August, 2013

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August 28 Lelystad

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

I left a few hours later than I had wanted to from “De Schinkel” yesterday. I put the anchor down just a mile or so before Lelystad. It was 9.30 p.m. I made dinner and was quickly rocked to sleep. It was a very choppy ride against the wind.  The mast was rolled out this morning at Deko Marine and I started working on sorting and reattaching the lines and stays. I was to have the mast raised this afternoon but after checking with the marina crew here I decided to wait till Friday and stay here one more night. The part that connects the two spreaders has worn too far. Also the holes in the mast where it connects through. Apparently the riggers next door have that part in stock but they were gone and return in the morning. I have plenty of other chores to do anyway.  But I’d better not have any more of these discoveries. I’ve got to show a boat at the farewell party. I should be back into “de Schinkel” on early Frioday morning from the midnight run through the Amsterdam canals on the Standing Mast run. There was a beautiful sunset last night and a gorgeous sun rise. I took a few shots of “Fier Famke”. A lady was on the helm. The boat name means Brave Girl from Frisian. I hope my Frisian mother in heaven has an internet connection. She was a Fier Fries Famke.

 

 

 

Friday August 23. A colorful evening.

Saturday, August 24th, 2013

On my way out of the marina I turned back to grab my camera when I saw the sunset. An attractive young lady was painting the boats in the marina from the bridge. She was using crayon on black paper and pencil and ink. The below pictures speak fro themselves. Helena is from the Ukraine and works as an au pair. I bought the picture that Cor Coppens is holding up. It was painted also from a bridge and shows the Saint Nicholas cathedral and the Weeping Tower (Schreierstoren). When Corrine (my granddaughter)’s dad and (other) grandfather came to visit last Christmas she had arranged lodging for them in one of the homes on this canal. The other picture, also painted from a bridge, is a spot where we played as children. It is where the Boerenwetering, connects with the Amstel River. It shows the back of the homes on the Zuidelijkewandelweg. The short shoreline is where we built a raft made from the empty biscuit cans in the last days of the second world war. The cans were parachuted from allied bombers in the very last days of the war to the starving Dutch population. And in one of the homes lived Joke B. We were friends in the early fifties. She had a sailboat in Loosdrecht. I reconnected with her in 2009 through the web site of the Zuidelijkewandelweg. Helena would be pleased to sell more of her drawings and if you have an interest I can put you in contact with her. Most of her portfolio is of scenes in old Amsterdam.

It is now Saturday morning and I put the last coat of finish on the new mahogany rub rails. It is supposed to rain later in the day. I have an appointment with the marina in Lelystad to place the mast on Wednesday afternoon. I plan leave here on Tuesday and spent the night there to have the morning to prepare the mast and then come back on the midnight Standing Mast routine early Thursday.

There is still a lot of work to do before everything is back in place on the boat. Stay tuned for the departure date.

 

What a difference a day makes.

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

My frustrations started with starting the motor on Saturday morning after finishing the job under the Travel lift. My batteries were down after the four months of being on the hard. But after hooking up the solar panel I had no problem starting the motor. Three people checked the electrical system and concluded that I needed to replace the five year old batteries I had purchased in Beaufort, N.C. But that did not make any difference. Wim, the port captain at the “Amsterdam” Y.C, towed me to “de Schinkel”. Last night at close to 10 p.m., under the full moon, I got the motor going again. I had taken the starter motor off and had it checked and replaced the plus cable from the batteries to the starter motor and cleaned up several of the connections. But the whole affair set me back a day or so in getting the boat ready.

We are having a great summer here. Yesterday was another gorgeous day. My friends, Arthur and Marianne Wijnans and Blanda came to wish me farewell. Blanda, their dog, was my buddy last January when I housesat for the Wijnans. They treated me to dinner on the “Veranda”, near “de Schinkel”. I expect to motor to Lelystad on Monday/Tuesday to have the mast stepped.

Tuesday August 13. The Long and Short of it.

Tuesday, August 13th, 2013

“Fleetwood” floated again, but just for a day. She was relaunched on Monday and then I moved her nearby to the WSV “Amsterdam” where she is now hanging in the travellift. It turned out that the yard where I was at could not raise the boat high enough for me to get under the keel to repair the damage to the cast iron keel. She hit the gravel and rocks in the French rivers on several occasions because of the low water level. I should be back in the water by Thursday. I have just sent out the occasional “Where is Jack” mail to a number of friends and relatives. I expect to be on my way in the first week of September.

I am looking forward to the sail and getting a chance to relax after all the long hours spent removing the deck, sanding and epoxy work. I have developed a nasty rash on my hands and arms, probably from the epoxy. But it had it’s pleasure as well. I enjoyed the early morning bike ride to and from my lodging with my friend Ernie de Boer. I made a few new friends of other sailors working on their boats.  I am giving a farewell party on Saturday August 31st at the Yacht Club here. My granddaughter, Corrine, and her brand new husband, Euan, will be there as well. They leave for Seattle the next morning. I sent out invitations to my Dutch friends and relatives. If you happen to be in Amsterdam on the 31st, let me know and I will send you the directions.