This week we are on the slipway (helling in Dutch) with Vereeniging. It’s been months in the planning, but I finally got confirmation of my booking last Friday, which was a great relief. The weekend was spent preparing to go: battery charged, fuel tank filled, stern grease replenished. With everything in order, we left the harbour on Monday morning for the short trip south to Zelzate where we were hauled out just after lunch. Things moved slowly to begin with as it's a busy yard, but on Wednesday, the hull was cleaned with a super high pressure hose. That's when the fun began, though.
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On our way to the yard. |
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Waiting for the lift-out |
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We had to tie up next to those poles to make sure we were on the trolleys |
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Koos chatting to the yard boss |
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Now we are being hauled out. There's a powerful winch on the yard that drags the trolleys up the rails you see ahead of Vereeniging. |
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Tied to the poles and on the way up |
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The trolleys underneath |
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On Wednesday, she was put on blocks ready for the work to begin. |
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Random photo of the yard |
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A track leading out of the yard which makes a nice stroll |
Once she was up on blocks, one of the yard staff cleaned off her bottom but when he'd finished, he commented that there was still a lot of old tar on her hull. I knew this and have always baulked at stripping it off because it's a big job. Sand blasting would be the best choice but very expensive. However, Alex, the yard's main maintenance man, pointed out the risks of leaving the tar in place. I knew he was right and the evidence was clear. The old tar coating that skippers used to paint on the hull has a tendency to move. When it's hot, it softens, melts and shifts; when it's cold it contracts and cracks. I could see the ripples and breaks in the paint for myself, as this past year has been particularly hard on my barge.
So, I decided to have a go at scraping it all off. With the help of my wonderful daughter, Jo, we've just spent two days manually removing the thick layers of tar that remained on the hull. It's been a really tough job resulting in both of us having seriously smarting skin from the 'tar burn'. We both wore protective face masks and glasses as well as hats, but even so, the fine dust from the tar crept through the cracks and, worse still, into the corners of our eyes. Ouch! Tar tears are pretty painful tears, but it is at last done.
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Me and my scraper |
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port side done; starboard still to go. |
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Our beloved pooches were so patient, sitting in the car. They're happy as long as they can be together |
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But with the scraping done, on the port side, the painting could begin, thanks to Koos. This is a primer coat. |
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Koos heading down to the water's edge to take a photo. What else? |
Tomorrow, we'll finish applying the primer and hopefully begin on the top coats. There are some anodes to replace and a couple of holes above the water line to be welded, so we'll probably be there until the middle of next week.
For now, though, I have the satisfaction of knowing we've done a thorough job and I can collapse into bed with my sore face and tar tears. I'm sure it will all feel better tomorrow when we can really get painting in earnest.
Have a good weekend allemaal. If it's a holiday for you, enjoy it! If not, I hope the coming week is a good one.
This looks quite a large job Val, how often is it needed?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing the pictures, reminds me of the dry dock on Grimsby's fish dock where the deep sea trawlers would be hauled out. No deep sea trawlers, or fishing industry left at Grimsby now. The photo's look like you had good weather for the job though the clouds resemble our skies recently when our weather could change dramatically from sun to heavy showers and back to sun quite rapidly.
Zoe & her friend look very nonplussed about it all, and folk say "it's a dog's life"! Not bad though is it?
Lovely post Val, I'm hoping there's more to this chapter of your lives on the water, David & Popcorn.
Ah, thank you, David. I can imagine you’ve seen plenty of ships up on blocks in the Humber estuary over the years. I have a special fondness for the Humber Keel barges. Are there any left in your area? As for us, yes, we’ve been very lucky with the weather so far. We’ve been a bit delayed by the holiday weekend, but hopefully the necessary repairs will be done in the next few days. There’ll definitely be another post about our progress. Best wishes to you and Popcorn from Zoe and me!
DeleteHi Val, yes there are a few Humber Keelboats still sailing. Two are in the care of a preservation society who organise trips down the Humber which my son abd I been on. Another is a beautifully restored one in private hands. On the Yorkshire bank of the Humber there are quite a few old keelboat hulls left beached many years ago. Too far gone to be rescued though. David
DeleteThat’s sad, David. I bet they’d make great photos, though!
DeleteOh my goodness Val, WHAT a job and such hard work too! Hopefully, future painting will be a lot less work. Your photos are lovely and glad the weather was kind to you all. Take care and try and get a break soon. 🥰
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lorraine. It’s a lot of work, but worth it!
DeleteOur advenrure begins today. We are waiting for the platform to sink so we can position the ship on it. Then they pump air into it which raises us out of the water. Then the fun begins.....
ReplyDeleteI’m guessing this is Carole? Good luck, you two! It’s always a tough time!
DeleteWow, Val, what a mammoth job!! Talk about girl power (Koo's, too :D ), well done, and thanks for sharing the great photos, which gave us a great idea of the toil you went through. I hope your eyes have recovered now! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beth. It is a big job, but worth it. I'm glad we've done it but I'm not sure my skin agrees. Vereeniging looks a lot better now!
DeleteA huge job! Hope you can get finsihed soon and be off barging about. 😁
ReplyDeleteThank you, Aidan. We'll be back in the water next week so hopefully we'll be able to go faring again soon. :)
DeleteHi Val. You are so brave. Hope the tar tears have healed and the painting has begun. Love the photos!
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you, Lynn. The burn and the tears are much improved and the painting is almost finished. We'll be back in the water on Wednesday and a new blog with an update on what we've done will follow. xxx
DeleteLike that track leading out to the yard.
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