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…
Author: frederic - page 33
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…
7th August 2021 – To gain some time tomorrow, and not to have to pass the lock tomorrow, I asked the lock if I could move my ship by hand. Then I rowed it to my houseboat. It took me much longer then expected. Water and wind were an enemy while in Oudenburg, I had a feeling it would have helped me. The boat is now alongside my houseboat.
6th August 2021 – In the late afternoon I salvaged a sunken dinghy. It is around four meters long (Pioner 12). Together with the previous owner we managed to make it float again. I will try to see if I can tow it tomorrow.
6th August 2021 – I sanded a little more on the door before putting a first good coat of oil. The door became slightly dark but we will see tomorrow.
I cut an old stair into two smaller ones. One is to come on deck and the other one is to go down in the wheelhouse.
5th August 2021 – I continued with the door for the back of the wheelhouse. It is now reassembled, but still needs a lot of sanding.
4th August 2021 – While making a small walk, I noticed the Baron was making its first trip with the new owners. They are working hard on making a beauty again from this historical sailing ship.
4th August 2021 – When moving the Stern, so many people looked at me. Some of them were seriously interested, others were looking at the ship like it was a wreck…. What people don’t know is that I’m proud of owning this ship. Many people want to own a ship or dream of one. I just did it. Tough or sad, I don’t care. I made it safely to Oudenburg with the white lifeboat alongside. Now it is time to continue working on the Stern to finish her. Earlier this month I was still planning on selling her, now I know more then ever I will use her for cruising on our canals in the evening.
3rd August 2021 – A first step in finishing the Stern is making a door for the wheelhouse. It will be a sliding door. I’m reusing a door from a friends wheelhouse but it needs a lot of adjustment. The door is to big and not square. The wood is salvageable but the varnish is gone.
3rd August 2021 – We moved the Baron to the pontoon a bit further down the canal near the lock. The new owner will stay there for a few more days. We plan to help him putting on the mast Thursday or Friday.
1st August 2021 – I did some small jobs aboard like partly insulating the exhaust, putting a cable through the bulkhhead, installing a wire to close the fuel tanks from a distance.
31st July 2021 – Last week, I salvaged an old table from the canal. I now installed it in my kitchen. I used the old adjustable table leg from the Stern. So I got a free table, twice the size of the original one for free!
We had another nocturne event in the evening. It was a success and people were happy!
29th July 2021 – I sold the Baron. There goes my dream of sailing. It is probably the ship I owned the briefest. I have another project coming up and therefore, I can’t maintain all of them. Selling the Stern was an option, but it needs finishing and in the end, I’m not a sailor. It seems romantic but, I prefer the little canals…
