Marquion

Grey and misty.  A good day for Ian to get on with the new battery thingame.

Before starting work he went for a walk to check out the barge behind us which was busy loading.  He chatted to the owner, who was ever so friendly, and told Ian that he has a contract to take wheat from here to a factory near Ghent.  He loads every Monday morning and can usually be back here (his home) by Thursday evening.  So he works a 4 day week and is always home for the weekend.  He carries 900 tons of wheat in a “double trouble” (2 barges joined together) plus he has a third boat, called “Sweetness”, which loaded immediately after he left.  He says he makes good money - as long as the contract lasts.

There was continuous activity all day.  There are 2 silos here on opposite banks of the canal, and they each loaded 4 boats, plus more boats arrived during the day waiting to be loaded tomorrow.

Here is a pic of Ian’s new battery box.  

He tells me it is all operated via Bluetooth on a tablet.  No idea what that means but I’m sure it’s very clever.

He also made a start on laying the new carpets.  So far the two small sections, under the dinette and in the aft cabin, are done and look so much better.  The saloon floor is going to be a nightmare with lots of opening hatches tthat give  access to the engine room.  Dreading that!