Willem Johannes is back

Willem Johannes is back
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

At last the ice has gone, in Groningen and in Wartena. Eric and his 'Willem Johannes' were able to leave the Wartena harbour and come over the Van Starkenborgkanaal to Groningen.
Monday we start on part two of the interior work aboard. Five or six weeks now, with part three planned for the weeks following the summer holidays.

Guest bunk

Guest bunk
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

In the portside front corner of the hold, in Em's cabin' I've built a guest bunk. Em decided straight away that her guests can sleep in her bed and she'll sleep on the new bunk. Here she's giving it a trial run.

Claudia drilling

Claudia drilling
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Claudia drills lock mortices for the two new doors for 'Op Hoop van Zegen' on our historic Verboom mortice drill [NL: langgatboor - long hole drill].

Whose Nano is it?

Whose Nano is it?
Originally uploaded by Sadlr
By the time we were back in Groningen Em had loaded her music and films into my new L5 Nano.
Here she's drumming on the table to the Chilli's 'Dani California'.
As long as the music is that good I'm OK with her 'borrowing' the new blue Nano :)

Blue L5 iPod nano

http://twitpic.com/147f9h

Down to Rotterdam this weekend, starting with tapas and amandeltaart in Camaron with the L5 boys.

More ice

More ice
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

If you can't beat them, join them. Yesterday we gave in and spent yesterday afternoon skating at Eelde.

Box chest

Box chest
Originally uploaded by Sadlr
Claudia has been braving the freezing workshop to make this little chest of boxes. Three wooden boxes slide into the top three spaces. It's for the Cinclus, and we'll deliver it this evening and stay for pancakes.

Sun, ice and snow

Sun, ice and snow
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Sun, ice and snow is definitely better than ice and snow. Even when it's minus 2. The ice is still too thin to skate on and too thick to motor through.

UT Delfiaweg 1007

The Groningen City Council in their great wisdom have decided to give us a mooring. Just like that. 

We look forward to spending part of the year there and will try it for size when the ice has gone.

Ice for Tillerman

Still frozen up here
Originally uploaded by Sadlr
Ice. There is no doubt in my mind that the worst sailing invention ever is ice. I’m sure it has uses - bruises and gin and tonic come to mind - but for sailors it’s even worse than the first Sailhorse that catches you just before the run and then hoists a cloud of spinnaker, stopping you in your tracks. [The Sailhorse was my other candidate.]
Holland froze over just before the Christmas holidays started and up in the North we’re still stuck. Side effects are that our clients can’t get to us through the ice and that we can’t get back to our harbour. I’d be laminating a new boom for the 16m2 but it’s freezing in the workshop too so gluing is out.
I’ve been watching the 18 footers in Sydney harbour - no ice there, reading Andrew Campbell’s blog about Star boats in Rio and even trying Manfred’s angle on things. But wrapping myself up like a mountain climber on a motorcycle and building a craft that gets three days out every fifth year doesn’t seem like an alternative.
Nothing for it but to wait. It’ll go, spring will arrive and suddenly there’ll be a long list of things to do and not enough time to get them done. Training in March, first races at Easter and all memories of ice gone.
But it’ll be back ...

Outboard braces

Outboard braces
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Em was laughing here but by three this morning none of us were any more. It was a long night, the first night with outboard braces. [What's the official translation?]
Six months at 17 hours a day to go.