We decide to go anyway. After all, Mekicevica has beaten against 5 Bf wind before, and as the tide will be with the wind we may be slow but the waves should not be too large. How bad can it be? Pretty bad, actually. Read on...
On Saturday we had a late start, as the mornings started to be fresh and make it tempting to stay a bit longer in the sack. Then passing the Grevelingen lock took forever. We just missed one opening and had to wait. Once in, as usual we headed for the gaps in the front where bigger boats can't fit, so we did not get completely what was the commotion at the back. We could only see a tall mast doing a U-turn in the lock with painful noise of polyester breaking against concrete. Ouch!
It was about 1315 when we finally got going. With the tide turning against the wind in three-hours time and more that 10 NM to go, it was starting to feel tight for little Mekicevica. But with a fresh breeze from a bit N of East, and the tide with us we were doing about 4.5 kn over ground.
Passing under the Zeeland bridge was the usual unnerving affair, with strange winds that sent our sails all over the place. But we quickly resumed the good pace and soon we were motoring along the canal leading to Zierikzee harbour, straight into the wind.
The harbour master welcomed us on his RIB and assigned us a place alongside the most unusual boat, with lots of home-made contraptions, the purpose of which was probably obvious to the owner but to no-one else.
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| Mekicevica in Zierikzee harbour. |
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| A view of Zierikzee. |
Sunday morning was sunny but, as forecast, even windier. So prepare a reef in the main and off we go, doing most of the canal out of the harbour under head-sail.
Approaching the Oosterschelde we could see big yachts pitching like rocking horses. We still got out, put up the main sail and we were in it. The waves were about one meter high, some of them breaking. That does not sound a lot, unless you are in a 19ft boat with a freeboard of about 30 cm. Down below everything that was not well tied was flying about and in the cockpit the crew were getting soaked and holding on for dear life. We had to give up. Rolled-up the jib, gybed (not easy under these conditions) and made our way back to Zierikzee. The harbour master saw us coming back and lead us to a sheltered place to keep Mekicevica until next weekend. Pity that we missed what could have been a day of sailing in the sunshine, but I believe the conditions were beyond the limits of little Mekicevica.
And this way we have the perfect excuse to go sailing again next weekend.
