Category: MS Watergeus - page 51

Watergeus – Mooring Posts

Posted on by frederic - Updated

2nd March 2007 – My first night at my new mooring. Whether I should put this online or not, no idea. Again my gangway ended up between the quay and my boat. One day it will be in the water. I called this afternoon to hear more about the mooring posts on land and it seems obvious, I will have to pay for them, a 1000 euros each! Depending on how I will sleep the following couple of nights I might place them!

So when I arrived I had to make a power cable from the front of the boat to the back. In the front there is the fuse box where the 380v arrives. It is split up in two 220v plugs. All my cables are German type of socket  with no hole for the earth. After looking I managed to create 26m  cable by taping several cables together. It was already dark so tomorrow I’ll try to make something nice out of it! At least I had power in the back accommodation.

It feels relative strange, knowing that in Sluiskil my neighbours were there to help me. I now need to cook for myself, look for food and find something to keep my busy. Working on a computer is, since my accident in December last year, relative hard. I am starting to feel lonely here in Bruges!

MS Watergeus

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Watergeus – Gangway and electricity

Posted on by frederic - Updated

1st March 2007 – In the early morning I went to Bruges to pick up some stuff for Sluiskil. There had been some heavy storm the last couple of days, so the gangway had fallen of the concrete wall pushing my boat from land. It took us some time to solve the problem.

In the afternoon we went back, since the electricity would be connected to the boat.

MS Watergeus

Watergeus – Last day in Sluiskil

Posted on by frederic - Updated

26th February 2007 – In the late morning / early noon I started making the last preparations for the sailing. Realizing a lot of the the bulkhead needed to be welded, I started doing it myself.

Between some welding sessions, I helped moving a boat by hand and celebrated somebody’s birthday.

In the evening, the welder came to finish what I had started.

Taking goodbye of the people I’ve lived with, we decided to sit inside my neighbour’s ship and drank a beer. Half an hour later we heard somebody shouting their was a fire and when going upstairs, smoke was getting out of the pusher next to us. Together with him we extinguished the fire. There was a lot of damage. After an hour everything was under control and the fire had gone out. Cause, a diesel heater. So I ended my last day in Sluiskil in a very sad way.

By the time it was two o’clock, I went to bed, realizing a few hours later we would set sail with the Watergeus to Bruges…

MS Watergeus

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Watergeus – Sealing the windows

Posted on by frederic - Updated

24th February 2007 – When windows are placed, between their frame and the steel of the den, there is always a small gap, just enough to let water slowly enter the boat. Therefore you can make use of packing or silicon. It took us some time to fit the windows nicely and close them with silicon.

In the afternoon, the pipes for the toilet, shower and exhaust were placed on the waste water tank.

A lock was created to close the door from the outside and the inside. Later that evening some more welding was done on the bulkhead.

MS Watergeus

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Watergeus – Filling up the ballast tank

Posted on by frederic - Updated

23th February 2007 – I had prepared everything for the trip (see article), but forgot about putting weight in the back, so the propeller would be under the water, not halve above. If the propeller is above water, you can’t sail backwards! Therefore I filled the new waste water tank with canal water.

 

The deck was painted on the side visible in Bruges. This will make her look nicer for when we arrive somewhere next week.

The holes for the portholes of the bedrooms and corridor were drilled, those of the kitchen and bathroom re drilled.

Some more plating of the watertight compartment were welded.

In the late evening the preparations for the trip were discussed, while drinking some coffee and beer.

MS Watergeus

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Watergeus – Painting the entrance

Posted on by frederic - Updated

22th February 2007 – In the morning, since the weather was dry, I painted the main entrance in black, according to the rest of the boat’s style.

 

While the first coat of paint was drying, the windows for the kitchen and bathroom were placed. Since I couldn’t drill with my hand, which is till not healing, the holes could not be re drilled to match the windows.

In the afternoon, I made a trip with Rinus’ new boat, the 1929 build Arma. She is a maatkast built on the dimensions for sailing through Friesland. It was a small but relaxing trip.

While sailing on the Arma, the welder started working on my bulkhead, the last thing that needed welding before leaving Sluiskil.

MS Watergeus

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Watergeus – Painting and messing around

Posted on by frederic - Updated

27th January 2007 – Painting in a t-shirt with wed feet (boat was leaking) is not recommended in January! I was ill, something I’m certainly going to have trouble with in the next couple of days! Besides a bit of painting and disconnecting my neighbours Lister engine, not much was done today!

MS Watergeus

Watergeus – Painting

Posted on by frederic - Updated

26th January 2007 – When arriving, all holes were made in the den for the windows. They only needed to be a bit more enlarged to fit the windows in, but the clarity I’ll get with those windows will be much more then with those eleven portholes!

The outside of the back accommodation and wheelhouse were repainted today, so she is starting too look nicer. I tried to paint the hull with tar, but because of the bad weather, my little boat wasn’t stable and when it started raining, I had to quit completely.

In the late afternoon, my engine ran for an hour. I had new diesel, so I tried the engine out on full speed in reverse and forward. She is still going strong!

MS Watergeus

Watergeus – Diesel tank

Posted on by frederic - Updated

21st January 2007 – Today, an extra diesel tank was placed aboard my boat. I sold my spare Lister engine and the anchor from the back was moved forward.

The spare tank will be used for the heater in the living room (has to be build). It is now still the moment to put everything aboard the boat. Once in Bruges, there is no crane barge in the area.

MS Watergeus

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