Early May 2017 – Amsterdam to Lemmer

We decided to spend a few days in Amsterdam after the journey here.  We had a couple of days just walking around and enjoying the city.

Thursday 27th May – Kings Day

Kings Day is an annual event to celebrate the current King or Queens birthday. 

The rules are: Wear a bit of orange.  Have a good time.

People come out onto the streets to have a good time and home-owners set up stalls outside their houses to sell pretty much anything.  There are lots of markets stalls too.  Children make a few pennies by offering their homes for you to spend a penny.

It being Amsterdam the party takes to the water.  An organised and chaotic parade of boats around the canals.  Full to bursting with people, alcohol, and their own music provided by on board DJs.  We spent ages stood at a bridge watching as boat after boat passed by, all playing their own tunes and singing with gusto.

More canal scenes.

Friday 28th April

Just had a ferry trip into town and a walk round for food supplies.  Went into the Albert Heijn supermarket behind the Grand Palace and saw a crowd gathering.  Went in and did the shopping, but when we came out the crowd had grown.  Someone told us the King was due to a party held for other people celebrating their 50th Birthday.  After only 15 minutes of the police stopping trams and making space the car appeared. 

King Willem and Queen Maxima (Rod Stewarts wife, no sorry his wife). 

Saturday 29th April – Keukenhof Gardens

One of the reasons to arrive in Holland so early in the season was to see the bulb fields.  We were a few weeks late last time. So we decided to go to the World Famous Keukenhof Gardens to see for ourselves. 

We bought a combination ticket from the Tourist Office at Central Station which gave us Train, Bus travel and access into the gardens for 34 Euro each.  Starting with a 10 minute train journey to Schipol Airport and then to the specially set up Bus Station to get the connecting 50 minute bus to the gardens.

We asked the tourist office guy if it was going to be busy and he said ‘I’m not going to sugar coat it but Yes’.  So we knew.  The truth is, the gardens are so big the crowds are not an issue.  Even the Japanese tourists with the extra long selfie sticks, could be avoided.

We were lucky it was a sunny day and the blooms really glowed.

Our best selfie to date.

There was space as you got into the landscaped areas.  The 3 main halls were busy, but manageable.

It was an expensive day for us at 68 Euro for two, but worth it.

Tuesday 2nd May – To Lelystad

We left Amsterdam as the forecast was for high winds in 3 days and if we stayed it would be at least a week before we got another weather window.

We left Sixhaven Marina at 10:00am and completed the 25 miles in 6 hours.  There is a large lock, which has a ‘sport’ (small boat) channel and then a large road bridge.  We then crossed the Markermeer to the east side, heading for the Lelystad Tower (below).

The tower marks the Lock which links the Markermeer to the Ijsselmeer.

I love this Anthony Gormley Structure, which sits on the man-made spit before the lock.  He looks good from every angle.

The lock is un-nerving as you are asked to enter even though you can see the bridge is still down.  The masted boats are positioned in the back of the lock and the gates are closed behind.  The bridge then opens when the front gates are released and the big barges leave.

Sailors Info:

Lelystad Marina is located immediately after the lock on the right.  Turn into the Deko Marina and turn right back on yourself to Lelystad Marina.  Its a bit un-nerving again as it looks like a dead end but there are visitors moorings ‘Passenten’ outside the Office.  15.40 Euros for one night inc free showers, but tokens required for electricity (we used 2 euros but had the heating on).  Good wifi and good facilities. See End of July 2015 blog for lots more info on Lelystad.

Wednesday 3rd May – Lelystad to Lemmer

It was a cold start with did not get any warmer for 5 hours.  09:40 until just after 15:00.  Another 25 miles, which is lined by windmills.  Huge Windmills.  Last time we sailed passed the windmills were on the shore, now there is a whole additional row in the sea, meaning our navigation path was noticeably further out into the lake.

Its worth zooming into the boat bottom right to realise how big the windmills are.

Blonde Moment: I actually said ‘I haven’t seen any windmills yet’, I meant the old fashioned ones but at the time we were surrounded.

An S shaped channel leads into Lemmer, and the prettiest lock towers. 

The lock-keeper takes a 5 euro toll, which also opens the next 3 bridges.  A dutch boat managed to turn itself round in the lock and the ever patient lock-keeper expertly helped them to re-position themselves.  They then proceeded to be a nuisance through the next 3 bridges.  You are very much on show as the canal goes through the prettiest part of Lemmer and there are plenty of observers.

Now that’s what I call a garden ornament, at a house in Lemmer.

Staying in Lemmer for a few days until the winds settle.

April 2017 – Ipswich to Amsterdam

22nd to 23rd April – Sat-Sun

27 Hours Overnight, 151 Miles, 2 bouts of sickness, 4 bruises minus 1 fender.

We left Ipswich at 8:15am when the lock went to free flow.  I managed to drop the boat hook in the water and we made an early rescue stop on the next pontoon, at least we now know it floats.

The forecast was North backing Northwest later 4 or 5, sea state Slight or Moderate.  Which should have taken us to Amsterdam before the expected higher winds arrived.

Sunny and still but cold day leaving Ipswich Marina, which has once again been a perfect winter mooring.

Going under the Orwell Bridge.

Passing the Port of Felixstowe at the mouth of the River Orwell, not yet wearing my all weather gear, there’s more.

We headed out into the North Sea, northwards to the North Shipwash Buoy and then eastwards to make our passage to Ijmuiden, at the end of the North Sea Canal.  Winds were 5 to 10 knots we had the Main Sail fully up and 2000 revs ticking over on the engine.  The first 12 hours passed uneventfully as the tide was with us and we were making 6 knots.

The tides changed at about 8 hours in and the sea started to roll but it was perfectly tolerable.  We had both taken seasickness pills as this was our first trip of the year and sea legs had not been acquired.  We knew before we set off that this was going to be a tough crossing as it is still April, the wind is still very cold and the nights are still long.

Our last overnight passage from L’Aberwrach to Plymouth was almost pleasant and the winds were warm and the night short.

Micks first major visual item was the Mast-EA1B Navigation Beacon approximately 30 miles out.

We reefed in the main sail, had sandwiches and hot drinks, more seasickness tablets and changed into heavy weather clothing.  I snoozed a little twice in the cockpit, as I was to stand first watch, while Mick slept.  However the winds increased and the sea continued to build, to the point where I was physically sick.  It went dark at about 8:30pm, but I had to stand my watch as Mick could not have stayed awake the whole time.  So he slept from 09:30pm until 11:30pm, the wind was a good  force 5 by this point.  At the end of my watch I went downstairs to sleep and was sick again. I then slept from 12:00 until 5:00am on and off. 

During Mick’s watch it was pitch dark and cold, with no moon.  The winds increased to force 6 and the boat motion became increasingly unpleasant.  During his watch we proceeded across two Deep Water Routes (shipping lanes) and north of the RIJN Field Oil platforms, and onward to connect with the Ijmuiden Entrance channel, passing a major tanker anchorage and a large windfarm.

So cold was it that despite wearing 5 layers of clothing we wrapped ourselves in a sleeping bag whilst sitting on deck.  We were both individually at different times propelled across the cockpit by sudden steep waves and landed on the floor of the cockpit along with the boat cushions and sleeping bag.  Hence the bruises.  We were always securely harnessed to the boat, but it still shakes you up.

We both encountered several passenger vessels in the darkness but not many fishing boats.

After Mick’s heroic watch he slept from 5:00am until 7:00am, so he had completed 5 hours of solo watch and I had completed 4.

During my second watch the sea was very strong and the winds still 20 plus knots.  But there was less activity and I did manage to see the sky, full to bursting with stars when the clouds parted.

We were both pretty nauseous for the second half of the trip and had very little to eat or drink which did not help with the bitter cold.

Just to add a little more excitement it started to pelt icy rain for the last hour before Ijmuiden.  I was physically shaking whilst steering us in.  The sea just outside Ijmuiden is known for being boisterous and did not let us down.  Then as we were about to enter the Entrance to the North Sea Canal we were over taken by a DFDS ferry and an Oil Tanker at close quarters. 

The very very welcome site of the Zuidersluis (lock), which is the entrance into the North Sea Canal.  Where we sadly parted company with a new ball fender, not tied on proper by me in my shattered state.  A nice find for someone as we did not notice it was missing for another hour.

Seasickness for us wears off pretty quickly once in calm water.  To the extent that we put the kettle on and broke into the still well laden sandwich box and had a big tea cup CHEERS.

The 15 mile trip up the North Sea Canal was very pleasant in comparison.

We managed to see a car being offloaded from the back of a barge.  And the tanker caught us up and was then manoeuvred into place by tug boats.  Very impressive.

We arrived at Sixhaven marina at 11:00am (12:00 noon) local time.

Our longest passage to date and Fleur did us proud, Mick’s maintenance regime paid off handsomely and a bit more character building was achieved.  We hope the summer will be worth the pain of this trip as we head north, and now for a week or so in Amsterdam.  Its the Kings birthday on Thursday, when the town comes out to play and there may be a bulb field trip to take.

Happy blog service will be resumed next time.

Winter Activities 2016 to 2017

Pre-season we came to the boat to attend to winter maintenance. 

New AIS (Automatic Identification System) Transponder

Mick installed a new Em-trak Class B AIS system as recommended by Malcolm Stuart of Yacht ‘Lady Hamilton’, who fitted one last year.  The system transmits our location and details to other ships and shore stations.  We have always been able to receive information from other ships but never transmitted it ourselves.

All the parts laid out prior to installation.

The completed installation.  For the technically minded, one orange unit is the active VHF aerial splitter and the other the AIS transponder.  The GPS aerial reception was found to be perfectly adequate below deck which provides a much more protected environment than the outside rail. 

You can now find our latest position on www.marinetraffic.com at this link

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:4828114/mmsi:235060373/imo:0/vessel:FLEUR%20OF%20PENDLE

Life Raft Servicing

We took the life raft for its regular 3 years service to Liverpool Northwest Marine.  The best part of the trip was to be able to see a similar raft full inflated with all its interior accessories in situ.  I hope we never see them for real. 

Boat Cushions

We spent most of January 2017 making new cushion covers for the seats in our boat.  Last year we had made the 4 base seat covers and this year we made the other 7 seat back covers.

The house looked like a furniture factory.  Each cushion had 2 curved foam cushion inners.

The issue which makes this a hard task is the irregular shapes of the cushions with no two the same.  They also have an internal piece attached to the middle of the front panel and zipped to the back panel which pulls in the shape of the cushion.  We bought 20 metres of zips which are cut to length and fasteners added as required.

Therefore the side pieces are curved to fit and enhance the pulled in shape.

There is also a zip around two sides of each cushion to give access to the internal zip.

All the external curved seams were sewn 3 times, once to hold them together, and two rows of top sewing for design and durability.  Hence we used a lot of thread.

This one won the prize for the most corners.  The velcro keeps it in place against the boat sides.

The corner cushions won the hardest items prize. 

Mick was chief pattern maker and material cutter.

The reverse side corner piece above also shows the black centre piece.

Corner cushion with foam inside, before back attached.

One side of corner cushions assembled together.

All the new cushions complete.

The cost of new covers from the boat manufacturer is approximately £2,500, we did this for £50 material, £10 zips, £20 Thread (the grade stronger than normal), £20 for the breathable backing material (black), £200 for new foam for the base seats (J and A Foam, Blackburn).  The material was bought from Immanuel Fabrics, Bright Street, Burnley at £1 per metre.  It is proper furnishing fabric with a fire retardant backing.  Total £300.

We worked from 10am til 4 or 5pm, most weekdays until they were complete.  Approximately 2 days per cushion.

My respect for upholsterers has increased greatly!

We hope now that they wear out individually and we don’t have to do a full set again.

Outside Maintenance

Antifouling took place in March and Fleur is now ship shape for the 2017 season. 

New creatures which we had not encountered before had attached themselves to the keel.  The less squeamish may like to zoom in and check out the finger sized, bags of jelly!!  Yuck.  There were hundreds of them.  Double Yuck.

Mick also changed the Cutless bearing on the propeller shaft.

Ready for Action.

Late Sept, Early Oct 2016 – Ipswich and Home

We arrived back in Ipswich on the 12th September.  An Indian summer, which is spoken of in legend, but is rarely seen, arrived in earnest and carried on all the way to early October.  Beautiful blue sky days that demanded us to walk the streets and Parks of Ipswich.  The next 3 weeks passed quickly cleaning, maintaining, walking and socialising.

After 5 months at sea Fleur was due a good cleaning and pampering for her sterling service to our maritime endeavours. 

Our prominent position on the pontoon meant that we caught the eye of Liz and John from Rascal who we had met the winter before.  We had a good chat and put the world to rights over Pizza.

Yvonne and Patrick from Holland appeared on Rambling Rose, again people we met last year who have the same boat as ours.  Patrick regaled us with his tales of Irish adventures and Yvonne treat us to lovely Dutch coffee.  It was Patricks birthday so cake was involved.  Hopefully we will meet up next year if we are lucky enough to head North.   

It takes a traveller to understand the sheer joy of washing machines that work and do not fleece you into the bargain.

I managed to find a new small trolley in the Hospice shop which Mick will use for purchasing cans of diesel.  We are again a fully functioning 2 trolley family.

A revisit to Christchurch Mansions was a must to view the latest display in the gallery and a visit to the Art Gallery to see their summer exhibition, which filled a good day.

Mick went up the mast to inspect the rigging

The distance view

Close Up at the top

Inspecting the Spreaders

He has a device called a Mast Climber which enables him to shin up the mast with me tightening the safety ropes as he goes up and then gently releasing them to bring him down.  A perfect weather day is a must.

Another day was passed at Suffolk University, which is located on the harbour-side.  They were holding a Family History open day with the lecture from a leading light in Ancestry DNA circles.  It does appear a little marginal in some areas with degradation of the DNA halving with each generation, so it is only any use for about 6 generations.  We had access to ancestry databases and had a good root through our family lines.  The grandfather who was always called Rennie was found to be called Rendel which was a discovery making the day worthwhile.

A few days were spent catching up on the blogs of our sailing friends.  We had a great skype call with Louise and Gordon on Camira in Sicily (who we met in our first year 2014), it is good to talk to people who are living their sailing dreams.  It is not all plain sailing and it is fascinating to compare notes with people who tell it like it is.

We had a last meal out in Ipswich with Jane and Adrian who we met in France and again in Holland.  They had recommended a Chinese buffet and so we went and enjoyed it together.  They brought their boat Colne Rose to Ipswich for what turned out to be a beautiful sunny weekend.  We swapped stories about our summers and plans for next year.      

We spent Monday the 3rd October rationalising the Kitchen cupboards and wardrobes.  We packed a summers worth of bear making into Agnes the trolley

Class of 2016 minus three who are sailing the seas and one a Guernsey resident.

4th October – Tuesday

We had a final big breakfast at Jack’s Cafe (best fried slice anywhere).  Then spent the rest of the day racking our brains as to what we may have forgotten to pack.

5th October – Wednesday

Mick had again successfully trawled the internet to reduce our train tickets from £315 each to £40 each!  The 7 hour journey whizzed by compared to our 5 knot summer saunter.  When you are used to 14 hour, slow, meditative journeys, a high speed train is quite exciting.

After 4 trains, with 3 changes, irritating commuters with our trolley, 2 rucksacks and a ukulele we arrived home to a warm welcome and a lovely meal with Annette and Julian.

Summary for 2016

1450 miles and 33 destinations.  Brexit, Attrocities on the French People, two months of overcast skies and big seas, two months of beautiful blue sky days.  Fascinating new cities, towns and villages, meeting friends old and new.  The sailing has been much harder as we went East to West along the North coast of France, West to East is a much better option.

Phew, time to put the feet up and plan for next year.

Thanks for joining us, we love and appreciate your comments and encouragement to keep us company.

Mid Sept 2016 – Ramsgate to Ipswich

6th September – Eastbourne To Ramsgate

A beautifully sunny early morning greeted us as we departed Eastbourne for Ramsgate.  We just made the 06:30 lock, so we were half an hour ahead of schedule.  We knew it was going to be a long day so every advantage helps. 

Calm, glassy sea with the sun popping through the cloud.

We had two options today.  Option 1 was to go to Dover and complete the extra 15 miles the following day.  Option 2 was to go the full 61 miles straight to Ramsgate.

The sea was calm but the undercurrents were strong.  We rocked passed Dungeness Power Station and continued onto Dover.

Dover with Cruise ship.  We had two ferry encounters but steered well clear.

South Foreland, just after Dover.

Option 2 won and we arrived in Ramsgate at 1730 with a running tide and slid in without any problems.  The Border Force were there to greet us.  I think even our humble journeys make you realise what a huge task they have to protect our coastline.

7th September – Wednesday

A boat called Beowulf arrived today which we have seen several times in France this year, so if was nice to finally speak to them.

Later a French boat arrived and there was a bit of commotion as they wrestled with their Genoa (front sail).  The owner then knocked on our boat brandishing a very old Allen key saying simply ‘this’, which meant ‘Do you have one of these?’  A good hour of Entente Cordiale then occurred with several versions of Allen keys being produced from The Mother Ship/Mick’s mega tool stash, to finally solve the problem.  While out at sea the furling mechanism at the bottom of their sail had failed and they could not bring the sail in.  So he was very grateful to have it fixed, drinks were offered but we had already made dinner so we declined (another first).

Mid sail mend with the light fading.

8th September – Thursday

Anyone who knows us, knows that we like historical stuff and free stuff, so free historical stuff is a great day, another weekend of Heritage Open Days begins.  They are sometimes a bit sneaky and some of the things are only open on weekdays so planning is required to schedule things in the correct order to take FULL advantage of the events on offer.  The tourist office had a leaflet showing the places on offer and their opening times (homework).

Day 1

The Grange was the home of Augustus Pugin and his family, who is billed as the ‘designer of the Houses of Parliament’.  There was the house, the presbytery and his church to explore.

The house

The dining room showing off his Gothic style.  The house is now part of the Landmark Trust who take on derelict buildings and bring them back to life and then offer them for hire to guests.  The house will take 8 people and costs £2,000 for per week to hire.  Which works out at £50 per person per night.

Next stop ‘The Italianate Glasshouse’ is a Grand II listed glass house dating back to the early 19th century.  It is normally free to enter and has a cafe which is famed for its cream teas.  It is located in the George VI Memorial Park, which is on the east cliffs outside Ramsgate.

Mick outside what he called the ‘Cold Frame’, as what you see is all there is!

So having walked half way to Broadstairs, and it only being 13:00, we continued onto Broadstairs along the coastal path.

It was a beautiful day for a walk.

Next stop ‘Dickens House Museum’. 

The house was a tea parlour, often visited by Dickens on his many visits to Broadstairs and houses a collection of his belongings.  The character of Betsy Trotwood  in David Copperfield was based on the proprietor Miss Mary Pearson Strong.

I think Mick felt a bit cheated by this afternoon’s offerings and was soothed by ice-cream before the walk back.  I had English Trifle ice-cream another first.

The return walk was enhanced when Mick spotted these urban foxes.  They were living in a hole in a site which is fenced off on the promenade after a failed hotel build.  It is easily seen from the upper promenade but totally secluded on the lower promenade and they live in relative privacy.

9th September – Friday

Day 2

Just two places today.  The Maritime Museum is a very prominent feature on the sea front and we were hopeful.

Sadly the interior is very tired and a little chaotic, the saving grace was a very good video about the evacuation of Dunkirk, as many of the ships hailed from Ramsgate.

Next stop the Micro Museum.

No prizes for guessing who was looking forward to this one!  And I have to admit it did not disappoint.  But at our age it was like having your life flash before your eyes.  From the earliest calculator, game and computer to the most modern.  Gamers are even allowed to play all the retro games on one of the many systems set up around the museum.

Showcase of vintage computers.  The museum is a private collection and is not open every day, check the internet if you are interested.  Its a little gem, small but perfectly formed.

We had a lovely evening with Mark and Dawn, who visited the boat and then we went for a good meal at the Thai Orchid above the marina.  It was really good to meet up and we look forward to seeing them again.  Thanks we really appreciate the visit.

10th September – Saturday

Day Three

The Steam Tug Cervia is the first stop of the day.  It is a rare example of steam ship development.

The visit was escorted by an enthusiastic volunteer who explained the history and the full tour from wheel house to engine room and stoking the boilers.

Mick next to the Steam Powered assisted steering wheel.  When tugging at full strain the wheel was very heavy and this clever device made it possible. 

Next stop is the Defence of the Nation Museum, which is in the entrance of the Ramsgate Tunnels.  These were railway tunnels used as air-raid shelters during the war.  Sadly the tunnels were not part of the visit but the museum was interesting, if still a work in progress.  Outside were several stalls on various subjects.  We particularly liked the Home Front bus.

The bus is a mobile exhibit of life during the war, which travels round to schools etc.  There is a typical front room of the time, air-raid shelter, bombed out street scene and a shop.  It is really well done.

The Thanet Archaeology Trust stand had a good selection of items which you could handle.

Being able to feel real items and appreciate their weights and densities really adds a fascinating dimension.

Me and Helen Harrington who was a joy to talk to, for her enthusiasm, in depth knowledge and humour.

Last stop St Lawrence-in-Thanet church.  We were advised that the walk was worth it to visit St Lawrence so off we went. 

Grade I listed, St Lawrence can trace its beginnings to 1062.  Mostly Norman architecture we trusted its strength to scale the tower.

Along the duck boards on the roof to the bell ringers chamber.

And then for the intrepid a steep climb on narrow ladders passed the bells and up 3 more sets to the roof and a glorious view of Ramsgate and beyond.  As it is soooo flat around here you can see a long way.  After a reviving cupper we had a demonstration of hand-bell ringing and then an invitation for volunteers to have a go.

Check out bell ringer number 4.

And the concentration. 

So that is the end of our Heritage Open Days visits as we are travelling to Ipswich tomorrow.  What I really love about the open days is that you go to places you would not necessarily visit and most are a great surprise and very enjoyable. 

11th September – Sunday – Ramsgate to Ipswich

Ramsgate to Ipswich is a 58 mile trip where the tides have to be calculated well and there is the Thames Estuary to cross, wind farms, cargo ships and Felixstowe to negotiate finishing with a tide dependent trip one and a half hours up the River Orwell and through a lock.  With all that in mind we set off at 05:30 to catch the north going tide.  We first passed the Thanet wind farm, then encountered two huge cargo ships entering the Thames.

Windmills in the distance.

Then the London Array windfarm in the outer Thames Estuary.  There are 175 turbines and it is the largest offshore windfarm in the world and the largest in Europe by megawatt capacity.  All I know is that it takes some passing.

Mick had planned our trip to perfection and we passed under the Orwell bridge around 16:15 to make the 16:30 lock opening.

At the end of a very long but sunny day all you need is a full lock with a Thames Barge as company just to add to the days excitement.  Tick!!!

Fleur is now happily moored in her temporary berth until a permanent winter berth is allocated.