Month: June 2014

Aquarel – Rebuilding the bedroom

28th June 2014 – Construction work today! Nobody seems to be sure whether it will rain or stay dry. I will not take the chance of painting the wheelhouse. Last year I had to remove the old sleeping accommodation. It was rotten, and there was a big risk of fire when we were welding near that bulkhead.

Last month, I put the portholes back and now I can redo the interior. There used to be two boxes for sleeping. One has become the entrance to the hold. The second one will be for sleeping again.

The first job was to protect the metal by painting it. It took me much longer then expected. It looks small, but the amount of paint I used was not in proportion to the area…

In the afternoon I made the wall between the entrance and the bed. I’m reusing the old furniture parts from the spits barge I salvaged earlier this month. Maybe I would have been quicker remaking it….

Aquarel – Sanding

25th June 2014 – I continued sanding down the boat. Once everything was cleaned, I put a coat of paint on. Since I only had yellow paint left, she now looks like a duck. I will paint her with the right colour as soon as the weather permits me doing so.

A break

24th June 2014 – There was no update for some time. I didn’t buy another boat. I just had a brief holiday and spent time with friends. I have been working on boats for a long period and I realize more then ever that there is more in life then converting boats and keeping my website up-to-date.

Aquarel – Skylight restored

22nd June 2014 – The skylight for the old accommodation had been repaired. I mounted it on the deck, used some silicon to keep it in position. I must admit, those little elements give the boat a nice touch.

In the afternoon, I started preparations for the insulation and the walls I will make in the hold. I’m looking forward to have some areas ready and to get some structure in the hold.

Hornblower – The end….

20th June 2014 – It is not my intention to keep my website up-to-date with what other people do to my ships I have owned or worked on. I like to follow these ships in the background. I had the chance and honor to sail the Hornblower to the yard on the 7th June 2014. A few days later, she was dry docked.

A week later, the new owners called me telling the yard costs are to expensive and they will scrap the boat. I went to the yard and had a look. It is sad to see her in a condition I shall not further describe….

I will remember the Hornblower as my yacht, where I had a laugh and a cry, where I met nice people, where friends helped painting and the ship I have done the most welding jobs by myself. I spent two years converting her, making her looking shining again.

Thanks to all my friends in the support of saving the Hornblower in 2011. I will not save her again.

PS: For all the people who follow my website: Don’t send me pictures from her at the scrapyard!

Hornblower – Going to the yard

7th June 2014 – The new owners of the Hornblower asked me to join the trip and move the boat to a yard near the Dutch border. After all this time, I could steer her again…

I didn’t refuse the job because I knew she had a reliable engine and she is a good ship.

Aquarel – Leaks

4th June 2014 – Leaks! I knew there would be a leak somewhere in my windows. But all of them. Every window had one or two bolts that were leaking… I tightened the leaking bolts and those next to it. The rest of the evening was spent in cleaning the bilges.