A 9 day trip, sailing ‘half-handed’ over to the Roompot
with my 2 boys (Rowan, 12, & Joshua, 8) before joining our regular cruising
friend Ade and my father-in-law, Des in Goes for an exploration of southern Holland
and the return trip. Sara sensibly
stayed at home for a break!
13/14 August
- Waldringfield to Roompot
17 August –
Zierikzee to Brouwershaven
18 August –
Brouwershaven to Verse Meer (Delta Marina)
19 August
– Verse Meer (Delta Marina) to Middelburg
20/21
August – Middelburg to Waldringfield
13/14 August - Waldringfield to Roompot
Having provisioned & checked
over Morzen on the Friday afternoon we spent the night aboard on our mooring
ready for an early start down the Deben with the ebb on Saturday morning. The evening forecasts did not look promising,
with a possible F7 in
The morning proved bright,
though with tell tale signs of an approaching warm front in the western
sky. The new forecast was more
reassuring, with SW 4-5, possibly 6 providing a more manageable outlook and
ideal wind direction for the crossing.
We were likely to get wet as the front passed over towards the end of
the passage but importantly the visibility would be moderate or good and we’d
sail ahead of the front for much of the way.
Dropping our mooring at
By
Shortly after 18:00 we cleared
the TSS, bore away to 100˚ and decided the drop
the main in order to make life easier and steady the boat whilst I heated a
meal. Having dried out a bit we huddled
around a pan of chilli con carne with hunks of bread in the cockpit, trying to
stop the contents from blowing away to leeward before reaching our mouths. The effect of warm food and dry clothes was immediate,
both boys got their energy back and I decided to review our passage plan in
view of the big seas to avoid some of the shoals (Middelbank & Steenbanken)
on the approach to the Roompot, setting new waypoints and heading instead for
the N of the Rabsbank.
The wind settled at around 25kn with
gusts up to 28-29kn, though with a better angle to the waves and only about a
third of the jib unfurled we were making more comfortable progress at around
6.0kn SOG towards the Dutch coast as dusk and heavy rain storms approached
under the front.
Racing towards an unfamiliar lee
shore between breaking seas over drying shoals with F6 up the transom whilst
dodging coastal shipping in driving rain and pitch darkness, broken only by
occasional flashes of sheet lightning, is not normally a recommended tactic for
making landfall. This is, however, the
experience that many yachtsmen have each year approaching Holland. The quality of Dutch charts, lights and
buoyage make the task easier, but it was with some apprehension, having settled
Josh in his bunk for the night, that I passed the ZSB buoy and commenced
pilotage in towards the Roompot via the Steendiep, Westgat and Oude Roompot.
In practice the approach was
reasonably straightforward, partly as I had a mental image of it in daylight from
an earlier trip but largely down to the excellent lights that made for clear
identification of marks. I don’t use a
chart plotter, so ‘Marvin’ the tiller pilot did the steering whilst Rowan
looked out for lights and I alternated between deck and chart table with
compass, pencil and parallel rules in hand.
The biggest hazard in this
approach at night is actually in not hitting the many unlit channel buoys in
the area, overcome by setting waypoints clearly in the centre of the channel
with a route that avoids other charted buoys by a good margin, coupled with a
powerful torch for the occasional scan when in the vicinity of unlit
marks. I never did see any!
We were helped by a lull in the
wind, dropping rapidly from 25kn to 7kn SW at 01:15 before rising again from
the W to 15kn by 02:00, then 23kn WNW by 03:00 as the front passed, putting us
onto a dead run under jib for the final approach to the Oude Roompot. At 03:00, with both boys now sleeping
contentedly below, I found myself furling away the jib, starting the engine and
lining up the leading lights to enter the outer harbour. It’s an unnerving feeling to be entering
between concrete piers that you can’t see, but once round the initial bend into
the inner section of the harbour the shore lights showed up a few features and
the fishing port and lock gates could just be seen.
Given the speed of our passage
we arrived ahead of schedule at 03:30.
As the Roompotsluis lock didn’t open until 06:00 EST (05:00 BST) I
looked around for a holding pontoon and having spotted the outline of a narrow
floating steel affair (not one you can step onto!) in the midst of the harbour
outside the lock gates, I made about five approaches before managing to loop a
warp onto it successfully without being blown off first – it looked too
unyielding to risk hitting it! Having
eventually tied up I retired below to get a couple of hours’ much needed kip
before locking in.
At 07:15 BST we left the
pontoon, still with 18-20kn NW breeze blowing, locked in smoothly and ran under
jib to the nearby Roompot Marina where we berthed at 08:15 for showers,
breakfast and a lazy day ashore watching budding kite surfers fail to get
further than 10 yards before losing kite, board or both in the surf. Kite flying is evidently a national pastime
and in the strong breeze we were dive bombed by buzzing wings all over the
beach. If you survive the bicycles the
kites will get you!
The boys were also deeply
impressed with the ability of Dutch children to dig even bigger holes in the
beach than their English counterparts.
No bendy plastic spades for them but serious digging implements. Civil engineering must run in their blood.
Roompot marina is bland but
efficient with good facilities including fuel.
Berthing (9m) was relatively expensive at €20.35 but showers are
free with generous soothing hot water but less soothing piped MOR Euro-pop
music. More of which later.
Log distance 140nm,
A good rest and hot showers work
wonders. On Monday morning we were
raring to go, leaving the marina at around
On a previous trip I had attempted an approach to pass under the
spans marked with an air draft indicator but the narrow calculated clearance
and consequences of failure prompted a quick about turn. If in doubt, go for the opening, on the basis
that a few minutes delay beats broken masthead gear or a dismasting.
Beyond the bridge the wind died
down considerably, so much so that we motor sailed part of the distance across
the estuary and then up towards Sas van Goes and the entry to the Havenkanaal
up to Goes.
A small convoy of (very smoky)
Belgian motor cruisers passed us in the approach to the lock along with a
gaggle of other yachts all heading to Goes.
We tied up alongside whilst the first packed lock full entered, taking a
more leisurely entry afterwards. The
boys loved the short motor up the canal to Goes – this is picture book Holland
with the tree-lined waterway passing through fields and the small village of
Wilhelminasdorp before arriving at the ‘Ringbrug’ the first of two lifting
bridges in Goes.
Again tying up alongside we waited for the next opening
of the road bridge at
I normally lie on a swinging
mooring in the Deben so the box mooring was a first for me. After an initial attempt foiled by another
yacht approaching rapidly as I attempted to turn in, we succeeded on the second
approach, going astern in very tight confines to moor comfortably stern-to the
pontoon. This remains my favourite
destination, with great facilities, low fees (cost for 9m was €12.95 with good facilities) and a beautiful town to
explore on the doorstep.
The arrival was perfectly timed,
more by luck than judgement, to meet our friend Ade at
Ade has sailed with us on the
past two years’ summer explorations and knows my affinity with bad
weather. At the approach of a passage,
towering clouds and rising winds seek me out like an old friend and renew their
acquaintance with predictable regularity.
It was therefore with some disbelief that he greeted my news of an
approaching high, blue skies and calm for the week.
A supermarket run and quick
recce of the locality showed us that a fair was in town for the week. Where serene calm had graced the town square
when I came in June, the screams of big wheel and ghost train riders
accompanied insistent Euro-techno pounding from speakers. We therefore beat a retreat to the haven
again to meet Des, arriving from the Hook via train around
After another excellent meal at
‘De Lachende Koe’ (The Laughing Cow) we turned in under a clearing sky that
dispelled Ade’s lingering fears. For
now.
Log distance 23nm,
One of the little disadvantages
of mooring stern-to is that in leaping (or lumbering) from dockside to transom
you discover new ways to dislodge protruding bits of kit. This time is was the stern light that fell
under (Ade’s) foot. With only 15 minutes
to the next bridge opening desperate measures were required to retrieve it from
the bottom and without (much) hesitation Des stripped to his undies and plunged
in. Hauling him back on board and
refitting the light we just made the end of the queue for the hourly exodus at
The day was hot, bright and
virtually windless, so we made our way in a very leisurely manner back down the
Havenkanaal and out into the Oosterschelde again. Despite optimistically raising the sails we
were forced to give in and motor slowly down the Zeelandbrug, once again timing
our arrival for the lifting section.
Once under the bridge at
As you approach the town and pass through the open
Keersluis there is a large marina, which on our visit was asking visitors to
pass on upstream. This turned out to our
advantage as the older (!) Nieuwe Haven is a more attractive place to moor and,
as in Goes, in the centre of town. The
very efficient harbourmaster met us in his launch and directed us to raft
alongside another yacht of similar size which he knew would be leaving at the
same time. Those who later rafted up outside us left before us in neat
sequence. Highly organised!
We spent the hot afternoon
exploring the town, which, like Goes, has elegant architecture and generous
squares, with old barges gracing the waterways through them. A prominent landmark for miles around the area
is the ‘stump’ of what was evidently an over ambitious plan to build a grand
church or ‘Monsterkerk’. The money ran
out and although only the tower was constructed and the spire never added it
still dominates the flat landscape.
Having climbed it and enjoyed the view we sought refreshment in one of
the open air bars in the square before sizing up the local eateries for dinner
– once again an excellent meal with fine local seafood.
We couldn’t help but notice a
couple of things here and in Goes. One
was the inordinate effort expended on and pride taken in perfectly painted,
mirror-like front doors on the older houses, each one bearing the resident’s
name in flowing italic script. However,
rather than being twee or touristic, the communities in these historic side
streets seemed to be vibrant, open and thriving. Small businesses flourished and local shops
appeared more in evidence than retail megabrands.
The second was the singular
awfulness of music we overheard. A car
load of youngsters draws to the kerb in search of a cash machine, the door
opens and there issues from the sound system either the worst of old US/English
MOR pop or stridently upbeat oompah music, the cheesily cheery (though
admittedly unintelligible) chorus lines of which had us reaching for the
Stugeron. When the Dutch have got so
much right, from architecture to engineering, from hearty food to fine art,
from communities to cruising; why the paucity of their popular music? Answers on a postcard.
Log distance 16nm,
17 August – Zierikzee to Brouwershaven
Another hot, sunny day in a good
harbour saw us in no great hurry to depart.
Around midday we slipped away down the canal and once again passing
under the Zeelandbrug, turned to port a few miles further on into the Keeten
(which later becomes the Mastgat) that leads NE towards Bruinisse where locks
lead either NW into the Grevelingemeer or E into the Volkerak.
The wind promised a gentle fetch
towards Bruinisse, but after an hour or so of being headed and forced to tack
to windward coupled with the tide starting to turn against us, we once again
relented and started the engine in the interests of reaching our destination
before evening.
The lock into the Grevelingemeer
at Bruinisse was quick and we passed the marina there along with a large number
of other incoming yachts and made our way slowly down the dammed estuary with
boats anchored in the mirror-smooth water around the Mosselbank and other low
wooded islands. All looked inviting for
a quiet night at anchor, but we wanted to investigate the town of Brouwershaven.
There
is a narrow Keersluis at the entry to the marina and short canal up to the town
of Brouwershaven and in negotiating it amongst boats arriving and leaving we
omitted to call in on the Harbourmaster, who occupies an office overseeing the
entrance. Not a problem, but you have to
walk back from the town later to check in if you do this. Rather than berth in the marina we pushed on
up around the corner to the Oude Haven in the town centre, mooring up alongside
a Dutchman with a well travelled old Contessa.
Brouwershaven may be a sleepy
town off a dormant estuary but they are at the bleeding edge of marina
technology. On our visit to the
Harbourmaster we were presented (for a sizable €20 deposit) with a
microchip enabled SepKey token which, pre-charged with more Euros, could be
used to pay for electricity, open the door to the gents and pay for
showers. So… instead of our crew being
free to visit the fine facilities at liberty and shower in ‘parallel’, only the
token holder could get in and our showers were serial affairs, with the tag
being handed over, relay race style, to the next lucky incumbent. At the end of our stay another visit to the
Harbourmaster was required to return the tag and have our unused electronic
credit and deposit returned. Such is
progress. €0.50 coin slots are so much easier. I think we paid €14.58 in total in the end.
It’s
a small town worth visiting, if only fleetingly for diehard technophobes, and
we enjoyed some magnificent roll-mops from the ‘vis’ shop before cooking up a
large pan of pasta and putting the world to rights with our neighbour over a
bottle of Scotch in the cockpit until the early hours. He had cruised widely, most recently across
Biscay and down to
Log distance 23nm,
18 August – Brouwershaven to Verse Meer (Delta
Some days are indelibly
imprinted in your cruising memory, others you prefer to forget lest you hang up
your oilies for good. This was one of
the former for all the right reasons.
Leaving Brouwershaven around
For once this was magazine cover
cruising, laying off a peaceful wooded island with the anchor visible on the
bottom and the crew diving into iridescent blue water. We made the most of it, swimming into the
shallows and cooling off, diving underneath to remove a few bits of weed from
the log and rudder.
By
By now the evening was drawing
on and we were anxious both to find a mooring for the night and also a supply
of diesel ready for the return passage to the
Log distance 29nm,
19 August – Verse Meer
(Delta Marina) to Middelburg
With the passage home drawing
nigh, the weather naturally took a turn for the worse, confirming Ade’s worst
suspicions at last. The morning was grey
and rain poured out of a leaden sky as we located the Harbourmaster, refuelled
and donned oilies for the short distance up to Middelburg at
This should have been an idyllic
meander through the winding and wooded Verse Meer, exploring the islands,
nosing into inlets and stopping for a picnic and a swim. Instead we sailed, then with dwindling wind
and insistent rain, motored through the murk through which we could we could
barely make out the banks at times.
Passing the intriguingly named ‘Badhotel’, the cause of much amusement
from the boys, and following a large barge towards Veere, we turned to port
into the Kanaal door
Veere presents an
exotic face to the Meer, with minarets and towers rising from its
churches. Given more time and better
weather we would have made a stop, but this time we glided straight into the
old lock (watch out, it has sloping and unforgiving brick walls) and the out
into the canal for the final short stretch to Middelburg.
Arriving at
It may have been the weather or
a sense of foreboding brought on by the increasingly pessimistic forecasts for
the following day’s passage, but Middelburg didn’t live up to its promise for
us. The town, whilst having a wealth of
interesting buildings and alleyways to explore, is bigger, more commercial and
less inviting than its neighbours.
WV Arne is to be recommended,
however, and we ate well there before scurrying back aboard to catch the latest
forecasts and consider our options. The
shipping forecast threatened up to F7 for
Log distance 14nm,
20/21 August – Middelburg to Waldringfield
Fortunately the morning
forecasts were slightly more optimistic, promising F5-6 NW on the Saturday
moderating overnight to F3-4 with rain showers on and off. We made the decision to set off and review
the situation once off Breskens and again off Zeebrugge before committing to
the crossing.
But first we had to get in some
provisions. Middelburg may have a full
complement of retail emporia including Dixons and M&S, but despite walking
around town for nearly an hour in the pouring rain we failed to find a simple
food market. Eventually we were directed
out of the centre towards one of the docks where we raced round the supermarket
just in time to make it back to Morzen for the hourly bridge opening.
Leaving the Dokhaven at
The
The wind at 21kn NW and waves
were better than we’d feared and raising a double reefed main with the jib
rolled back a few turns at 15:00, we bore away gradually out of the
Oosterschelde towards Belgium. Here we
were still under the lee of the Westkapelle headland, so the seas were
moderate. By
These conditions persisted as we
passed Zebrugge and we pulled over an hour ahead of my projected passage
time. We had decided that if things
looked too rough we would enter there or
By
West Hinder was passed at 23:50
and by 01:00 we were approaching Garden City with a moderate 15kn breeze as
forecast, entering the TSS shortly afterwards at 01:15 for an uneventful
crossing in decent visibility despite low cloud that robbed us of a large moon,
glimpsed only briefly whilst low in the sky.
The wind seemed to moving more
into the W, so that by
As the wind eased again and the
seas reduced in the lee of the coast we dropped the sails altogether and
motored direct for Harwich, passing the S Shipwash at 11:15, and eventually
gaining the Deben Bar on time at 12:30 before mooring back at Waldringfield at
13:45. Not an enjoyable end to the
passage as I don’t like motoring, especially in lumpy seas, but we ideally
needed to make the river entrance before the Spring ebb began pushing out.
Log distance 175nm, 25:15 hours
A great week’s cruise was enjoyed although with testing
conditions on both