Week 221: High and dry

Armistice Day is a public holiday in Belgium to celebrate the end of World War I, so we couldn't do any outside work. However, we managed to spend time inside and sand the dog hatch. The fog finally lifted, and we saw some sun for the first time in a week, which was good news for the drying process. Along with a tranquil Sunday, we didn't make much progress during the start of the week.

On Tuesday, the welder returned and finished grinding the work from the previous week and welding the last couple of holes where I installed the Starlink. Things started to change in the shipyard. The large barge "Ruppeldam" on the dock when we arrived finished their painting and left. They don't mess around. As Ruppeldam left, the new boat went straight into the dry dock within five minutes.

Ruppeldam went across the canal to another shipyard, this time for a prop shaft replacement and a new bow thruster. There's a lot of work maintaining commercial boats.

Peter confirmed we would be heading into dry dock on Wednesday, so we worked to make sure that we were ready and Clair de Lune was clean of rubbish so we could go straight in and they could get to work.

Wednesday was the day we've been waiting for. There was activity all over the yard. Noach, the boat that was already in the dry dock, was hauled out by hand, and then Martin, alongside us, was hauled off to a new location. Finally, we got to move Clair de Lune and had to spring off from our tight location to cruise into the dock. It was exciting to be on the move again, even if it was only for one hundred meters or so. I was very happy that we managed to slot in safely to the dry dock without any drama.

When you pull into the dock, they throw a lighter rope across to the boat, which is tied to a heavy wire rope. You drag it on, hook the cable over your bollard, and do it again on all four corners of the boat. The cable is very heavy and pulls you from side to side. There is no drama; you just go with it. Once all four corners are attached, they position the boat into the centre of the dry dock and then start emptying the water in the basin.

Karina had to head to an appointment to meet a new doctor, so of course, we were keen for her to be able to get off. However, we couldn't rush the process! We couldn't disembark until all the water was drained, and a ladder was placed on the side of the boat so we could get off.

It was intimidating to see Clair de Lune from underneath for the first time. There appeared to be a lot of rust, but all the workers shrugged and thought it wasn't that bad. They literally power-washed the rust off the hull until it was bare metal. The same day, they prepped the sandblasting so it could start Thursday morning.

With Clair de Lune now in dry dock, we've moved back into our apartment in Lederberg. While we miss being on the boat, there is certainly something nice about being able to detach from the "work" component. And, of course, we love instant hot water on demand and a functioning dishwasher!

On Thursday morning, we headed to the hospital, where I had day surgery to remove the Basal Cell Carcinoma in my ear. I had an option of a general but decided on a local anaesthetic. It meant that I'd be able to get straight back out to Clair de Lune on Thursday once it was finished.

Karina came with me, and we were at the hospital, as requested, at 7 AM. Of course, there were inevitable delays, and it wasn't until about midday that the surgery was completed, and I was free to go. It went smoothly, although I need to wear a big, bulky bandage on my ear until Monday, when they intend to remove the stitches. A few days in, it all feels like it's healing okay. Hopefully, it's been cleared out properly this time–a Basal Cell Carcinoma won't spread, but it can be painful and ugly. It's best to have it dealt with.

We headed back to the shipyard, but we weren't allowed back into the dry dock while they were sandblasting (it was too dangerous). It was amazing to see the progress, though. While I was in the hospital, they had successfully blasted about three-quarters of the boat! Clair de Lune was filthy, covered with thick black sand from the process, but we loved seeing her emerge from the old paint.

We headed to Dok Noord to meet with the architects and our new builder and had a good discussion, firming up a few plans and working out how to move fast. While we were there, I received a text from Peter with a photo of Clair de Lune with her first coat of primer already applied. Once the meeting was completed, we returned to Lederberg and the apartment.

After a few early days, we hoped we'd sleep in, but of course, it was up early on Friday. We had to be at Clair de Lune to meet with the surveyor and remove the wood-burning stove so the welder could close the hole in the coach roof, ready for sandblasting.

We've been apprehensive about the surveyor for some time. It's an essential part of the process, but we bought Clair de Lune without a detailed survey, so we needed to know how much work there might be. The great news is, very little. From a survey perspective, there are a couple of thin spots on the hull (where the steel plate is now under the 3.5mm minimum), but this is easy to repair, and all but one of the spots is easy to get to from the inside of the boat (important for fire safety).

The one unexpected item was that the propellor shaft was scored and worn. It must be removed, inspected, and possibly even replaced. Overall, we're thrilled with how it's all shaping up! We can live with that, and we're happy it worked fine to get us to Belgium.

The workers continued painting on Friday, and now there are two coats of primer on the upper section of the sides. Progress has leapt forward with a bang after a slow start the last few weeks.

On Saturday we had to head back out to Clair de Lune, this time to pressure wash her and remove all the sand. The shipyard asked me to do it as they don't work on weekends. Having the boat washed down means that on Monday, the workers can get straight into more painting without the sand contaminating everything. Of course, it will come back! There's more sandblasting to come, but for now, Clair is very tidy on the outside.

After we finished the wash down and more sanding, we headed back into Gent to collect two rental e-bikes. We’ve been on the fence about how much we’d use them, but found a rental company that lets you rent for a month at a time. We decided it was worth paying for a month for a decent bike to see if we really will use them when we have no excuses left (good e-bikes, ready to go). The public transport is comprehensive here but also often delayed, and it takes us about an hour and two buses to get between the flat and the shipyard, even though its only about 5km away. So that’s been working in our favour to convince us to give the e-bikes a go!

Until next time,

Tim & Karina