Ostend to Ipswich – End of July 2022

23rd July – Saturday – Middelburg to Ostend

Our trip to Europe was a last minute decision and so we feel 6 weeks has been a good amount of time to reacquaint ourselves with Holland and still leaves us 40 nights of our 90 day allocation within this 180 day period.  In case we want a non-sailing holiday when we get home…….

The first bridge of the ‘Blue Wave’ was at 08.37am, and 3 other boats were waiting to pass through the next 5 bridges with us.  2 Belgian, 1 German and us. 

Ourselves and the German boat had to wait at the Vlissingen lock at the end of the canal as it just filled up as we were approaching.

It was a beautiful hot and sunny day and we seemed to arrive at Ostend very quickly with the tide.  After crossing the shipping channel with many big ships at Zeebrugge we arrived at 16.30 after 36 miles and eight hours.

The lighthouse above marks the entrance to the Port of Ostend from the sea.  The new buildings behind it are all new since our last visit and dwarf the lighthouse.

The harbourmaster met us in his Rib and told us we should go to the Mediterranean moorings along the harbour wall.  Crikey, we haven’t used one of those before.  But all was OK and pretty easy.

Mick backed the boat into the space and the Harbourmaster took a mooring line from me, passed it through the mooring buoy’s ring and passed it back to me.  We managed to sling our ropes around the cleats on the pier.  Sorted.

Pontoon with springs and picture of the Royal North Sea Yacht Club in the background.

We were told we would have a more comfortable stay on this type of mooring (there are come pontoons) if we were going to stay a few days.  To also aid the comfort there were springs on ropes attached to the pontoon which we attached to our rear cleats (above).

These are needed because THE BOAT ROCKS A HELL OF A LOT WHEN THE TIDE COMES IN AND OUT AND WHEN THE BIG BOATS AND FERRIES PASS OUTSIDE THE MARINA.  For several hours a day and night.  And all the springs creak.  This is why many people choose to go through the lock into the big Mercator marina.  But we knew we wanted an early start next and the lock does not open until 8.00am.

View from the Royal North Sea Yacht Club where we ate on Monday night.  The other marina behind the lock is much bigger.

24th to 26th July – Sunday to Tuesday

We spent the next 3 days walking around Ostend.  We only stopped for two nights last time, so we had more time to stop and stare.

The Band Stand in Wapen Plein which is at a convenient junction between the two big shopping streets.

Latte Macchiato with a complimentary shot of Advocaat, which is a traditional Dutch drink.  The Dutch influence here is strong including the language.  When you see well dressed mature clients in a posh café, you know you are into a winner.

Dikke Mathile (Fat Mathile, as the locals call her) depicting the opulence and sensuality of the sea in female form.  Until 1963 she reclined on the Kursaal casino, which dominates the sea front.

The famous Floral Clock getting a trim in Leopold Park.

The Tall Ship ‘Mercator’  which resides in the Mercator harbour.  Entry is 5 euro.  Not open on Sunday.  Quite a few places close on a Sunday.

St Peter and St Paul church near the Railway Station.

Completed in 1908, it has impressive strained glass which was replaced after the WW2.   

Ostend has expansive, clean beaches.  The little dots are all rubbish bins which are emptied daily.

26th July – Tuesday

So now we have to think about the return journey and the paperwork and passport stamps.

The Maritime Police office is to be found at the left hand end of the beautiful old Railway Station.  10 minutes walk from the marina.

Mick completed the ‘Belgian Pleasure Craft Declaration’ form and crew list online.

The day before we left we visited the Police Office and had our passports stamped for departure.

We also filled in the electronic C1332 Spreadsheet for UK arrivals and sent this to Border Force Central Region which covers Ipswich.

We received Email acknowledgments from both the English and Belgian submissions, granting us permission to proceed. 

The procedure for arriving in the UK is to fly the ‘Yellow Q’ Flag (Quarantine) when 12 miles from the UK shore and to contact UK YachtLine by phone before going ashore, for clearance to land.

27th July – Wednesday – Ostend to Ipswich

We left the mooring at 04.00am to start our 86 mile, 16 hour trip back to the UK.

After a couple of hours we came once again upon the shipping anchorage.  They were just waking up too and some movements were being monitored by our AIS.

We circumnavigated the ships anchorage on the way to Holland, but decided to pass through the anchorage on the way back.  All the triangles are moored ships, indicated with a black circle on the boat icon.  Moving ships show their heading with the line in front of the ship icon.

Looking back at the anchorage at sunrise.

One of the ships at anchor.

With amusing paint job.  I never want to see it this close while it is moving.

Anchorage in the background.

Mick raising the Yellow Q flag.

Blue Sky Sailing.  We made 6.5 knots with the sails up and the engine on.

The boat rocked for two hours before we got to Felixstowe.  Then we saw the ‘Pitching Ground’ channel buoy.  The clue is once again, in the name.

We never cease to be amazed at the size of these cargo ships.  The tanker beside it had just passed us and was huge itself.  I counted 22 containers horizontally on the deck of the cargo ship.

One of many ‘Offshore Energy Support’ Catamaran's heading in to Harwich after a shift.

We entered the river Orwell and remembered we had a sandwich each left, hurrah, to help us make the last few miles into the lock at Ipswich.   

We arrived back in Ipswich at 20.00.

Sailors Info

Don’t let the paperwork put you off visiting Europe, it is worth the effort.

Ostend Royal North Sea Yacht Club is a rocky mooring.  However, it is central to the town and the beaches.  The facilities are good.  The wifi and TV reception are poor as the tidal height variation is many metres.

The SPAR supermarket near the marina is the biggest we have seen, no need to seek out any others. 

Restaurants and Cafes are plentiful along the harbour and seafront.

Happy Sailing and happy summer everyone.

More ports to follow……