I’ll be sure to inspect the crane slings when “Fleetwood” descends the 100 odd feet to the Danube, when I’m done with this maintenance job.
This morning the “Groote Beer” ( www.cometosea.us/albums/GrooteBeer.htm) dropped 4 meters on top of a car in Elburg. The crane that was relaunching her after a winter’s overhaul apparently broke a sling. No body was hurt.
It was a perfect day to work on the boat. A cool easterly blew all day and I could work on the sunny side and have the sanding dust blow the right direction. But it is a frustrating slow process. If the boat could have been pressure washed when it was put ashore I could have saved at least 50 hours of back breaking work. I have to hand chisel the Danube clay/cement off the bottom. It clogs up the sandpaper and without the Porter Cable orbital disc sander I have no tool power full enough. I tried the new angle grinder but that is just overkill and if I am not very careful it will grind right through the plywood. I may just have to bite the bullet and spend another $250 on an orbital disc sander. The Bosch flat orbital sander that I bought in Durban is going the same way as the Porter Cable tool. It makes weird sounds and then slows down and quits. I checked the carbon brushes. So that makes three of my must have tools that have gone south, in the worst spot I could have chosen.
I use the hotel where I stayed the first 11 days for my internet and dinner. There is a big party going on tonight for the Lyceum graduates. Glad I am not sleeping here tonight.
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- A Stork on our way back from Alexandria, last Tuesday.
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- “Groote Beer” this morning in Elburg. Normally a boat is supposed to have a crush on Champagne at launch time.
Photo Credit Omroep Gelderland
