2021-04-05 Paint vapours, facemasks gloves and brushes

Due to the pandemic our ship is still alongside, waiting for new ocean adventures hopefully later in the year! But it doesn't mean nothing is happening, besides creating a new sailing schedule with all needed procedures we are also really busy with maintenance.The crew is working hard, renovating cabins, the deckhouse and the drystores! Thanks to the financial support from Friends of Bark Europa! And the good news is, Jordi is back on board after a break! Time for new stories and photos from him!"Paint vapours, protective face masks gloves and brushes,… time for starting Europa’s Deckhouse rebuild, until recently home for grinding sparks, blinding welding lights and high noise levels. Newly painted walls and bulkheads ready for windows to be installed, now wait too for carpentry jobs indoors to come up again with the cozy space for meetings, socialising and having a drink at its bar, well known for many who sailed with us.The on board general maintenance period keeps ongoing since it began not much later than our arrival from the far South, when at mid June we made our moorings in Netherlands after sailing along the Atlantic Ocean. Europa’s onshore crew keeps being busy too with procedural and organisational jobs during those times when office tasks are preferably performed remotely from home.The ones living in the ship have been since engaged in jobs from up the rig to down below, from sail changes to the full rebuilt of the storage area, cabins, library and lots of the stuff in-between. Truth is that different maintenance projects at different levels are almost constantly running, in shipyards, dry docks but while sailing as well. With the difference of now having loads more time than usual and more possibilities, being alongside in Europa’s home country. All in a process to get most of the jobs ready soon, to start balancing the chances of setting sail again whenever it would be possible.Amongst them all, shines what started as a harmless small job with someone saying something like “let’s needle gun in the laundry room, a bit behind the sink…” and ended up with what is probably the longest project undertaken in the Europa’s maintenance for years. For its been quite a task re-inventing the washing machines´ and dryers´ home. Stripping its wall panels straight to the hull and bulkheads steel together with the rebuilt of the floors, walls, ceilings, electrical and pipe systems, of course not to forget is the sink overhaul, and … well, what else… you name it… As the project kept evolving and developing onto unexpected lengths and struggles, many crew member hands has passed through its door frame. In the meantime, what seemed larger and more complicated works were sooner accomplishing their goals, while orbiting around this lower-profile but enduring refurbishing project. But finally, the undertakings in there seem to be reaching somewhere as steel racks and other implements are finding their way in the room."Jordi"𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖. 𝕀𝕗 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟’𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 - 𝕡𝕦𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕤𝕦𝕓𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤, 𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕗𝕚𝕩𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕒𝕞 𝕡𝕚𝕡𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝟟𝟘 𝕪𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕝𝕕 - 𝕨𝕖’𝕕 𝕤𝕦𝕟𝕜. 𝕀𝕗 𝕨𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕥 𝕣𝕚𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕪𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕨𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕜𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕘𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘. 𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕣𝕚𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕡𝕖𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕖, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕤 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟."𝔸𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝕎𝕖𝕚𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕟