Ta, Da. We are in the water hoping to spend our first night on the boat. Currently the floor panel is up to expose the engine to I'm trapped in the galley. Theo, the engine mechanic, Reinier, the boat broker and Rob are huddled around the engine with Dutch and English going back and forth. Theo will change the oil, put in new filters, new transmission fluid and the works. Rob is taking notes and photos so he will be able to do it all himself next time. Last a liquid will go into the gas tank to kill any bacteria that might have grown in the last two years. We have water on board for the first time. That's exciting. No more schlepping clean buckets of water from the boat house up the outside ladder to the deck and then down the stairs to the interior to clean.
Speaking of cleaning, I spent Mon-Wed scrubbing every nook and cranny inside, used bleach here and there, vinegar on the widows. It's sparkling. Friday a guy came to clean the carpet and upholstery. We unpacked our suitcases, put our clothes away, I went to the grocery store to stock up since we still had a car, bought a nice plant for the cabin, put a cover on the bed and we were ready to go into the water as soon as the gas is hooked up. At 4PM Theo comes to do just that. He first puts in a gas detector with an alarm before checking all the new lines and valves for leaks. All good. Now to check the gas stove. It seems the stove had leaking valve that can't be repaired. We need a new one. Can't get it until Monday. Can't go into the water. We call back the B&B that we checked out of that morning, to book another two nights. Veip, the owner welcomed us back with open arms. Monday Rob and Folkert go to take our rental car back and to bring back new stove. The same model, but the newer version has a box underneath that seems to be 1cm bigger. We had to pull up tiles from the counter around the hole, Kole gets his jig saw to take shave down two sides, we glue the tiles back down, put a heater on them to dry and grout. Good thing we had the supplies from the toilet room. Now have a nice new layer of fine saw dust covering every surface. Tomorrow I will clean, again.
So it's now an hour later. They are still futzing with the engine so the floor is pulled up blocking my way out of the galley. The door is wide open and the temperature a chilly 44F. I'm in my coat with a table cloth over my legs and still cold. The sun goes down about 8:30PM, it takes an hour to get dark and it's only the beginning of May. The engine is now running. It must run an hour and checked again. Theo has gone home for dinner, Reinier has gone home for good, the door and windows are closed AND WE HAVE HEAT for the first time. Soon the hot water will start heating up. What a day!!
We've decided to go to one of the only two restaurants that serve decent food for our last dinner out in a while and a bottle of wine to celebrate. I would say a nice bottle of wine, but they don't have them here as few people drink wine. Beer is the drink of choice and they are all very good. Believe it or not a beer costs less than a bottle of water. Oh, and the hot chocolate is to die for.
In two days we'll are have everything in place and looking good. We'll invite Veip, the lady from the B&B, and the Dutch/American (she) couple who had us over for dinner on board for nibbles, beer and wine. Our first official guests. We've decided to get the guys who worked on the boat each a for being so great and friendly to us. It's been very pleasant here in Sloten and the stunning surroundings. Our experience has been a positive one, even if it took much longer than we ever imagined.
So that's our news. We miss our friends, family and dogs.
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