Farewell to the Sloop John B.

It is now less than two weeks until I leave Amsterdam, Julia will be following two weeks later.  I've been so busy with preparations that I've not stopped to think about the good times and awesome friends we'll be leaving behind.  Our little boat must also stay behind.  I don't think our time here would have been half as fun without her:

When we bought her she was in a pretty sorry state.  The seller was leaving Amsterdam and had clearly lost interest and allowed her to half sink and start to fall apart.

The old motor was underpowered so I upgraded to a Haswing Osapian 80 running on 24v from two 110ah deep cycle AGM batteries giving us about 7 hours of play time.  The varnish was looking tired so I stripped the mahogany back to bare wood and reapplied multiple coats of 'jachtlak' while also installing a mahogany cover for the transom opening.  I also fitted underwater & interior leds, fresh rope 'kabelaring', new brass hardware, carpet and a Dutch flag so we could pass as proper locals.

Whenever the sun is shining or we have friends staying we take to the water and explore the endless network of canals and reservoirs.  We've had many happy days fishing, swimming, drinking and cruising.  Her new owner is a good friend so this is farewell, not goodbye.