Mid July 2018 – Breskens, South Holland

4th July – Wednesday – Nieuwpoort to Breskens.

The sun had been shining while we were in Nieuwpoort but the winds had also been very high.  We stayed for my birthday, but then as the winds were not forecast to change direction we decided to move on to Breskens.  I felt the sea state would still be turbulent after several days of high winds, but the Captain is in charge so off we went.

Leaving Nieuwpoort.  Note the land past the channel markers, do not be tempted to stray.  When we came in, and were being overtaken by the crane, it would have been so easy to just bob out of the channel to get out of the way, glad we didn’t.

A 09:40 start to catch the tide to enter the marina at Breskens.  The next 40 miles were uncomfortable to say the least.  10 to 20 knots of wind, less was forecast, as usual.  We had 1 to 2 knots of tide against us for the first 3 to 4 hours, which made the ride very bouncy.  The next 4 hours were marginally better with 3 to 4 knots of tide with us and we ended up going into the Westerschelde at 8.8 knots.

These flats are the best long distance indicator of the position of the marina.  The entrance is quite narrow.

The reporting pontoons are located between the concrete pontoons on the left.  The harbourmaster had finished for the day so we stayed overnight on the waiting pontoon and moved to our mooring the following day. 

5th July – Thursday

Breskens town centre is a short walk from the marina.  There is a large ‘Plus’ supermarket and a town square surrounded by cafes and shops.  The town was destroyed during the war so almost everything is new.

Harbour-side warehouse with loaves and fishes fresco.

The lobster fishing boat has a small companion, look left, called ‘The Lobster Express’.

Twelve six foot penguins arranged on a wooden structure form an sculpture on the side of the marina by the artist William Sweetlove.

They light up at night.

There are lots of places to walk, a lovely beach, promenade and importantly 2 ice cream shops.  Not forgetting an extremely good three storey camping shop on the main square.

During our walk Jane and Adrian arrived on ‘Colne Rose’.  We had a brew with them and then they came for drinks in the evening.  Lovely to see them.

6th July – Friday

Mick had been experimenting with the efficiency of our fridge, as it seemed to be running most of the time.  On our walk to town we went into the harbour office of a yacht dealer and asked if there was a local person who could re-gas the fridge.  He said he would arrive at 2:00pm and he promptly arrived.  He completed the task very quickly and efficiently and then fully tested for leaks.  He asked for 50 euros, we gave him 60 for coming so quickly.  The fridge is a very necessary piece of equipment on the boat and a new one is several hundred pounds.  In this heat we were very grateful.

Jane is a fellow crafter and we spent a lovely afternoon crafting and chatting under the canopy on Colne Rose.  They went out for dinner and met more friends in the evening.  They are a very sociable pair.  Great to catch up.

7th July – Saturday

Jane and Adrian left today for their next port before crossing for home. 

We had a walk and our first Kebbeling (fried fish).

England v Sweden – hopes are still high!

8th July – Sunday

Washing, Shopping, Grand Prix.

Acquired two Tupperware type boxes with handles in the top.  Best buy for a while to hold salad, veg etc in the fridge, they can be stacked and allow much easier access to everything.

9th July – Monday – Bruges – Grand Day Out

John and Liz had told us there was a bus to Bruges from Breskens.  It leaves at 19 minutes past the hour, from the Bus Shelter side, on the road, second left after the town square.  6 Euros per person per trip.  The journey takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, no passports currently required.

Bruges Main Square

Main Square restaurants and pretty buildings.

The tourist information office is secreted inside the museum building and there are free maps for the determined!  It looks like you are going into the museum, the desk is up two sets of steps on the left.  The map shows 10 key sites, so walking them filled our day.

There are beautiful buildings around every corner, this is were the canal tours start.

Bruges is famous for its lace and lace-makers.

Back in Belgium, meant access to waffles.

Alms Houses for ladies, who were often widows who did not want to be nuns but wanted to live a peaceful life.

Model of a Nun in the attic window above the oldest restaurant in town.

Another lovely building in the park.

The buses back are 48 minutes to the hour and leave from the bus station.  The bus driver had kindly let us off in the centre. 

The bus went through a very pretty town called ‘Sluis’ not the prettiest name, but definitely on the list for the next visit.

Bruges is a timeless, historic town.  Every corner reveals more beautiful buildings.  It is packed with cafes, restaurants, lots of shops, pretty squares and museums.  We could spend a few of days in Bruges very easily.

Confession, I was looking for the Mannekin Pis, it’s in Brussels!!!

Sailors Info

Breskens Marina was 164 euros for 7 days.  Good facilities, free showers.  Good wifi.  Chandlers on the way to town.  ‘Plus’ supermarket near harbour.  ‘Jumbo’ supermarket at the other side of town.  Easy bus access to Bruges.  New town with everything you need, we really liked it.

Next stop – Middelburg, South Holland