Week 229: On the cusp?

Maybe it's the new year or irrational optimism, but after months of tearing Delfine apart, it feels like we're about to turn a corner.

The forward cabin is now 95% ready for the builders, pending a conversation on some door trim and how much of the concrete floor of the shower has to be removed.

Karina has prepped all the floors. The builders could walk in tomorrow and lay new carpet and linoleum. The dog hatches are done (minus some annoying leaks). The salon is ready. The kitchen is 80% gone, and the last bit will be done immediately before the builders arrive.

Simon has been busy drafting the plans for the new deck hatch for the stairs, and we signed off on it during the week.

The electrical upgrades are there and working, although the wiring is exposed. However, the new switch panel for the dash has been ordered, and the wooden console has been refurbished with a new coat of paint, all ready to be put back together when the switch panel arrives.

Of course, there are still some big jobs to go. The bathroom in the second cabin needs to be demolished, but we're deliberately pausing that (so we have a functioning toilet) until we get confirmation on the builder's start date. Having completed the forward cabin bathroom now (which is a mirror image), it's a much more manageable and comprehensible task. There shouldn't be any (major) surprises–aside from the usual "it's a boat, of course there is a surprise" stuff.

We still need to remove the bathroom toilet in the stern cabin, but we've paused that until we get the water back on (because we drained the pipes while we were away, and we're waiting for the current cold snap to pass before turning it back on). Wait, it makes sense, I promise! The toilet in the stern cabin is manual and draws water directly from the canal. Because the pipes are off in the rest of the boat, we can't use the second cabin bathroom, which uses freshwater. So we need to turn the water on so we can use the second cabin bathroom and demolish the stern cabin bathroom, which doesn't use the water but we use at the moment. Welcome to the long list of interconnected what-ifs and maybes inside my head.

Which is a long-winded way of getting to my point. This week has felt like we're about to turn a corner. Instead of thinking about what we're tearing out, we're thinking about how to put Delfine back together again.

Peter came by this week and delivered everything we needed to finish painting the outside of Delfine. He consulted with the manufacturer and provided us with a detailed step-by-step plan on how to paint and use the products, along with all the materials (sandpaper, rollers, paints, thinners, rust fixers, etc.) we'll need. Now, we're ready to paint! It's just a matter of timing and weather. Timing is crucial because we can't paint when builders are tromping over the finish, and we also need to coordinate with the shipyard and their sandblasting. Weather because, well, currently, Delfine is coated in ice most mornings!

I visited Simon at his workshop to borrow his table saws and remake the wooden insert for the wheelhouse console. The first one cut at the hardware store wasn't quite square. Also, I'd picked the wrong material–a few weeks ago, and the MDF had bowed. Simon recommended plywood instead (and also not to store it standing long end up!)

It was great to get off Delfine for a bit, be in a warm workshop, and make something instead of destroying things for a change! We've refurbished hatches and windows, but this is the first new construction. It's not the last. Simon will start constructing the stair hatch next week and we're going to get the welders back, this time to cut a hole for the access and frame it with steel edges. I don't think we'll be completed next week, but we should get close.

There was snow on Thursday, so we decided to stay at home in the warm (also, we're not that confident on our bikes in this weather that we will ride in the snow). This was another opportunity to spend some time focussing on the future. We intend to run cruises this year, which means we need to be able to take bookings! Locked up inside, we were able to focus on the website. Karina had already done a heap of work on copy-editing and structuring the content. I needed to come in and create the site.

Welcome to delfinebarge.com! The site is still "under construction," with some legal bits and bobs to go, but the essential functionality exists. And yes, we're ready to discuss bookings now if you want to join us this year. We'll also offer early-bird discounts for those willing to test things with us early on.

A lot of the early projects are starting to come together. We invested a bit upfront in the branding, but we're seeing the benefits now. The website exercise is less about "look and feel" and more about laying things out in a helpful way. It's also informed the colour choice on the outside and will help with uniforms, signage, etc.

Of course, if we're going to run tours, then we also need to make arrangements for these experiences. We're starting to divide and conquer. As the sheer volume of demolition reduces and weather delays us, I'm keeping focus on the building projects while Karina has invested her time into planning itineraries, routes and starting to source partners to work with us. We'll both do lots of everything, of course, but it's divide and conquer time as we march towards a launch date that, going well, is now only months away.

The "home berth" in Ypres now feels more real too. We paid the deposit on it and that's locked in. Which means we're starting to think about where we might move to next once this apartment lease runs out. And, along with that, putting down some roots again for a bit after an itinerant four and a half years. Leases here are commonly for three+ years and this thought isn't scary to us now. It's time to have a home base again for a while. To settle and nest a bit and have a retreat from Delfine that's "us" and not guest focussed. We did the math and worked out that in 2024 we slept in something like 25 different beds. Strange pillows, quilts, lighting... it will be nice to have a "home" for a while!

This week has felt like a pause. A time to take a breath, buckle up and strap in, because we're going to start rocketing forward from here as we pull out the last of the old and focus on fitting the new. We're excited to see the vestiges of Clair de Lune smoothed away and for Delfine to take on the vision we have for her.

Until next time,

Tim & Karina