Getting to Holland by train to meet a yacht having sailed over

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Independence

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Having put my wife through the trials a few years ago of getting to Ostend by boat I'm researching how I might get her over there on a passenger ferry to meet me somewhere with the boat.

If anyone has done something similar I'd be pleased to hear from you.

Boat based in Pin Mill......live in Colchester

Thanks
 
Independence said:
Having put my wife through the trials a few years ago of getting to Ostend by boat I'm researching how I might get her over there on a passenger ferry to meet me somewhere with the boat.

If anyone has done something similar I'd be pleased to hear from you.

Boat based in Pin Mill......live in Colchester

Thanks
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Ferry to Hook, train to Rotterdam 30 mins, then tram to Spiknesse 20 mins, bus to Helevutsluis 30 mins, for example.
Train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam is about 2 hours I think, and from Rotterdam to Middleburg and Flushing/Visslingen also about 2 hours.
 
The ferry ticket includes the train to Rotterdam. Friends have used it to meet me Holland where the public transport system is great. http://www.ns.nl/en
Goes, Middleburg and Flushing are all on the same line. Sheila has met me at Middelburg but flew to Amsterdam from Southend airport. 35 mins, just a bit quicker than sailing there!
 
Independence said:
Having put my wife through the trials a few years ago of getting to Ostend by boat I'm researching how I might get her over there on a passenger ferry to meet me somewhere with the boat.

If anyone has done something similar I'd be pleased to hear from you.

Boat based in Pin Mill......live in Colchester

Thanks
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I am doing the same with the kids in august .she 31 per chance?
 
+1 for Moody Sabre's answer.

If you avoid the perils of Dover Strait and head directly for Ijmuiden from Harwich, you can either spend a night in Ijmuiden marina (outside the lock) or lock in and get some sleep moored up just inside the lock for free, before motoring (approx 2 hrs. Along the Noordseekanaal) to Sixhaven marina in Amsterdam. Once there, you're 5 mins. walk and a free ferry ride from Amsterdam Central station.

The flight (Easyjet) should be cheaper than trains / ferry. Short hop to Southend from Colchester (train via Shenfield or taxi all the way) then the most relaxed airport experience since the 1960's at Eddie Stobart's Southend. Amsterdam airport is busier but direct train link (20 mins.) to Amsterdam Central Station is well signposted.

The delights of the Markermeer and Ijselmeer await you just another half hour along the Nordseekanaal.
 
We did exactly this last September, when I raced across on the Buckley Goblets.

My wife got the train from Wivenhoe direct to London Liverpool St, tube to St Pancras and then Eurostar direct to Brussels. A change of platform for the Ostend train and then direct to Ostend station, which is the terminus of the line and a 10 minute walk from the Royal North Sea YC clubhouse and marina. Trains leave Brussels for Ostend about every 20 minutes.

"Leisure Select " ( first class non cancellable and so on ) on Eurostar gets you an individual seat in a "two" where the facing sets will in all probability be empty, a fairly decent lunch with wine on the Eurostar train, and first class travel on the British and Belgian connecting trains.

Tickets can be bought on the Eurostar web site from Colchester ( they didn't seem to do Wivenhoe) to 'any Belgian station' which takes you right through to Ostend.

She left Wivenhoe at about 9.00 to allow for the delights of Abellio Greater Anglia! but actually got to St Pancras with a couple of hours to spare. Arrived in Ostend about 5.

She said it was a very smooth journey.

Hope helpful.
 
TimfromMersea said:
We did exactly this last September, when I raced across on the Buckley Goblets.

My wife got the train from Wivenhoe direct to London Liverpool St, tube to St Pancras and then Eurostar direct to Brussels. A change of platform for the Ostend train and then direct to Ostend station, which is the terminus of the line and a 10 minute walk from the Royal North Sea YC clubhouse and marina. Trains leave Brussels for Ostend about every 20 minutes.

"Leisure Select " ( first class non cancellable and so on ) on Eurostar gets you an individual seat in a "two" where the facing sets will in all probability be empty, a fairly decent lunch with wine on the Eurostar train, and first class travel on the British and Belgian connecting trains.

Tickets can be bought on the Eurostar web site from Colchester ( they didn't seem to do Wivenhoe) to 'any Belgian station' which takes you right through to Ostend.

She left Wivenhoe at about 9.00 to allow for the delights of Abellio Greater Anglia! but actually got to St Pancras with a couple of hours to spare. Arrived in Ostend about 5.

She said it was a very smooth journey.

Hope helpful.
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It's unnecessary to go into St Pancras... Change at Stratford for Stratford International....
 
My wife most recently flew EasyJet from Southend to Amsterdam, then caught train to Goes. She preferred it to the ferry . Railway station is under airport so transfer was easy.
 
Independence said:
And I didn't mean to ignore your question...

Thank you for your kind words about Independence....yes we are the same
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In that case, straight across to Ijmuiden is definitely your best choice of crossing. Once there, you can choose northwards to Markermeer and Ijselmeer or southwards via the stand mast route to the Veersemeer and Goes, all in sheltered inland waters.

The greatest risk is that, once there, you may choose not to bring the boat home!
 
PeterWright said:
In that case, straight across to Ijmuiden is definitely your best choice of crossing. Once there, you can choose northwards to Markermeer and Ijselmeer or southwards via the stand mast route to the Veersemeer and Goes, all in sheltered inland waters.

The greatest risk is that, once there, you may choose not to bring the boat home!
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Huh
The OP took his boat to the USA, didnt like it & sailed straight back :D
 
sailorman said:
Huh
The OP took his boat to the USA, didnt like it & sailed straight back :D
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Fair comment, but I suspect the charms of the Netherlands are rather different from those of the United States.

Last summer, we found Enkhuizen and Medemblik absolutely charming. Having lived in Wales, England, Spain and the Czech Republic, the difficulty of learning the Dutch language is the one thing that deters me from trying a spell living there.
 
PeterWright said:
Fair comment, but I suspect the charms of the Netherlands are rather different from those of the United States.

Last summer, we found Enkhuizen and Medemblik absolutely charming. Having lived in Wales, England, Spain and the Czech Republic, the difficulty of learning the Dutch language is the one thing that deters me from trying a spell living there.
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I've been berthed at Amsterdam since March last year. The language is and isn't a problem. I'm not a linguist and my attempts are pretty pathetic. Poor hearing doesn't help. Obviously around Amsterdam everybody can converse in English.

We had a lift-out in Medemblik September time and the yard manager and his family said that they are not so used to speaking English as most of the visitors are German speakers. Quite interesting I thought.

My opinion is that Dutch comes a close second to Portuguese in difficulty (for me) to learn.

BTW we have used 3 methods to get to Amsterdam from where we live (Suffolk). Plane/ UK train (returning from A'dam). Ferry with the car (twice). EasyJet from Southend (numerous).
We wouldn't use the train UK side again given the choice. Car Ferry is OK. Plane from/to Southend is excellent and, as said, the train station to A'dam Centraal is within the airport and runs every 17 mins or so. Then a 14min FREE ferry journey to Amsterdam Marina.
 
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