The pictures were taken last Thursday evening from the committee boat at the weekly “Vrijheid” class sailboat race. After including these in my advertisements I had the first potential buyers calling. That is the good news.

The bad news is that I am a salmon stuck between salt and fresh water without fish ladders in the dams. I wrote in the previous blog from 13 July that I was planning to cruise north to Friesland. I triple checked the bridge opening schedule. One showed that the Schinkel railroad bridge would be closed from July until further notice, but in the same notice was a more recent scheduled closure for just August 8th. This bridge opens only just after midnight. The other two sources gave the schedule for this early morning at 00.30. My phone calls to the adjoining lock remained unanswered. But when I showed up, just before dark, there were no other boats. Then, from a sailor at the nearby marina, I learned that there is no estimate as to when the bridge will be opening again. An enormous project is under construction since 2022 to add another couple lanes to the freeway. The only exit from my cage is the Schiphol bridge, to the south. It is in repairs and not expected to finish until next year. So my only escape by way of the Tsunami thas has been forespelled for July. Or take the mast down and restep after passing the Schinkel bridge, sail to Friesland and redo the process on the way back at a cost of around $500. It would also add an expense for a potential buyer. I shall not perish from boredom, there is still enough to improve on the boat and I might rent a car and go for a swing through West Europe to visit family and friends. Lisa, daughter #1, is visiting her daughter and family in Warsaw and I plan to drop in for a couple of days in the first week of September.

There is also a NEW twist to my potential final resting place. It might be in wood fater all. After the March 5 2022 Cuban shipwreck, I searched for another multiplex boat. I had hoped to find one of the other two of the four NAJA kit boats I had imported in 1980. For a while some NAJAs showed up for sale in Europe and as relative good compromise I ended up here with #3. My purchase, this winter, after concentrating again on wood, turned out as a good compromise. But I sold my soul to “Fleetwood # 1”. And another NAJA owner in England alerted me to a NAJA for sale here in the Netherlands. If I can find a home for #3 then I would consider #5 and sail # 4 from Virginia to Europe next summer and sell it here, where the ELAN 31 is more popular than in the USA. So, another good reason to avoid boredom.

Another bit of good news is that what I reported in my July 13 blog, the planned January 1st closing of my parish church, is not a fait accompli after all. The small group of “Friends of the St. Augustinus Church” are not giving up yet.

After steady healing of the dental repair, I’m experiencing more pain again. Speaking and singing hurts again. I have an appointment on August 19 for a checkup. It might have been the fault of last Sunday’s choice of hymns. In the Dutch language service were two English hymns, “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” and “Amazing Grace”. Few of the parishioners participated and it became a duet with the Cantress. The same for the “Dona Nobis Pacem” from Mozart’s Requiem.

I moved from Lakeview to Forest Lawn, here in the Yacht Club. My new neighbors could not care less about my problems they are not going anywhere. When that monster Tsunami, forespelled for July, comes I’ll be towing this forested dinghy sothat I’ll get a jump on the rest of you

following in the Ark with just a handful of seeds.

It’s time for my noodle soup with a straw. Enjoy the last day of July and the rest of this beautiful summer weather. And pray that the creek may rise to float me over the bridge. Love from Amsterdam.