11th October 2011 – Another visit of a barge was planned for this evening. I knew the boat, since it has been moored in Sluiskil for three years. My best friend lived on it, after he had done the conversion. This ship was built as the Java in 1928. She was used as a tender to bring crew to the larger passenger vessels in the big harbours.
9th October 2011 – I often join people to have a look at a ship. Today I went to Tilburg (Netherlands) to visit a Friese Praam of 14 meters. It was the first time I was in that area and found some very nice vessels.
The vessel itself seemed very nice and in a good condition. I was surprised to see how much space was created on such a small surface. Friendly people, a beer and a good chat.
While being in the area, I took some pictures of vessels, like this beautiful tug:
8th October 2011 – In the morning I bought some insulation for the Hornblower. I use Rockwool Delta Sheets. Easy to work with and you can put it against the metal of the ship.
4th October 2011 – I drilled some more holes in the ribs of the boat.
3rd October 2011 – I’m starting to feel a little better. I did some wood work in the living room.
1st October 2011 – The little trip in the evening was not a good idea. I did a minor repair on the engine and slept for the rest of the day.
30th September 2011 – Since I had to work, friends took some pictures of the towing. Even if I hadn’t to work, I was to ill to do anything. Not sleeping, too much work at my work and at home had taken to much energy of me.
In the late evening, I did a little effort of driving my boat from Moerbrugge to her mooring with Andy. Something I would regret the next two days. Still it was a nice experience. In the lock of Dampoort, a friend came aboard. We hit the door of the lock because the reverse of the gearbox failed to work.
28th September 2011 – An English couple is willing to tow my boat to Moerbrugge. Since she is moored at the front of the dock, they wanted her to to be next to them. It would be easier to leave on Friday. I’m under a lot of stress at the moment and forgot to fill up the fuel tank. I changed oil, tried the steering and came with a battery. After two minutes the engine stopped running and we had to tow the boat by hand for approximately 400 meters. Climbing up and down every barge to get the rope and pull her a bit further.
In the two minutes the engine ran, we were smoked out. The exhaust was broken and a lot of smoke came free in the wheelhouse. The person who had been working on the boat made sure I wouldn’t leave…
25th September 2011 – A lot of technical issues have to be arranged before leaving Sluiskil. One of them was the cooling of the engine. The exhaust was leaking, so that needed a fix as well. The steering was not working properly and the wheelhouse was still a mess. I couldn’t show I was working on leaving, so everything had to be done in between…
We had a great BBQ with the neighbours in the evening. It made me forgot my trouble for a while…
24th September 2011 – I spent most of the day painting one side and cleaning the deck. In the late afternoon I started preparing for the voyage to Bruges.
18th September 2011 – While I had many plans for the day, I went sailing with a neighbours boat. It was planned as a little trip to the nearest lock, we went ahead till Ghent. Such a nice weather was something we couldn’t resist!
16th September 2011 – A friend from England came over with his new yacht. He is moored along the Watergeus for few days.
10th September 2011 – Most of the day, I spent in the fore peak of the Hornblower. I did some woodwork and some insulation.
In the evening there was bad weather.
4th September 2011 – The bow is nearly finished. Two bollards on each side, the hatch and an air vent are the finishing touch of the front cabin. I did some wood work on the inside.
A friend came to say hello. He recommended me changing the bathroom. Put it in the front of the barge and keep the back area as study room and sleeping room. I might consider it!
3rd September 2011 – I did some more work on the bulkhead today while I was filling up my water tanks. In the afternoon I cleaned the fore deck and repainted it. Last year, I put a metal box on deck. One year later, with the dust on deck underneath the box I had a lot of rust.