Out of the Water, May 16-28

Nestled between the abattoir and the sewage treatment plant, Evans Marine Resort and Spa provides the finest weight loss program in Burgundy. Simon and his staff, Philippe, Roger, Laurent and Mark will assist with all your needs. Climbing ladders, scraping bottoms and sanding and painting topsides will fill your busy days.

Seriously, there is a slaughterhouse across the open field and there is a sewage treatment plant next door but luckily the odors from both rarely made it into the yard. We did hear the occasional cow bellow.

We had thought last year that we were going to head down to the south of France this year (We changed our minds. Probably next year.). Our insurance company was going to require a complete survey and valuation of the boat for our 2020 renewal and we thought it would be easier to find a yard in the north to take care of the haul and launch. In addition, the owner of the yard, Simon Evans, is a well known and recognized surveyor whose work is accepted by all the major companies. We had stopped at Migennes on our way down the Yonne last year to check in and make sure he could do the work and all was arranged, although without a firm date as the yard is right on the river and if it’s in flood, well, that could cause a problem. No flood this year so we called Simon about a week ahead of time and he said space was available. We made tracks for Migennes.

We arrived Tuesday afternoon and checked in with the yard. It would be Thursday before we could be lifted out so there were some small projects that could be completed in the water. A new exhaust hose was installed on the generator so it would no longer leak water into the bilge and a new water tank gauge went in so we could tell how much drinking water was on board.

Thursday just before noon the crane was fired up and Oldtimer came out of the water.

Since Simon was going to have to crawl around under the boat to measure hull thicknesses he left the boat in the slings just resting on some blocks. The first job was to power wash the bottom to remove the moss and barnacles that had accumulated since the boat went back in the water in 2015.

Roger has the high pressure water.

Now it was up and down ladders for us until the boat went back in the water.

It would be a couple of days until Simon could get to the bottom survey so we began the paint prep. The bottom had to be wire brushed and any flaking paint removed, and the whole topsides from the rail to the waterline was going to have to be prepared for shiny paint. By Monday afternoon the measuring had been completed and we were moved to our spot in the yard for the next week or so.

During his soundings, Simon had found one spot up near the bow that was a little too thin so we decided to have a patch welded over the spot. That was Laurent’s job.

The bottom had it’s first coat of paint 

except for the place where the patch will go.

Laurent applying the fix.

Meanwhile Cathy Jo and I had been madly prepping the topsides for paint. Luckily the weather was cooperating and we had no rain for the several days it took to complete the job. Cathy Jo provided her magic touch on the topsides. I rolled on the sloppy bottom paint.

All shiny and ready for the splash!

Even the anchor got pretty.

Tuesday afternoon it was back onto the trailer for the trip back to the crane.

Simon and Roger very carefully adjust the trailer.

After a minor crane hiccup, back in the water we went, just 12 days after our lift out. We’d gotten everything we wanted accomplished, had a good survey and, after a bunch of laundry and cleanup, were ready to get underway again.

In the days before we got underway, though, we met a couple who had just pulled out their tjalk, Petronella. It turned out John was celebrating his 80th birthday so the boatyard patrons got together for a few drinks to celebrate.

The birthday boy with Simon.

Friday morning we were off, heading to the Canal du Bourgogne.