diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilDatabaseRecovery.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilDatabaseRecovery.class.st
index 2cc7be78..46450bc3 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilDatabaseRecovery.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilDatabaseRecovery.class.st
@@ -99,7 +99,16 @@ SoilDatabaseRecovery >> recover [
 	fragmentFile := journal openFragmentForLSN: lastCheckpoint.
 	"The log sequence number of a successful checkpoint points to the checkpoint 
 	entry that was last written"
-	checkpointEntry := SoilJournalEntry readFrom: fragmentFile stream.
+	checkpointEntry := [ SoilJournalEntry readFrom: fragmentFile stream ]
+		on: Error 
+		do: [ :error | 
+			"in case of a bogus checkpoint position we cannot recover the file but 
+			create a new one and continue"
+			journal 
+				currentFragmentFile: fragmentFile;
+				cycleFragmentFile.
+			soil checkpoint.
+			^ self ].
 	"If the last checkpoint was successful we are at the end of the file and 
 	can return because the database is in a sane state"
 	fragmentFile atEnd ifTrue: [ ^ self ].
diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilLogSequenceNumber.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilLogSequenceNumber.class.st
index 7f9e8cfe..1b3abb46 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilLogSequenceNumber.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilLogSequenceNumber.class.st
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ SoilLogSequenceNumber >> hexOffset [
 
 { #category : #testing }
 SoilLogSequenceNumber >> isInitial [
-	^ value = 0
+	^ self fileOffset = 0
 ]
 
 { #category : #printing }