31st July 2009 – Everywhere, in the living room, kitchen and corridor there always were some pieces that had to be finished, so we did today. The electrician came and also mounted a few extra sockets.
Month: July 2009
30th July 2009 – While my mother helped me painting the doors, I worked on the corridor. After dismounting a switch for the light, I noticed I had a loose cable. A second later I noticed there was 220 on the cable. Fortunately the fuse switched off so I only had to feel it shortly.
27th July 2009 – I built half of the box in the living room. This will hide the water pipe and central heating pipes as well as a few smaller electricity cables.
I believe one of the reasons why I like a ship is the work that has to be done in the hold. Sun was coming in through the portholes, some music was playing and I could easily make a construction without being interrupted by others. When working like that you can make a lot of progress.
I want the box to be ready for this Saturday. There is an event on the quay and people have an exposition in my hold. I’m afraid somebody might step on the water pipe so I’m already covering it.
26th July 2009 – I used to call them hatches, but they are noting more then holes in three layers of floor construction. Now I realise I should have built them earlier. Three holes in the same amount of hours. Talking of slow progress…
25th July 2009 – We built some of the frames around the windows. Since I wanted hardwood I bought some meranti. By the end of the day four windows were finished, anther ten to go…
23rd July 2009 – On Saturday we will make the list around the windows. They are hardwood and will be vanished. The inside box of the windows is multiplex wood and had to be painted. All the boxes were painted and I continued cleaning the hold as well. We are making good progress again and it might still work to be living in the hold before the winter arrives.
22nd July 2009 – I need a few inspection hatches in my floor. I build one in the living room to see how easily it will go. It took me two hours, but it is looking nice and the bilges were still dry!
21st July 2009 – Still very tired, after Cactus festival, six days of sailing and yesterday evening a convert from Frank Boeien, I had to start working again. So I worked on the entrance of the ship and the box that will hide the pipes for the central heating.
14 – 19th July 2009 – I spent six days sailing aboard an IJselaak, the Vrouwe Janinge on the Grevelingen in Zeeland. It was a very learning full time. I was very surprised to see and feel how hard it is to work in charter sailing. The first three days we sailed three hour trips with passengers, the other three days we had a German group of young people aboard. Two different experiences, both very interesting to me. I learned a lot and not only about sailing.
12th July 2009 – As a yearly tradition, only for one day this year, I went to the Cactus festival. Sadly enough Joss Stone didn’t come, but it didn’t spoil the evening!
11th July 2009 – Imagine, you need to grain a hole in the metal side of an area with furniture. You can’t stand on the toilet since it is only holding by it’s water pipe, the hole has to be made above your head and you have less then 70cm of space around you.
Well it takes nearly three hours to make such a hole with the size of 10 by 10cm. When finished I was burned on hands, face and arms. But at least a hole was made and the air vent could be mounted!
Later that day I finished one wall in the bathroom and gave up working for today.
10th July 2009 – Some more wood was delivered today so we could finish the bathroom, living room and entrance of the ship. What is left will be used for the spare room in the front of the ship.
9th July 2009 – It was getting time again to clean and sort out my tools. I might be working on a big project in the near future so I made some time this evening.
6th June 2009 – In the early morning I helped a neighbour removing his rudder. It will be nicely restored. She is the only ship in Bruges left with a wooden rudder and one of the few that has an owner that takes care of it!
During the day I insulated the front cabin and in the late afternoon I started creating a hole in the front deck to enter the bow rudder for the ship. In February I took it of from the Julie (the spits barge with wooden rudder) and now it’s time to put it on my ship.
5th July 2009 – Another storage system has been built, I have one more left to build in the engine room. I can now nicely sort out my thins of paint, tools, spare parts for the engine, portholes and other stuff.