Tuesday, 24 of May: Preparing to go
Finally on Tuesday afternoon the rain cleared and I got on my motorbike and rode to Bruinisse.
The rest of the day was spent preparing Mekicevica, provisioning, and generally pottering about.
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| Drying-out, after a few, very rainy days. |
I feel sorry for the meteorologists, working all day with their supercomputers in windowless rooms. They must be windowless, because while they kept asserting "mostly dry weather with a very local patch of drizzle" it rained all morning. Finally just before noon it started to get a bit drier, so we are off for the first single-handed trip of the season. Destination: the Volkerak.
Middle of the week, middle of the day, it was very quiet at the Grevelingen lock. Instead of the many yachts we passed the lock with a cargo ship.
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| Sailing mid-week: little traffic of yachts but you come across more of the big guys. |
This time we just went in without waiting, hoisted sails again, and resumed the relaxed sailing.
Initially I had the intention of getting to Dintelmond, or ever Ooltegenseplaat, but with the weak wind it became obvious we were not going to make it that far in any reasonable time. So we turned into Oude-Tongue.
The approach to the town is first through a bird reserve. It is usually very quiet, but much more so on this week-day afternoon. Mekicevica was gliding silently, close-hauled on the weak breeze. The only noise was from the birds. At one moment I realised I was holding my breath for fear of disturbing the peace. We managed to sail until the last pair of buoys before the lock leading to the town centre.
As I was tying-up at in our usual place, the only one sized for a small boat like Mekicevica, a guy who was fishing on the opposite side of the harbour, asked me (in German) if I would rent him my boat the next day. What a cheek! I strongly refused, but gave him the details of Aqua-Vitesse, fro which he was very grateful.
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| The beautiful harbour of Oude-Tongue. |
The skies cleared in the early night, and the temperature dropped substantial. I was a bit cold sleeping in Mekicevica, even with two duvets on myself. In the morning there was a shy sunshine, and the wind had veered to the NE, exactly the direction I want to sail to.
Never mind, I thought, I need to practise beating single-handed and this weak wind offers the ideal opportunity. So I changed from the Bif Genny to the Small Jibby, and set off prepared for a long beat.
Encouraged from previous days' performance, I tried to hit sails in the tight space between the first two buoys. I did very well and in no time we had the main-sail full on a beam reach.. but weren't moving. We were aground. The bottom here is only soft sand and weed, so a tittle tug on the centre-plate was enough to get Mekicevica free.
As we started beating towards the east there was a moderate wind and I was happy with the progress and the way my single-handed takes were going. But the wind got progressive weaker and weaker, and our speed lower and lower. And then I was reminded why I don't like to sail on the fresh water of the Volkerak in summer with weak wind: as soon as the boat speed drops the terrible Volkerak midges come for you. They are not the biting type, but like to make straight flights onto your face, Kamikaze style. They are particularly fond of aiming at ears and nostrils. At one point, I saw a familiar, small boat (Katapult) motoring the opposite way while the crew made desperate swating gestures.
Soon I was playing cat and mouse with the wind: become becalmed, switch on the motor until ripples on the water give the impression the wind was returned; switch-off the motor, sail for a few seconds before the wind dies again. Repeat.
After a while I lost patience, and since I would have to motor across the shipping lane, anyway, decided to motor until there was clearly some wind. After a while I finally could see the wind turbines starting to move, and clear ripples on the water everywhere I looked. From then it was nice, relaxed sailing until Dintelmond, where we sailed past the break-waters. In total, seven hours sailing with only a short toilet break, hove-to.
Friday, 27 of May: Great sailing back to Bruinisse... and back to Oude-Tongue again
The weather forecast for Friday called for sunny spells and moderate northerlies. I tried to start as soon as I could, that is as soon as the harbourmaster arrived and I could pay for the stay. At first it was cloudy and the north wind was a bit weak. But gradually the sun came out and the wind picked-up and we started moving faster. I could even use a lull in the traffic to sail across the shipping lane.
After the Nordplaat, it was a straight-line towards the Kramer lock on a beam-reach with main and jib nicely full. At some moment a motor boat came from behind getting really close. A nice-looking mob, by the way, not your average, revolting gin-palace. As I was getting annoyed that it was coming so close, I realised that the skipper wanted to compliment me on the way Mekicevica was sailing. "Beautiful sight" he sad. Mekicevica and skipper went pink with pride.
The delightful sailing continued on the Kramer and soon we were berthed back in Bruinisse. By than it was warm enough for shorts and T-shirt, while I had started the day in thermals and water-proofs.
I had thought of packing-up and going home, but First-Mate had returned home and was not going to miss the opportunity of doing some sailing. So she joined me in Bruinisse, and in the late afternoon we set-out again towards the Volkerak. I am glad First-Mate had this idea, because it was the most delightful evening sailing, even if it was against the wind all the way.
Saturday, 28 of May: Another return to Bruinisse
Saturday morning was sunny but the northerly wind was rather weak. Immediately out of the canal fro Oude-Tongue we hoisted Big Genny. Progress was a bit slow, not least because it seemed to be peak hour for the fishers to return home in their motor boats. Each time Big Genny was starting to fill with the weak breeze, one of those pests would come along and upset everything with their wake. One of them even made us drift out of the channel and run aground. We easily came free but that was it, we motored until open water where the wind was a bit stronger. Than it was great sailing for the short distance to the Kramer lock.
After the lock, on the Kramer the proximity of the North Sea became more noticeable, making the wind a bit more westerly. We still could make it to the Grevelingen lock always on starboard tack. And very nice sailing it was, especially since we don't sail close hauled with Big Genny very often.
