12th September 2020 – I picked up two friends who have their barge in Nieuwpoort. They will be towed to Ramsgate tomorrow. I am always nervous when moving one of my bigger ships, but they were nervous as well. No matter how I tried to calm down the situation, there was a continuous doubt. We had a good meal and a drink and when I left I was pretty sure they would make it with no major issues.
11th September 2020 – Another day of mounting metal and welding. One more sheet had to be put in position and a part of the strip around the roof. Some of the welding was tricky since wood was nearby and I could not remove it.
In the evening, I closed a leak in the deck. The ship should be dry now if it rains.
10th September 2020 – We redid the roof. It was not looking good at all. Once the roof was looking better, it was time to continue with the sides.
9th September 2020 – A big day today, I started at five in the morning removing the old wheelhouse. The first few bits came off easily. Once I was at the front, it became more difficult.
8th September 2020 – I started removing the back part of the wheelhouse, welding a platform, and the first part of the shield of the wheelhouse. It took me some time to drag the sheets aboard the ship. I don’t want to remove the cover yet since I have no idea of the weather. It is so unreliable at the moment.
6th September 2020 – I started late today, had a good sleep first. The toilet is the next room I want to work on. I changed the support for the toilet and continued with t&g.
In the afternoon, we moved the Stern behind the Watergeus for welding. A lot needs to be done, so it was easier moving her behind me where the mooring is free at the moment. I had no time of taking pictures since we were with three and all needed both our hands.
31st August 2020 – One thing I cannot afford is to have empty spaces aboard the Stern. It is a small ship and I want to get as much space as possible out of it. There is a lot of lost space around the water tank. I finished one corner. It took me most of the evening, but I’m happy with the result.
30th August 2020 – The day started badly. I hadn’t seen that much rain in such a short period. I could only hope the Stern would not have to many leaks. Once the rain stopped, I had to empty the small boat first. It was nearly sinking. The Stern was fine, but I had a leak at the front. I put a bucket while dropping some silicone as a temporary measurement to prevent any more damage. I unloaded the wood from the car and started working.
The goal was to create a bed as big as possible, to have some storage and to make sure I could still enter the room. It took me hours and during the building process I got an idea what I wanted and how I wanted it. Access to the water tank was also needed.
29th August 2020 – A major job was getting the water tank in sleeping room. I had to break down a part of a wall and a door. I have to do it now before I finish that room. Also the tank needs to go since we are replacing the wheelhouse soon. Lowering the tank was quick. It fitted nicely on the new build floor. I was a bit disappointed about the size; the Stern is very round and I could not fit it like I wanted. anyway, it is where it should be.
28th August 2020 – I went to Friesland to take some pictures of vessels, visited a few ships and stopped at Shipyard Talsma to pick up some windows for the Stern.
28th August 2020 – After seeing three ships, I called the yard at Franeker to know if this beurtschip was still for sale and if we could visit it since we were 30 minutes away. It was fine to them. We had a chat and a drink and we believe this ship is making a good chance for my neighbour.
We need to talk through a lot now. Like, are we going to lengthen the ship? Do we keep the engine, can we get a CVO on her, etc…
25th August 2020 – I did a quick paint job by putting primer on the t&g in the bedroom. I wanted some paint to the parts I will no longer have access to when the water tank is in position.
23rd August 2020 – The bedroom needs to be finished first so I can put the watertank in position. The bow was still filled with insulation, so I had to move that first. After a lot of moving around, I could start working. In the evening I filled the holes of the nails with filler. Painting will be for another day.
23rd August 2020 – I just mounted the first model in the entrance of the ship. I had to dismantle many pieces so I could mount it.
While I was aboard, I redid the ropes. There was to much slack in the ropes.
22nd August 2020 – I lowered the water tank in the wheelhouse. I need to finish the bedroom first before I can put the tank in position.
