19th August 2021 – I tried making a support for an outside table that can be switched to a bracket for supporting the mast when it is lowered. I was happy, painted the welded metal and then realized after a walk, I made a mistake. When the metal support is mounted to the table, I can’t put the table anywhere. The metal pipe that needs to welded on deck of the ship looks more like a chimney then a support. Stuff to think about.
Month: August 2021 - page 2
18th August 2021 – I wasn’t feeling great, maybe a little to much stress to finish the Stern, while it is actually a hobby boat, I don’t know…
Anyway, I built a table, did some small additions on the inside and continued with the sanding of the door. I will give it up at some point. the varnish is so hard…
16th August 2021 – In between the rain I continued sanding down the living-bedroom door. When it was raining, I started making a planning. I have no storage in Oudenburg and I need to drive around with my tools to gain some space…
I ordered the lights for the bedroom and living room. I also bought a fridge so I can start building a table in the living room. The table will be built around the fridge. This means, only two people can sit on the table, but at least I can have a big enough fridge. On the other hand, the living room is not that big anyway.
The last item I bought was a VHF. I now use a portable one, but I always take it with me. So I need a fixed one. This one will stay aboard.
15th August 2021 – What started as a boring day sanding down a door, ended in a great moment of pleasure where I just decided to start the engine of the Stern, undo the ropes and started sailing. I picked up a neighbour underway and we made a trip to Stalhille and back to Plassendale.
15th August 2021 – I quickly mounted the mast to take a picture. Is looking good!
14th August 2021 – I drove to Kasterlee to pick up two masts. One is for the Stad Rotterdam, the other one for a project in the near future and no, it is not a boat this time!
14th August 2021 – While Tordino was open, I mounted the namesign on the Stern and fitted the door at the back of the wheelhouse. That last one will need some adjustment.
13rd August 2021 – A lovely day and I had to catch up with yesterday… I finished welding the frame for the hatch, made a kind of a hole so I have access to the battery. The winch is welded on deck and the anchor is safely attached to 8 meters of cable. Lifting the anchor will take some time, but I have no intention to use it in the near future.
I removed some of the rust and gave it a first coat of primer and finish. I patched up some paintwork in the bedroom and the day was gone….
12th August 2021 – It started early in the morning when the owner asked me to have a cup of coffee. When she entered the ship, the floor was wet. The bilges were filled with water and at some floor parts, water was coming over it. Something seriously was wrong. We quickly figured out the toilet was the cause. Once it was solved, there was no other option then to empty the bilges. First with a bucket and then later with a hoover.
The engine started and we left for Nieuwpoort. My plan was to join in the lock, jump off and start working on the Stern. Plans changed and I joined for the whole journey. It was just great! A nice sun, calm weather and a good crew. In Nieuwpoort, we had some rain, but it didn’t stop us from making a tour in the harbour, moving between the expensive sailing boats and people wearing uniforms they don’t know what they stand for. Everybody was watching at us, thinking we were the lower class who just bought a sailing boat with no knowledge…
In the late afternoon, Baron was drydocked and restore can now start!
11th August 2021 – Today was welding day. I made hatch for the back of the ship where I can lower the batteries. I also made a heavy support for a winch so I can now drop and pull up my anchor.
10th August 2021 – My holiday (three days) has started. Last working day until Monday. A beer with the friends of the Baron, sanding down the last bit of the skylight, putting a coat of varnish on the sanded doors and steps. The evening was quickly filled. I also glued new tiles on the wall and did the surface of the kitchen.
9th August 2021 – The doors for the toilet, the steps for the wheelhouse and a part of the skylight were sanded down.
I also removed the tiles in the kitchen, replaced them with a good and thick plywood. Now I can glue some new tiles…
8th August 2021 – Since I’m still new in Oudenburg I made a nice walk with a neighbour, something I do every few evenings. She lives by the water and I live on the water. Two different worlds, but both of them are just the same in many ways. Where I used to watch the boats and the people on the water, I now start looking more at the environment, trees, open fields, birds, …. Living on a canal is more then just boats!
8th August 2021 – The owner wanted to move her ship to have a few days off. I took the opportunity to move the little dinghy alongside. While we had some wind issues in the beginning because of a broken bridge, the rest of the journey was great. Just before arriving in Plassendale, I detached the little boat, jumped on it and made it to the side!
7th August 2021 – After rowing for two hours, walking back to the car and coming home, I started sanding the steps a little more. I put a good coat of oil on them and ten minutes later it started raining…