On the Move

At last! The exterior painting was finished on Saturday, so after nearly two months in the Netherlands we were finally able to start cruising yesterday. Our fuel situation made things interesting right up to the end, to say the least.

Late last week, via a rather roundabout process, we were able to get 100 liters of diesel delivered to the boat. This was enough to get the engine started and enable the final electrical project to be completed, and we'd hoped it would also be enough to get us across the river to the fueling depot. Unfortunately, in a fuel tank our size, it turned out that 100 liters was barely enough--maybe--to cover the intake pipe that delivers fuel to the engine. Lon was concerned that any little thing could allow the end of the intake pipe to become partially or fully exposed when we started cruising, thereby letting air into the system and shutting the engine down. We did NOT want to start our day drifting in the Julianakanaal with no engine power.

We made arrangements with Tinnemans to have a work boat with us as a kind of insurance policy should Lon's concerns become reality. As it turned out, Jan Tinnemans decided that it would be best to simply tow us to the fueling station. So that's what was done.

Jan Tinnemans (with Lon) and his son Sem (in the small
boat) moving us to the fuel dock

Last look at our "home" for the past few weeks

The fueling itself was straightforward, but the "cash only" policy was not. We'd been forewarned, however, and so we'd been acquiring cash for several days prior. I can attest that it hurts more to hand over a thick wad of bills than it does to use a credit card. 

A few days prior to departure we cycled to the Linne Lock, located just a few kilometers from Maasbracht, and the first of what would be three locks to get through on our first day of cruising. It's helpful to have advance knowledge of lock layout, availability of waiting quays, etc. Cruising has enough surprises as it is, so a little advance scouting can lower anxiety levels. Our route took us through the small town of Heel.

Anyone want a fixer-upper? The Kasteel van Heel (this wing
from 1686 and 2 side wings from about 1750) needs a little TLC

The chapel on the castle grounds, the only thing left of the 
monastic buildings after demolition in 2012

Lon ponders our route out of Heel

We thought that the cruising route on the Maas that skirted Roermond and the lakes south of that town would be more scenic than a bypass canal used by the commercial barges. However, after having to deal with two long lockages (one-and-a-half hours to get through the Linne Lock and one hour to get past the Roermond Lock) for less-than-inspiring scenery, we would probably take the bypass canal were we to do the route again.

After waiting for nearly an hour, the upstream-bound traffic
finally cleared the Linne Lock

Happy to finally be in the lock, but then we had to wait
another 20-25 minutes for all the downstream bound
traffic to enter

The Dutch appear to enjoy camping as much as the French. It's not quite "getting away from it all"

Lakes are just visible beyond the river banks. The Roermond skyline is in the distance

After the Roermond lock it was lovely, stress-free cruising. The weather was sunny and in the low 70's, our new bimini did its job flawlessly and made us incredibly thankful it had been on our list of boat projects to accomplish, and we had no waiting on our third (and last) lock of the day.

The ruins of the Kasteel de Keverberg in Kessel were reconstructed
in 2015 with a decidedly contemporary twist 

And just to remind us we're in the Netherlands . . . 

We are currently moored at a marina near the town of Venlo. The fueling and lock delays yesterday meant that we didn't arrive until nearly 5 p.m., so we are taking the day today to do some sightseeing in the area and will continue our cruise north tomorrow. Because we have AIS (automated identification system) on the boat, anyone with an interest can find our physical location by logging into www.vesselfinder.com and searching for us by boat name--C.A.R.I.B. III--and don't forget the periods!

Finally, pass through any Dutch neighborhood this time of year and you're likely to see the following on some of the residences:

The Dutch flag and a backpack

The same, hanging from a Tinnemans
crane

In a Dutch tradition that probably started in the 1950's, flags and backpacks (and sometimes things like notebooks) are displayed to announce that a Dutch student has passed their final high school exams and will graduate. 

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.  

Musings on a Wet Maasbracht Sunday

One advantage for us of being in the Netherlands is that most of the movies shown in the theaters are in English, with Dutch subtitles, i.e., pretty much everything is equivalent to the hard-to-find French VO (Version Originale). We discovered that there is a multiplex in the town of Echt, about 3.5 miles from us, so on this rainy afternoon we are borrowing a car from the shipyard owner and are planning to see the new "Top Gun" sequel. Had it been sunny, we'd be able to get there with a 20-minute bicycle ride, but we'll save that for another day. 

Our salon refit is essentially done. We're waiting for a few new furnishings to be delivered--bar stools, rug, ottoman--but the only unfinished "work" is the installation of a couple of wall outlets and staining two small floor boards. And we need to repaint the walls, but that is a project for us to complete at the end of the cruising season. What follows are several pictures of what we ended up with. We still have some paper on the floor for protection, as we are expecting a welder to be going into our engine room this week to work on our fuel tank issues.

L

Lest anyone think Lon has just been sitting around during this time, he tackled a smaller boat painting project--making our steel tender beautiful again.

Today Maasbracht celebrated its "Spring Market." Vendors stretched along several of the main roads into and through downtown. The market had just opened when we started our walk at around 11 a.m., but the crowds were growing by the time we wandered back to the boat 30 minutes later. I suppose the Dutch have to disregard less-than-optimal weather or they'd never do anything!

There were lots of food vendors and clothing vendors, a few
places to buy fresh produce, and a variety of miscellaneous products.
Some of the local residents had set up "Sunday garage sale" displays

A few rides for the children in the Markt

A local, very enthusiastic, drum corps (no bugles!)

Our one purchase of the morning was strawberry
tartlets from the local bakery 

Tomorrow we will be visited by Lon's youngest sister Sarah Bazey and her husband Joe. They have been travelling in Germany for over a week, and are stopping by to see us on their way back to Amsterdam to catch their flight home. They'll spend one night on the boat and we are so looking forward to hosting them!

Progress Report

We'd hoped that all work on the boat would be finished by the end of May so that we could begin cruising in June, but we're not optimistic that we'll meet that goal. The logistics of coordinating all of the necessary tradesmen is one issue, but we've also had some unexpected "surprises" (never a good thing!) that have resulted in items being added to "to do" lists.

On the plus side, work on the galley/salon has been proceeding at a good clip and we're very pleased with the results so far. 

Our corner settee, finished except for the cushions

Lots of lovely storage

An overview of the galley. The plumbing needs to be hooked up
and the countertop installation finished

One small portion of the countertop has been put in place.
Relief--no grout!

The carpenter tells us that the work will be finished this week. (If we're lucky, maybe even today.)

Installation has started on the solar panels, but that--and a few other electrical projects (bow thruster, aft locker light, upgraded flybridge controls)--remain "works in progress" for one reason or another. However, we do now have additional, and badly-needed, electrical outlets installed in the salon, and the unanticipated failure of one of our battery chargers ($$$) has been dealt with.

A recent, and unwelcome "surprise", was the need to deal with our engine diesel fuel. It appeared to contain significant quantities of water that wouldn't clear up despite the diligent use of fuel filters designed to separate out water. It was highly recommended that we empty the fuel tank, have the tank cleaned, evaluate the fuel, and refill the tank--possibly with our "cleaned up" fuel or with fresh fuel. We also need to have welds on the tank checked and possibly reinforced in some areas.

The "glamour" of boating that no one ever
talks about--pumping out the fuel tank by
running a hose from the engine room
to a collection receptacle on shore

The pump-out is complete and the tank cleaning half done; we're hoping to have the remainder of the necessary tasks completed by the end of the week. Then comes the fun of putting a good quantity of diesel into our 2500 liter tank ($$$$).

Possibly the most significant obstacle to being done by the end of May is the exterior painting. No progress has been made on that front in the last 10 or 11 days. The biggest problem there was that too many workmen have been going in and out of the boat, making it difficult for the painters to complete the unfinished areas and allowing the paint time to cure. So they beat a strategic retreat and won't return until foot traffic lessens--weather permitting, of course (and, unfortunately, we seem to be entering a more unsettled weather pattern.) 

Oh, yes, it's also holiday season, so this Thursday is the Dutch national holiday of Ascension Day, and no work of any kind will be getting done.

If we were more comfortable that work would get done in our absence we would probably have left for another week of travel somewhere. That kind of approach to work delays in Maasbracht had been our tentative plan before we arrived in Europe. Instead, we are more comfortable sticking close to "home" to keep an eye on things.

With no operational galley, we've been going out
to eat on a regular basis. The small, unassuming
Cafe t' Wiel (The Wheel Cafe) has become a 
lunchtime favorite. Friendly staff and the best
soups! Sadly, they are closing their doors for good
at the end of June

Dinners out have included meeting new friends

Sunday the 21st was a beautiful day, so we decided to put our new bikes through their paces and see how a 40-km roundtrip worked for us. We headed south to Sittard, a town first mentioned in the mid-10th century, but suspected to have been founded a few centuries earlier. Sittard is situated on the German border, and like Roermond, was occupied by the Germans in WWII. However, unlike Roermond, it was largely spared destruction. It has a small historic city center with a number of impressive old churches, an attractive market square (Markt), and a few half-timbered houses. Probably because it was a Sunday, the tourist office was closed--as were most of the shops--so we gave up on the idea of trying to do any kind of historic walking tour and settled for oblivious meandering, simply to try to get a feel for the town.

We passed this WWII Dutch casemate (think "bunker") on 
our way to Sittard

Sittard skyline

St. Peter's Church (14th C and later)

Stopping for refreshment in one of the cafes that
lined the market square

The Sittard Markt had many cafes and restaurants around its
perimeter and people were out enjoying the day

The electric assist made the 40 kilometer
 distance easy.

Here's hoping that the next report will include the news that most tasks are done.