 12.
Almost 40 years of Yachtsport Eckernförde, 10 years of Saare Yachts OÜ following our takeover, and now the handover of the companies to my son Niels – we had plenty of reasons to celebrate together.

Around 20 Saare yachts were moored in our harbor, and everywhere you looked, you saw happy and satisfied faces. Everyone was proud to be part of the great international Saare family. Old friendships were strengthened, and many new contacts and friendships were formed.
In addition to the many Saare sailors, we had also invited long-standing companions, friends and business partners. More than 100 guests celebrated over a wonderful meal, plenty of delicious drinks and great music. It was a truly wonderful and emotional evening. I have handed over Yachtsport Eckernförde to my son Niels as my successor and am now entering retirement.

Yachtsport Eckernförde and Saare Yachts are very well positioned. The exceptional quality of our yachts and our attentive service are paying off, especially in these economically challenging times.

Thomas Nielsen

The guests at the Saare gathering and the wonderful evening event showed great generosity. Instead of gifts, we had asked for monetary donations, which we donated to Ukraine Hilfe Eckernförde. More than €5,000 was raised. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed.

With this donation, we are supporting the next holiday program, which will invite around 50 children from war-affected areas to Eckernförde for two weeks, giving them an opportunity to recover from the experiences of war and the loss of their mothers and fathers.

We are very pleased that our guests embraced this idea so warmly and supported the project with such generosity.

This Saare is still in the water and is available for a test sail.

We have started taking the yachts out of the water. This winter, 19 Saare yachts are stored in our hall and are being cared for by our experienced crew.

Our well-established team includes our boatbuilding master, Anton Albrecht (with YSE for one year), chief technician Stephan Peik (with us for more than 30 years), service technicians Dennis Wendler (with YSE for more than 20 years) and Steve Kosucheck (more than 10 years), as well as our boatbuilder Ingo Plöhn.

In addition to the usual maintenance work, we also carry out repairs in wood and GRP, replace fittings and equipment, and are experts in Raymarine onboard electronics as well as bow and stern thrusters. We also frequently install lithium batteries and are familiar with their specific requirements.

Due to high demand, we have rented an additional hall, where three Viknes motor yachts are now stored.

An important part of winterizing a yacht is also inspecting and maintaining the rigging. Unfortunately, this is often neglected. We unstep all masts before the yachts go into winter storage. This is the only way to carry out a thorough visual inspection, replace bolts and split pins, identify any areas where halyards and lines may be chafing, and inspect the shrouds and stays.

Insurance companies recommend replacing shrouds and stays every 15 years. The problem with stainless-steel wire is that its aging is not visible. There are no obvious signs of rust, unlike in the past when galvanized wire was commonly used.

If individual strands have broken or have started to pull out of the swaged terminals, it is almost too late. In such a case, not only that particular stay but all the wires should be replaced immediately.

We remove all the wires from the mast so that they do not remain in contact with it over the winter. Otherwise, this could lead to corrosion between the stainless steel and the aluminum. The wires are coiled up and stored under cover on pallets.

It is also very important to thoroughly wash the entire rig before storage, removing not only dust and dirt but also salt from all components.

Continuity and Tradition

Even though the ownership of the company has changed, the people and values remain the same. Thanks to my parents, the company is in a very strong position today. Not only did Thomas work many long nights to build the business, but my mother Ute has also played a major role in the company we have today.

I am very happy and proud to be able to continue this traditional and well-known company, together with all our fantastic employees, both in Germany and Estonia, and our loyal customer base.

I am particularly pleased to be able to do this together with my sister Ronja, who is serving as authorized signatory.

Niels Nielsen