Summer Time on 'Rosy'

Yes, Folks.  We've had 2 days of sun, so perhaps summer is back with us.

'Maria' is back in Gent for a few days, with Robert and Wendy on board.

Old joke number 548 (from the military archive):

Robert:  Hi Bill.  I've just had a haircut.

Moi (after inspecting his crowning glory):  Oh yes.  Which one? 

He kindly arranged a fuel delivery by tanker, so I got 'Rosy' filled up as well.  Belgium does the red diesel for boats, as does UK.  It's about 25p a litre here.  One litre runs the engine for an hour and the heater for 4 hours.

The tanker driver was a dour, surly man.  Wendy had just spent several hours painting bits of 'Maria'.  He gave himself a helping hand up onto Maria by putting his hand right in the middle of a painted bit.  Wendy fumed, but kept her cool, and said (in Belgian which she and Robert have been learning) 'Be careful of the paint, mein herr, it is wet'.  'No problem' he said 'I'm wearing rubber gloves!'

The weekend was further enlivened by a tennis player with a strange accent.  She has just beaten Venus Williams, and told us that '...this win has pwabaly impooved my wanking'.  A girl to watch, one feels! 

When I bought 'Rosy', she was painted black, white and red - the livery of Fellows, Morton Clayton - canal carriers.  I wanted it to be red, white and blue, so I've been overpainting the black bits.  I did the last panel yesterday - using a roller (instead of a brush) for the first time.  The results are very pleasing.  The tiller was red, blue and yellow, but it is now red, white and blue, and sports a nice flag staff with the red ensign - we are, at last, properly dressed.

We are moored opposite a slip way, where sports boats and backed into the water by car-driving owners.  It is a source of endless entertainment.

Car 1 is not awfully good a backing-up, so he opens the driver's door, and hangs out of it, looking backwards.  He glides his car neatly by the warning post, but forgets that his door is wide open.  The post is very sturdy.  His car door is not.

Car 2 backs down onto the ramp, until the stern of the boat in the water.  The car stops.  The owner gets out of the car, unhooks the boat from the trailer, and pushes hard on the boat.  It floats off the trailer, and across the canal, into the path of oncoming boats.  Some of the owners of these boats try to capture the runaway boat, but there are no ropes on it at all, so one has to go at trying to lasso a cleat.

I missed the start of the adventure for Car 3.  I caught up with things when the car had backed down the ramp until the water was up to the driver's seat.  At that point, the trailer wheels ran off the end of the underwater ramp, and the trailer and boat fell, vertically, 18 inches. It was the resulting clunk that aroused my interest, and the interest of the fire brigade and police who were called out to assist.

Engine starting is another area full of interest.  Some engines don't start.  Some do, but then coyly send up a massive smoke screen.  The really tricky ones start, but wait until the boat is cast off, and a gear engaged, before stopping.

The problems with recovering boats is that the car has to tow a boat up a wet (and, hence, aptly named) slipway.  This often results in over-revving engines, the smell of burning rubber and sweary words of the type not usually heard in Sunday School.

I have hopes of seeing a new propeller sometime soon.  Meantime, if anyone wants a visit to Gent, there are only a couple of more weeks left .....

Toodle pip!!

Bill