Thursday, December 31, 2009

Must not hit buoys


Dressed up for New Year's Eve
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here's Em dressed for New Year's Eve in her new FatFace stuff, Christmas presents from the Dorset Sadlers. [Thankyou letter is on it's way - by post :( ]
Note 2 year old FAtFace slippers - still going strong and seeming to grow with Em.
The clothes tags had a slogan 'Must not hit buoys' on them. Em thought this was pretty funny and wants a t-shirt that says that next.

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, wherever you are.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Family portrait


Family portrait
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

This is how Em sees us after two days of Christmas.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Shovelling Day


Shovelling Day
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Boxing Day - a day of clearing snow and slush with the big shovel. The melting snow is threatening to flood the workshop. Back to work.

Friday, December 25, 2009

White Christmas / Wet Christmas




















It can't make up it's mind whether to rain or snow. We're warm and dry and it's just the three of us and the dog. A perfect Christmas.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Tree is ready


Tree is ready
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Suddenly Christmas is upon us. This morning we bought a small tree which Em has now decorated and by bedtime it was surrounded by presents.

Thawing and freezing


Thawing and freezing
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

As the temperature rises above 0 and then drops again the snow melts and icicles form. Got to get that snow cleared from the side decks.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Snow Laser


Snow Laser
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Forecasts are that the big chill is over. The snow will have melted by Christmas leaving the usual muddy mess. When the ice has gone we'll start the engine and get out of town before New Year's eve.
Thanks to Hans and Hillien for getting down to the club and sending me a picture of my Laser in the snow.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Snow angel


Snow angel
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

The snow is getting deeper, another 10 centimetres this morning.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Noorderhaven family


Noorderhaven family
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

We were interviewed for the current edition of Winter Welvaart and our portrait and story can be read by visitors walking round the Noorderhaven this weekend.
We borrowed Em's friend Jet as an extra daughter for the photograph.

A new wall aboard


A new wall aboard
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

We've been busy aboard our own barge this week .I've built a wall and Claudia has made the pine door frames. She's starting on the doors next while I turn my attention to the electrics and plumbing.

Cold dog


Cold dog
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

When the snow gets deeper than his legs are long our Polo is not a very happy dog.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

A foot of snow


A foot of snow
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

This one is for Matt - how's that for snow!

Snow on deck


Snow on deck
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

It snowed all night, last night. This morning the hatch was heavy as we left to try and walk Em to school. We gave up after 10 minutes; Em was wet and we were cold. Home for coffee and hot chocolate. Later we heard that school was cancelled for the rest of this year. Em's holiday has begun.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Kitchen assistants


Kitchen assistants
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Em and Margot help me make Jamie Oliver's standing up canneloni lasagna for this evening's dinner. Margot's parents and brother came round and we ate it all!

Dave and Marischka depart


Dave and Marischka depart
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Dave started the engine while we were tidying up our tools and at 3 o'clock the bridge opened and 'Ora et Labora' left our workshop quay.
It's been a great project, for a nice couple, Thanks Dave and Marischka.

Sun


Sun
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

The sun came out this morning for the first time in weeks. Lovely.

Almost finished


Almost finished
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

It's getting darker in the workshop, even during the day. Here Claudia scrapes the squeezed out glue from the sliding skylight for the Dankbaarheid.

Big drill stuff


Big drill stuff
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Peter deepens the slots for the door locks with a very large diameter drill bit.

Willemien's window


Willemien's window
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Willemien's sliding window in my window frame. A perfect fit.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Foiling Optimist


Foiling Optimist
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

This is what Em wants for Christmas - Katherine Knight has done it first!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

St. Nicholaas in m'n koffie


St. Nicholaas in m'n koffie
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Em says this is an alien St. Nicholaas in my Cafe Latte.
Breng ons vanavond een bezoek ...

Bedroom cupboards


Bedroom cupboards
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

With [almost] all the scheduled work done on 'Ora et Labora' we'll spend the next week working on extra bits and pieces, hanging doors and generally rounding things off. This is the base for a cupboard in the bedroom.

Eddie's sliding skylight


Eddie's sliding skylight
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Claudia has glued up the 'windows' on the sliding skylight for 'Dankbaarheid'

Peter and Dave


Peter and Dave
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

A year ago Peter made this sliding hatch cover for 'Ora et Labora'. Now that we've got all the big bits aboard it was safe to fit the cover. Somehow things never fit quite as nicely the second time around. Must be Somebody's Law?

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Autumn training part 2


Autumn training part 2
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Sunday morning finds Em all wraped up in her drysuit, gloves, new Rooster boots and socks, and on the water in Groningen for the second day of the second autumn Optimist training.
The forecast is for 16 or 17 knots this afternoon. 'Em's weather', the other kids shout. Em grins.

Groninger Museum


Groninger Museum
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Friday morning and the sun is shining. We folded the wheelhouse down, started the DAF and motored round the city and on to the quay in front of our workshop. Though we've still got three weeks work to do on the ORa et Labora we have lots to do aboard our own barge. That's what we'll be doing this Christmas holidays.

Click here for the video on YouTube!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Youth Commission of the Year















Well done Jesper, Bob, Bas, Claudia, Rebecca, Maarten and Jelmer. The Youth Commission at our club VWDTP has been chosen by the National Authority KNWV as the best in the land.

A quote from the jury rapport:
'... they organize framing activities where the youth members can meet each other off the water and in this way succeed in binding the club's 300 younger members together'.

In Em's words, 'it's fun at the sailing club'. Thanks guys.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Bungs


Bungs
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Bungs in the oak floor, so that Mariska can oil the floor. Then that's one more thing we can tick of the list, going into the last couple of weeks on the 'Ora et Labora' project.

Neil Cowley Trio


Cowley
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Down to Amsterdam on Saturday with Don and Gijs, to see Brother Richard playing with the Neil Cowley Trio in the Bimhuis. Marvellous place to see anyone play and a really great gig by the NCT. Watching them play with a backdrop of trains, trams, cars and the Amsterdam skyline behind the was surreal.
It's a shame Gijs' iPhone camera couldn't capture what was going on outside, but thanks for the pictures anyway [see two more by clicking on this one].

1954


1954
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

I spent Friday in Rotterdam, with Bart en Willem of Driewerf, looking at a Belgian barge and talking to the owner about a possible project for next year. The rear cabin where the skipper and his wife lived is just as it was when built in 1954 - except for the two unshaven blokes on the sofa.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Lunch for Em


Lunch for Em
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Time for a bigger lunch box, Em?

Cupboard top tree


Cupboard top tree
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

The same pieces of ash, planed and glued up. Magical the way the light and dark wood becomes a tree again.

Sawing ash


Sawing ash
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Every now and then, when Peter isn't looking, I get to saw and plane big chunks of wood. Here are the first lengths of the ash tree for a cupboard top aboard 'Ora et Labora'.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Oak floor


Oak floor
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

After chopping the tree up into manageable lengths we went to work on the floor aboard 'Ora et Labora'.
By the end of the day the aft half was in and the light had almost gone, which explains the shaky camera work.

Another tree


Another tree
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Dave and Mariska have asked us to make doors for the bedroom, bathroom and toilet as well as the 'front door'. As we'll need quite a bit more wood to do that we've rustled up another Ash - this one is a good 20 feet long and that was below the branches, and has spent the last five years slowly air-drying, ready for a barge interior.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Hatching


Hatching
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

'... and this bit goes here'.
Claudia's sliding skylight for the 'Dankbaarheid' is coming together nicely. The Dankbaarheid is back afloat this weekend after four years on the hard and a 50 mph low-loader trip on the motorway.

Sneek training


Sneek training
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here is are the boys and girl from the DTP Optimist B team in the new racing centre 'Roerkoning' at Sneek listening to sailtrainer Menno Sappé.
Two long days on the water with waves, plenty of wind and A-team trainer Frans. Lots of stuff learnt about tacking and gybing, setting up the sail and boat but also plenty of fun with the boys and girls from Friesland.
Mums and Dads spent the weekend cooking, washing up and peering through binoculars. We couldn't get Dennis and Erwin's Dad Richard out of the kitchen.

More photos on Pim's weblog.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Rockwool


Rockwool
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Hatchew! [how do you spell a sneeze?]

Pins and grease


Pins and grease
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

We've taken a week off work. It's a bus man's holiday though as we're insulating the last five metres of the hold. Here the pins for the insulation are stuck to the hull and Claudia is greasing the steel before we wrap it up in Rockwool, glass blanket and aluminium.

Autumn camp


Autumn camp
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Em in the van and off to the Sea Scouts' Autumn Camp. Three nights in the woods close to Appelscha.
Sometimes I look at a photo and suddenly see that she's growing up so quickly.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Less is ...


October09
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

more.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Link fixed










Thanks to eagle-eyed Don who spotted the missing 'g' in the link to our website in the right hand column. I'm working on the reward, don't make plans for November 14th.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Sliding hatch


Sliding hatch
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

As you can see [and read in Dutch] on their website, Eddie and Marja have hung the doors on the Dankbaarheid's cabin [roef].
These bits of wood on our workbench are what remains of the sliding hatch over the doors. It will slide on two wooden runners bolted to the steel flanges on the roof.
Claudia has made up the runners and a frame to ensure that they go on straight, and has drawn up the front and side elvation of the hatch.
Start up the thickness planer.

Log pile


Log pile
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

That should keep us warm aboard Op Hoop van Zegen this winter.

Bench work


Bench work
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

There are eleven hatches in this settee / bench. Ten for storage bins and a last one sthat turns it into two single beds.
Tomorrow we have the barge to ourselves so that we can finish the ceiling planking without falling into open hatches and over cables and piping.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

San Francisco Roll


PA030732
Originally uploaded by 2pj

Thankt to PJ for this video.
That's me on the upturned yellow hull at the start of the video. Keep watching though for the San Francisco Roll - holding onto the daggerboard as the boat rolls through 180 degrees, under water and out the other side on top of the board, to bring the boat up.
Hadn't done that for 33 years!

Eighty


Eighty
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Driving home from the Lauwersmeer weekend with the Laser on the roofrack, at a legal 80 km/h the kilometer counter swung round to 80.000.
This is the third time it's been there on our 1990 VW van.

Flat out


lauw0993
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Here are Martien and I heading back upwind in about 26 knots on the Lauwersmeer last Sunday.
Saturday afternoon we had 30 knots of wind and Sunday started with slightly more. Survival conditions. After lunch we went back out to practice sailing by the lee - looking for that elusive course where everything suddenly gets steady and time slows down, that's when you gybe.
We found it, it's really there and it works. Thanks to trainers Kim and Harry for all the things they taught us this weekend, to Jaap and Hans for the great organisation and to all the DTP Laser sailers who came and made it a great weekend.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Wind forecast











This weekend we've got a club Laser training lined up at Lauwersoog. Looks like it's going to be a survival course with 30 knots of wind and 4 metre waves on Saturday. Must remember my gloves and hat.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Gold


Gold
Originally uploaded by Sadlr


Today was the final day of the 2010 season at the VWDTP. Claudia and I had another good day in the 16m2, keeping the Klein family on their toes for the first half of the race before a couple of Sailhorses got between us and them and they got away. Still, another second and a great finish to a season in which we've had a lot of fun and learnt a lot about our new boat.
On the other side of the lake Em was battling it out in the final two races of the Optimist Mini Cup series. She had been calculating all week how well she had to finish assuming that Dennis won both races. As it was she finished 1st and 3rd today, giving her 1st place overall for the season, a gold medal and her name on the Optimist B Mini Cup. Well done Em.
Congratulations too to Pim [Smart Pimmetje] for his 1st place in the Optimist C Mini Cup.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

CWO3


CWO3
Originally uploaded by Sadlr

Under the watchful eye of Club Commodore Peter Nannenberg, Em gets her CWO 3 diploma from trainer Tom. Well done to all the kids who got their diplomas and thanks again to the team of trainers who have taught them so much this year.
After the ceremony the Mums and Dads had to leave and the kids had a Hawaian party.

Thanks too to Charlotte and Sascha for organising the thank-you presents for the trainers.