The survey

We were advised when buying a barge to have a survey done. This entails lifting the barge out of the water, pressure cleaning the hull and for a professional marine surveyor to conduct a thorough investigation of the boat and its systems. An important part of the survey entails a sonar scan of the hull to determine whether the thickness of the steel is adequate, a minimum of 4mm is required for insurance purposes. As a condition of my offer I included the undertaking of such a survey and Rudi and I concluded it would be a good idea if I could fly out to Zaandam to be on site when the boat was out of the water, to see the survey being done and to discuss any issue that may arise with the surveyor.

I flew out in August 2009 for a long weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the perspective of the boat out of the water. It gave me the opportunity of making all the possible notes and measurements and to patch up a few bare spots with black hull paint. I was captain of my ship and master of the ocean, albeit on dry land. I recall sitting on the boat smoking a Havana cigar and really being chuffed as pie, watching all the Dutch boats passing by.

  

Original galley, now removed

However, a survey is not for the faint hearted and remains quite costly. The lifting out of the water cost 700 Euros and the survey another approximately 600. Fortunately, Colin South, the British surveyor I had engaged, was satisfied with the hull and most of the systems and the issues to be rectified were essentially the repacement of the sacrificial anodes that have to be welded to the hull and a few lesser issues, such as ensuring the chimney of the diesel heater we had on board did not send the boat up in flames the next time we lit it. It had been leaking diesel and we needed little encouragement to correct this.  

Salon, with traditional slatted wall cladding

During the weekend, Goos invited me to join him, and two other couples for a cruise of Amsterdam by night and we had a most incredible evening, seeing the sights of Amsterdam from the canals. Goos grew up in Amsterdam and knows all the twists and turns in the canal system.

Before I flew back to South Africa after the survey I asked whether we could sail the boat back to the Dukra marina and Goos arranged this. What a pleasure sailng past the molen on the Zaan in our own boat!

Next phase: Planning the renovation