Survey Day

A fine day and we were all aboard – Anne and me, the owner, the broker and the surveyor.  The latter had several ‘doctor’s bags’ full of instruments. – to measure the ph/salinity of the cooling  water, analyse the engine oil, take infrared pictures of the engine when running and measure the electrical output. All very impressive, no doubt to justify his fee!

The surveyor, Johan, poked, prodded, measured and surveyed in all the crooks and crannies as we motored along through the countryside and small villages. After an hour or so we arrived at the yard in Woubrugge where the boat was to be hauled out. Unlike most of the spotless places in Holland, this was an older yard with plenty of oil drums, pieces of timber and steel all over the place – with a railway haul out similar to Shelly Park in Auckland.

The boat yard is situated on a very busy major canal and the traffic was quite ‘busy’. All manner of craft ranging from small pleasure boats, large tourist pleasure boats, with hundreds of people, bikes and food aboard, and commercial traffic, transporting goods, passed by while we waited for a gap to haul out.

Canal traffic – 2 boats transporting a barge with what looked like the stern and bow of a large ship. Notre Vie in the foreground

 

The haul process involved 2 men, a couple of ropes and a boat hook to manoeuvre the boat, and, once the boat had been pulled onto the cradle sufficiently, another man operating the winch to haul the cradle with Notre Vie up the rails.

Haul out Dutch style!

I was surprised that the bottom was so clean since she was last anti fouled about 3 years ago – 2 to 3 years being the normal gap between antifouling here. Just a layer of algae, and the large 4 bladed propellor was completely clean.

After 3 years in the water – the prop still very clean. Note stern thruster

After a water blast, the surveyor got to work on the hull and with more instruments measured the hull thickness. – a respectable 4.1mm.

The survey overall was very good – quite a few minor things to do. So we agreed to complete the contract and left the boat at the yard overnight for a coat of antifouling.

Once the broker had received the final payment, the boat was ours!