I had hoped to be able to show you a picture today of what is happening to “Fleetwood”. But I just found out that this may not happen for another two days.

The plan is to lift “Fleetwood”, with one of the large shore cranes of Zim Tube, on shore just down stream from where I am moored at the Capitania. And then to store the boat til March/April. I fly back to Amsterdam and if I can get an inexpensive way to fly to Virginia I will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the McDonnells. Then be back to Amsterdam before Easter, April 24. Get the new shaft and propeller made up in Holland and come back here to install and continue my voyage down the Danube and on to the Mediterranean. The delay is due to the fact that the crane we need use is unloading a grain barge and that will take possibly till Friday. I just could not hold the suspense that long.

All this was arranged through my Romanian guardian angel, Camelia. And with the assistance and generosity of the people at Zim Tube and the Capitania and Border Patrol here on the River. I am staying now in the Zim Tube hotel in Zimnicea. Travelling down the Danube would have been practicably impossible. Since Sunday there have been just a few hours on Monday afternoon where the visibility would have allowed me to navigate. It has been cold, wet and foggy since.

I have plenty things to work on at the hotel. And if the fog lets up I might ride into the surroundings.

Be sure to check tomorrow’s blog. There might be some good news. The good Romanians have circled around my wagon (without an axle).

Just made a disappointing discovery. The possible haulout at Stentor in Oltenita, 80 k.m. away from here is a no go. The yard went out of business. That explains the difficulty in finding any info on the internet. So, I may need to find a tow to Galati, 400 kms down river.

—————————————— Earlier blog:

Early this morning we had a meeting in the Harbor Master office with the local river border police officers attending. And we are working on several options to try and get “Fleetwood” taken to a haul out yard. I am awaiting a reply to my e-mail to the Stentor yard in Sneek/Oltenita.

Yesterday, on the ferry boat back from Vishnov one of the two deckhands on the ferry knew about my rescue and tried to communicate. We engaged the help to translate of a Romanian lady who was crossing as well. Camelia, a math teacher, who was returning from a visit to Bulgaria with a group of Swedish teachers. I explained my predicament to Auril and he called in another passenger, he knew, a captain of a river barge. And he agreed to contact another skipper on his way from upriver with the “Acquarus” who might be able to tow me to Oltenita. Camelia offered to come this morning and explain the possible rescue plan to the people at the Capitania. Then she brought me back to her school and I am now trying to call Oltenita on Skype but all three numbers I have do not work and Stentor is not well represented on the internet. Their web site is down.

The generosity of these people continues to amaze me. Camelia has been a Florence Nightingale in my predicament. She is taken time out of her busy schedule. Auril, the ferry boat deckhand, motioned me into his galley after our four way conversation and sat me down behind a big bowl of bean, vegetable, ham stew and a glass of beer. And the men at the capitania and border patrol are also very involved in helping and finding a solution.