Anzac Day 25 April Today we woke up to wind and rain. Not a great day for painting. Anzac Day flags in the rain Yesterday was full of drama for us. Firstly we had to turn the boat around so that the painters could paint the starboard side. But they didn’t want us to put bumpers out, and we have no bow thruster at the moment (flat battery). So we discarded our initial plan and had a go. But the canal was too narrow and we had to give up after nearly planting our anchor in a very expensive looking cruiser. Back to Plan A – which was to stay tied at the bow and push the stern around with the engine– this worked a treat and we turned around without further problem. It is all part of the learning, but a bit embarrassing to do it in front of the “fleet”. The painters in their little boat finished the painting of the “hull”, and then it started to rain. But the organized a couple of tarpaulins to allow then to paint the side of the boat in the rain. I finished the curtains and sewed a cord onto our Australian and New Zealand flags so that they could be raised for Anzac Day. In the evening we were just cooking dinner when all of a sudden an alarm went off. We hunted around and worked out that it was due to us forgetting to turn off the water as we had been filling our drinking water tanks for over an hour. Unfortunately, when the drinking water tank was full, the overflow went into the engine room. We have proved that our water alarm works though In the engine room was some smoke – and lots of water in the bilge. I estimate it was between 10-15 cm deep. The previous owner had a small wet vacuum cleaner which he had used for small spills. It was rusty inside and the size of the problem was beyond it, so we started bailing with plastic cups into a bucket. There were no gaps big enough for anything bigger. After about an hour and 40-50 buckets later, Cor (our painter) arrived to do a bit more work, and he was able to borrow a pump from his son-in-law, so we were able to get the bulk of the water out using that. Then we were left to get the last few cms out using towels and rags. A painstaking process. We have spent about 2 hours on it to date, and there is still more to do. We think that there is either a leak or there is no overflow pipe on the drinking water tank. So we will need to get one installed. Mandy, our project manager, also suggested we check that there is an overflow tank for the diesel too. Also – we had asked for 2 bilge pumps to be installed and one was – in the bedroom area. But the second bilge pump is still in the box and hasn’t been installed in the engine room. So that is another thing to be done. Today, Anzac Day is the return visit from the mechanic Captain Henk (his main job is driving ships – but he is also a good mechanic on these old ships). He is a friendly chap but doesn’t speak good English. He has spent a couple of hours trying to get our generator going, and looking at the motor. He returned to the office to speak with Mandy, and to get her to explain what the problems are. So this is my understanding of the problems.
Captain Henk is off to Belgium tomorrow, but Henk the Steel Guy, may be available to work on the engine – he is a mechanic too. And he should also be able to check on the overflow for the water and diesel tanks for us. We don’t yet know whether parts are available or will have to be ordered, so we don’t know how long it will be. And no-one has reported back on the throttle yet either. In the mean time, painting continues under the blue tarpaulin. But they painted the doors, so they have to remain open. It was less than 13 degrees in the wheel house. I think I will head off to an internet café where it is warm and I can post. Our Anzac flags Post Script - Due to lack of internet I am only posting on Wednesday 26th.
Henk (Steel guy) came this morning (Wednesday 26th). He thinks the fixes for the fuel lines will not be too hard. He also thinks the pump to drain the oil is working, so Howard will drain the oil, and then we will do some tests. But if we need a head gasket or even a new head, parts are available, although the wait will be about 2 weeks. He also said when he looked at the engine in Harderwijk he took out a couple of litres of water from the engine, so we are not hopeful that nothing will need to be done. Henk will be available from next week, so that is good. He is a nice man and speaks much better English than the other Henk so that makes it easier for us. We will wait until next week to see what can be done. If there is a couple of weeks waiting for parts, we might have ourselves a side trip, either on Moondance if she is safe to move, or elsewhere if not.
3 Comments
Pamela
27/4/2017 12:00:39 am
It seems that there are many challenges to go!!! October is a few months away--- just being selfish!
Reply
Ian
27/4/2017 05:07:11 am
Water in the genny/heater is not cool. Due to oversight and my poor practice I allowed too much water to accumulate in the 'red' diesel tank. We DO have a drain so no excuse. It buggered the heater and we had to strip two sets of filters, and, I suspect, the water may have caused or contributed to the failure of the injector on the genny engine. That was expensive.
Reply
Sue Veal
28/4/2017 09:33:54 am
So good to hear all your news, but sorry to read all the challenges you are having. We sincerely hope any problems are the cheapest option! Xx
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWe are sharing stories about and travels on our barge Moondance. Archives
August 2023
|