Musical boats

Last week, we spent more time at 'home' in the Oude Haven than usual. Normally, I'm there alone as it's my base while I'm in Rotterdam for work, but Koos has joined me the last couple of weeks to do some jobs on the engine and also to move the Vereeniging while I was at work.

Where we started

The usual lineup

The reason we had to move was to make space for an event in the harbour last Thursday. Seven of the barges had to get out of the way to leave enough room for the games to take place. To be honest I still don't know what the games were, but they involved lots of loud music and what looked like plastic bouncing castles floating around in the water.

Where we spent Wednesday and Thursday night (access was interesting)

Anyway, I missed all the fun because I had courses to teach at the university and an exam session on Friday...both days when the moving had to be done. Luckily Koos loves playing musical boats and was only too happy to steer the Vereeniging from one side of the harbour to the other on my behalf. This is even more fortunate given that he's much better and more practised at it than I will ever be. Since I mostly don't know my left from my right, a situation compounded when trying to reverse and made even more confusing by the added effects of a strong wind, strange currents and the Vereeniging's own steering quirks, I was actually relieved I could skulk away and leave it to him.

And back 'home' again on Friday, but moored against my other neighbour
for the weekend.

But back to the reason for the change, it might seem bizarre to some that we have to disrupt our lives for a one day happening. However, it's actually good to move now and then. It reminds us of why we live on boats in the first place. I quite often move a few metres one way and another as neighbours come and go but to cross the harbour or go to one of the neighbouring harbours gives such a different perspective and I really liked it, even though getting on and off in this case was more of a challenge; we had to climb over the two big neighbouring barges to get to the pontoon, and then up a short but very steep gangplank to reach the quay–the barge version of an obstacle course with ropes, rigging, masts and other assorted up-trippers.  That aside, I even wished we could have stayed for a few days but that would have hemmed both other neighbours in, so back we had to go.

Anyway, in the course of this exercise, it gave Koos a chance to check his solution to the problem with the fuel supply to the engine. In previous tests, it ran for up to half an hour and then just stopped for no apparent reason. This happened even sooner when increasing the revs; in fact, instantly. It just died. After bleeding it and establishing all the lines were clear, it still stopped, so the last possibility was the fuel filter. 

To our amazement, when that was by-passed, the engine ran and kept on running without a hitch. Koos's conclusion: the fuel filter was too big and created too much resistance. He promptly ordered a new one which he will be fitting this week and next weekend, we hope to test it out on a short trip to celebrate my coming of age....I won't say what age as it's much too high a number already, but think in terms of Beatles' songs..."When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now...doo-bi-doo-bi-doo."

Have a good week allemaal. The sun is shining; now we just need some strength to it so I can remove some of these layers!

PS During the write-up of this blog, I have learnt that the local council have closed our slipway for good. We thought we had 18 months from last May to prove it was still viable, but they have decided to axe it now. It seems they don't want to spend the money on supporting it, despite the number of visitors it draws to the area from which all the cafés benefit. Such is the power of the profit and loss accounts. It's a very sad time for all of us who live here.