| | Went to the boat this weekend and done all kind of chores to prepare the boat for the winter.
Took off the sails, folded them and put them in the boat. We filled the diesel tank to the max, so there can’t get any water in the tank. Looked in our storage the tins and pots on expiration date and took the ones home that should be opened soon. We also take the dried herbs – jars home, so we can start ‘fresh’ in the spring. In these humid months we also take our books ashore.
We were not able to use the spinnaker pole this summer, because he wasn’t extensible anymore. This certainly has to be checked out, so we take this one home also. Checked all the docklines and equipped them with rubber shock-absorbers.
There is still leakage in the parlour and our sleeping cabin. But by now we know where it’s from and we’re going to find a solution.
We also take off the cloth from the bimini-top. It is worn out and really needs to be replaced. As I told before, this is going to be my first sewing-project. Fortunately we came with the van, so we could take everything home.
We laid out the old bimini-top in the living room. To duplicate the bimini, the measurements have to be taken very precisely. We also make some pictures of the ‘difficult’ parts. Fred cuts a piece of 10x10 out of the cloth and weighs it, to calculate the density of it. It turns out to be 700g/m2.
We have been searching for a sail maker where we can buy the sailcloth and accessories apart. On our way to friends, where we were going to have dinner that Saturday evening, we passed sail maker Stroobach in Haarlem. They gave us some advice and together we calculated the amount of cloth we needed. The cloth of the old bimini was, according to the man, much too heavy and that was not necessary at all. Sailcloth with a density of 320g/m2 should be well enough. There were several colour choices to be made in this weight. To make the right choice we took a couple of samples with us.
They gave us good advice about how to make the bimini and what to use as accessories, like zippers. Meanwhile, we bought 2 cylinders of special yarn, so I could start to make a test piece with our sewing machine. We exchanged contact info. Back home, we again took the measurements and calculated the amount of sailcloth and zippers we need. In the state the old bimini is in, I thought it wise to extra solidify some of the parts, to diminish the chance of wear and tear.
On the 17th November Fred called the sail maker and gave them the order. They would send us an e-mail when the stuff could be collected.
This was eventually the order:
7 meter, Sunbrella Plus, colour Cadet Grey, 320 g/m2, 152 cm
½ meter, Pvc 670 platinagrey, 270 cm
10 meter webbing Sunbrella Silver 5035
2 meter, double-sided fleece tape wit 9 mm
6 stuks, Ladderbuckle 15 mm, black
2 meter, Polypropyleen band 15 mm, black
2 stuks, Zippers, YKK, Blocktooth DB, 100 cm, white
6 stuks, Zippers, YKK, Blocktooth DB, 150 cm, white
With all the appliances already bought, the 2 cylinders of yarn, our new sewing machine and patience, a lot of patience from my side, we’ll be able to enjoy our beautiful new bimini this spring.
The past few weeks I’ve been busy improving the logo of our boat. With the help of Photoshop Pro, I adjusted it. It now has the quality we can use for our businesscard and for the flag.
I also enlarged the characters in advance to a scale which can be used for example the hood, a project still to come.
I better first acquire some experience with constructing the bimini, then the rest will follow!
Who knows, I might be even making our own cushions for outside in the future!
This weekend we went to good friends of ours in Zeeland, to ‘recover’. We made a date to arrive in the evening around coffee-time in Terneuzen. Friday after lunch we left, direction Zeeland. We decided to take it easy and took an alternative scenic route. The weather co-operated, some sunshine and dry. First to Rotterdam, then Spijkenisse and Hellevoetsluis. From Goeree-Overflakkee to Schouwen -Duiveland we passed Port Zélande, where we had coffee and a piece of apple-pie in brasserie ‘Petit Paris’. That was ONE piece of apple-pie for the both of us, in accordance with our project “slimming down”. We had the plan to get some fresh air in our hair at the beach nearby, but the weather had other plans. Dark skies, rain and not much of a sun. We went on. On Schouwen-Duivenland we drove along the coast through the beautiful villages of Renesse and Burg-Haamstede, still looking for a place to stroll along the seashore. Alas, by now it poured out of the skies, so on we went. Fred was behind the wheel and I gave directions. Thus we entered Serooskerke. There, at the Schelphoek, we found a nice spot to gaze at the water, because, well… even if we’re not ON the water, we still are attracted BY water. Pity it rained, but that didn’t stop us to enjoy the calm and the space. Then on to Breezand, by way of Neeltje Jans (Delta Park), Middelburg and Vlissingen. Fred found a nice restaurant on the net, Dijkpaviljoen ‘ ‘t Puntje’, Piet Heinkade. A beautiful place to sit and have a good meal. The owner was very friendly and since it was very very quiet, she was at our back and call. We sat on the first floor, with a panorama of the ferry from Vlissingen naar Breskens. Fred enjoyed his baked mussels and I enjoyed my slip soles. Still…. There was room for desert. Ice-cream with chocolate and whipped cream! One portion for the two of us (see above). Nut just tasty, but fun, spooning together from one big glass. At last we headed for Terneuzen, where we arrived exactly on time. We enjoyed the company and being at leasure. Something we were quite ready for by now. Our friends have a sauna and we made good use of it. We slept late and on Sunday afternoon it was back to home. It was wonderful to have met our friends. The weather had gone from bad to even worse: rain and a light snow. We carefully drove home and around four were back home, satisfied with the nice weekend we had!
Because it is really going to look like winter by now, we went to the boat. There were a few things to be done and checking-up never hurts. For instance, we placed the hood over the rudder, emptied the water tanks, pumped away some water that was under the floor. Took out some floor parts to copy. Sailing gear, boots, life jackets, duvet and pillows, cartons with already opened food we took home. We will be checking more often during the winter months. Also to pick up the next floor parts. We can still do some odd jobs, even if we are not on the boat! Winter has arrived in the Netherlands.
On January 16, 2013, we drove to the boat to make sure all was well. Arrived at the port we saw our boat in a thin layer of ice and completely covered with a beautiful white blanket of sneeuw. Fortunate the heater works well and there were no problems.
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