Blankenberge had been a convenient location for the 6 days of ‘down time’ and I feel we used the time to the very best advantage. Pierre in the Marina had been so helpful, and I feel very guilty that we departed without returning the 3 pass cards he gave us for the security gate and... Continue Reading →

For those that misguidedly read this blog for sailing inspiration, I should probably warn you that this contains none of it. I apologise now for it being a truly ‘down time’ account of our 6 days spent moored in Blankenberge. I have in the past expounded on the need to slow down and drink in... Continue Reading →

We had gathered information from a very helpful fellow sailor in Amsterdam who was Dutch and familiar with the area. Using his advice, our destinations were all very pretty, historical and quite delightful. We thought Willemstad was special, being an old fortress town, but then it was trumped by Veere, and then we had a... Continue Reading →

I am conscious that this blog should not degenerate into a ‘what we did on our holidays’ account so, I will try to keep that element to a minimum. A successful rendezvous at Schiphol Airport with our wives followed by a nice meal near the marina, was the right start to our sailing holiday. Unfortunately... Continue Reading →

Mooring in the convenient Sixhaven marina in the centre of Amsterdam enabled us to relax and take stock of the canal closure situation. We had noticed water pouring from the swing bridges as they opened. This confused us until we concluded that it was probably a system of cooling to prevent the bridges expanding and... Continue Reading →