November 2025: Prepping for winter

I am enjoying not writing blog posts every week, but we do miss the record of what we've been up to. Sometimes we look back and think we haven't done much, but when we recap, it turns out we've actually done quite a lot!

The focus of the last month or two has been moving Delfine from Gent to our winter mooring in Diksmuide, then settling and exploring further.

Simon came out and finished the front windscreen and built the mini-deck we need to access from the stairs to the guest deck. The heating was resolved, and we were finally at the point where, while there was still more to do, it was time to leave the shipyard before we became institutionalised.

Of course, Delfine is a boat, so there's always something last-minute. I'd noticed oil leaking from the gearbox, and several of the seals were cracked. We ordered new ones and replaced most of them. Now, we could go.

But of course, then we had to wait for a delivery, and the weather and... anyway. Eventually, on the 25th of October, we FINALLY left Gent and headed towards Bruges.

It was fun being underway on Delfine again. For the first time since arriving last year, we were living on her while underway. Testing the systems properly. And by and large, everything was behaving as it should. We had a lovely few days in Bruges on the way, made our way to Oudenberg, Nieuwpoort, and then finally, Diksmuide.

Diksmuide is a lovely little town that's right on what was the Western Front during WWI. It's full of history, historic buildings (mostly rebuilt), and a friendly local community. We also met Eddy and Mary, a US couple who recently purchased a barge, Independence, and are trying to establish themselves in Europe.

Around this time, my new book, Goblins & Guides: Hidden Histories, launched, and it's been going well on Amazon and other platforms. There's been a lot of great reviews; it's currently at 4.57 (out of 5) on GoodReads.

Goblins and Guides is a cozy fantasy that quietly exceeds expectations and unfolds into something truly special.

What an amazing surprise! First books can be a little hit and miss, but this one read as if it had been written by an experienced author with many titles under their belt. 

This is a WONDERFUL book! If you love fantasy, you’ll love this book!
I grew to really love the characters and the storyline, and once I started, I just couldn't put it down.
I highly recommend this awesome book, and I am anxious to read more from this author!

Life took a different pace in Diksmuide. The focus switched heavily to fitting out the interior of Delfine now. We met another hotel boat in Bruges, and they shared a lot of tips, including where to buy high-quality hotel linens online. Our flat back in Gent quickly filled with deliveries.

We spent a lot of time switching back and forth between Diksmuide and our apartment in Gent. It's only an hour on the train, plus a bit of transit time (tram and walking at either end), so two hours gets you door to door. We headed straight back to Gent on our first weekend to meet up with Mieke and Frans, and Nats and Andy for a delightful lunch.

After some running back and forth, a little bit more painting and chores, we ended up back in Diksmuide to meet with Steve and Judy from Sailing Fair Isle, who we met in Montenegro. They joined us on Delfine for a few days, and we explored some more of Diksmuide, then cruised on Delfine up to Nieuwpoort, Oudenberg, and Bruges once more. It was a good test of just how guest-ready we are, and while it went well, we added more things to the shopping list.

On the return trip back to Diksmuide, friends from my Improv comedy class, Gentry and her partner Pascale, joined us. This was yet another test, this time in how quickly we could "turn the boat over" for new guests.

It's started to get cold on Delfine, and the flat is definitely a lot warmer, so we began to spend a bit more time in Gent, preferring it during the chilly weather. So chilly in fact that we had the first snow of the season back in mid-November.

With all the visits completed, we moved into wintering mode, changing oil in the generator, organising a local mechanic to fit pre-filters for us, and prepping Delfine to be left alone for a few weeks while we travel.

We spent a bit of time with Mary and Eddy, getting to know them, and spent Thanksgiving dinner with them on Independence, which was a fun throwback for us to our time in the US. We rented a car and visited Veurne and Nieuwpoort.

Another experience was buying two crates of West Vleteren 12%. This dark Trappist beer is considered one of the best beers in the world. It's exceptionally good. Buying it is an adventure that includes prepaying and booking on a website to be assigned (NOT requested) a specific pickup window at the Abbey – be there, or miss out. All very cloak and dagger. But, it was worth it, and we enjoyed the drive into the countryside a bit further.

Back in Gent, my improv comedy course finally ended with a live performance. This was great fun, and I loved getting to know my fellow performers as well as the act of performing itself. We're starting to become more integrated into the Gent expat community, if not with the locals.

Books 'N Booze is our favourite local store, and Ief agreed to let me set up a stand outside and try to sell copies of Goblins & Guides in person. It was a cold experience and it rained a large amount of the day. In the end, Karina and I sold three copies. Which is better than no copies, but a little disappointing. The weather was working against us for sure.

Some more socialising, including dinner with the Improv team, and then I was off on an adventure again. I spent four days helping Eddy and Mary move Independence to The Netherlands. While Eddy is a Master Mariner and has worked on boats all his life (including a stint as a hovercraft captain!), he still needs to sort out the correct license for the inland waterways, so I came along for the ride to impart a bit of local knowledge and provide my license instead. It was a great trip back to Gent, then up to Terneuzen in the Netherlands.

Then, it was back to Gent and time to hire a car to move all the goods and sheets we'd accumulated to Diksmuide and Delfine. It was a quick in and out visit, then back to Gent again where we prepared for our trip to Tokyo.

Yes, that's right, we're spending Christmas in Japan with our son, Jasper. In fact, we're here now as I write this. Suffice to say, Tokyo is proving to be a fantastic city and I'll look forward to sharing a lot more about it, including photos, come January.

Well, that's a bit of a catch up for (most) of the year. We're still yet to receive any bookings for next year, but the feedback from the brokers on the interest levels they are receiving is all positive, so let's see what pans out!

Until next time,

Tim & Karina