Winter and spring 2013/2014

At the time of writing, it is summer and the boat has finally been launched. Unfortunately not in Kolding this time, but again in Ribe - we think it is too expensive to get the boat transported all the way to the east coast for only half a season. So we have to live with the problems we have in Ribe for one more season. The picture to the right show arrival in Ribe harbor on 11 July at 06.15 in the morning.

And speaking of problems, then there is a big risk that our problems will get worse. Esbjerg municipality has, in their infinite wisdom, proposed that the lock rates should be raised up to DKK 100 for passage within normal working hours, ie. at 8-16 on weekdays, all other passages should cost DKK 300 per. passage, insofar as it takes place during the on-call time. Outside the on-call time, the price should be DKK 500. The free passage should be eliminated.

If they adopt the above, a small evening trip on the Wadden Sea will cost DKK 600 just for the passage of the lock. It will kill all sailing from Ribe harbor immediately. However, the case was returned to the city council for reconsideration after a quite stormy hearing, but I still have my fears - it is a right-wing controlled municipality, and they only have an eye for money.

So enough of that, now to the boat. When the tent blew over in the fall, the boat got a lot of minor damage, and because it took a while to get a new tent made and get the tarpaulin repaired, it also got a lot of water damage. So there were quite a few varnish repairs this time, and especially on the wheelhouse roof, it was bad. It was impossible to do without it being visible afterward, but the result is acceptable - it could have been much worse considering the cause of the damage. Everything has been varnished this year.

It was also necessary to replace the seawater pump, after 61 years the impeller could not reach the pump housing any longer. I ordered an original 3/4 "Jabsco pump from Toplicht in Germany, because I don't want to pay triple for it in this country. The new pump cost DKK 1230, the price for a similar pump in Denmark is DKK 3499, and it is not even a Jabsco, it's a China copy. There is something completely wrong with the competition in that industry here, as soon as it is for marine use, things cost a fortune in this country.

I had a couple of pulleys lying around from the circulation pumps I have replaced on the engine, and with one of them, the new pump could be mounted on the same bracket as the old one - I just had to weld a small patch onto it and drill 4 holes. And now there is more than enough water going through the system, and it has had a very beneficial effect on the noise level in the boat. When we sail at cruising speed, we can talk quietly together, it is actually the splashing from the boat's movement through the water that makes the most noise - nice!