13th May 2020 – We went to Almelo to visit a ship. It is a small vlet, converted into a low accommodation live aboard. The pictures in the add were looking good and it was not different when we arrived. The ship was well painted and the general condition was looking good. The engine ran and we had a close look at the bilges, bottom, engineroom, etc… Even the navigation lights were working.
13th May 2020 – While having a look at a small boat for a friend, I took some time to walk around in the marina. There were all kind of ships available.
12th May 2020 – It was now time to remove the interior on the other side. There was some more wood, but also a lot of electric wires, a sink, plumbing, etc… The sink outlet wasn’t safe at all. Just a hose over a metal pipe, not even secured. When I removed the insulation, I discovered a crack in the hull, just underneath the deck. The ship was probably hit by another ship or squeezed between land and another ship.
The general condition is not better then the other side. But a good cleanup and paint will do a lot!
My neighbour took the wood, he will burn it. Safes me a lot of time.
11th May 2020 – I removed the remaining interior on portside to get a closer look to the metal and its condition. The skipper next to me wanted the wood so this was a motivation to work a little quicker…
10th May 2020 – It was extremely windy in the afternoon. When the Stern was in Ghent, it was along a friends ship so I knew it was secure. Now it is my responsability. That is why I want it to be in Bruges as quick as possible. I had a look in the evening and it looked more like a sailing boat then a covered yacht. I added some extra ropes to secure the cover. The lifering on the roof was in the water, but I managed to salvage it.
10th May 2020 – Ten years ago I bought a cabinet for the Watergeus but never had room to put it. Now it is my workshop.
9th May 2020 – A big disappointment today when we launched the Maxx. I was there to assist, but when the ship touched the water, it became clear the bottom is rotten. Through several leaks, water came in and we had to take her back out.
It had to be a special moment, but now it is an uncertainty. One thing is sure: it will cost some money before she can float again.
A lifeboat is built thin, I know what issues I might have with the Stern in the future, but what to do? A good advice is to abandon the ship, but after spending so much money, there is no way back then to continue.
In the afternoon, I worked on the Stern, but thinking about the Maxx. I only see two possible options:
I have no experience with fiberglass and doubling the engine room doesn’t guarantee there are no other leaks. So I can’t give any advice…
9th May 2020 – While I had to be in the marina, I took some pictures of the boats being put in the water.
9th May 2020 – Like a friend said to me last week: by sitting on a chair nothing happens. This is true, so I continued removing paint. I had no time left to paint, but put two proper covers over the boat to keep her dry. They are predicting bad weather tomorrow.
8th May 2020 – In the morning we had to pick up our cars. On the way back I stopped in Beernem to start working on the Stern. Removing paint. I had a lot planned, but only managed to remove half of the paint. Before leaving, I gave it a quick coat of primer until I ran out of paint. People will now at least notice the difference and see it is a project. Nothing worse then loose bits of paints.
7th May 2020 – My initial plan was to move her tomorrow, but I was already thinking of moving her this evening. Just do it by myself. At the start of the Covid period I even had a plan of moving her at night.
I arrived at five o’clock in the evening, filled up the fuel tank, started the engine and unloaded my van. I had some tools with me, but very limited. The spare battery was still on Tordino and I had no generator. I had all the official equipment with me like lifejackets and some spare oil. A VHF, paperwork and my own documents were aboard the Watergeus. This was the first time I started a journey so badly prepared. It reminded me of the time when we moved boats with Andy.
A friend wanted to join, so I called to check if he was available and he arrived one hour later. We left Ghent at 18h30 and arrived in Beernem around 21h30. A nice trip, nearly no boats, a lovely sunset and most of all: a good running engine!
6th May 2020 – I managed to start the engine, more or less by coincident, but it ran straight away. Nice to know. Let’s hoe everything is ready for launching the ship Saturday.
6th May 2020 – I gave a second coat of brown to the mast. The top was painted white and the foot light brown. I started making a new pennant for the mast. It will be in metal so it lasts a long time. A friend gave me a thin sheet of metal. I will cut it tomorrow.
In the evening I gave a third coat of oil to the namesigns on one side.
I am also planning on moving the ship on Friday to Beernem. Not sure yet, but next week the weather is not looking good. I will need fuel, oil, lifering and tools. A lot to do in a short time….
6th May 2020 – While I had to do some painting, I repaired damaged parts aboard the Watergeus.
5th May 2020 – A small addition to the workshop….
