Month: December 2011

The consequences of starting an Lister engine…

31st December 2011 – I was in Ghent in he morning to visit a friend.  He owns the Ladoga, an old kempenaar of 65 meters. While I were there, he asked me to start his little Lister engine. Something went wrong and while turning, I hit myself badly with the hand crank handle… After the hospital visit, it realized I was very happy. A little fracture in the nose and a swollen face. I still had all my teeth

The evening was much better, celebrating with the neighbours in Bruges. A young couple were passing by and joined us!

Hornblower – Bilges and wires

29th December 2011 – Before I can get to the bilges, I need to remove all the wiring from the ceiling. Most of it has fallen down already. At lunch time, I’ve just finished removing the wires. The bilges are now dry (a little damp at the most). Cleaning will be for another day…

Hornblower – Removing the wheelhouse floor

28th December 2011 – In the morning I removed the floor in the wheelhouse. Together with my neighbour, we put the metal sheets aboard the Hornblower. If I need them, at least, they are inside and easier to get in position. They have a weight of 90kg each and very heavy to handle.

In the afternoon, I started cleaning the bilges. There is so much that needs to be done. Actually, I just don’t know where to start. The tanks need to be mounted to the ceiling, the bilges need a good clean, the engine is dirty, there are hundreds of meters of electricity wires hanging around, there is plenty of wooden floor left in the engine room, etc….

Historical ships on the move

24th December 2011 – Friends called me they had seen some nice ships coming to Bruges. They recommended me taking the car and have a look at them, so I did.

It was a Steilsteven built in 1906 at the Boelwerf in Temse and a spits barge from 1893 built in Bruges. Both ships are restoration projects.

Water level

21st December 2011 – It has been raining for over a week. Water level has raised and lowered on different times. It has been a difference of nearly two meters between low and high water. This means we have to adjust our ropes nearly every day. When the water is on its highest point, rubbish that has been floating around gets stuck on the wooden supports on land. We need to clean this. If we don’t, it starts smelling badly!

Hornblower – A dry boat

17th December 2011 – It had been raining all week.  There was a lot of wind. The only water that came in was through the wheelhouse doors and windows. It felt good to know the boat is dry!

In the morning I did some T&G in the living room, in the afternoon I went to pick up my new car. I went for a small van. More useful then an Opel Corsa.