Lunch in Brussels!

October 3 -  53.33 N, 06.45 E:  The crossing from Helgoland to Borkum was made interesting by the commercial shipping lanes which requires crossings by small boats to be done at 90 degree angles.  We were told the German Coast Guard can give fines on the spot and they have been rumored to be substantial.  Urban legend or not, we played it as safe as we could without plowing directly into the 25 knot winds that chose to be blowing from the direction we needed to go.  The Coast Guard apparently took pity on us as not a peep was heard from them as we flew through the crossing at less than perfect angles. Once across, King put Ostinato on an easterly heading and we continued much more comfortably with the winds on our stern. We considered sailing on to Lauwersoog where we planned to enter the locks into the Netherlands but with the shortened days, shifting sand dunes and lack of local knowledge on the entrance, it was decided to play it safe and overnight on Borkum, one of the German Frisian Islands of Erskine Childers and Riddles of the Sand fame.  We finally arrived at the Lauwersoog lock early afternoon the following day and were thoroughly ignored by the lock keeper for a good 30 minutes before he apparently got tired of our whinning on the radio and turned on the green lights to indicate we could enter the lock.

The Lock Master collects his fees by lowering a wooden (blue) shoe on a fishing rod

A serious bridge opener

Ostinato was tied up for the night in Lauwersmeer where we hoped to purchase paper charts to assist with our electronic ones for the cruise down the canals. Unfortunately, it's the end of the season here and the marine store was out of stock.  The Dock Master at the marina sold us his copies and we were on our way.  These things look more like a road map of Florida's highway system than of a waterway.  A bit brain numbing.  As Ostinato approached her first of many bridges and locks, King asked me for its name off the chart.  I took one look and told him I had no clue.


The Dutch use waaaay too many letters in their words.....Dookkumer Nieuwezijlen, Nieuwe Sluis. WHAT?! He finally just mumbled something and ended it with "bridge". That seemed to work and was adopted protocol for the rest of the gazillion locks and bridges we passed through.  Occasionally, we had the good fortune to get behind another boat and let them do the heavy lifting.  I think it was the first time King has every willingly let someone get ahead of him.  Regardless of our dreadful pronunciation, I have to say all of the bridge tenders communicated back with us in excellent English.  Bless one and all.  While we had plenty of room in the majority of the locks, there were a couple that required us to slide through without our fenders out.  I would stand on the port side calling out how many feet we had as we squeaked through. On our way to Amsterdam, overnight stops were spent in Leeuwarden, Grou and Sneek.

Scenery along the canals is outrageous

Girl Band!

 In Leeuwarden, we  tied up in a lovely park near the town center.  The Harbor Master stopped by to inform us their automatic payment machines were not currently accepting American credit cards so....we were FREE!  In Sneek, pronounced Snake, we arrived just in time for The Battle of the Bands. The event consisted of 21 or so, 15 member bands moving about 7 venues in the picture perfect downtown.   Band members costumes and wild wigs added to the festivities.   Nearby restaurants provided plenty of beer for the parched band members as they completed their show at each stop.


October 6 - Amsterdam

Dutch Barge race

Lots of traffic on a Sunday afternoon

It looked like we might have a weather window opening soon so it was decided we would go all the way from Sneek to Amsterdam today.  Under a beautiful sunny sky...with the wind on our nose...we motored all day to reach the city.  Most of the trip was in open waters and we were entertained with front row views of a race of graceful old dutch barges and square riggers out for a Sunday sail.  We passed by the popular Sixhaven Marina and headed to the new Amsterdam Marina.  While Sixhaven is the most popular with cruisers because of its location right next to the ferry, Ostinato's girth is a bit tight for the place.  The new marina is much closer to completion than it was when we visited last January with expanded docks and fabulous new shower and laundry facility.  A long hot shower without the Captain King yelling "your using too much water" is well worth the extra 5 minute walk to the ferry.

Amsterdam....First stop....Did we see the Rembrandt's? the Van Gogh's? Maybe the Red Light District or a canal cruise?  No, no, no.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, its the American Food Store for Heinz dill pickles!  We staggered out of the store with 4 bottles of King's pickles, 2 cans of jellied Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce, 2 Duncan Heinz Angel Food cake mixes and, for me, a box of the fat Snyder's pretzels. King did do a pass on the 10 euro box of Wheaties.  Some things are just too ridiculous even for our deprived American taste buds.

We talked to our friend and neighbor Bill Harris on Sunday night and after some fancy foot work on his part he was standing in Amsterdam Central station at 0800 on Tuesday morning waiting for us to lead his exhausted body back to the boat.  What fun!  Bill has joined us for our crossing to the UK and passage back to St. Katharine's. Claire, wisely decided to watch this one from the comfort of her living room in Shell Point.

Trying to decide if this is a real car.

Belgium:   So what do you do in Amsterdam while your waiting for weather? The first indication that we were in for one of King's safaris was when he suggested we rent a car and drive to Belgium.  My response "What do you want to do in Belgium dear?" King "I don't know, why don't you decide that".  "Oh...and on the way, let's stop and look at some folding bikes I found on Craig's List Amsterdam."  Only King would know there was a Craig's List in Amsterdam.  After a ferry, a tram ride, and a 4 block walk, we arrived at the Hertz office to pick up the car.  This thing was so small that when we passed a Mini Cooper we thought it was a SUV.  King has already taken half the back seat up when he shoved the drivers seat back to enable him to get his knees off the ceiling.  I'm in the back seat trying to figure out where exactly these bikes will go.

First stop was to meet the guy with the bikes.  He was from Afghanistan.  His English was not so good.  I don't think his Dutch was so hot either, not that it would of helped.  King made his first offer. The guy repeated the original price.  We rode around the parking lot on the bikes (in the rain) and King came back with his second offer.  Nada, would not budge.  Bill suggested I move to the car to indicate we were prepared to leave...he didn't care, he was not going to budge, and neither did King.  I was greatly relieved that I would not be balancing 2 bicycles on my head for the rest of the afternoon.

The Grand Place

Bill and Sue chow getting their sugar high

Off to Brussels.  So what does one do in Brussels in an afternoon?  Visit the Grand Place, eat mussels for lunch, see the Mannekin Pis (Peeing Boy) and eat a Belgium Waffle.  I know....it was the best I could do on short notice.....We cruised in, parked the car, quickly walked through the square...which I think was quite stunning but can't say for sure cause we blitzed through so quickly.  I was starved so the boys decided it would be a good idea to get food in me before my ugly witch transformation occurred when my blood sugar bottoms out.   Off we head straight for the mussels in a small restaurant off the square.  After lunch, we were now ready to go google the square properly which had been blocked by police barricades while we ate.  Belgium was playing Croatia in soccer and a large screen had been erected in the square for dedicated fans, with wrist bands purchased the day before, to cheer on the local team.  Gezzz. You have got to be kidding!  That left the Peeing Boy (and girl, we discovered) and a Belgium waffle.  First things first....on the way to the Peeing Boy we saw our first Belgium waffle shop.  Needing to drown our sorrows and not wanting to take any chances they might close all of the waffle shops, we decided we should stop and eat.  Mine was covered half in white chocolate and half in dark chocolate.  OMG  it was sooo good.  King and Bill followed with their own chocolate choosings.  With our new sugar buzz, we zinged over to the Peeing Boy.  Again, disappointment reigned.  Unlike what Rick Steve's had promised on his Belgium video, no one had bothered to dress him in one of his several hundred outfits today.  The statute has more outfits than me and he can't bother to dress for the occasion.  After Bill picked up some Belgium chocolates to take home to lovely Miss Claire, we trudged back to the car......in the rain.  Bill throws me his camera in the back and I take "drive by" shots of Belgium as we speed out of town while every cell in our bodies are dancing from our sugar high.

Someone forgot to dress the Mannekin Pis

Disappointed from the results of our bike buying quest, King returned back to the boat and hops back on Craig's List Amsterdam with new vigor.   By midnight he has located a potential candidate and zipped off email.  Two stainless steel Di Blassi's folding bikes.  The next morning, while waiting for a response from Craig's list King leads the troop off to a tromp to the Amsterdam Flea Market.  How lucky are we, its just around the corner from the boat.  It must be the Thing to do on a Saturday morning as the ferries were full to the brim as they arrived to our side of the river.  Two industrial size buildings bulged with new and used "stuff".....but no folding bikes.  The following day King and Bill set out to check out the 2nd set of bikes found on Craig's List.  They returned with 2 bikes and big smiles.  Success!

One of the new folding bikes

October 15 - Off to the UK - While its only been a little over a week since we landed in Amsterdam it feels much longer with the cold and rain keeping us close to the boat.  The weather window we have been waiting for finally looked like it arrived, albeit small, so we finished last minute chores and motored the 14 miles from the marina to the IJmuiden locks.  Once outside the lock, we pulled into the Sea Port Marina so we could check out of the country.  King and Bill pulled out the new bikes for the 2.5 mile ride in the pouring rain to Customs/Immigration.  After a strained discussion with officials to finally get them to realize they were off a small yacht, not a ship, the process went smoothly.  Once completed, King learned they would of gladly come to the boat if we had only called.  King and Bill returned looking like drowned rats.

The winds were a bit stronger than we had anticipated but the forecast indicated they would continue to lighten as the day progressed.  THEY LIED!  Neither winds or waves improved.  The North Sea showed its notorious short choppy seas in full force.  No one ate dinner.  Around 10 pm, King determined we needed to add a 2nd reef to the main.  I was on the helm as he worked the sail.  I don't know when I have ever been thrown around more on a boat or more sea sick.  Let's just say it wasn't pretty.  After that exercise, the guys took pity on me and took over my watches.  I crawled out again about 5 a.m. to much calmer conditions and only a few hours off the UK coast.  As the sun began to rise we took stock of the boat.  It looked like a bomb had gone off.  The floor was littered with charts, clothing and books. One engine had stopped completely.  The main alternator on the other one had also stopped functioning. Indicators lights on the diesel heaters were flashing wildly and spewing noxious fumes.  However, it was not until I went forward that we noticed the trampolines on both sides were hanging by a thread.

The trampolines, a little worse for wear after the North Sea crossing

It was decision time.  Would we stop in Harwich or sail on to the Medway, which would put us within a day's striking distance of London.  The tides would not be good to go up the Thames during daylight hours until the following week so we might be sitting at anchor in the Medway for a while.  The heaters were no longer functioning.  Without the trampolines its a bit scary to work forward so they needed to be repaired ASAP..... and they were in the way of getting the anchor down.  We decided the best move would be to head up the river for Ipswich.  As we dropped the main, a reefing line uncoiled, that would normally have been on the trampoline, slipped under Ostinato and wrapped her prop.   Poor King had to go overboard yet again. Should there ever be a Guinness Book of World Record for the number of overboard dives to unwrap the prop during a summer's cruise, I have no doubt there would be a picture of King.


It was soooooo good to get tied up to the dock in Ipswich.

One of the many Rembrandt's to be found in  the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Ostinato couldn't get under this bridge in Sneak

Sue asking if they need a 4th

Bill worked up an appetite at the Amsterdam Flea Mkt. while looking for bikes

The Rudder goes walk about

We thought we had paid our cruising dues with the broken boom and then the lost propeller but no, apparently not.  So here we are, one rudder short of a pair sitting in the Kiel Canal.  After several days of researching options concerning the missing rudder, Ostinato once again untied her dock lines and headed out into the canal.  We decided that returning to the UK with only one rudder (although most boats only have 1!) would not make either of us comfortable so our destination was Gluckstadt, located on the Elbe River near Hamburg.  Not only was the yard highly recommended by Bert and Marlene on SY Heimkehr but also independently by a catamaran sailor tied up near us at the yacht club.  We spent the day dodging the big boys in the rain as we headed toward the western end of the canal.  The weather turned chilly again so the long johns were back on.  King also kept the diesel heat going so we could occasionally slip inside to get warm.  Did I mention the rain and fog?  Ostinato moved along smoothly.  You would never know she was missing a rudder.  Discussions are now about how long its actually been missing!  Last time it was actually seen was Scotland!  Not much to see as we moved along in low visibility until we reached Noah's Ark tied up along side a small town on the canal.  I have to say we were both a bit surprised.  Who knew!  No animals appeared on board so we took that as a positive sign and kept going.  At the end of the canal, just inside the locks, we found plenty of space for a starboard side tie-up to spend the night.  The power, however, left something to be desired.  Only after switching off the hot water heater, leaving on only minimal lighting and refrigeration, could we plug in without immediately blowing fuses.  The diesel heat remained on for the night.

Noah's Ark in the Kiel Canal.  Who knew!

Following a quick grocery run, we popped out of the Canal and motored south on the Elbe...in the rain.  Again, the locking process was easy with no turbulence as the water level changed what appeared to be only a few inches.  The traffic on the river was light but we stayed well out of the channel to avoid any excitement (which is a good thing since the German marine police issue fines on the spot for wondering in to the shipping channel).  The entrance to Gluckstadt has a lock that only opens at 2 hours before high tide so timing was critical.  We arrived an hour before opening and secured Ostinato to the waiting pontoon.  While there, the manager of the boat yard came by to introduce himself and to point out where we would live for the next 2 weeks.  The local yacht club had picked that day to have a race so once the lock opened, movement in front of the lock got a bit dicey until the lock master finally blew his horn to clear the way for Ostinato and a power boat attempting to enter.  We tied up to the dock with plenty of time to do a quick stroll around the town before dark.

Gluckstadt...Can you find Ostinato?

Bert joined us the next morning as our interpreter during the meeting with the boatyard manager.  Can't over emphasize how much his assistance has meant to us.  This is especially true this day after learning he was on his way to get a root canal.  King had hauled out the Rosetta Stone course for German.  It started off with learning to say something about Sally throwing a ball....obviously, not what we needed at this point in time.  As a result of our meeting, we were able to reduce the time estimate from 4 to 2 weeks.   This is great news!  We may make the UK before the first snow after all.  By the end of the day the remaining rudder was already off and work was underway.

Our research had shown that we could do customs and immigration check into Germany in Brunsbuttel but again, we got blank looks when we asked the Harbour Master.  After five attempts, King finally called a phone number for German Customs.  They asked where we were headed and told him someone might stop by to see us in Gluckstadt so it was no big surprise when three Customs Agents knocked on the boat one morning.  They asked the usual questions...how long we planned to stay, how much booze and cigarettes we had on board and a quick call to somewhere on our passports.  This was followed by a check-in with the boat yard that we would indeed be there 2 weeks.  No boat information requested and no passport stamps. Odd, but what do we know.  Three days later....another knock on the boat by different group.  They did not seem to be aware of the first group of visitors.  This time they stamped our passports and again checked with the yard to confirm we were getting work done.  They didn't ask about the wine cellar, which I might add is getting alarmingly mighty low. Still no one seemed to care about the boat.

 A few days after our arrival, we noticed the yacht behind us had a large American flag flying from its starboard spreader.  An odd place for the U.S. flag to fly in Germany.  It was several days later that we finally saw someone outside and were able to ask if they were American.  "Nope", the German replied.  "Its up in recognition of 9/11".  It was displayed all week.  My pictures of this along with those of Marlene (of Marlene and Bert fame) were unfortunately lost.  : (

With reduced prices in Germany, I am ready to stock the cabinets again.  This, however is a challenge.   Our Internet access in only on the boat and without a German translation book even figuring out how to weigh the fresh produce becomes a challenge.  So what is cucumber in German?  My strategy was simply to just plunk it down at the cash register without being properly weighed and let them deal with it.  I got a few looks but overall that seemed to work well.  Then it comes to the other stuff.  Sometimes you can look at the picture on the can and figure it out but while items such as flour have pictures, they also have numbers. What the heck do they mean?  Spices....forget it.  Coffee?  Does green mean decaf here?  Eggs.  Why do some have feathers on them?  Yea!  They have good pretzels!

Bert and Marlene were our
 guardian angels while in Germany!

As mentioned earlier, the wine cellar is getting low so I turned to our "all things German" experts, Bert and Marlene for recommendations for some affordable (aka sailor cheap) German whites.  A few days later, Bert shows up with 3 bottles from Aldi, a local discount grocery.  All under 2 euros.  A man after my own heart!  All were surprisingly drinkable. Not a high level to reach by cruiser standards, I will admit. The wine cellar is about to be restocked.

In addition to taking care of our wine and boat needs, Bert and Marlene opened up their home to us. We were greeted with a large American flag flying from a towering flag pole situated in their front yard. The house is a lovingly converted farm house/barn with breath taking views of the river where their 50 ft steel SY Heimkehr sits at the dock when not off enjoying the cruising life, including a sail to the States. Heimkehr was featured in the latest edition of the German "Yachting" magazine. Like Ostinato, Heimkehr is a kindred spirit as she was purchased and rebuilt after an on-board fire. We first met Bert and Marlene in Northern Denmark when we knocked on their boat to say hello after seeing their OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) Flying Fish flag. The OCC is a group we joined after completing our non stop, 1000 nautical mile qualifying sail, crossing the Atlantic. Bert just happens to be the Port Officer for the group in Germany. Lucky us! Our visit to their home was spent eating lovely things from their oven and sharing sailing stories.

Bert & Marlene welcomed us to their home by raising the American flag

Looking at 2 weeks of being tied to the dock, it was time to tackle some of our TO DO lists.  First was mail.  King was actually able to finally get a replacement drivers license thanks to our house sitters willingness to run about town.  Thank you Martha!  King is officially reappointed the designated driver.  The list also included lots of chores that we had been putting off until we returned to the UK.  While King reinforced the stern cleats that took a beating in Norway, I decided to tackle the mildew that was beginning to take root. This job did not take long to grow tiresome and we are in a foreign country.  For goodness sake....What did you do while you were in Germany?...would I only have to say "cleaned mildew out of the shower stall".... so we decided it would be a shame to not take

Neuengamme: The original front gate

a day off to explore a bit.  Destination:  Neuengamme Concentration Camp which is located south of Hamburg.  The day was gray which only added to the overall depressive atmosphere of the place.  While all of the prisoner barracks were demolished by the British soon after WWII, they have done a good job of giving you a feeling of how it looked without recreating the buildings.  The grounds seemed to go on forever but you can only take so much of thinking about the atrocious things we did (and continue to do) to our fellow man so we departed after several hours, leaving much unexplored.

The bright spot to the trip was the trip itself.  We traveled the last hour on a bus through beautiful country side full of late 1800's thatch roofed homes and barns.  The bus had a lending library on board.  How clever is that!

Love the library on the bus

September 25 - Great news today!  We have formal confirmation that there is space for us at St. Katharine Docks Marina.  It looks like at least four of the cruisers from last year will also be there. We are both looking forward to getting "home" and catching up with our UK and St. Kat's friends.  A weather window is developing with a week of easterly winds.  We still have a few days to go yet but will soon need to make a decision on if we will slip inside the canals or take advantage of the easterlies and head for the barn.

Replacing the old rudder went smoothly

September 27 - The rudder was installed today.  A few hiccups.  The old rudder slide back in its spot with style and grace.  The new one, well, it had nether style or grace.  After significant tugging and pulling, a bit of cursing, repainting and voila, we have a new rudder and all is good again with the world.  After a stressful afternoon, we were treated to an Oktoberfest boat parade.

Boats decked out in pumpkins and lights in Gluckstadt

September 28: Helgoland - 54.11N 07.54E

Next stop, a tiny duty free island about 20 miles off the German mainland.  We had to

Check out that SOG

wait for the fog to clear but quickly made up the lost time with a 4+ knot current.   Top speed was 10.7 knots as we ran down the Elbe.  We motor sailed so we dutifully hoisted up the steaming cone.  A first for Ostinato.  If motor sailing without your steaming cone displayed you risk a hefty fine from your local Coast Guard.  As we approached Helgoland, winds began to freshen.  By the time we had topped off the tanks with duty free fuel and made our way to the raft up, the blow had become a bit more serious.  By dinner the boat was jerking hard on its mooring lines and we knew neither us or the poor guys we had rafted to would get much sleep that night. The following morning, it was kicking in over 25kts and gusting higher.  While many boats left, it seemed like a good day to stay put to us. We watched the wind continue to climb throughout the day and had no regrets we had stayed attached to the dock.  This was reinforced the following morning when we noted a small trimaran had returned without their mast.  We passed away the afternoon discussing anchorages with a singlehanded sailor from the Netherlands.  He had planned on an overnight run but after much discussion decided that Borkum also looked like a good stopping place for him.   Although we were crocheted to the dock, Ostinato was bouncing around so much from the surge in the marina that I skipped dinner and finally crawled off to bed sea sick.  Pretty bad when your still tied to the dock!  I think that may be an all time low, even for me.

Plans are to depart for Borkum on Tuesday when the winds are expected to be more in the 19-20 knot range.  There is plenty of duty free shopping to keep us entertained!

Dutch architecture in the Historic Gluckstad

Steaming Cones aren't just for Yankey Swaps

Goodies from Marlene & Bert.  Made a great apple pie.

Helgoland Mermaid