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DIARY DATE
in
ascending order
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ACTIVITY |
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Summer~01 |
Jennie & Alan saw a 'smallish' Dutch Barge pass
their house as it traversed the Grand Union Canal and they made enquiries
of the skipper... "Err, what is it?" |
|
Summer~01 |
Found out about the DBA, went to
their last day of a 4-day DBA barge rally in Chatham then joined the
association (Dutch Barge Association). |
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Autumn~01 |
Since this date, we had regaled all
our friends with this barge goal of ours and, they thought we had lost
life's-plot! |
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Spring~02 |
Went to France and did a
T&D Murrell 4 day CEVNI barge navigation course to confirm if we
liked European barge life... or not! Got RYA CEVNI license and loved our
brief barge experience. |
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Throughout~02 |
Visited many UK based barge builders
and learnt all the bull-sh1t imaginable, realised they couldn't build what
we wanted. |
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Summer~02 |
Went to Ghent for 5 days and became
barge groupies @ DBA 10 year barge celebration rally - gained loads of input and
made new long-term friends. |
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Autumn~02 |
Realised didn't know enough about
boat design/building so joined Greenwich Maritime Museum library and Alan became a swot. |
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Late~02 |
Alan joined an aluminium boat builder
in Wales as marketing specialist with ultimate view of them building JENAL -
company proved incompetent and eventually went bankrupt in '04. |
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Throughout~03 |
Went to many DBA events & boat shows
for much more marine input. |
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Late~03 |
Joined another Boat builder as
marketing specialist with ultimate aim of them building JENAL - sadly, they
took us for a ride, but not on the water! |
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Throughout~04 |
Collected & purchased period maritime barge bits
& pieces from boat-boot-sales & eBay. |
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Spring~04 |
Did RYA day skipper course and got
license. |
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Summer~04 |
Found via a friend, we found a hull
designer in Holland and visited them to explore their capabilities. |
|
Summer~04 |
Did RYA VHF radio course and got
licence. |
|
Late~04 |
(Unfortunately) paid & placed a
design order with the recommendation company ultimate aiming for them and their partners to build JENAL
for us. |
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Autumn~04 |
Alan joined a year long interior design
course to learn how to properly design JENAL's interior. |
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Autumn~04 |
Jennie joined a year long French language
course to learn how to speak it properly - we got a heavily accented
Spanish teacher. Now... there's a new challenge for us! |
|
January~05 |
Built and launched this JENAL
website. |
|
February ~ 05 |
Purchased a CAD programme and
attempted to master it as a method of improving JENAL's full design
and communicating it with all commercial partners. |
|
March~05 |
Attending DBA workshop on barge
living in Europe by DBA members who do just that... live the retired or
home-afloat
bargee life. |
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May ~ 05 |
Explored possibility of having
interior cabinetry made in China and shipped to UK for completion. The
reasoning for this; beautiful period woods, quality, appearance and
cost. |
|
June~05 |
Attended a 5 day DBA barge rally in
Namur - Belgium for more research before the start of the Klipper build, proper... Wow! |
|
July~05 |
The start of the
building design of JENAL. Production of the CAD drawings to eventually
cut & profiled steel plates, ready for fabrication. Also added some new ideas to the JENAL
design. Decided to have JENAL built to SI certification so that she
is certified for ultimate barge usage including the Rhine. |
|
September~05 |
Continue to chase key suppliers who
just don't seem to energise themselves and phone back. It is crazy
because it is valuable business but this seems to be the way of 'business' these days...
barmy! |
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October~05 |
Finalised contract which took months - Jennie gets the contractual detail just right.
This proved ultimately very, very important! |
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October~05 |
Last minute detail changes to
JENAL's basic design are made. Specifically, increasing the base plate
and chine thickness of steel to add weight to this key area rather than
relying on just ballast. Also useful if ever we encounter any minefields! :-)
|
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October~05 |
The steel profiles are delivered to
Ament Metaalbewerking for assembly into JENAL |
|
November~05 |
Already there is further delays in
building JENAL due builders having urgent work. The 20mm base
plates and 10mm chines are just being laid now... hey ho! |
|
January~06 |
Visited Ament, disappointed that
JENAL had progress very little due to longer completion time of 'Aslaug' a
24 meter Luxemotor owned by the Arnild's. It was a blessing in disguise
because the bow locker size was wrong, it was too small (plans not
followed correctly). This we have been able to rectify fairly easily.
Ament have promised 3 men, full-time, on JENAL which will catch up
on some lost construction time. |
|
February~06 |
Still amazed at how many suppliers
let one down - obviously they have earned far too much money ;-)
Added complication has arisen, do we opt for 2 big engine alternators for
cruise charging or opt for a hydraulically driven generator and drop
having a separate QP diesel geny... decisions, decisions!! |
 |
Some Barge Building
Perspective from an Artistic Genius:
"It cost Michelangelo 4 years
of his life to create the wonderful Sistine Chapel ceiling
painting. The first section he completed was (ironically) the
illustration of Noah and the flood... It didn’t read well from the
floor below. He had forgotten that the viewer would be trying to
decipher the image from a distance of thirty feet; as he progressed
his characters became more heavily emphasised and much more
visible."
We wonder what 'perspective' he would
have made of building JENAL, similar we believe... just as
J&A have! |
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March~06 |
Visit Netherlands to apply extra
detail to JENAL's build and interior layout because it is much easier to
visualise interior wall locations and exact staircase positions when you
see the vessel 'in-the-flesh'. One of the many complications will be the
aft cabin window shape. We want a traditional design (curved top straight
sides and bottom) which have to fit in with the various angles of the
superstructure in this complex shaped area. Also good opportunity to take
photos of this build stage. The multi curved Klipper bow has
proven to be more difficult as paper design and real-steel are
quite different to construct from a single sheet of
steel. Now it will be made from several sheets to maintain the
compound curves and beauty of her lines. |
|
April~06 |
Lots of construction information
input required at this stage plus some diplomacy to get each supplier to
work in harmony with the other. This is due in part, to the technical
complexity of JENAL. Late April sees us in Gorinchem
(Netherlands) for a 4 day DBA barge rally. More barge input ideas and a
chance to see the Arnild's new 24 meter Luxemotor, fantastic! |
|
May~06 |
The big disappointment time, delayed
build. Due to engine supply delays JENAL is likely to be finished
to its sail-away stage by earliest, October 06. Chance to improve detail
design such as size and position of skylights and select special heat
reflective glass throughout JENAL. |
|
July~06 |
Progressing slowly until now. With
delivery of the DuoDrive prop installation system and other badly needed
construction items, the flow of build should accelerate. The
factory closes for 3 weeks during late July and early August so progress
will be stilted but a promise of JENAL to be in the paint shop by
end August gives us extra hope. It will more than likely be end
September before paint starts appearing! |
|
August~06 |
For the fist time in our travels to
the ship builders in Belgium we are forsaking our trusty A2 in favour of
a hired Transit van because we want to transport the BMW bike and other
components we have collected. We spend several days trial fitting the
bike and RIB in the hold (bow locker) of JENAL to make sure all
fits in and all are secured well. |
|
October~06 |
Visited Ament to view JENAL for the
final time before going into the paint-shop to make sure there was no
items left to attach with welding (not wishing to bugger-up the finished
paintwork). But the reality was, very little had been done to JENAL due
to key Ament personnel being away, ill. Hugely disappointed but
consoled ourselves because we were able to make minor
improvements to here spec. as we progressed. |
|
November~06 |
Good to report that most of the
fabrication work has been completed and she is looking very good.
Lots of neat detail built into the fabrication which makes both JENAL
and Ament (the barge builders) really shine! Met Eddy Paal of INPALA we
have commissioned to build some of the interior woodwork; all the
wheelhouse teak work, the interior paneling and the wooded room
bulkheads and doors. Eddy is also designing and building the 2 double
beds, the aft cabin one being a particular 'challenge'. These will give
us somewhere to sleep during her first sea trials before retuning to the
UK for Andrew Varah's excellent cabinet making. |
|
January~07 |
Over the Christmas period, 'JENAL'
sails into the paint shop and starts to look like one entity as she gets
her inside and outside coat of rust primer. |
|
February~07 |
The installation of the mechanical
items progresses, engine room insulated and it is starts to resemble a Klipper.
Room for a few minor amendments by 'A' as she is built up. |
|
March~07 |
Mechanical work is halted as painting of
JENAL reaches its final stage. Hydrosta (Dutch hydraulics
suppliers) hit 'J&A' with another bill because they had not
originally planned for the harmonising of the electronic controls to run
both engines and hydraulic drive system - ouch!! |
|
April~07 |
Work carries on and paneling out commenced
at Aments works, although we thought JENAL was to be moved to the Dutch
carpenters factory. Hey ho!! |
|
May~07 |
What a disappointment! Work had not
progressed as we were assured with each of the parties blaming each other
plus other ship builds coming in-between our construction. We trust the
builder will be as good as his word and pull it all
together for a quick completion Thank goodness for Eddy Paul (Dutch
Carpenter) who is paneling-out with speed and excellent thoughout. Time
for another 'sort-out' and reality check! |
|
June~07 |
Alan spent 4 days working with the Ament
team plus Eddy the carpenter and Frits the electrician to resolve a mass
of small details to really progress JENAL. The result,
to-date, had been beneficial and the build moved up a gear. |
|
July~07 |
J&A visit the Ament factory to progress the
build of JENAL prior to then driving down to France's Bergerac
area to meet up with fellow bargees in celebration of Phil & Phyl's (Zingara)
40th wedding anniversary. Ament close for three weeks annual
holiday so this visit will be the last for 6 weeks or so and add a
further delay burden to completion of JENAL. |
|
August~07 |
Two factory visits this month, one quick
one by bike to guide Ament onto JENAL after their closure and
the second with Tim Smith of Andrew Varah UK cabinet makers to finalise
the kitchen and aft bedroom dimensions to enable the cabinet makers to
complete their UK based work. The trip was planned to coincide with the
installation of the fibre optic lighting circuits by UFO. With
Tim's input, we made some detailed changes to the lighting layout and
woodworking designs, all for the better. |
|
September (early)~07 |
'A' had a knee operation which limited their
travel arrangement but the op went well. They also decided, after 17
years of engagement, to get married :-) |
|
September (late)~07 |
This factory visit proved a milestone
because a launch date had been allocated for mid October. J&A have not
crossed their fingers but it looks promising. The main item left to
complete is the painting of the wheelhouse which includes the hand
painting of the external wood effect. The other landmark for this month
was the final hooking up of the two engines and their first start-up.
Progress indeed! |
|
October~07 |
The launching of JENAL is planned for this
month! |
|
November~07 |
Surprise, surprise, she is still not
launched and unlikely to be so until sometime in the future. Partly
because Hydrosta have continually given no or incorrect installation
schematics for the complex hydraulics installation they designed and
supplied for JENAL, sending both Ament and Frits (electrician)
into complete confusion. Hydrosta are a supplier, not to be recommended. |
|
November~12 |
JENAL, is returning to
Ament Metaalbewerking
where she will cleaned up from her long time of near neglect and undertake
3 months of completion to basic contract level. She will then
transfer to Maasbracht where she will be sea-trialed. Finally,
Maasbracht based Eddy Paal of
Inpala Interieurbouw will finish his carpentry work. |
|
March~13 |
JENAL is on hard-standing at
Ament Metaalbewerking and the disgusting
12/13 winter and spring weather is hampering her completion. Inside work
on JENAL is less weather dependent and the 2 wet-room bathrooms
are nearing completion with being fully wet-proofed, tiled and plumbed to
be fully operative.
Frits Schrauwen, who did the sterling work
of wiring up the DC (all the operating systems) electrics is now tackling
the AC side. Coping with J&A's stylized choice of electrical switches and
lighting desires. |
|
July~13 |
Transferred from Ament to Maasbracht
waters, JENAL's 75 tonnes was lofted off the technically clever
low-loader and launched onto Maasbracht waters. Enabling the main
artisans, including Eddie Paal (carpentry) and Ament (slow as was becoming
the increasing case) to complete their work. It took several month longer
than was advised... "nothing new there then!!" |
|
June~14 |
JENAL sailed to Hydrosta to
resolve some hydraulic issues and re-engineer some Ament build mistakes. Then she was finally underway. |
In an ideal world,
Alan's production plan
(on right)should have been followed...
... unfortunately, Jenal's workers didn't inhabit the ideal world
so no one knew the plan! |
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