Adventures in our watery world

Operational discussions and the result: the engine is out


Koos and I manoeuvring the mast



These last two pics show the Vereeniging and the Marion Aagje first next to Nico's Luxe Motor (above) and secondly back home (below). You get to se what they look like from both ends this way!

So....we've been playing at boats again. This time, the Vereeniging was acting as tug boat for the Marion Aagje, Mo and Craig's cute little tjalk.

The only snag was the Vereeniging only has 25 horses in her engine room, which isn't really a lot when you are dragging an extra fifty tons of boat around. What with the current flowing in the wrong direction, and us having to go with the flow rather than against it (where you have more control), things got a bit hectic. First we got stuck between two ships while doing a three point turn (ship at bow end very cool, charming and relaxed - ship at stern end less so), then we managed to dunk a rowing boat under water (luckily it re-surfaced, full of water but without damage) and then we were faced with a large party ship coming in the opposite direction, who didn't seem inclined to wait until we'd lurched our way through the bridge. Still no harm done in the end. We bumped into the next two bridges in good dodgem style, but still managed to struggle our way to our destination, being friend Nico's barge.

The reason for all this adventuring was that he has a strong crane, and Mo and Craig had an appointment to have their oversized engine lifted out, their winch lifted on, and their mast hoisted out of the water and put in position too. The mast had been lying in the water next to the Luxor, so one of the pics shows Koos and I pulling it round to the crane with my rowing boat.

Today, we took them back again but luckily this time the current was in our favour, and no dodging other barges this time. Now, though, I really understand why the terms 'barging about' and 'barge into' came into being. This is also why 'barge poles' come in so handy too!

When all's said and done, however, the two little barges look pretty together, don't they? Shame the Marion Aagje has to go back over the river to its mooring in the yacht harbour. We'll miss Mo and Craig now they've moved. They've become harbour people in their own right since they've lived on the Vereeniging. Still, the upside is that now I can move back onto my ship again ;-)