Month: September 2013

Ghent

28th September 2013 – Time to go around with my camera again. So many ships ends up at the scrapyard, so many nautical heritage get broken down…. At least I want to save some memories by taking pictures…

Antwerp

22nd September 2013 – We had our harbour days today. In Zeebruges, Ghent and Antwerp you could visit some vessels and company buildings related to the harbour. I decided to go to Antwerp. There were some historical vessels to visit.

Aquarel – Insulation

15th September 2013 – Everything starts with a plan. During the journey concepts and plans can change. Where I initially had in mind to keep the rivets visible and show the ship as a cargo boat, I have now made up my mind to insulate her. The costs to put insulation is worth it. Otherwise I will have to heat her in the winter, cool her down in the summer and have trouble with condensation. I will remake or reuse some of the original fittings in her new interior.

Aquarel – A proper fusebox

14th September 2013 – Where to start. In my environment, people know I live with chaos. It was time to clean the hold. I spent most of the day cleaning the hold and wiring my fusebox. I now have power through a fusebox with proper fuses!

Aquarel – Painting the bow

9th September 2013 – When you are back, it is hard to pick up where you stopped. So much work, where to start?

I painted the bow of the ship with a coat of primer. It had to be done at some point. the back accommodation was touched up where it was becoming rusty. She looks good again and I can concentrate on the inside.

In the afternoon, I started working on the engine. There will be a lot of work, but it is savable.

A few minutes before leaving my boat, a big tanker hit me badly. The bowthruster had failed, while every crew member was standing outside the wheelhouse…. I won’t post any pictures but I was lucky to have little damage. I could have been the end of the Aquarel. It made me think, I might start with the metal work on the inside (bulkhead and supports).

Just back

8th September 2013 – It has been a while again since the last update. I was on holiday in Ireland to relax, to get away from boats and to clear my mind. Now I’m back and already working again on the Aquarel.