Who has been over to Holland recently

[Marmalade]

We're in Middleburg now sheltering from the first rain we've seen - which sadly co-incided with the Veere to Vlissingen parade for the Ruyter festival. What a shame as yesterday sailing up from Oostende was glorious.

The bridges were slow and the trip up took c. 90 mins.

Original plan was to work our way down to Boulogne as we have sprog 1 and boyfriend with us who would like to be dropped off in Ramsgate sometime next week. The heart says to stay in Holland... Here's a pic or two:
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[wingdiver]

Excellent night shot. What sort of exposure time did that need to get it sharp but enough light?

 

[Marmalade]

Thanks; it was 2.5 secs at f2.8, ISO 1000 - on a tripod

 

[Javelin]

Back home to Southwold from Breskens - motor sailed, burned 40 lts - 13hrs though we had t wait outside for water for a couple of hours.#

We saw a lot of Tall ships heading for Vlissingen last night and this morning.

The meal at Goes was fab and its location provided much entertainment with bikes, cars and mopeds all meeting at the same time.
A crash lawyers heaven.

All in all a fab couple of weeks though I'm not sure there's enough to pull me back 12 years in a row which is what one UK East Coast boat we met has done!

 

[Santana379]

though I'm not sure there's enough to pull me back 12 years in a row

We've sailed over there for holidays 16 times in the last 13 years, 14 times in Zeeland and twice in the north. Each to their own!

 

[johnalison]

Every time we go to the Baltic, roughly every other year, I swear that I'm not going to slog my way through those damned Dutch canals yet again, and end up having an argument with my wife, who will have been looking forward to a bit of respite from the North Sea. Every single time, we get as far as Lauwersoog and the weather turns vile and what hapenns? We end up motoring all the way down to the Scheldt. Worse still - I end up enjoying it.

This year, my wife managed to contrive a fancy variation on this routine by breaking her wrist in Harlingen (walking). After a week's "holiday" there she flew home and I was able to escape via Ijmuiden.

 

[wingdiver]

The story so far - Left Foxs around 04:30 on Saturday a little later than planned as someone set fire to the interior of their boat a little just as we were about to set off! Having checked everything was fine with them we headed down the Orwell in the dark. All in all an uneventful trip with winds no more than 3-4 apart from a brief period by Roughs Towers. The visibility was around one to two miles as we crossed the shipping lanes. Thank goodness for radar. Arrived Breskens 18:30.
Had an enormous meal of moules in the yacht club but pretty pricey despite the generous portions. Sunday took the foot ferry to Vlissingen and spent several hours wandering around the Sail de Ruiyter event and also managed a few beers, coffees and kibbeling. Monday we headed east along the Westerschelde to Hansweert and then up the canal to stop overnight in Wemeldinge. Some of the best showers around! Tuesday we headed to the Gravelingmeer and Marina Port Zeeland. Good value with our Trans Europe card at €100 for five nights including electricity. Not bad for our 14m. Also thanks to whoever mentioned the free bus pass. The harbourmaster gives these out and we have travelled to both Scharnedijke and Helkevoetsluis for free! Not sure where we will head to next. Possibly some islands in the Gravelingmeer or Veersemeer.

 

[sailorman]

The story so far - Left Foxs around 04:30 on Saturday a little later than planned as someone set fire to the interior of their boat a little just as we were about to set off! Having checked everything was fine with them we headed down the Orwell in the dark. All in all an uneventful trip with winds no more than 3-4 apart from a brief period by Roughs Towers. The visibility was around one to two miles as we crossed the shipping lanes. Thank goodness for radar. Arrived Breskens 18:30.
Had an enormous meal of moules in the yacht club but pretty pricey despite the generous portions. Sunday took the foot ferry to Vlissingen and spent several hours wandering around the Sail de Ruiyter event and also managed a few beers, coffees and kibbeling. Monday we headed east along the Westerschelde to Hansweert and then up the canal to stop overnight in Wemeldinge. Some of the best showers around! Tuesday we headed to the Gravelingmeer and Marina Port Zeeland. Good value with our Trans Europe card at €100 for five nights including electricity. Not bad for our 14m. Also thanks to whoever mentioned the free bus pass. The harbourmaster gives these out and we have travelled to both Scharnedijke and Helkevoetsluis for free! Not sure where we will head to next. Possibly some islands in the Gravelingmeer or Veersemeer.

Zeerikzee is nice & they have a very nice shipwinkel too

 

[Marmalade]

yep -we like Zierikzee too. Sailed back on Mon though - great sail but now contemplating work on Mon next...

 

[wingdiver]

Zeerikzee is nice & they have a very nice shipwinkel too

Our previous visits there have been by bus from Colijnsplaat, which is less daunting to access and also has a very cheap Fishermans co-op chandlery where we stock up on brushes, batteries etc. Not sure if they sell glass items there....

 

[sailorman]

Our previous visits there have been by bus from Colijnsplaat, which is less daunting to access and also has a very cheap Fishermans co-op chandlery where we stock up on brushes, batteries etc. Not sure if they sell glass items there....

I got my new burner & glass`s from there, he took my spare glass`s back as i had changed the burner size. a very nice man indeed

 

[Suffolk Explorer]

I am amazed at this thread. Half the East Coast sailors seem to have been over in Holland this summer, yet we have recently come back from nearly 2 months there and we saw a total of 4 boats with red ensigns!
We went over to Zeebrugge and then up through Zeeland and the canals to Amsterdam, then around the Ijsselmeer, into the Friese Meren, returning a similar route and across via the Roompot.
We talked to an English boat that must have been Javelin in Goes, and another in Enkhuizen but otherwise Holland was full of very friendly Dutch, Belgium and German yachts.
Overall, had a great time with wonderful weather.

 

[Santana379]

Half the East Coast sailors seem to have been over in Holland this summer, yet we have recently come back from nearly 2 months there and we saw a total of 4 boats with red ensigns!

You are obviously ignoring all the blue ensigns from the East Coast!

It seems to me that the number of British boats in Zeeland has reduced very significantly over the last decade. I should qualify this by saying that we now always cruise there during the school term, whereas back then it was always in the school holidays with the kids.

The British boats we do encounter are often very sociable though, and we really enjoyed meeting the crews of two (I believe non-forum) boats this year, Erin (Orford) and Chaika 11 (Ipswich).

The volume of German boats seem to be increasing dramatically. There are obviously a lot in the north, and we went into a boatyard in Lemmer for repairs at the end of June 2011 to be told we were the first British boat in that year. Their marina was full of German boats, and their car park full of D plated cars. This year there were many more German boats than Brits in Zeeland, whereas a decade ago I don't think you'd see one there from year to year. (Assuming I can tell a German ensign from a Belgian one!)

 

[wingdiver]

Left the Gravelingenmeer and headed south. Ended up on a free pontoon mooring on Mosselplaat (island in Veersemeer opposite Veere). Amazing starry sky as no loght pollution - at least not at 01:30 BST!! Left there this morning and popped over to the outside pontoon behind the trip boats at Veere so we could have a look around as we had never been there before. Headed south again and are now in Middelburg and our details are still on their system and we were last here four years ago. Met one Brit in the Gravelingen lock and there are three or four others here.

 

[sailorman]

Left the Gravelingenmeer and headed south. Ended up on a free pontoon mooring on Mosselplaat (island in Veersemeer opposite Veere). Amazing starry sky as no loght pollution - at least not at 01:30 BST!! Left there this morning and popped over to the outside pontoon behind the trip boats at Veere so we could have a look around as we had never been there before. Headed south again and are now in Middelburg and our details are still on their system and we were last here four years ago. Met one Brit in the Gravelingen lock and there are three or four others here.

Sounds great
Did you go into the Josboon floating shipwinkel

 

[wingdiver]

Sounds great
Did you go into the Josboon floating shipwinkel

Funnily enough I did. Got the one remaining glass in stock

 

[wingdiver]

Found out about the bridge convoy between Middelburg and Vlissingen. It goes south at 09:19 14:19 & 17:19. To allow time to join it the bridge in the middle of middelburg opens five minutes early. Also goes north about the same times.

 

[sailorman]

Funnily enough I did. Got the one remaining glass in stock

YOU my man,are a STAR.
Many thanks, I owe you a bier

 

[wingdiver]

YOU my man,are a STAR.
Many thanks, I owe you a bier

Better hope for a smooth crossing!

 

[sailorman]

Better hope for a smooth crossing!

Wrap it in yer smalls