As soon as we entered the Spui, the picture changed completely. The W wind was blocked by the dykes and the trees, and we found ourselves sailing in calm waters, in part carried by the current, in part sailing gently downwind with many jibes (some of them controlled) as the river winds its way NE.
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| The tranquil margins of the Spui. |
The Spui is a young river. It did not exist until mid XVIth century, when during severe floods the raging waters dug a connection between the Oude Maas and the Haringvliet. Life on the Lowlands was a perilous affair before the Deltaworks...
At present, this river forms a quiet sailing route to avoid the mad shipping traffic on the Dordtsche Kil.
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| What a crowd! |
At the NE end on this river is the harbour town of Oud Beijerland, our home for the night.
As with many old towns in this area, you enter the harbour via a narrow lock, that remains open but ready to close and prevent the town from flooding, should the waters rise too high. We moored surrounded by old "herenhuizen" and nice cafes.
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| The harbour of Oud Beijerland. |
Very convenient to order a beer from the cockpit. Not so nice at 1am when the tide had lifted us to street level and there were lots of loud, drunken people on the terraces of the cafes.
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| Sandra in front of the Oud-Beijerland town hall. |
Oud Beijerland was a delightful surprise. Beatiful town, with a modest but comfortable harbour right in the centre.
