In Dokkum with the boat...
So many things to do.
We bought an Omnia oven, just to see what it could do. One of the best things was supposed to be bake-off bread - it worked perfectly to have with some vegetable soup.
I experimented with scones, but burnt their bottoms! More patience and longer cooking time required.
It was going to be very windy on wednesday, so we moved the boat on Tuesday. Even closer to one of the three shower blocks and with a much nicer view!
It was interesting to note that the keepers of the windmills turned the heads to face into the (expected) wind - it wasn't that they were going to be operating, so presumably they are just stronger facing into the wind than side on?
Facing into the expected wind...
Maintenance
Got my nav. lights sorted out with WD40 - but I might look at replcing the fuse holders - it's a pretty old system. - and I don't know what many of them are for! On the plus side is the fact that they have worked for so many years. So, let sleeping dogs lie will probably be my choice - BUT, I did buy the full range of fuses to have in my electrical kit. I now wonder if the existing fuses were ever changed and if so, did they have the correct colour (amps).?
(I didn't get a photo, but we did see a burnt-out (fairly modern) boat in our haven at Heerenveen - I have no idea of the cause).
I was checking everything in case we were to get caught in fog on the return trip. As it turned out we came back on Friday in some fairly shocking conditions (rain and wind) - and I did have the nav lights on a few times - as did other boats on the way. I have also resolved to get new windscreen wipers - I remember that Mum had some like these in an old car we had about 60 years ago!
It's also a very popular spot for campers - they have become more popular than ever since the Covid restrictions. We noticed that a few of them came late at night and headed off at first light - thus avoiding any charges...
It was a full moon...
Janny tried to get a bit of work done, with help from Boeke...
Ocean- going...
The return trip took just under 7 hours - Boeke had only one pit-stop and was quite content to sit with us in the heated wheelhouse.
The water level was noticeably higher - we only just cleared the lowest bridge getting out of Dokkum...
It was a bit brighter by the time we got to Grou, and almost totally calm by the time we got to our mooring in Heerenveen (1620hrs).
We slept on board, as our housesitters were still at home! Which turned out to be a good thing as we had heaps of time on Saturday morning to take EVERYTHING off in preparation for the winter.
Including the mast and navigation lights - to be varnished again. I'll be taking the doors off this year to give them the full treatment - I have to make some temporary panels - I have seen a great way of attaching them, but I might need my skinny volunteer to crawl through the anchor chain hatch...working on that.
An unexpected bonus of being able to use the boat in October - I only have 4 months to wait until I can get to it again (instead of 5!) - and we'll be busy enough in that time. The boat is booked into the worksheds for the first 2 weeks in March - so it could be an early trip up to Dokkum again next year.
I covered up some of the more obvious holes - where the nav lights were taken off
Our boat is the smallest on our jetty - and probably the oldest, too. There were a few liveaboards there, but they are not allowed to live on board over the winter. I had a chat with a woman who commented on my winter preparations... she said "we have sold our house and will be living on board from now on" - I said that sounds fantastic and wished them "good luck" - it really did sound good as a retirement plan.... They are going into Oldeberkoop, inside the Turf Route - they have special "convoy" days when people can move their boats into or out of the Turf Route outside the normal opening times. i.e. only twice a year and only in convoy.
I went for a walk with Boeke and Janny also had a chat with the woman - it turns out that the husband has been successfully treated for cancer - that being the reason for their decision to now live on board - he is able to return to work in a few weeks, so they are not at retirement age as I had thought.
The World Police and Fire Games are in Rotterdam next year. So, I'm planning to get there, probably just as a spectator... it's about 210kms by boat from Heerenveen...
Covid is still hanging around
4 out of 5 patients in the ICU's have NOT been vaccinated.
Nearly 6,000 people were diagnosed with coronavirus in the 24 hours to Friday morning, according to new figures from public health institute RIVM. That figure is up 700 on Thursday’s total and takes the average number of cases over the past seven days to 4,334.
The new figures also show that nearly 37,000 people were tested for the virus on Wednesday and 14.4% of the results were positive. That rate too is increasing. Some 34 people out of every 100,000 are now testing positive for coronavirus, the highest figure since the end of July.
Meanwhile, the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus topped 100 for the first time since the end of July on Friday, national patient coordination centre LCPS said on Friday. In the 24 hours to Friday morning, 118 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus, while the number of people in intensive care rose by 21. In total, 697 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospital, of whom 174 are on an intensive care ward.
Dutch hospitals have a total of 950 IC beds. More than four in five coronavirus patients have not been vaccinated, national health institute RIVM said earlier this week.
Another milestone...
Hello to you and Janny. Love the photos. Do you have more info of the burnt out boat in Heerenveen? From the photo of Janny, it looks a bit cold.
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