The Jackalope Rambles

26/09/2022

RAF Flight Sergeant (Ret.) "Squawks" McGee regales the other regulars of the NCO club with his latest adventures.

24/09/2022

The Jackalope crew got shore leave this weekend in Amsterdam! Had to visit one my absolute favorite "secret" art spots, the Little Woodcutter!

22/09/2022

Locking up with 4 rental boats. I'm REALLY glad it was a big lock.

20/09/2022

A space witch and a chaos agent walk into a metal bar.

Pantera, mead, and magick ensues. The space witch holds court.

Thanks to Joe at Metalbar-walhalla for the hospitality! When play your cards right, metal bars are consistently the most welcoming and interesting places on the planet!

20/09/2022

Of course we found the only metal bar in Bruges and of course Amy cozied up to the bartender and got them to play Pantera 🖤🤘

19/09/2022

Windmills, cloudy days, and monstrous figureheads? !

18/09/2022

The view from the loo... We're cruising again!!

17/09/2022

Toby rented a wetsuit to get down in the water and scrape barnacles off the prop and rudder!

14/09/2022

I'm going in... What is it? WHO KNOWS TAKE A CHANCE

11/09/2022

Some of Amy's jackalope decor... Nesting is her specialty ⚓

11/09/2022

And this is why you don't get smug lol! After my last post extolling our morning view Amy let me know that the stove burner had stopped working, making her morning tea a little difficult to enjoy. And then I was reminded that we essentially live in a 100 year old steel RV as I opened up our rusted old gas locker to wrestle with a bottle of propane!

11/09/2022

When people ask us why we want to live on a boat, I think we should just send them this photo of our morning!

10/09/2022

Back in Belgium for a few weeks aboard the Jackalope! Taking the train in means we are greeted by this sight in Ostende when we switch from train to tram; this marina is so picturesque and right in the middle of the bustling downtown Ostende, right next to the North Sea.

16/06/2022

Several years of COVID-deferred maintenance has meant that Ginnie needs some rust abatement and protection from the elements. This last trip we treated and painted her caboose - a marked improvement!

24/05/2022

When weather rolls in to Nieuwpoort, it does so fast! These two photos were taken back to back out the starboard and port windows as this little squall came through!

18/05/2022

If you were wondering, this is how you get your new steel shower pan home from the hardware store on your bike. I only dropped it and dragged it along the road once!

15/05/2022

I can't stress how into cycling Belgians are. Two different stores, two different products, two different lifesize cardboard cutouts of cyclists from two different teams! Finally a national sporting obsession I can get behind!

14/05/2022

Today, I rode my bike about 40 minutes to a brico to pick up a steel shower pan and then rode back with it strapped to my bike! I'm a lifelong cyclist; this week I'm learning that while in Texas you have to be wary of whitetail deer when you ride, in Vlaanderen you have to watch out for the sheep!

12/05/2022

1/2 of the Jackalope crew is aboard for a few weeks of working vacation! Boat maintenance, baby!

28/03/2022

It is with great excitement that we unveil our official M/V Jackalope logo!

Custom created just for us by May at yuppiecult.art (www.instagram.com/yuppiecult.art/) who was great to work with! Responsive, professional, and affordable!

26/03/2022

When it's a foggy, atmospheric morning, this is the view from the end of our dock!

18/03/2022

More Christmas Cruise memories: Cold, rainy days are the norm in winter Belgium, but sometimes the Jackalope's still gotta ramble!

16/03/2022

On our cold Christmas cruise, we experienced another first for us: night cruising! The locks and bridges around Brugge operate 24/7! As we arrived in the city after dark, this was our view on the canal that rings the city.

08/01/2022

Our home port, Nieuwpoort, is a beachside resort town on the North Sea. The seaside here in winter is darkly magical. The ocean demands your attention, imposing its overpowering will on everything you see and feel.

05/01/2022

Proof of sun in Belgium!!!

05/01/2022

Sometimes you just gotta sit in your wheelhouse and knit!

03/01/2022

Back again and this time it's COLD!!! 💜💜💜

03/01/2022

01/01/2022

I forgot to include my favourite installation! A giant disco ball hanging out in a park, along with a bunch of disco grapes that transformed the whole place!

Something we've noticed in our travels is that European parks are popular, well-used, and safe at all hours. We walked through this public park at 10:30 at night and felt completely comfortable, just as we have in Berlin, Prague, etc.. Even late at night, plenty of people utilize these spaces; they're not abandoned to unsavoury elements after dark.

01/01/2022

When you only get 8 hours of sunlight a day, you get creative with your lighting! Winter Gloed is a walkable series of holiday lighting installations in Brugge. A couple of these photos are from the series and a couple are just winter in Brugge!

01/01/2022

New Year's Eve at the Coupure Haven

15/10/2021

In some places, the duckweed on the canals is so thick it looks like you could walk on it. We do not recommend you try it!

13/10/2021

Death is everywhere
there are flies on the windscreen
for a start

-D. Gahan

The abbey in Lo was completed in 1796 after 154 years worth of construction. We don't know who you had to impress to be buried up against the gospel (or epistle, for that matter!) side of the building, but we were suitably impressed.

12/10/2021

Ours is not a large barge, Marge! Here's a real large barge in charge! Maria-Magdalena locks through Veurne.

11/10/2021

Many of the buildings in Veurne have really nice, dramatic lighting at night!

10/10/2021

Have six minutes? Come aboard for a video tour of the M/V Jackalope!

01/10/2021

The lokanaal feels wild and mysterious on a foggy morning!

26/09/2021

Back in the land of queso and ceviche and Mexican Martinis!

26/09/2021

Traditional "Return to the land of Tex-Mex meal"

22/09/2021

When the as***le boater goes way too fast for the canal (speed limit is 10 kph), creating crazy wake, doesn't respond to your radio call, and then goes around you in a hurry.... Only to come back to the marina and find that their home mooring is right next to you 😳