Week 233: More positive steps
The windows are finally complete and we're putting more things together than we are taking them apart. Starting to pick up progress on fixing things!
If we're going to run a tour boat, even if we're not giving the tours ourselves, it's a good idea to learn a bit more about where we are! On Sunday afternoon, we headed into the city for a walking tour. It was a worthwhile use of our time. Not only did we get to stretch and take a break, but we also learned more about the history of Ghent.
Who wouldn't want to visit Ghent! The swans are interesting, that building is now the Marriott hotel, but in Ghent's hey day, it was a brothel. Signified by two swans looking apart, instead of facing each other in a love heart shape.
For example, I never realised that during the 13th—14th century, Ghent was the second-largest city in Europe after Paris. Its wealth came from its position on the confluence of two rivers, and it taxed everything heading for the sea. Ghent was also the second city in the world after Manchester to experience the Industrial Revolution–due to some creative industrial espionage where a businessman stole the plans for weaving machines from Manchester.
Monday morning, it was back to Delfine. With the circulation pump flipped, I could test the heaters some more, and we finally got some heat—for a short time. The system still isn't right, but it's moving in the right direction. The heating specialist is waiting on a couple of parts, and they'll be back to install them and, hopefully, get it working. We're in a better position than we were.
The "hard" demo is now completed. The last concrete was removed, which meant we could return the jackhammer. This is a milestone! There are a few small bits left to remove, but they can be done in a day or two before construction starts (it's nice to maintain a working toilet and kitchen sink).
More progress on the hatch. Gas lifts, insulation and all done!
Monday afternoon, Simon returned to fit the gas lifts for the hatch. The hatch is heavy (around 130 kgs), and after we fitted the gas lifts, Simon and I decided that given the weight, we should add a steel plate for more reinforcing rather than rely on the two screws in wood to hold it all. He made a new plate, which we installed on Wednesday, and added some additional insulation. The hatch is now well and truly complete!
Here's a video of the whole hatch process.
On Tuesday, the glaziers came out to the boat and fitted new glass to all the hatches. When they removed the old silicon and pulled the windows, it was clear where all the leaks came from! The silicon had deteriorated and was no longer sealing the windows. We now have new glass on all the hatches, and 95% of the leaks stopped with that change. There is still one small one, which I can fix (basically, the windows have a brass "drain" in them, and they went a little light on the silicon at one point to avoid blocking it, but they didn't entirely seal it. An easy fix.).
The glaziers working on installing the new glass in the hatches.
On Wednesday, I borrowed the van from the shipyard and headed to the local hardware store (Brico). My new battery powered circular saw arrived and it was time to buy some wood and start a new project, building a box to cover the exhaust pipes in the stern cabin. These were previously covered, but when we were in dry dock, it all got removed as part of both demolition and a need to get visibility on the inside of the steel while they worked on the rudder. I've had a great week getting to know the circular saw, building the box and generally feeling great about making more steps towards putting Delfine back together again.
I made some progress Wednesday afternoon on the stern cabin, and also worked on finishing off the front of the console in preparation for Martin & Jef to fit the new electronics.
The "slopey box" I built in the stern cabin to cover the exhaust stacks for the engine and the generator.
Karina has hit a major milestone as well, all of the windows are now completed, which is a huge effort. She started working on removing old adhesive contact from the cupboards–the glaziers suggested she used a heat gun for this, and she borrowed theirs. On Wednesday when I hit the Brico, a heat gun for us was on the list!
Thursday was a short morning on the boat. We continued our projects, and then headed to the architects for what ended up being a four hour meeting! I don't have that much concentration in me 🤣. But, it was very productive and the builders were also there. We really are in the final "nitty gritty" stages of the contract and the fine detail is important–but oh, so tedious. By the end my eyes had glazed over. Thankfully Karina was there to pay attention.
Friday I completed the box in the stern cabin. I've made some minor improvements on what we there before (I think). Adding some insulation inside the box so that it's both more heat resistant and sound proof, and also creating an access hatch (which was missing before), so that we can inspect it if needed.
Another milestone Friday morning was an appointment for my residents card. To date, I've just had a temporary one. Finally, my five year card was approved and I headed out to the town hall to complete that process. All smooth and straightforward. I bumped in Jef, the apprentice electrician there, which was a surprise. It's nice that we're starting to know people and it's always a thrill seeing someone you know in a new city.
Jef came out to Delfine on Friday afternoon and started fitting the new console in the wheelhouse. He also delivered the new stern toilet. I arranged for the welders to come by and they welded down the supports for the solar panels.
Stripping out old cabling and the new console going in. If you do any work on a boat, PLEASE strip out the things you replace and no longer work. It would make our lives a lot easier!
Today (Saturday) we had a slow morning at home, then headed back out to Delfine. We FINALLY got around to cleaning the boat (just in time for sand blasting to start again next week). The welding process generates a lot of metal scraps, so it's good to get all that off the deck. With the boat clean, we were also able to paint the new mounts with a coat of primer to help stop rust. We also touched up the bollards where they were boxed in.
Brackets for the solar panel mounts and being welded in.
It's been a satisfying and productive week aboard Delfine with more things coming together than being pulled apart. At some point in the next week or two, we're probably going to hit a pause as we wait for the building proper to start. One of the next major tasks we have for us is painting, and that's going to be highly weather and shipyard work dependent–the shipyard will start sandblasting again on Tuesday this week (which means we get wet and covered in black sand, not great painting conditions).
On Sunday we're heading to Antwerp to visit some friends so I decided to get the blog done today to free some time. We're looking forward to exploring a little bit more of Belgium than just Ghent!
Until next time,
Tim & Karina