For Monday and Tuesday the weather man was announcing a small window of sunshine in the grim Spring we are having. Moreover, moderate winds from W or SW on Monday and E or SE on Tuesday. Perfect for a two day tour going East, out of the Grevelingen. Only only thing in the way is the four-letter word: work. First Mate is booked to travel for work (to sunny and warm Toledo, poor thing). Shall I dare to do it single handed? Not trivial, since it involves passing both the Grevelingen and the Kramer locks.
Started Monday with a warm-up sailing around the Mosselenbank. It was Blowing about 4 Bf, which for now is about as windy as I want for single-handed sailing. Moreover I starded beating into the W wind, and by the time I was on the other side of the island, the wind had backed to SW. Beating again on the return. At least got more practice on tacking...
After a break back in Bruinisse harbour, I decided to go for it. Motor to the lock, and after a short wait went in with only three other boats. One of them an old, small sailing boat, now tranformed into MoBo by a local lad who was going for a tour with his toddler kid for crew.
I was proud of how I managed to negogiate the lock single-handed, until I realized that the Dutch lad had done the same while holding his son in one arm...
Out of the lock, I motored a bit to gain sea room and up go the sails. As usual, the moment the motor goes off and we start moving with the wind in the sails is absolutely magic.
It was less than two miles to the next lock, but I was hoping for a break. No luck. It was so quiet that the lock master decided to wait for me and I had to go straight in.
By the time we came out of the lock into the Volkerak, the wind was decreased to 3 Bf and was right on the stern. Since it is just a short distance to the Oude Tonge channel, I unfurled the jib immediately out of the lock and progressed gently, taking a longer but more interesting arc close to shore to see and listen the many birds that live here. Once on the channel the wind was on the beam and we got into the lee of land. I almost managed to sail to the first of two locks before the town, which are always open, but kept on the ready to protect the town should something weird happen to the water level outside. With just some hundred meters to go I had to give-up and motor the rest of the way. After mooring and paying the fee at the brand-new harbour master office and club house I went in search of a beer to cellebrate my short, single-handed trip.
On Tuesday morning it was still sunny and with amoderate E wind, exactly as forecast. After breakfast, I waited a bit for the sun to warm the air and dry the Night de from Mekicevica's deck and of we go. I decided that even if it is a short distance I was going to hoist both main and jib. So I motored until the channel was wide enough to point into the wind across it and hoist the main. I must be getting better at this, because I only need some 20m to have the main up. Encouraged by this fact I ran down wind all the way to the lock entrance, and only then turned around to lower the main. It was really quiet and I could go straight into the lock, in the company of a stink-pot that was coming as fast as it could to make it before the lock closed. The master was waiting for them anyway.
It was the fastest passage trough the Kramer lock I have ever done. I don't know how they managed it so quickly, considering that at this lock they have to go through a compicated pumpibg cycle to prevent the salt water from the Kramer from getting into the fresh water Volkerak.
On the other side I stopped for a short break and when I was going to start I noticed there was nobody around. So I had the luxury of manouvering to hoist the main sail right in front of the lock in the shelter of the dike, and exiting under sail. I was really pleased with myself now.
Once out, was again a short run to the Grevelingen lock. The wind started to freshen-up, back to a good 4 Bf (or is it always windier here) and it was a bit trickier to persuade Yoyo-Ma The Outboard Engine and Mekicevica to keep the nose into the wind long enough for me to tie-up the main sail. They seemed to be fascinated by the big red-green buoy and three tines I had to jump back into the cockpit and turn the tiller to put us back pointing in the right direction.
Even funnier was coming alongside at the waiting peer wind the wind from the back. The motor in reverse had a to struggle to reverse us into position. On the positive side, once in the lock I did not need to bother with a line from the bow. The wind coming straight from the back kept us nicely in plice just holding by a line from the stern.
The rest was just motoring into our berth in Bruinisse and cleaning up. For the first time this year I could do the cleaning-up of Mekicevica wearing only my shorts!
The rain and cold returned a couple of hours later. I am glad I dared to do a small tour single-handed and make the most of this tiny good weather window.
