First-Mate is travelling for work all week and I had planned to go sailing. The weather had other plans and it hasn't stopped raining since Sunday. By Tuesday afternoon there were some dry spells and I couldn't wait any longer. I got on my motorbike and rode to Bruinisse. Of course I was caught by showers on the way.
Wednesday, 15th of July: Single-handed to the Galatheese harbour.
On the grey morning of Wednesday I cast-off towards the Grevelingen harbour and once trough unfurl the Big Genny and let the West wind push us along the two miles to the next lock, the Krammer lock. In the lock I had a sort chat with a couple from Newport RI who shipped there beautiful Vancouver 27 to Sardinia and have been cruising in Europe.
Once out, I decided to sail under main only as there were multiple changes of course and the sail handling is easier this way. Anyway the wind was picking up and we were doing good progress. And then it started to rain again. When passing in front of the Galatheese harbour, I remembered reading that this former work harbour where all sorts of craft were left rusting had recently been cleaned-up and converted into yacht harbour. So I doused the sail and motored in. It has indeed been cleaned-up and there is a restaurant... but nothing more. Moreover the waves created by the intense shipping on the Volkerak make their way into the harbour. On the positive side until when and if they build harbour amenities yachts can overnight free of charge. Now, that is my kind of price.
Thursday, 16th of July: Single-handed to Willemstad.
The next morning was bright and sunny. After waiting for the restaurant to open to have a coffee and use the toilet, I set-off for the next leg of my journey, towards Willemstad.
There was very little wind and from the wrong direction: NE. The next four hours were spent happily tacking up the Volkerak with full genoa and mainsail. I crossed paths with several Marieholm IFs going to their summer event at Oude-Tonge.
Nearly arriving at the next lock, I noticed that Yoyo-Ma was being attacked by the infamous weed of the Volkerak: a propeller-munching weed with long, tough vines. So I hove to and unwrapped the propeller. A few more tacks and I was in front of the lock struggling to douse the main while being shaken by the wake of the many powerboats coming out. After the lock it was only a short bit on motor to reach Willemstad. This time I went for the more modern of the two harbours, De Batterij.
Friday, 17th of July: Chilling out in Willemstad.
As forecast, Friday was sunny and started very warm, but soon strong westerlies brought some fresh air from the North Sea. I spent the day messin' about, varnishing the tiller, cleaning-up.
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| Small maintenance jobs in Willemstad. |
Saturday, 18th of July: Willemstad to Spieringsluis.
A sunny day and the westerly wind has moderated. It serves us well, because we are heading East up the Hollands Diep towards the Biesbosch. We will be negotiating lots of shipping lanes, so First-Mate brought our faithful Suzy-Q who is a bit bulky but better than Yoyo-Ma at motoring long distances (long, meaning more than 4 miles).
Suzy Q immediately showed-off her skills by taking us across the shipping lane. After that we could unfurl the Big Genny and just run with the wind.
After a while the space between the shore and the shipping lane got narrower and narrower. We were also approaching the meeting of two rivers busy with shipping and had to pass under three bridges. Time to motor again.
Passing under the bridges was nerve-wracking: we had less than one meter clearance. I am really pleased for Mekicevica's short mast. Not many sailboats could come this way.
Than it was up the Nieuwe Merwede where we could also cover some distance under sail, on a beam to broad reach.
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| Sailing up the Nieuwe Merwede. |
The Biesbosch.
As we sit in the cockpit basking in the late afternoon sunshine, after a run and a beer, we marvel at this place. Peaceful, nearly unspoilt nature. The variety of birds is breathtaking; there are even ospreys! They claim to have otters and beavers, although we didn't spot any. And yet we are on the edge of the Randstad. Dordrecht is 2 km away, just across the river with a good ferry connection. Even the industrial belt of Rotterdam is barely 20 km away! The Dutch know a thing or two about landscape management!
Sunday 19th and Monday 20th of July: Canoeing in the rain.
That is all very nice, but could that have better weather? For the next two days we were exploring this national park on canoe, and mostly in the rain.
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| Willie bravely took us around the Biesbosch for two days. |
Tuesday, 21st of July: Some thrilling sailing back to Willemstad.
The sunshine is back, and so is the SW wind. We decided to return via the main channel of the Biesbosch, on motor, than along the Amer, under the bridges into the Hollands Diep and when it got wider, First-Mate insisted we sail. The Skipper was a bit reluctant but gave in, and we did have some great sailing. Closed-hauled with reefed main and a tiny bit of jib out. In some gusts we were getting the toe-rail in the water, but always under control. In just a few tacks we were in front of Willemstad and motored across the shipping lane and into the harbour.
After checking the weather forecast, we decided to leave Mekicevica in De Batterij and return home with intention of sailing her to Bruinisse in the weekend.
Wednesday, 22nd of July: Doing my laundry at the other home (the one that doesn't float).
After a week living aboard a 19-foot boat I needed to catch up on the laundry. In between washing and hanging clothes I checked the weather forecast for the weekend and got a shock: there will be a nasty storm passing on Saturday, with very strong wind gusts (60+ knots!) and still lousy weather on Sunday. A readjustment of the plans is in order.
Thursday, 23rd of July: Single-handed to Steenbergen.
On Thursday morning, I put my bicycle in the car, take it to Bruinisse (together with helmet, clip-on shoes, cycling shorts and all that paraphernalia), and drive to Willemstad where Mekicevica is patiently waiting. I change the head sail back to Big Genny, and we're off. Motor to the Volkerak lock, where we could just go in without waiting, and then sails up. I started with full main and one roll on the genoa, and then I got the most temperamental wind I ever experienced. The direction varied between NE and SE, and the strength between nothing and ahelluvablow! After the first gust that got water well past the toe-rail and everything crashing inside I put a couple more rolls on the genoa. The next gust again nearly knocked-us down, so I shortened the headsail even more. In between gusts we were bobbing with slack sails and not moving. In this rodeo-style sailing we got to the shipping lane, which was absurdly busy. We tacked to-and-fro making little progress with the tiny headsail. Finally there was a lull in the shipping, and since the weird gusts seemed to have stopped I unrolled the full genoa and sailed across the shipping lane.
Then came a few hours of pleasant sailing: the wind was still a bit finicky, but now between nothing and slight puffs. The sun was shinning, and we had space to leisurely tack down the Volkerak keeping out of the way of the big ships. I decided to head for Steenbergen. It involves motoring a bit along the channel leading to the town, but since Suzy-Q was taking care o the motoring it was good opportunity to get to Steenbergen. It also influenced my decision that near the harbour there is a supermarket open until 8pm and I had no wine to go with the dinner.
Friday, 24th of July: Back to Bruinisse.
After a very resting night, I prepared for the last leg of this trip, back to Bruinisse. The forecast was weak, variable wind, becoming weak to moderate easterly. The latter would be good for us, but as we motored out of Steenbergen it seemed more of the former. We also came across a very friendly elderly couple from Harlingen on a catamaran I have met previously in Bruinisse.
Again motor across the shipping lane and try to sail. The wind was really very light. It would have worked, if it wasn't for the wakes of the many yachts motoring on one side and the big ships on the other. At some stage I was sitting with Mekicevica bobbing in the waves, the sails doing some crazy dance that didn't help us move, it was raining, and there was a cloud of mosquitoes buzzing around my head. OK, I give-up! Motor on and on to the Krammer lock. I still managed to get a bit of sailing on the Krammer before negotiating the impossibly busy Grevelingen lock (2h to get through!).
The trip finished with a bike ride back to Willemstad. Guess what! The wind I didn't have while trying to sail eventually picked-up to a stiff breeze when I was cycling. From the NE moreover, right on my nose!
