Chinese Water Torture

Chinese Water Torture--that's what this phase of our boat projects feels like. Most things are done, but it's been a slow "drip, drip, drip" to finish off the final items. As feared, the weather has had an impact on finishing the last bit of exterior painting, so we see no prospect of wrapping everything up this week. Our fuel tank repair was made last week, but we're running into some issues with getting refueled. The original plan was to have a fueling boat come to us at our mooring; however, it turns out that the boat only pumps "red" diesel (dirtier, taxed less, only available to commercial boats) and not the "white" diesel that must be used by private pleasure craft. It's been a frustrating few days trying to resolve the problem. There is also one remaining electrical project to complete--troubleshooting upgraded electronics on the flybridge--that requires an operating boat engine, so that is also "on hold" pending resolution of our refueling issue. Throw a Monday holiday into the mix (Whit Monday following Pentecost Sunday) and the "drips" keep accumulating.

Still in Maasbracht, but at least the name went back on 
the boat yesterday

The boat name and new Polish registration number gets applied, as well as
 a home port that the boat will likely never see

Our European Identification Number (ENI) on the cabin

We are now legal to be on the waterways

The scheduling uncertainties are keeping us close to Maasbracht and the boat during regular work hours, so we are finding "simple pleasures" where we can.

We're enjoying the new layout in the salon/galley

We were visited briefly by Joe and Sarah Bazey on May 30-31. Sarah is Lon's youngest sister, and she and Joe were good enough to stop by as they made their way back to Amsterdam after a 10-day trip to Germany.

 

The photo shows Lon, Joe, and Sarah by the local Maasbracht windmill. A short visit, but very nice!

A peacock was out to attract the ladies in a local zoo we
discovered in south Maasbracht

Deer; sheep; goats; a llama; turkeys, emus, and other fowl
all peacefully coexisting

We think this was a shipping company party last Saturday

While Lon stayed at C.A.R.I.B. III, I took the bus back to the town of Roermond last Friday (June 3). My stated purpose was to check Roermond's stores for some small items I hadn't been able to find in Maasbracht, but I have to admit that it was a relief to get away from Maasbracht for a few hours and just stroll through Roermond.

Roermond has a huge designer outlet, with over 185 designer stores arranged to look like a 
small Dutch town. Very Disneyesque.

The Rattentoren (Rat's Tower), the last of 30 towers that
lined the defenses of the old city. In 1613/14 this particular
tower was the prison for women accused of witchcraft. When
the city walls were demolished 200+ years ago, this tower was left
in order to avoid damage to the nearby cathedral. It was nearly in
ruins-and full of rats-before its restoration

The Roerhavn waterway dividing the main city center (left) from
the old quarter of Roermond, Voorstad St. Jacob (right)

We had a good time attending the "Top Gun" sequel at the Echt movie theater the last weekend in May, so took advantage of a beautiful June 4 to cycle to Echt for a quick look at the town and to see the Dr. Strange movie.

We were the only ones in the theater for "Dr. Strange"-I guess
no one else wanted to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon indoors.
In this cinema it's possible to order refreshments from your seat
 and have them delivered to you

Similar to the town of Sillard we visited previously, Echt has an old church, a pedestrian/bike-only town center filled with people enjoying the outdoor cafes and restaurants, and a few more empty storefronts than is probably healthy.

Echt's current primary claim to fame may be its past association with the Catholic saint Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, also known as Edith Stein. Stein was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity in the 1920's and became a Carmelite nun. In the late 1930's, as persecution against Jews in Germany was increasing, she and her sister Rosa (also a nun) were sent to the monastery in Echt for safety. In late July 1942, Dutch bishops issued a pastoral letter that criticized Nazi treatment of Jews. In response, on August 2, 1942, nearly 250 baptized Catholics of Jewish origin, including Edith and Rosa Stein, were arrested by the Gestapo. The Steins were sent to Auschwitz and died in a gas chamber on August 9, 1942. Sister Teresia was beatified as a martyr for the faith in 1987, canonized to sainthood 11 years later, and is now one of 6 patron saints of Europe.

Stein memorial in the square outside Saint Landricus
Catholic Church

Finally, as we were walking to lunch yesterday we wondered why netting had been put up at the railing along a length of the waterfront. The answer came a couple of hours later, as we were treated to a Dutch approach to ecological landscaping.

Sheep to the left, sheep to the right. I was standing on one of the walkways to the commercial boat moorings when I took these photos. The sheep were allowed to graze for a few hours, were collected for the evening, and were re-delivered this morning. It's a steep bank, so it's probably safer "mowing" the grass this way than trying the usual methods.