G
Guest
Guest
Well we’re safely back from the MBM Zeeland cruise, only one minor problem, the boat’s still in Belgium.
We left Sunday before last from Ramsgate with 26 other boats in probably the calmest weather most of them had ever seen. This was almost our first trip on the sea, and to be quite honest. I couldn’t see what all the fuss had been about. Dead flat calm, with barely a ripple. I got a great piccie of a Turbo 36 at 20 knots with a perfect reflection off the water it was that calm.
Our Fairline Mirage kept up nicely with the Turbo 36 and a Corniche at 18-20 knots all the way to Nieuwepoort and we tied up barely 4 hours after leaving Ramsgate. Although among the smaller boats, we were by no means the slowest with several trundling along at 6-8 knots, so a bit longer days for them.
The cruising around Holland was really good visiting half a dozen or so different ports. General format was cruise to a new harbour, where Tom Gregory sorted out the mooring arrangements, quite a task arranging berthing for 26 boats, ranging in size from a 26 foot Colvic up to a Princess 52. Tom certainly got some innovative rafts going, then a couple of days sightseeing and sampling the local brews before moving on. Mooring fees normally less then a tenner, though diesel at 60p a litre hurts a bit. All the harbours were good with excellent showers. The Dutch were really friendly and helpful.
The trip back at the weekend was the only time Kim really let us down. He didn’t get the order in for good weather in time!
Coming down the Westerschelde Saturday morning was good, 18knots and fairly flat till we turned the corner at Breskens to be met by a SSW 5ish(??). Now I knew what the fuss had been about. Wind over tide so very lumpy. We were aiming for Nieuwepoort again but by the time we got to Blankenburge decided to call it a day. We’d slowed down to 10knots and got rather wet with a couple of waves coming over us. Was the speed reduction a good move or should we have kept it on the plane? We were in company with a Phantom 43 and a Princess 385 and they got equally wet. Sunday was no better especially when Kim phoned me at 06:15 to tell me to go back to bed. Thanks Kim.
Came home on the Superseacat from Ostend on Sunday afternoon and the captain told us the sea was a 6 gusting 7 with 2.5 metre waves so I think wimping out was the right decision. We’ll go back on Saturday and hope it’s quietened down by then. I’ve just heard that they think they’ve got a window for tomorrow, though some of the smaller boats are already going through the Belgian canals making for Calais. We’ll see. If the worst comes to the worst we’ll come back on our own next week. Anyone fancy showing me the way home? Except MattS, I haven’t got enough booze or a big enough boat for him. Then again his new boat’s only a Leopard 23 so maybe we’re not too small after all!
Overall an excellent trip and congrats to Kim, Neale and all at MBM for their organisational skills. If this has ended up sounding like an ad for MBM Cruises, then I’ll just have to think of some other criticism to keep them on their toes, but really can’t find much to find fault with.
If anyone’s thinking of going on one of these MBM’s cruises in the future, my advice would be to definitely go for it. We’ll do it again, though “she’s” decided we’re getting a bigger boat and giving up the river. Anyone know of a tatty Turbo 36 for around the £60K mark? Oh and if you’re booked on the Paris trip this Friday, I hope Kim and co make it back to Lymington in time, at the moment they’re still in Breskens.
We left Sunday before last from Ramsgate with 26 other boats in probably the calmest weather most of them had ever seen. This was almost our first trip on the sea, and to be quite honest. I couldn’t see what all the fuss had been about. Dead flat calm, with barely a ripple. I got a great piccie of a Turbo 36 at 20 knots with a perfect reflection off the water it was that calm.
Our Fairline Mirage kept up nicely with the Turbo 36 and a Corniche at 18-20 knots all the way to Nieuwepoort and we tied up barely 4 hours after leaving Ramsgate. Although among the smaller boats, we were by no means the slowest with several trundling along at 6-8 knots, so a bit longer days for them.
The cruising around Holland was really good visiting half a dozen or so different ports. General format was cruise to a new harbour, where Tom Gregory sorted out the mooring arrangements, quite a task arranging berthing for 26 boats, ranging in size from a 26 foot Colvic up to a Princess 52. Tom certainly got some innovative rafts going, then a couple of days sightseeing and sampling the local brews before moving on. Mooring fees normally less then a tenner, though diesel at 60p a litre hurts a bit. All the harbours were good with excellent showers. The Dutch were really friendly and helpful.
The trip back at the weekend was the only time Kim really let us down. He didn’t get the order in for good weather in time!
Coming down the Westerschelde Saturday morning was good, 18knots and fairly flat till we turned the corner at Breskens to be met by a SSW 5ish(??). Now I knew what the fuss had been about. Wind over tide so very lumpy. We were aiming for Nieuwepoort again but by the time we got to Blankenburge decided to call it a day. We’d slowed down to 10knots and got rather wet with a couple of waves coming over us. Was the speed reduction a good move or should we have kept it on the plane? We were in company with a Phantom 43 and a Princess 385 and they got equally wet. Sunday was no better especially when Kim phoned me at 06:15 to tell me to go back to bed. Thanks Kim.
Came home on the Superseacat from Ostend on Sunday afternoon and the captain told us the sea was a 6 gusting 7 with 2.5 metre waves so I think wimping out was the right decision. We’ll go back on Saturday and hope it’s quietened down by then. I’ve just heard that they think they’ve got a window for tomorrow, though some of the smaller boats are already going through the Belgian canals making for Calais. We’ll see. If the worst comes to the worst we’ll come back on our own next week. Anyone fancy showing me the way home? Except MattS, I haven’t got enough booze or a big enough boat for him. Then again his new boat’s only a Leopard 23 so maybe we’re not too small after all!
Overall an excellent trip and congrats to Kim, Neale and all at MBM for their organisational skills. If this has ended up sounding like an ad for MBM Cruises, then I’ll just have to think of some other criticism to keep them on their toes, but really can’t find much to find fault with.
If anyone’s thinking of going on one of these MBM’s cruises in the future, my advice would be to definitely go for it. We’ll do it again, though “she’s” decided we’re getting a bigger boat and giving up the river. Anyone know of a tatty Turbo 36 for around the £60K mark? Oh and if you’re booked on the Paris trip this Friday, I hope Kim and co make it back to Lymington in time, at the moment they’re still in Breskens.
