carter 3/4 tonner

Maggie is a rare breed.... a Carter 3/4 tonner, designed by Dick Carter for the '75 3/4 ton world cup, and only 12 ever built..... some debate as to where, but certainly boats were built by Northshore in the UK and Olympic in Greece, and possibly some by Thames Marine..... I don't know if Olympic actually made them, or just completed them, but I assume that Northshore built the hulls and decks given their relationship with Dick Carter who went on to design the early Southerlys, but thats only speculation.... The Carter 3/4 tonner is referred to in Adlard Coles famous book, 'Heavy Weather Sailing' in her ability to handle extreme weather, with mention of the boat Ariadne... I have previously tracked down 2 other Carter 3/4 tonners, 'Stomper' based in Burnham on Crouch, and 'Ariadne' based in Wales (although the owner belives it to be a different 'Ariadne' to the one in the AC book).... This evening, i've found another, based in the US, possibly called 'Gotcha'... have e-mailed the owner and awaiting a reply.... its for sale, and yet again mentions the fantastic sea manners of the boat.... seems we all agree, its a fun, and dependable boat to sail

rafted at Zierkizee

Getting busier by the minute..... but pleasant neighbours!

the worlds most peaceful pontoon!

On the pontoon in the Veerse Meer... Very quiet, very relaxing...

heading home

The plan proved straightforward.... 20 minutes after we had tied up, Squidge from the forum wandered over.... they were on their summer cruise and had dropped into Neptune for the night..... Squidge has two boys of a similar age to our kids, so within half an hour, respective tenders were inflated and four happy kids were rowing merrily around the marina.... SWMBO's heart was in her mouth, but we figured we just had top let them get on with it.... they all had lifejackets on, so the worst case was a wet set of clothes and a dented ego..... We ended up going out for a bite to eat with Squidge and family in the evening, and then coffee back on Maggie... Sunday weather is excellent... kids have immediately taken to the tender again, and were last seen being towed by another group of kids in a tender with a tiny little outboard on the back at about 1.5kts to the other end of the marina!... this gave us time to clean Maggie up properly, and ready for a departure..... my mum and dad have invited us over for dinner this evening... a good end to a great week... So summary.... we loved Holland.... we'll be going back.... Nieuwpoort was nice too.....

Bloggers convention

Wednesday dawned as a pleasant day, with plenty of sunshine, so we decided to talk a walk. The plan was to walk into Nieuwpoort itself, maybe have a coffee, and see what the town was like. Initially we walked into Nieuwpoort Sud, which was a msitake, as it was suburbia.... so we carried on to Nieuwpoort Bad, which is where the beach is located. It was a long way... we think probably about 4 miles... Ok for us, but a long way for the kids.... although to their credit, they didn't complain once.... Nieuwpoort is a classic North European seaside town... a long row of grey concrete tower blocks along the seafront, with parallel rows of faceless shops.... not overly stimulating.... we did however find a nice seafront restaurant, and had a slow and pleasant lunch. By 15h00, we were flagging, so we caught the tram back to Lombardsjide, the nearest station to the marina, and walked just a few minutes back. Early nights allround in preparation for a day trip to Brugge the following day. Thursday, we caught the tram into Oostende, and then the train from Oostende into Brugge... much like our last visit, we wandered aimlessly for several hours. This time we also treated the kids to a ride in one of the horse and carriage 'taxis'... We caught the train back to Oostende, arriving back there at 17h00. We had arranged to meet up with fellow Blogger 'OliveOyl' and her family in Oostende for a meal... is this a first? Just before 18h00, we met with OliveOyl in Oostende train station, and after a bit of meandering, found a restaurant, and settled in for a meal.... well... what a super evening... very pleasant company... good food, good wine. By about 20h00, OliveOyl suggested that with an early start, that we might like to get back to the boat.... and they were clearly keen to have a little peek at Maggie, so very graciously, they offered us a lift back to Niuewpoort, and we enjoyed a drink on board with them.... OliveOyl.... thank you so much for the evening, we really enjoyed it... it was really nice to meet you and your family. It will be our treat next time we are in Belgium. As we were retiring to bed, the wind had started to build, despite the forecast suggesting just a few knots of wind.... I logged on, and the forecast still confimed light winds.... so why were our instruments reading 20kts? Regardless, we retired to bed, with alarms set for 05h30 (BST), and when they woke us, it was still windy...... I took a look.... 20kts, NW... nasty exit from Niuewpoort, long passage dead into the wind.... we went back to bed! I awoke again at 07h00, and the wind had dropped right off.... I ummed and arred for a few minutes, and then thought 'sod it, lets go'.... So we quickly readied for departure and set off by 07h45... The entrance was messy. The wind of the previous evening had left quite a swell running.... it was heaping up in the narrow entrance and we pitched our way out, with some fairly violent slamming, and plenty of water coming over the bow... it took a while as each wave stopped us in our tracks, and we crept at a snails pace out.... It was a little unnerving, and wouldn't have been fun to have been caught broadside too.... carefull helming, and everyone else clipped on in the cockpit..... As we cleared the entrance, the swell rounded off a little, but was still large, I estimated about 2m, and so we had a bouncy run to a 1/4nm off shore. I set course for the D1 mark, which is pretty much on the direct line from Nieuwpoort to Harwich, and we rollercoasted our way out. This course takes us over several sandbanks... OK for depth, with a minimum of 5m, but as expected, each time the sea state got a little messy. It would be very difficult to pick a way out round all these banks. I had set the main with a single reef before we had left the entrance, which proved to be the rigth decision, as therev was still 22kts of wind, so with a small amount of genny unfurled, we set off.... it was tight on the wind. We could just hold our course on a tight port tack... it wasn't however much fun. The boat was well heeled, it was grey, with no sun, and every wave was throwing spray over the bows.... we left the motor on, as the waves were killing our boat speed (down to 2kts without the engine), so we needed the extra drive otherwise we were facing a long upwind passage.... By the time we passed D1, the weather was clearly changing... the skies cleared, the wind eased, and the sun came out.... by the time we reached WestHinder, just 15nm offshore, we had 12kts of wind.... The swell however persisted, so we had to continue motoring.... At West Hinder we crossed the first of the two TSSs (Traffic schemes), and had to take a little avoiding action, but nothing serious... We then set course for the main north sea TSS. This is a fair way, and we didn't reach the TSS until 15h00.... the tide had set North, and there was an enormous amount of traffic going north.... we had to avoid no less than 5 ships.... it was very difficult to pick a way through, and we ended up crossing in short bursts, whith periods of 90 degree turns inbetween.... as we crossed the seperation zone and into the South bound lanes it was obviuous that the tide was against the ships, for we saw only 3 vessels going south and only had to avoid one.... It was 17h00 by the time we exited the lanes, and set course for Long Sand Head... The wind had all but vanished by now, and after a few hours the sea had settled a bit, so our average speed was improving... it was still however depressing to see the GPS state that its was 22nm to LSH with no chance of sailing..... We passed LSH at 20h00, and with a sense of being back in the Thames Estuary, and being near home, we set course for Rough Towers... or rather continued on pretty much the same course since we had left West Hinder..... The wind had lifted again a little to 12kts, and had turned to a bit more Westerly, so I freed the sails, and (still with the engine) shot off at 6.9kts towards the Rough Towers.... it was getting dark, and the lights of Harwich were clearly visible on the horizon, which helped psychologically, but ironically made it very difficult to pick out the nav marks... it was a further 10nm to Rough Towers.... We had yet again to avoid a large ship, trying to get into the Sunk Anchorage, and this cost us another half an hour...... the clouds has also come over again, covering the moon, making a dark night, and it started to rain......The wind also built back up to 20kts, so, not wanting to pick out the marks in the dark under sail with a stiff breeze, we dropped sails, and continued under engine alone... Rough Towers appeared out of the dark just 1nm before we approached it... a strangely oinous sight in the dark... two large concrete towers in the middle of open water.... with just two cardinals to mark them.... we shot past them in the full flood, and then had the challenge of picking out Cork Sands Yacht Beacon. Whowever placed this mark I don't know.... its a tiny North Cardinal, on a pole, specifically designed it seems to place the light right in the centre of all the background light from the shore..... it however does mark a very shallow piece of water, and isn't a mark to be missed! As in previous visits to this area in the dark, the only way forward is to find the main Cork Sands Mark for large shipping, which is a flashing red, and far more obvious, and then when close (like within 1/4nm) try to spot the Yacht Beacon.... this time we had passed it towards the red beacon before we saw it.... We turned towards The preffered Yacht Track, and followed the remaining 3.5nm to Harwich, just outside the channel, which was good as there was a lot of traffic flooding in and out...... With the tide at full strength, we shot down here at over 7kts, and before we knew it, had turned into the harbour itself. Our plan was to grab a buoy at Levington, and then take a slow trip up the river in the morning.... however, every buoy was occupied, so we had to carry on to Ipswich..... not much fun in the constant rain... We locked through, with advice from our ever cheerful lock master to 'get dried off and have a stiff whiskey'..... and entered the marina.... our berth was occupied (we had in fairness told them that we'd be away until Monday), so we grabbed the fuel pontoon at 00h45, and retired straight to bed.... The following morning, our berth became avaialable, so we hopped onto it.... we fueled up while on the fuel pontoon while we are it.... I was delighted that after 16 hours of motoring we had only used just over half the tank..... Now we need to decide what the rest of the plan is!

Miles logged 86nm
Miles logged this trip 295nm
Miles this season 704nm
Miles since this blog started 1,487nm

Belgian bound

Sure enough, I was dragged to the swimming pool!. It did however, use up most of the afternoon which was good as there isn't a lot to do in Roompot. The marina appears to be part of a large holiday complex, and has the associated facilities, which was useful, as it included a supermarket. We took the opportunity to stock up on a few basics, and then retired to the boat where we had a pleasant family evening, playing games before getting an early night before a relatively early kick off the following morning. We set alarms for 05h30. SWMBO gained by having gone onto local time, as this was 06h30 by her watch.... (I tend to stick with BST, otherwise I get awfully confused with the navigation!)... We got ourselves dressed in full foul weather gear, and slipped quietly.... it only took 25 minutes to get to the Roompotsluis, and we had to wait for just 15 mins before it opened. This lock is BIG. We locked in with a decent sized cargoe vessel.... and several other yachts, and used perhaps half the available space.... The skies were grey, but fortunately, it wasn't raining..... Soon the outer gates opened, and we re-emerged back into the sea for the first time in a week.... We had really really enjoyed Holland and will be coming again. The tide was flooding south, so we set course for the inshore passage, towards Vlissingen, and shot down at 8+kts over the ground. The wind, despite being forecast for a North Westerly, hadn't gone that far round, and had a lot of West in it. Fortunately it had just enough northerly to enable us to sail, albeit tight to the wind. As we reached Vlissingen, we freed off a bit, still upwind, but with the sails just eased a bit to let them breath. With 15 to 18kts of wind, and the tide still assisting us, we shot down towards Zebrugge.... and by the time we reached this point, we were nearly 6nm ahead of plan.... Sadly, the tide inevitably turned against us. Its unavoidable on this passage, as there is realistically only 4 1/2 hrs of supporting tide to be had.... However, with a decent wind, we were still making around 5kts over the ground, and continued to make good progress. Then the sun peeked out, and life started to look good.... Before long, the cranes of Zeebrugge appeared on the horizon, and we continued to make good progress.... finally the waypoint for Oostende popped up, and before too long we were heading towards Nieuwpoort... We had alread decided to go to the Airforce Yacht Club Marina (WSKLuM) from a recommendation.... wow... British marinas... you need to sit up a listen.... besides having a staff member meet every visiting boat to take their lines, and ensure that they found their allocated berth OK, they then presented a map (in English) with the location of every conceivable shop or facility you might need... they have on site evrything from launderette to nice bar, bicycle hire and ice delivered to the boat.... while we sorted the boat out they delivered the latest weather forecast over a tannoy (in English as well as Belgian, Dutch and French) and they charged me 39 Euros for 3 nights..... so nice to know that we get so royally ripped off in the UK..... the Belgians must gasp when they see the prices of British marinas....... So by 16h45 we were tied up.... a passage time door to door of 11 hours... not bad considering that we had to lock out of the Roompotsluis.... We're here for 3 nights now.... SWMBO wants to revisit Brugge, the kids want to hire bikes and go exploring, and me.... well I just want to relax!

Miles logged 53nm
Miles logged this trip 209nm
Miles this season 618nm
Miles since this blog started 1,401nm

windy again!

Apparently Zierkizee doesn't close on a Sunday. Well not entirely anyway. We wondered around for a while. We had been running out of cash, and all the machines in Zierkizee seemed to be unable to dispense cash to any overseas cards... we had begun to panic, with thoughts running through our heads of our accounts having been emptied by identity fraud, or something equally sinister, until we saw Belgians and Germans having the exact same problem. However, Sunday morning, it resolved itself, and after what must have been our 5th visit to the cash point, it dispensed the goods.... the first Sunday victory! We then discovered a gift shop that was open... our second victory... the kids were dissapointed that they couldn't buy some tat as little gifts for their friends... so suitably weighed down with plastic windmills and hastily knocked together (no doubt in Taiwan) model ships, we wondered on. We found a nice cafe bar, and had a pleasant lunch, and a couple of cold beers... the sun came out..... And then, our third and final victory... the tower hovering over the Zierkizee skyline, the Monstertoren, appeared to open after midday, so we duly trooped up the 275 steps up and the 275 steps down. The view from the top was worth the effort, with a clear view right out over the Zeelandbrug, over the Roompotsluis, and far over into Walcheren. In the mean time, i'd been watching the wind build, and when returned to the boat, not only were we inside a 3 boat raft, but also it was gusting 26kts... Firstly, we rearranged the raft to place us on the outside.... as usual, our Dutch neighbours spoke perfect English (somewhat embarressing isn't it), and were quite OK with us mucking the raft about... and then we listened to the forecast.... with hindsight, it should have been the otherway around! With Netherlands coastguard forecasting 6's and moving to a North Westerly, we decided to not leave in the morning.... Maggie copes perfectly well with a stiff breeze, and in fact is fun to sail in a 6, but its a long passage for the kids (and probably SWMBO) in that weather, with 24 hours of swell having built up, and secondly and probably more importantly, none of the Belgian ports are much fun to enter in a strong NW, and indeed can even be dangerous. We decided to hold off, and head for Roompot marina in the morning... partly to just try somwhere different, and secondly, to be closer to the Roompotsluis for a departure on Tuesday morning... We slept soundly, and after an easy start, and a light breakfast, set off. The 8nm to Roompot took just over two hours. it was slow going, as it was straight in to the wind and the tide, but we plugged through it under engine, not bothering to raise the sails for what would have been a less than pleasant beat in a relatively narrow channel. We reached Roompot marina, and grabbed the holding pontoon.... they requested a call on VHF ch 31.... why oh why does Ofcom prevent us from using the channel that most Dutch marinas use? We overcame it, with a phone call, were allocated a berth, and soon alongside. We agreed that our close quarters handling has been good this week. No major dramas, and definitely working better as a team. The Havenmeester took our money, and informed us of the marina's swimming pool.... the kids were delighted... guess what i'm going to be doing later! First impressions of Roompot?.... not the touristy location that we have previously visited... more a functional marina.... but clean, pleasant staff and conveniently located... (below corrected - I forgot to add the mileage for Sat and Sun last week!)

Miles logged 10nm
Miles logged this trip 156nm
Miles this season 565nm
Miles since this blog started 1,348nm

big bridges, and bigger rafts

The Veerse Meer is a beautiful location. We had a superb nights sleep, with complete peace and quiet. By 10h00, we decided to slip and head off... the wind was blowing across our beam straight onto the pontoon, but it was only at 15kts. However, it was the perfect opportunity to practice springing off, which we did with some aplomb... perfect, and guaranteed that the topsides didn't have to scrape past the corner of the pontoon. We motored our way out of the anchorage, and set off down the Veerse Meer towards Keersluis, and the entrance to the Oosterschelde. It was downwind... a mixture of dead runs and very deep reaches... so we set sails, and with apparent wind at 10kts, flew down towards the lock... After 45mins, and a gently rising wind, we were being pressed a little, despite putting a turn or two in the genny, so rather than muck about putting a reef in for just a few minutes before the lock, we dropped the sails... this proved fortuitous, as we rounded the next bend to see the lock in front of us..... there was quite a queue, and we waited no more than 3 or 4 minutes before the gates opened.... we motored in, amongst the now expected rush of Dutch boats... there is no concept of queuing or orderly entry! We motored in, with the later half of boats, and saw a space for 2 boats alongside the wall... the boat in front of us was heading for the front of the two slots..... however, he decided to tie up in the centre of the gap, taking up both slots.... idiot!.... (he then later proved the point by climbing the ladders, and doing press ups on the ladder at the top, with his shirt removed... enough said).... so we backed off, and went forward and aimed to raft alongside a more forward boat.... no problem, but as we approached the boat, the boat behind them was still tying up, and one of the crew plopped over the side..... straight in between the boat ond the wall..... they managed to recover him very quickly, albeit with a heavily dented ego... Even so, we tied up alongside the planned boat, and waited for exit. Which all went to plan. The vista of the enormous Oosterschelde opened in front of us, and we then enjoyed an hour of reaching across to the spectacular Zeelandbrug. This is one seriously big bridge, with a total span of over 1.5nm.... Our timing was poor, and we reached the lifting section just 5 mins after it closed, and so had to mill around for 25 minutes waiting for it to open again.... which it duly did.... again, a mad rush by every boat bearing a Dutch ensign for the gap.... it seems to be a competition to get through as quickly as possible! We passed through the gap, and turned into Zierkzee.... a short leg up the canal entrance into the harbour itself.... and shrieks of delight from C, as she saw her first windmill.... for which she had waited a good few days! In the harbour we went right into the town centre to the niuew haven, and were directed by the harbour master to a pontoon berth, alongside which was a result given that boats were already rafting up... clearly the request for 2 nights helped! So we tied up, quickly hooked up shore power before the scarce sockets vanished.... and went to explore the town.... very quaint.... a lot like Middelburg, but if anything, even prettier... although perhaps a tad more touristy... When we got back to the boat, we were on the inside of a 3 deep raft, with kids on both outside boats, so grins allround... Soon an active campaign was underway to rid Zierkzee harbour of every crab it had ever nurtured.... By 18h30, we slipped off for something to eat... a bit touch and go, as we had limited cash left, and every cash machine seemed to be out of order... however, we scraped enough together, and went to eat at the 'Eetcafe de Banjaard'.... superb.... really well priced, and excellent food... cost just 65 Euros for the for of us including drink, deserts and coffee, and was very nice food, especially the side salads... When we returned to the boat we were 5 deep.... one boat 3 out had deemed it appropriate to put on a shore line on the bow only.... good job the winds are light.... Earlyish night tonight..... although not sure what we are going to do tommorrow, as it seems that Zierkzee, touristy or not, shuts on Sunday!

Miles logged 14nm
Miles logged this trip 132nm
Miles this season 541nm
Miles since this blog started 1,322nm

Inlands seas

We arose Friday morning to see a bit of a damp day... not too cold, but a bit wet. However, as we had arisen reasonably early, we decided to aim for the 09h30 bridge opening... The marina has narrow aisles, and we didn't want to hang around in them for two long, with our limited steerage in reverse, and so we set ourselves up to depart by slipping the leeward bow and stern lines, and then listening for the bell announcing the bridge opening.... impatience beat us, and we slipped out of the box as our watches ticked past 09h30. No problems... we reversed easily out of the box, turned comfortably, and then headed forward. I went slowly, given the shut bridge, and not wanting to have to hold station with very little room to maneouvre, and was pleased to hear the bell ring just 30 seconds later. One boat ahead of us, and we slipped out. We turned sharp left into the canal from which we had entered Middelburg, and set off at a leisurely pace. There was a wind blowing across the beam of about 10kts, so we unfurled the genny, and shut down the engine. The sun decided at this moment to peek out from behind the clouds... So here we were... inland, in a canal just 100m wide, sailing!... we were very chilled!.... After 45 mins, the lock into the Veerse Meer beckoned, so we furled the genny, and started the engine.... we waited just 10mins, and then into the lock... we had to raft up, but without any dramas, and then the locks opened into the the Veerse Meer, the most southerly of the Dutch inland seas.... We followed the channel markers for about an hour, until we reached one of the larger islands.... we had agreed the night before that we'd try to anchor on its North shore, where there was sufficient water, but it was a bleak place, with little of interest, so carried on to a cut through between the island at the next. This looked more promising, but sadly the wind was blowing straight through the gap, so we abandoned that too.... The previous night, I had identified a perfect little sheltered area between the island, and one to its south, but it was tight..... very very tight on depth.... however, with the first two failures, we thought that we'd have a peek... and creep in dead slow, slow enough that if we touched then we could just back out.... we could get away with this due to the absence of any tidal flow.... so we crept in, and saw at the worst 40cm below the keel.... we entered an absolutely lovely natural harbour surrounded on all sides with just two entrances of less than 50m width... even better, in this harbour there were several pontoons jutting out from the shore, and we crept towards the one that looked like it had the deepest water.... it was quite easy to get onto, as the wind had built to about 15kts, straight onto the pontoon, so I just pulled parallel with it, and let the wind drift us on.... It was a georgeous island.... well cared for by the Dutch, and we explored for a while... but before we knew it, the kids had introduced themselves to a family of four Dutch kids on the next pontoon along (there are only 3 pontoons!), and were busy crabbing, playing football, flying kites and generally being kids, and so we had a relaxed afternoon... The other side of the pontoon to us were moored an english couple, in their seventies, who had spent the last 20 years cruising, and so we chatted to them for most of the rest of the day... An evening meal saw us through to dusk... the kids retired to bed, and here I am writing this now.... a great day.

Miles logged 5nm
Miles logged this trip 118nm
Miles this season 527nm
Miles since this blog started 1,308nm

Klomps!

After reaching Middelburg, we took the opportunity to explore a little... It is a pretty town, with a number of interesting things to see and do. We explored around the town centre, and its various churches, alleyways, and quaint streets. However, through tiredness, we eventually found ourselves back at the boat, and retired to bed pretty early. A full nights uninterrupted sleep, and we had a day set aside in Middelburg to explore a little better. The church bells reminded us of the quarter hours, with their pleasant chimes, and against this backdrop we set off.. The kids had seen an advert for a place that showed the whole of the Walcheren district in miniature, so we headed towards this. On the way, we were lucky enough to stumble across what seeed to be quite a major local event... a sport known as 'ring jousting'. This involves a rider on a horse charging down a narrow aisle of sand with a lance with a spike on the end, rather similar to a Javelin, and to try and hook a ring held on a rope. The ring is the diameter of a two pence piece, so it is no small challenge. There were quite a large number of competitors, and a larger number of spectators, and was clearly a major local event. We watched entranced for a while, and eventually moved on towards the exhibition we had set off to see. Miniature Walcheren was worth seeing, at least from the kids perspective anyway, and we wasted a good few hours. We then spent the rest of the afternoon browsing the little shops in the pretty alleyways, and generally wandering around the multitude of canalside walks... Only purchase was a pair of clogs for the kids, which they were delighted to learn that in Dutch are called 'Klomps'!

canals

We arose at 08h00. It would have been easy to sleep longer... much longer, but I was conscious that we were on the fuel pontoon univited, so didn't wan't to cause any problems. As it happens things went well. 15 minutes after we arose, a boat came looking for fuel. The Harbourmaster came over in his tender, and was perfectly OK with us being on the fuel pontoon... he understood... The Dutch are a nation of sailors! The fuel pontoon, in the daylight was a lot longer than I thought, and we didn't have to depart, instead, just shuffled forwards, and the boat slipped in behind us. When he had refuelled, I did thesame, paid my night's fees, and then we tidied up. By 10h00, we slipped, and made our way around to the first of the opening bridges, and after waiting 20 minutes were let through into the Walcheren canal on our way towards Middelburg. Its a remarkable thing. The contrast between the crude dock area inside the lock, and after the bridge that permits entry into the canal is enormous. The bridges opens, and takes you into a tree lined boulevard, that is pretty, quiet, and very relaxing.... pootling along at a pleasant 2kts, we made our way through a number of various bridge types, some lifting, some turning, until, in less than an hour and a half, we turned to port into Middelburg. Middelburg is picture postcard pretty. You round into a town centre, and are faced with an elegant white bridge of almost victorian style. The holding pontoon is immediately to the right, and we are tied up, and allocated a berth in just a few minutes. The bridge opens on the half hour, so we only have to wait 20 mins before being let through into a lovely little marina, with long rows of box moorings. SWMBO is nervous. Our first experience of a proper box, only ever before having moored bow to with a pick up line or buoy... however, we slipped deftly in, with no dramas. A nice Dutch guy comes to grab our bow lines, the ready prepared stern lines drop smartly over the posts, and we are secure in no time, and sorted. We have decided to have the rest of the day in Middelburg, and all of the following day, and then leave Friday morning for Veerse Meer. More to come!

Miles logged 3nm
Miles logged this trip 113nm
Miles this season 522nm
Miles since this blog started 1,303nm

long legs

After precious little sleep, we arose at a quarter to midnight, and quickly made up a flask of coffee, had a coffee to drink, and quietly crept off the mooring buoy at midnight. The weather had decided to play ball, and the wind was a North Westerly at about 12kts, so a decent reach across to Holland was on offer. Given the forecast showed wind being about, albeit not in our part of the sea, I decided to set a course towards Oostende, where we would be able to head up towards Holland, with an option to dive into Oostende if it wasn't nice out there. This looked OK as a plan given that the forecast suggested a swing to South Westerly, so the Oostende entrance would be quite safe in a blow. However, we still had every intention of making Vlissingen. Harwich as usual was challenging in the dark. The bright Sodium lights of the docks making the navigation marks very difficult to pick out. I know the water well, but have often wondered how challenging it would be for a stranger to the area. By 02h00, we had rounded Cork Sands Yacht Beacon, and set a course across the base of the north sea... things were looking OK... I had planned on 5kts for the passage, and we were just about making it.However, and hour later, and the wind dropped.... our boat speed reduced to just 3.5kts... I didn't really fancy motoring for 20 hours... and even then, with Maggie's small tank, we only just about had eough fuel remaining for 14 hours motoring anyway, so we plugged on under sail... The Northerlies of the last few days had left a large rolling sea, and while not concerning from a boat perspective, the wallowing motion wasn't pleasant... no one was seasick, but it didn't make for a nice motion. We reached the Southbound TSS by midday, a good three hours behind the passage plan, but fortunately had very little traffic, in fact only one ship, and that was well off, so all we did was motor straight across... we could have held the course at right angles under sail with the wind by now having gone South West, but I needed to gain back some time, so at 6.5 kts, it was helping, plus got us across the lanes quickly... there was slightly more traffic on the Northbound lanes, not suprising given the tide going north, and we had twice to alter course, but again, nothing serious. As we popped out of the TSS it was decision time, either head over towards Oostende, or set north towards Holland. Given that we had already lost the first two days of the trip to the weather, and the amenable wind strengths and direction, we decided to make for Holland, so we set course heading straight towards the main entrance fairway to Vlissingen, conveniently on a direct line... The slow passage had mucked us up though, and the tide was turning.... and it flows at a ferocious rate along that coastline.... under sail, we were making a pathetic 2.5 kts over the ground... So on came the engine, and we bumped it up to a still inadequate 4kts. Mixed in with this was a rather messy refuelling effort, where our backup 5 gallon can was poured in... not easy in a big rolling sea, and some ended up on the decks, and some on SWMBO... I wasn't popular! About 17h00, the weather changed. Dark clouds came over, and the wind freshened up to about 18kts. This was actually quite handy, as I was starting to worry about having enough fuel, so the sails were set, a full main, and a few turns in the genny, and we powered off, at last over target speed, sometimes making 7kts over the ground. This still proved inadequate, and as the evening set in, the wind inevitably dropped. Fortunately, late enough to ensure we were OK on fuel, so down came the sails, and on came the engine... but as we came in towards Vlissingen, the tide was devastating us, and we were making just 3kts over the ground with the engine working hard... We finally started our final approach into Vlissingen at 22h00, 2 hours after my planned arrival time, still crawling along, and depressed to see that we had a further 5nm to go... at this speed, another 2 hours. The kids had long given up, and had retired to bed. Despite the bouncy motion, they were happily snoring from below! The route into Vlissingen is a 'preferred yacht track' just outside the main shipping channel. I'd always though Harwich to be a busy port, but it is nothing compared to Vlissingen. A constant stream of shipping was plowing in and out, and it required enormous care to make the right moves at the right time. Not easy when tired, and in the dark in an unfamiliar port. The route also requires a right angle crossing of the mini TSS in the estuary itself. I had planned all this out, and fortunately also taken care to write down all the light characteristics on a note card for the cockpit, so that was all OK... but as we entered the harbour there was an ENORMOUS ship being turned around by tugs ready for departure to sea. It was going to be tight on our planned route, and I didn't fancy either getting in his way, or having to sit and wait for another half an hour, so we cut across early. dodging 5 ships in the process, and being bounced around mercilessly by the wake mainly caused by a constant stream of pilots seeing to their business. We found ourselves up again the foreshore, in plenty of water, but it did make picking out the lights to the main harbour entrance into the lock and canal system very difficult, and it was with a sight of relief that I finally confirmed the lights that I suspected as being the right ones by sighting the outlines of a large number of wind turbines that were marked on the chart, and showed up in just the right spot... we followed the sectored light, until it showed the safe white sector, turned in, and sighed with relief as we entered flat water for the first time in 23 hours. I called the lock who happily responded that they would open up, and we entered the mouth of the lock... a huge beast, not made any easier psychologically by it being low water, and through tiredness... I entered what I belived to be the lock, to look up and see red lights still showing. We were just in a entrance 'tunnel'!. I was going to be there too soon, so reversed... the usual dramas with Maggie not answering the helm in reverse, but now I know her, I was confident enough to hold her, and she gradually crept backwards, despite getting very close the barnacle encrusted sides.... the lights changed, and we popped into the lock... no pontoon, only chain risers, and we made a bit of a mess of getting in... nothing too serious, again tiredness showing its face, but I did have to reach over to the ladder set into the wall with the boat hook, and pull the stern in so that we could get the rear line on.... it was a quick lock, and while we rose, the customs guys yelled down at us asking if we had duty free, where we had come from, who was onboard etc.. all the usual stuff, and done quite politely and in a friendly manner.... We locked out, and into a strange, almost discomforting area, that looked more liked a disused trawler hidey hole, made wierd by the yellow sodium lighting all around.... we motored according to the pilot, to the far end, turned to starboard, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sudden appearance of the Schelde marina. We slowly crept in, and were dismayed to see a long line of completely full box moorings, and all the waiting pontoons deep in rafted boats, with no more room without blocking up the main channel... so we very slowly motored around to the far corners of the marina hoping upon hope to find just one empty space... things were looking dire as we approached a dead end, and could see all the slots filled, and then SWMBO spied that the fuel pontoon was empty. Now, I don't like mooring on fuel pontoons without permission from the marina, but it was late, they had gone home for the night, we were dog tired, and there wasn't anywhere else, so we tied up finally at almost exactly midnight, 24 hours to within 3 minutes since leaving, ignored any efforts at tidying the boat, and dropped into our beds exhausted. Quite a passage.

Miles logged 110nm
Miles logged this trip 110nm
Miles this season 519nm
Miles since this blog started 1,300nm

more weather

Sunday evening looked better, as it had cleared upa bit during the day, with the sun even coming out... so about 19h00 we decided to set off down the river, to grab a buoy at Levington, and then take a final check on the forecast before leaving around midnight... We had a pleasant run down to Levington, and grabbed a vacant buoy with no trouble... I logged on to various web sites, and then got the shipping forecast... N to N/W 5 to 6, backing NW 5 to 7 occasionally 8. Visibility moderate, sea state moderate to rough... Ah. So we decided to leave it yet another night.... we stayed on the buoy, and then set off back to Ipswich at 10h00 this morning.... now back in our marina, with a forecast that looks much better for tonight... we'll see!

weather

Got down to the boat Saturday evening. We decided not to sail Friday as I had a long week at work, and was quite tired. by 14h00, we were onboard.... Forecast however looked decidedly dodgy, so a family decision was taken to leave it 24hrs... Friends who had just moved to Ipswich invited us over for Sunday dinner, so that helped! During the night it blew pretty hard, and rained very heavily, so it was a good decision!

forecast

The forecast for the weekend looks undecided... we are now setting off Sat night rather than Friday.... i've got too many early starts this week with work, and don't fancy an overnighter when tired..... There's some wind around... looks like it'll be Ok Sat night/Sun morning, but perhaps a bit of rain.... we'll see... I've decided that this is a holiday, and if the weather looks rubbish, then we'll just start by going somewhere more local...... perhaps the Backwaters, the Deben, or even down to Burnham..... its a family trip after all, not a get across at all costs desperation run! Mind you... still 48hrs to go.... forecast could change completely in that time frame!

sell up and sail pt2

Should add that we are definitely going to do this..... its just our thinking has moved on from waiting for the kids to leave home, and perhaps going at age 52ish, or saying sod it, and going now....

sell up and sail

A more serious post, and less humdrum sailing news... We're getting steadily more serious about the idea of 'selling up and sailing'.... We reckon that if we realise all our assets, budget £50k for a boat, then we can survive on £600 per month for about 15 years before we'd need to seriously consider working again on anything other than an ad-hoc basis.... Scary proposition though, as it means having nothing when (if) we return.... except a boat, and hopefully a pile of memories... Off the top of my head, big concerns for us include:

1] Schooling for the kids.... could we be dedicated enough to school them for 3 hrs a day, 5 days a week, and even if we could, would it make the 'dream' less appealing?
2] Family health back home - I guess this is a standard concern
3] Finances... what if something major broke, and we couldn't afford to fix it... engine/new sails/rigging... I guess this would just cut short the timeframe
4] Ability to find work after our return - maybe a mute point... I suspect that if we do this, we'll be unlikely to return!... but even so.... my current skills in the IT industry will be next to useless after 15 yrs!
5] Kids, and their integration into 'the system'.... assuming they decide to go to Uni, will they ever fit in?... will they find the structured environment restrictive?..... will they have the neccessary group social skills?... if they don't take the higher ed route... when/how will they enter the world of work?

Ironically, the bit that I suspect troubles most people, the reaction of their families isn't a problem... we've very briefly floated the idea past both sets of parents, and they both think we'd be mad not to do it!... sisters are a different matter... both firm participants in the capitalist system, and busy climbing the personal wealth ladder... can guess what their response would be! I was also personally concerned that this was my dream, and that I would be dragging SWMBO along as an only partially eager participant.... but she seems to be getting keener and keener on the idea, and is now talking about it more and more..... I guess neither of us have jobs that have us flying out of bed in the morning, eager to face the days working challenges, and both dream of a better life with other concerns than paying the mortgage, running the car and paying the electricity bill..... Ho hum.... contemplation required methinks...

Bosco

After SWMBO finally relented and at last discovered the joy of springing on, rather than the mad panic of bow and stern warps when the pontoon is too short, I have invested in a Bosco boathook..... so now we should be able to hook on without getting off the boat.... a great bit of kit... looks very substantial.... the only one i've seen that I would trust under load.... a cast hook, much better than the daft plastic things people seem to have.... mind you at the price they are, they should be good! I'm hoping now, that sooner or later SWMBO will have a go at driving the boat on..... it won't matter if we aren't close enough with a boat hook to help.....i'll still be able to reach over and get us hooked on.... Perhaps the 'girls weekend' we have organised in September will help her to gain the additional confidence needed.... she's going out with along with a group of friends 'better halves', and they will try coming alongside etc without the watchful eye of us lot of blokes there.... !

landlocked again

No sailing again this weekend.... Got to take C to Sea Cadets summer camp on Sunday..... 5 hrs driving each way.... looking forward to that, not! We are off next weekend on our annual summer 2 weeks (and a day) cruise... Plan is to head straight for Vlissingen from Harwich.... about 20hrs I suspect, and then dive into Middelburg.... if Holland isn't too busy, then we'll perhaps stay a while and visit Goes, Zierkzee and the Oosterchelde, and then head back down the coast towards France.... want to visit Nieuwpoort, and then perhaps Gravelines.... cross over towards Dover or Ramsgate at some point, and then round back to Ipswich via Burnham. We're hoping to meet up with the crew of Full Circle for a days racing in Burnham week, before heading back to home on the bank holiday Monday.... Can't wait!

the dark side!

Spent a day yesterday in a Fairline Squadron 58 cruising around Cowes watching the racing.... spectacular stuff with the big racing monohulls coming down on the line with large gennakers, apparently touching 25kts.....! it was clearly freaking out the slower classes, watching these beasts coming down on them from behind at such outrageous speeds..... Quite a few ripped sails, and plenty of broaches to keep us entertained..... Really tight racing insome of the one design classes, and the usual suspects (a certain major yacht chartering company maybe?) causing chaos upwind......

Miles logged 31nm
Miles this season 409nm
Miles since this blog started 1,190nm