30th June 2010 – Working day after day on a barge is long gone for me. I have done it to many times. You need to take at least one evening of during the week where you don’t work on your ship! We had a little BBQ aboard the Frantsis.
Month: June 2010
29th June 2010 – At some point, they had pored concrete in the bow of the Frantsis. during the years this concrete had become loose, or some of it . Because of the rust, some of it was pushed away from the hull. It wasn’t looking right and it could cause problems in the future if water would get to it. therefore I decided to remove most of it. After one evening of work, some of it was gone. The remaining part will be removed with the right equipment..
28th June 2010 – To my knowledge, the fore peak was the dirtiest place on the Frantsis. The engine room may be a bit greasy, but the amount of dust, rust and nails and screws in the bilges is tremendous. By the end of the evening, the front was lifted around 10cm out of the water. My parents will come tomorrow to take as many bags with rust with them as their car can hold.
27th June 2010 – While most wood was already removed, some was still aboard. I took it out and gave it to a few neighbours. Temperatures were high and the wood heavy, so it took me nearly all morning. I had plans to do more, but that will be for another time.
26th June 2010 – There are still many tools and boxes with useful stuff in the hold. I took them out and put them in the engine room of the Watergeus. If I continued to collect stuff the way I’m doing now, very soon I might buy a bigger barge.
25th June 2010 – A longtime ago I helped a few people finding a barge. They would use her as a centre for young people. I recommended them the Arma, a strongly built maatkast with the look of a Luxe Motor. More on that ship, the Arma, can be found here and here.
Today it was the official opening of the barge, and I was invited. It felt good to see a successful project!
24th June 2010 – Another lovely evening, one more for me to rest. The owner of the barge I visited on Tuesday came by to visit the two boats, the Watergeus and the Frantsis. It is always nice to exchange ideas and have a chat on boats and living afloat.
22nd June 2010 – No, I didn’t buy another boat, instead I visited one in the yacht harbour in Bruges near the railway station.
19th June 2010 – We left Moerbrugge in the early morning and arrived a few hours later in Bruges. We moored the Frantsis along the Watergeus. I went to bed for a few more hours.
18th June 2010: After a few small issues, we left the yard at 6 o’clock in the evening.
17th June 2010 – Nearly ready to go
16th June 2010 – Yesterday, we bought the batteries and the white diesel for the trip. The batteries were mounted, the engine started and the fuel added to the tank. Life rings were mounted on the wheelhouse and the boeisel got a second coat of green.
Navigation lights were mounted on the roof of the wheelhouse.
15th June 2010 – The fourth and last coat of paint was added to the hull. The green boeisel was repainted and the name boards mounted on the front. She is ready to be launched!
14th June 2010 – My eye is still hurting to much so I decided not to work. Instead, I prepared the tools I would need for the trip, like fenders, life rings, radio, jackets, etc…
13th June 2010 – Today it was my turn to paint the ship. First the deck, then the hull. She is really looking different now. Not longer that wreck of Zwartsluis, but again a nice looking Beurtschip.
In the evening I visited some friends in Sluiskil, a few miles down the road. I lived there for a year with the Watergeus, but I’ll never forget that little town.