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	<title>Tooluka (english)</title>
	<link>http://www.tooluka.com</link>
	<description>Vaarvakanties</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:25:20</lastBuildDate>
	<language>nl</language>
		<item>
		<pubDate>Sat, 7 Jan 2012 13:25:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Aasiaat</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2012_0&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=71#ID1183</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Two days ago Tooluka was finally lowered down into the water. Or rather, into the ice... In the 2 weeks I had been up on the yard the harbour froze. Loads of snow fell and temperatures went down as low as -22 C. The first week on the yard we managed to get all the work done. When ready, just after Christmas, the yard was working on half force. Lowering down into the water had to be postponed till after new year. Peter, a dear friend, kept the ice in front of the slipway open, while the men of the yard managed to get the rails free of snow and ice. This took them the best of 2 days! Heavy bulldozers and digging machines were used, while the last part of the ice had to be removed by handcraft. Especially between the high and low water line a thick layer of ice had grown during the successive tides. But then Tooluka was finally afloat again. But something sounded very wrong in the engine! And then it stopped completely... Thinking the awful noise and the stopping of the engine were related, we first thought in the wrong direction. Fortunately the engine only stopped because it didn't get any fuel. That was quickly solved by changing the valves. The wrong noise turned out to come from bolts hitting other little bolts, only in reverse gear, and that was quickly solved as well. So the next day Peter broke the ice again and Tooluka reached her wintering spot, only 100 metres form the yard. 
Winter held its grip and 24 hours later we could walk ashore, over the frozen harbour! Also outside in the Disko Bugt and Baffin Bay the ice grows with alarming speed. Ice charts come in every few days and there is hardly any open water left (see: www.dmi.dk, istjeneste). People talk about a winter like in the 70-ies and more cold is expected. Most of that I will probably miss, as next week my flight to Holland is leaving. From January 15th till the 2nd half of March I will be home in Holland. For people outside Holland and Aasiaat not much will change, for questions about Tooluka's voyages I can still be reached by E-mail. Use my Dutch telephone if you want to call in that period. Best regards for now, from Tooluka, frozen into Aasiaat's harbour, Eef <br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:40:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Sisak Teknik, Aasiaat</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_7&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=70#ID1182</link>
		<description><![CDATA[The shortest day of the year is in our wake. From today onwards the sun is on its way back in our direction. We won't notice much of that for the time being , as it has to be January 13th before the sun will rise again. So until then we'll make do with a few hours of twilight around noon. 
Aasiaat is in Christmas atmosphere. Countdown till Saturday is in full swing, traditionally is Christmas' Eve the big celebration. The houses are decorated, nearly everybody has the orange-yellow 7-arm star hanging in the window and the supermarket sells duck and 'brune kartofler' (caramelized potatoes). And in the meantime there was a first serious sign of a frozen harbour this morning when I got up. May that wait a while, as since last Monday Tooluka is out on the yard again. 
Steering gear, rudder, propeller shaft and chain box were dismantled in no time, I'm getting experienced! But where I thought I only needed to turn one oil seal around, the shaft on which it closes turned out to be damaged. Some deep grooves, caused in the time we greased the prop shaft with grease instead of oil, could not be ignored. So the chainbox got hoisted out of Tooluka into the workshop and they're now working on making it right again. As soon as that is ready we can put the puzzle together again and hopefully it will then be serving again for yyeeaarrrss to come! 
For the moment I wish you all merry Christmas and a joyful beginning of the new year and may it be a healthy, loving and adventurous year to all of you! Warm regards from dark Greenland, Eef<br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 4 Dec 2011 19:23:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Aasiaat</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_7&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=70#ID1181</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Long time ago, so just a short message to update you on what happens here in Aasiaat. The sun rose for the last time a week ago, it gets darker and darker, although the twilight still gives quite a sense of daylight around noon. Town is breathing Christmas, the advent started last Sunday! With the townspeople gathered on the square in front of the Kommune Office, the count down started. At exactly 15.00 the lights in the Christmas tree were lit, under loud cheering of the crowd. At the same time the star at the top of the electricity plant's chimney was lit. Speeches and psalms followed, it was a big spectacle (see picture). All houses are decorated and to join the happiness I also bought heaps of little lights and hoisted them in the mast, stretched out along fore and aft stays. Beautiful! 
Dogs: I still walk them nearly every day, but at the moment we leave the sledge at home. There's too much snow, and still very soft, which makes it too hard for these young dogs. It's hard for them (and me) to just walk, leave alone pulling a heavy sledge. I go up to my knees into the snow sometimes, which means the dogs go in till well over their shoulders! Fun to watch them! But it's great to spend an hour a day outside in the snow with them, otherwise the days become too lazy and just spent inside. 
About Tooluka: I have to get her out on the yard again. I now know that the 2 seals I set in should have been facing each other. I set them in the same direction. Pitty I learn so slowly, but we'll have to do it all again. I am just waiting for spares before going out of the water, to minimize the time on the yard (= in the cold). To be continued...
Warm regards from Tooluka! Eef<br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:29:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Aasiaat, te water</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_7&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=70#ID1180</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Finally she's afloat again! Two days ago we floated for one day, but after an hour it was clear that the stern tube was letting water in, so we quickly got out of the water again to solve the problem. I learned that I actually did 2 things wrong, and thanks to one simple mistake I found out that I had made a more serious mistake! Another fortunate thing was that I had another spare for the stern tube seal, so we could replace the one which I had set in wrongly. Yesterday around noon I was on the hard again, we took the propeller off, rinsed the stern tube to get the emulsified oil out and then filled the system with clean oil. The stern tube flange got its new seal (the old one sat under a small angle) and this morning we pressed the whole thing in again. Fortunately there had been no need to take the rudder away or any other big job, it was just the propeller. Now it's a matter of sea trials, first alongside here, just letting the prop run, and then out in the bay. The weather is nice: cold, but calm and sunny. The days are getting short, it's light by 09.30 and by 15.00 dusk is already noticeable. Another 5 weeks till the shortest day, so that is long. In 2 weeks the sun won't rise anymore, but the twilights are so long that you still have a feeling of long daylight. I'll write more then! 
For now I wish you a colourful autumn or a wonderful spring, depending on hemisphere, and best regards from Tooluka, in Greenland, Eef<br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:49:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Aasiaat, Sisak werf</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_7&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=70#ID1179</link>
		<description><![CDATA[After 3 weeks finally a sign of life from Tooluka. Winter has really started now, there lies a fine pack of snow on deck and in town. Since just over a week Tooluka is out of the water, here on Aasiaat's yard. A lot of work has already been done: the rudder is lowered down, the propeller shaft pulled, the chain box is taken out (connecting the propeller shaft with the gear box) and the seals at the front side of the stern tube are taken out. That is what the whole exercise is about, they need to be replaced. New seals have been ordered in Denmark, so as soon as they arrive we can start building up again. In the meantime the under water ship has been sanded and twice painted with antifouling. And that in between snow showers! A big advantage of snow is that it leaves the hull dry and that the snow on deck remains there, instead of dripping down along the hull. So after the shower you can continue straight away. 
Lots of people ask me how dark it already is. Well, it's not very dark yet and we are of course still 2 months away from the shortest day, although the sun doesn't rise high above the hill anymore. But that in combination with the long twilights, makes the days still long. And that is pleasant because I try to walk Peter's pups every day, after work, for an hour or longer. They are now almost 4 months old and start looking like proper sledge dogs. I will put a picture of them on the website, they are really fun and are trying hard to get very big! 
So life goes on here in Aasiaat. Next Wednesday the evening school class Danish will start, which I have entered. We'll see how it goes, twice a week 2 hours, and in March there's the Folkeskole exam. Don't know how far I will get, but it's a good way to get going with the study again! 
More news in a few weeks, till then! Best regards from Tooluka, Eef<br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 1 Oct 2011 02:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Aasiaat</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_6&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=63#ID1178</link>
		<description><![CDATA[And another trip is finished... Last night we had the best northern light so far and eventually we hoped it would stop, so we could get some sleep. It was going to be a short night, as our Ploni was the first one to leave. At 05.00 the alarm went off and an hour later the taxi took her to the airport. Gone! A few hours extra sleep and then the day started anew. A little empty around the table and thoughts went to life after Tooluka. Ploni didn't feel like leaving at all, but she had to. The rest still has a few days respite, to be spent in the Seamen's home. The trip is over. Thanks to the beautiful weather we could take Tooluka's sails in, and 2 hours later everything lay folded and coiled on deck. Fantastic for me! Then farewells had to be said to the good ship Tooluka, as if to a good old dear friend. Boy, did she take care of us! It's been a very good trip! We had lots of sunshine and fortunately one big snow shower. We then could enjoy all the whiteness of land and sea. We saw very much ice and sailed through much as well. We (Tooluka) broke more and thicker ice than ever, which cost a lot of antifouling, and made an everlasting impression on us. We saw whales and birds, Petra more than anyone. Peter gave us heaps of fresh fish, among them the buckets of cod caught by Ploni and Anje the day they preferred sailing on Katanguaq instead of Tooluka. They are forgiven.. And of course we saw so much wonderful northern light! We had to wait for 2 weeks before it started, but it was worth every day of waiting! And we had a very good time together! 
Immy, Anje, Ploni, Eric and Petra, thank you for having joined and for having made this trip into such a good one! Greenland and your inhabitants thanks for your hospitality and for being so enormously impressive and Tooluka thank you for your forgiveness, endurance and warmth. The season is over and during the coming maintenance periode she will get the attention she deserves. Every now and then I will write short updates on that on this website. For now warm greetings from under a dark Greenlandic sky. The 24 hours daylight are over, the 24 hours darkness is to come, the water is black, the icebergs white and above that sweeps the northern light. That is Greenland as we saw it! Eef
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		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:28:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 42' N 052 52' W -  Aasiaat</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_6&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=63#ID1177</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Before I tell about today, first about the continuation of last night! The Northern light came in all its strength and it was fantastic! We were far away from towns and background lights, so it was even intenser than the days before. What a joy! 
Today we started with a few hours hiking and kayaking, which was great fun. Petra even spotted a fox, already in its white coat! Then little by little the wind picked up and we set sail to sail the last miles to Aasiaat. Again a wonderful sail! At 16.00 we tied up alongside Peter's old fishing vessel Illorit. Good and safe spot in Aasiaat's harbour. Dinner this time prepared by the cook of Tulugaq, the local restaurant, after which we enjoyed the Greenlandic Coffee, together with our friends Jack and Gerda, on board again. And then again, you probably find it hard to believe: Northern Light! And again better than the day before! More activity, more circling and moving, rapid sweeps through the sky, so beautiful! In colours mainly green, but also red and blue. Eric gets the most fantastic shots of it with his camera, I don't get any at all, very frustrating, but very nice that at least one of us is able to photograph it! We all benefit from that! Now it's bedtime. Ploni is the first to leave, tomorrow 06.00, so the alarm will sound early. Good night, and we'll be back! Eef
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		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:28:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>68 43' N 052 32' W -  Ikerasagssug Nuna</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_6&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=63#ID1176</link>
		<description><![CDATA[It was just after 02.00 in the night when the wind picked up. From all possible directions it chose to put us on a lee shore, with which our skipper (me myself) was not very happy. Instead of the comfortable 3 metres below the keel there was only 0,8 m left and the forecast was talking about an increasing wind later in the morning. So really the only option was to wake up the whole team, and get going. Ten minutes later everybody was ready and instructed: Anje dropped Immy off on the shore to cast off the stern line. She then came back to push Tooluka away from the shallow rocks next to us. Ploni pulled in the line as fast as she could, to avoid it coming into the propeller. At the same time Eric worked the anchor winch and Petra stowed the chain. It all worked, under the guidance of bright northern light, like a well oiled machine and within the shortest time all danger was out of the way, Immy got picked up and the anchor was set again somewhere in a safer spot. Back to our lukewarm beds for another few hours of carefree sleep! Until 08.30 when the day began! Bright sunshine again but still the strong easterly. After breakfast we prepared a reef, left and set sail. Fantastic sailing, close hauled, but not too close. We made good progress and decided to continue past Kronprinsens Ejland and into the protection of Aasiaat's bay. Little by little the wind decreased, despite the warning for 30 knots, and we shook out the reefs and kept sailing until the last few miles before the anchorage. This is an unnamed bay, but the bottom is good and although quite deep it just seems to work. Nice spot! The northern light is there, but on our scale not better than a 2-3 out of 10. It hardly gets anybody interested, but we regularly check on its activity. Dinner was good, fresh fish again, and now it's time for an Irish coffee with truffles, as a decent Tooluka-dessert, on this last dinner on board for this group! And then we hope for an uninterrupted night! Good night to all from the good ship Tooluka! Eef<br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:28:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>69 14' N 053 33' W -  Qeqertarsuaq</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_6&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=63#ID1175</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Qeqertarsuaq, a whole day and under the most perfect circumstances! To begin with the end: even now, while doing dishes and close to midnight, we still feel like we can't be inside, because since 21.00 we have been fascinated by the most impressive show of northern light! Curtains waving through the whole sky, from N to S and from E to W, and not only that, but from horizon to polar star, really encompassing the whole sky. Mainly green, but also red edges! Fantastic! What a present on this close to last night of the trip! Yesterday evening we got a slow start of it, but nothing compared to tonight! The rest of the day we had bright sunshine and no wind, so really warm in the sun, still chilly in the shadow. We started with a visit of the museum, then the church, before coffee in the local restaurant. Then we split up. Anje and Immy went to Udkiggen, the lookout point on the S side of town, Eric and Petra went to Kuannit, a beautiful walk along the shore to the basalt formations further east. Ploni and I (Eef) walked along the Rode Elv, the river running N. We had a fantastic walk, managed to cross the stream well above the water fall and eventually walked a long way all the way to Kuannit before we hiked back to town. Of course we paid Finn's dogs another visit on the way back (already done so on the way out) and Anje picked us all up with the zodiac to get back on board. Wonderful day, and than crowned with this spectacular northern light show! What a day!! Thank you Greenland! Sleep well, all of us.<br>]]></description>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Sep 2011 02:36:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<title>69 14' N 053 33' W -  Qeqertarsuaq</title>
		<link>http://www.tooluka.nl/locatie.php?taal=UK&amp;reis=2011_6&amp;kaart=0&amp;id=63#ID1174</link>
		<description><![CDATA[It was an early morning! With more than 60 nautical miles to go we got up at 06.30, cast off the shore line and hove anchor. After 2 weeks on board this morning routine works like a well oiled machine! Very pleasant! We got rewarded for this getting up early with the most beautiful soft sunlight. First behind us, where the sun was about to rise above the mountains of Arveprinsens Ejland, and later when these same rays of sunshine shone on the tops of Disko Island, and slowly moved downwards to the surface of the water and the icebergs in it. So beautiful! This bright sunshine we kept all day, and with the following wind it got really warm on deck. When the breeze picked up we first set the jib, later the main as well and then we switched off the engine and sailed for the rest of the morning. As usual the wind decreased during that period, and shortly after midday we had to start again and steamed the rest of the distance to Qeqertarsuaq. Around 18.00 we dropped the hook and took a stern line ashore. Out of the way, in a cosy little corner of the harbour. Only Anje went for a walk through town, Ploni took the kayak for a paddle and the rest remained on board to peel potatoes, read a book or cook. Now darkness finds us hoping for northern light... A little bit last night never really developed into the real thing, so maybe we have more luck tonight. The stars are shining, so that's a good start! Good night for now form Tooluka, Eef<br>]]></description>
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