18 August 2018
Despite the absence of any sailors with Inland Waterways Endorsements to their International Certificates of Incompetence our gallant trio managed to navigate through the ship canal from Wemeldinge to Hansweert that is, the Kanaal door Zuid-Beveland, without undue difficulty.
The lock at Hansweert has a customs office (for ships heading to Belgium, we think) but the customs showed no interest in us, despite the absence of a Schengen form (completed in triplicate). As usual everything was pleasant, dutch and easy.
After the lock at Hansweert we entered the Westerschelde again. You will remember of course that the Westerschelde is the big estuary that runs roughly from Antwerp in Belgium .. (where British Sailors Sometimes Fear To Tread) to Breskens (where we have already been)
.
Easy therefore, exit canal, turn right, follow wide estuary to Breskens. WRONG!
Marine and Coastal Navigation is normally undertaken with the aid of charts.
We tend to use electronic charts on Albatross (we also have paper ones but these are mainly used as cabin decoration and stored "just in case"). Anyway, we duly set off down the Westerschelde, dodging the marine traffic and mud banks.
After about half an hour Martin appeared from his bunk "Peter, I think we should go a little left".
I knew where I was, so I nodded and continued on my cunning course from one channel to another.
"Peter, it might be better to go slightly left".
I looked at my plotter, we should be fine, I thought.
"Peter, let's go a little left".
I looked at the depth ... 1.5 metres under the keel ,, getting shallower, but the plotter said we should be fine. Martin knows about sailing.
Martin has an iPad with proper up-to-date charts on it.
I turned left.
Martin's plotter showed that we missed hitting the mud by only a few metres (and on a falling tide).
My charts showed we would have been fine.
The charts on my networked electronic high tech Raymarine Multifunction Display are only 14 years old.
We survived. I will buy some new charts next year. For now we had Martin and Martin had his iPad.
Soon we arrived back in Breskens. We had to use lots of long ropes to get into our berth.
Lessons for the day:
1. 14 year old cartography is not ideal (especially when navigating the shifting mud of a major European estuary).
2. All visitors berths in the Netherlands are too small.
3. Martin tends to be right.
We like Breskens,
19 August 2018
We set off south towards the new marina at Cadzand-Bad.
For some reason, I couldn't find it on my plotter but Jean and Martin found it on their iPads.
Cadzand- Bad is in The Netherlands (just) but is run by The Royal Yacht Club of Belgian.
It is an excellent modern marina with only one catch.
To use the loos you need an electronic card at £8.50 each.
"But you can use it at any Royal Yacht Club of Belgian marina" explained the dutch receptionist. "Even Jachthaven Wolphaatsdijk".
Anyway we had to buy the card and I had what was probably the most expensive pee of my life.
We still have the card. So Dear Reader(s), if you want to use the loo at Jachthaven Cadzand-Bad or Jachthaven Wolphaatsdijk, just let me know and I'll send you the card.
This brings me to a final thought about the Dutch. Do any Dutch people have dyslexia? If so, how many live in Wolphaatsdijk? And how do they cope?
20 August
To Dunkerque (missing out Belgium on the way, for obvious reasons). We motored all the way. I used Martin's ipad for navigation.
21 August
Across the Dover Straits Traffic Separation Scheme to .... Dover.
We motored about half the way until, as we were about to be overtaken by a smaller yacht that appeared to be using the wind as its sole means of propulsion, we realised that we could also try using "the big white flappy things". So we did. It was good. We sped to Dover, powered only by the wind.
The Port of Dover
22 August
Day off in Dover.
Key points:
1. We had fish and chips with our wine
2. We were back in Blighty
3. Jean and I visited The Castle and had ice creams.
4. We didn't go sailing.
Next time .. being rescued and all that.
No comments:
Post a Comment