Antwerp

[bromleybysea]

Thinking of a trip to Antwerp this year. Have looked at what pilotage info seems to be available on line and frankly doesn't look too appealing. Marina a long way from the town and in a rather unprepossessing area. Anyone done this in the last year or two and would recommend it? Would it be better to go to somewhere down the coast and get the train? Thanks for any info.

 

[sailorman]

Well worth the trip
the marina on the north bank is quiet in a pleasant suburban area with grassed areas & a couple of Yacht clubs to the east about 100m
come out of the marina & turn west ( left) & a short walk is a free foot tunnel under the river.
Pilotage is very straight forward, just follow the bouyage.
Guapa has stopped off @ Lollo on the port had just below Antwerpen

Its certainly worth the trip & the city skyline @ night from the North bank is very nice

 

[Koeketiene]

It's actually quite a nice trip.
Done it 2 or 3 times. Always stopped in Breskens the night before.
Breskens -Antwerp is perfectly doable in one tide. You need to arrive in Antwerp HW +/- 1

Always stayed at the Linkeroever (Left Bank) marina.
Quite a nice 'green' area. What the locals call St Anna 'beach' nearby. Plenty of bars/restaurant.
Lots to do for little ones too - swimming pool, play pens, etc...
The city center is a 15-20 min walk away - pedestrian tunnel underneath the Scheldt about 700m away.

At the marina there are 2 yacht clubs.
- The RYCB is very 'blue blazer'.
- The Liberty Yacht Club is a more relaxed affair. Cheap, delicious food and generous servings. Staggered back to the boat from there several times.

As sailorman already mentioned, we once stopped in Lillo on the way back.
Very quaint - the entire village sits inside a 19th century fortification. Scaldis Yacht Club very friendly too.

 

[wingdiver]

We took Will's advice and spent five days in the Linkeroever marina.
We actually stopped at our favourite - Blankenberge - and then Terneuzen on the way up. On the way back, we went through the canal at Hansweert to access the Dutch inland waters.
It was a great base in an area by the river with walks and trees.

As Sailorman says, just a little way up the road is the foot tunnel. This brings you out within a very short distance of the old city and from there, most of the rest is easily accessible.

We managed to visit the diamond quarter and did the tour to watch the skilled craftsmen cutting stones. Just leave your credit cars (and preferably SWMBO) back on board!!
There is another big-ish marina on the port side just round the bend in the river and we walked there to have a look. A bit soulless and pretty close to the red light district - which may or may not be an advantage.

Oh, and if you have kids, the zoo is excellent.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Went in 2012, not masses to add to the above but Neville Featherstone's guide,
http://www.nauticalcharts.biz/optio.../page,shop.browse/limit,20/limitstart,20.html
gives good info as do the staff at various marinas.
WE kicked off from Breskens at LW-1 if memory serves and we were lucky enough to have a SWly all the way up the river and made it in 7hrs! As the HM at Anwerp said,'You get one sail in your life like that'.
Featherstone describes Antwerp as the highlight of a cruise in that area.
Well worth it IMHO
PS If staying across the river DO take mossie nets if staying in warm weather. There is a small lagoon next door which breeds the bl**dy things and they're as big as chickens!

 

[johnalison]

It's about 15 yrs since we went and I remember enjoying it greatly. The channel is easy enough to follow but there are some very steep shallows in places. Although they are well charted, they do change. Part of the approach is industrial but I think that adds to the interest.

You can cycle through the tunnel to the town if you are at the marina. I remember eating very well at several places for very modest sums, better than Blankenberg I think. Although a bit religiose for my taste, the cathedral and its Rubens are worth seeing, as is the Rubens house itself. Otherwise, it's a nice city to wander round.

 

[FullCircle]

I took Mrs FC to Antwerp to try and work out what engagement ring she might like, except it was a secret, because I was planning to ask her to marry me 3 months later.
A very fraught couple of days, as she kept pointing out multi coloured rocks and nuggets suitable for a Dowager Empress, and laughing like a drain. I learned nothing.



Except that we liked Antwerp a lot. Irish pub was lively!

 

[Gwylan]

Thinking of a trip to Antwerp this year. Have looked at what pilotage info seems to be available on line and frankly doesn't look too appealing. Marina a long way from the town and in a rather unprepossessing area. Anyone done this in the last year or two and would recommend it? Would it be better to go to somewhere down the coast and get the train? Thanks for any info.

Stop at Terneuzen on the way, a little further than Breskens and not so up itself. We were there for over 3 years and missit.

Convention for finding a pontoon that is free is that if there is a 'red board' showing then the owner is coming back and if the board is green then he is not and you can use it. Subject to local custom and practice. There may be a date chalked or marked on it to indicate the planned return date, but someone might know who is coming back and when.

Navigating, observe the big boats, they do not have much room to manoeuvre and watch the channel markers and your charts for depth. Can be a bit short of water in places.

Go to the RLYC - Royal Liberty Yacht Club - details of how to get into town through the tunnel appear elsewhere. You can take your bikes through the tunnel too!

You are then in Belgium and very special!

 

[johnalison]

The last time we were in Terneuzen one of the local members was having an argument with the club committee and made his protest by blocking the harbour with a line of fenders. He was quite amicable and eventually agreed to release us. One of the kids was running a water-taxi service with his dinghy and doing good business. Everyone warned us about the weather forecast before we set out, which was probably why we were the only vessel on the river down to Breskens while it blew F8 straight off the land.

 

[benw]

We enjoyed a night in Terneuzen, enjoyed the ebb from upstream and managed a handbrake turn like entry into the marina entry. THe tide is pretty impressive! Very friendly staff. We used the Poulder Channel having radio'd for permission which was ok by port control. Loads of seals, but a bit smelly as we passed the what appeared to be chemical works/industrial plant.