18th December 2007 – Freezing during the day, extremely cold at the moment. In the afternoon I put some oil on the metal in the cargo hold. Later I tried to fill my watertanks and these of my neighbour, but without success. All the hoses were frozen. We walked around to ask our neighbours in the area, but all of them still had water in them so not useful at all. Many of the people had to put on an extra fire, like for their washing machine, engine, etc…

The condensation in the fore accommodation was frozen as well. And the winter just started.

At the other hand I have taken some pictures, which will be used as a Christmas card background. So every negative element has a positive side as well.

Besides complaining about the cold, I painted some of the roof in the cargo hold with line-oil. This prevents the metal from rusting, also on a long term when insulation is in front of the metal. Oil prevents air and water to get in direct contact with the metal. Line oil is not that expensive if you know how well it protects your hull and metal. It can take up to three weeks or even longer to dry completely, therefore was now the moment to start working on it.

Later that day, I placed a mail box on the wooden gangway.