And the Band Played On

Crew, Karen and Bruce head back to the UK

 Belgium's coastal tram
A great way to explore the coast 

June 9 - Only 5 days in Belgium. Certainly not enough time to take it all in but.. we do our best!  A tram runs up and down the coast connecting all the beach towns between Knokke and Adinkerke.  Nieuwpoort was in the middle.  We chose to do the trip to the East, getting off occasionally to have lunch or a snack.... basically eating our way along the coast.  Our crew, friends from our Atlantic crossing, Karen and Bruce, had to fly back to the UK on Wednesday so we rode the tram with them to the Ostend train station before saying goodbyes.  They headed to Brussels while we hopped the train to Bruges.  It was love at first sight!

Looked like a couple of nice guys

beautiful canals

forever searching for that lost contact

You have to love a place that has a french fry museum

June 12 - Of course, we couldn't leave Belguim without visiting the headquarters of the EU in Belgium. It was also a great opportunity for us to meet Daniel, the staff who is working on proposed changes to Schengen.  I've droned on about our problems with Schengen in previous Blogs so I will spare you the bill analysis.  Let me just say that King has hopes for the draft legislation which provides provisions that will allow non EU citizens to apply for a year's stay and is doing what he can to find support among cruising groups.   Yep, he's found a cause.

 EU headquarters in Brussels

On recess but still impressive

June 13 - The winds looked like they would be increasing and turning to the north so unless we wanted to put down roots in Nieuwpoort, it was time to depart.  Off to the Netherlands.  We decided to do the southern Standing Mast Route beginning at Breskens, across the Westerschelde to Vlissingen where we would enter the first of many sluices (locks) that would take us through Zeeland, the Northern Delta, Zuid Holland and on to our destination, Amsterdam in Noord-Holland.  We had considered traveling this route last fall on our way to London but could never determine if the sluices were wide enough or the bridges tall enough.............we still weren't 100% certain but we had the time to turn around this time if that became necessary.  We learned early on the cost of not joining in the early morning convoys.  Instead of cruising through each sluice or bridge with the congo line of sailboats, we would be required to tie up, or worse, do donuts, waiting for a large working boat to request an opening.  Actually, people took great pains to assist us as we moved along, providing us copies of charts and written directions and interpreting what was being said on the radio.....as in "the bridge will not open for 2 hours" and reminding us that channel 10 is the calling frequency here....not 16! Which is why we didn't know that barge zipping up behind us was yelling at us!  Just as well......We saw him coming.

We overnighted in Middelburg, a beautiful park on the Veese Meer, Willenmstad, and Dordorech,

Go Holland!

before being captured by Gouda.  Yep, where the cheese comes from.  Before I move on to Gouda, let me say that we learned about World Cup Football excitment in Dordorech where we were tied up in town on a narrow canal.  Each time the Netherlands scored, the entire town let our a roar.  This was repeated in Gouda and Amsterdam where we spent games 2 and 3.

June 20 - The trip between Dordorech and Gouda was pretty miserable every bridge we approached was just closing or refused to budge.  Consequently, when we arrived in Gouda, we were not surprised when we heard there might be as much as an hour wait to get through the sluice because of a local celebration.  We tied up with the other yachts along the waiting pontoon and prepared to settle in.  Eventually, you could here music and as the sluice opened out popped an orchestra in two small boats rafted together, playing a toe tapping marching number, followed by decorated canal barges and yachts carrying smiling dignitaries.  Oh, how I love a parade!  Then the sluice closed. Everyone appeared a bit surprised, including the parade participants.  The orchestra floated around a bit then headed toward us...."could they tie up?  they would play for us."  "but of course!"  and so we were treated to a rendition of "Sweet Caroline".  Now, I'm no Neil Diamond fan but I have to say that was a treat.  Before departing, they played a few notes of the American National Anthem and then, they were off.  It was a mad dash to get into the lock!  All the decorated boats along with all of the waiting cruisers raced for the sluice, jockeying for position.  We didn't make it.  Another hour wait, but ahhhha what a sweet concert we had enjoyed.

Ostinato serenaded in Gouda as we waited for the sluice

We eventually found a spot along the wall in town and as we were tying up one of the members of the orchestra stopped by to say hello and invite us to come to their concert later that day.  It ended up being a weekend of free concerts throughout Gouda.  So....maybe out timing wasn't so bad after all. We enjoyed the town and the people here so much that we spent a 3rd day to celebrate my birthday.

June 24 - All good things must end and so it was time to depart.  This involved getting through a bridge and a sluice in time for the 10:30 opening of the RR bridge.  We were there at 8:15.  You don't want to miss those RR bridges!  Our luck has changed!  The bridge opened at 8:30.  YEA!  Off to Leiden.

Trying to keep the mast out of the trees in Leiden's park 

Why Leiden?  The Pilgrims lived in Leiden prior to their journey to America.  William White, one of King's relatives, was among the group.  Also, a leading researcher on the Pilgrims lives in Leiden and manages a tiny Pilgrim museum. It simply became a great opportunity to have an interesting chat. Getting there was the first challenge.  Leiden is not on standard the Standing Mast Route so the guide books....the ones in English that we could actually read at least, were of no help.  Of course that does not stop King when he has a mission.  We squeaked through sluices the size of pin holes.  I stand on the port side calling out how much space we have as we squeeze through each opening bridge.  As they become progressively smaller and smaller, our fenders drag across the cement walls...on each side.  YIKES!  Even the bridge tenders came out to watch. The question is...Will we be able to get out once we get in?  Of course, why was I worried....we were rewarded with a lovely tie up in a pretty little park. And yes!  King got to meet with Professor Jeremy Bangs to discuss pilgrim history and learn details about his ancestors.   He could tell us where William White and his family had lived.....standing on the corner where the house had been was a lovely treat. As we were in the museum, a lady from Michigan joined us.....relatives! another of Whites descendants.

A no passing zone.....It seemed like "forever"!

June 26 - Back through the skinny bridges.  We are headed to Haarlem, our last stop before Amsterdam where we will meet our Rhine crew, Patty and Frank Hankins.  We got up early at 0600 to make the early morning bridge opening so we wouldn't get trapped by the morning "rush hour" which closes the bridges to boat traffic.  We moved along quite smartly arriving at the first RR bridge at 9:30.  You have got to be kidding! Next opening.... 12:30!  Thankfully I have a good book to read, so I settle in for the duration.  Surprise! A government sponsored convoy boat arrived about 30 minutes after us and began organizing a tiny convoy of 3 sailboats, magically opening each bridge as we approached.  The only problem was that it moved at a mind numbing 3 knots which drove King crazy.  However, after a large container vessel, who wanted to pass ahead, tangled with the female captain of the convoy lead boat ....and lost....he decided to behave and follow suit.  You didn't have to know Dutch to know the canal barge captain had lost the battle.....badly.

Friend Margaret who, along with her wonderful husband David, first got us hooked on the idea of

Cruquius Polder...I'm thinking you had to be there.

doing the canals in the Netherlands, sent me a note to make sure we stopped at the Cruquius Polder Museum on our way to Haarlem.  So we pealed off from the convoy at the Cruquiusbrug.  First, they made it easy by offering free dock space for yachts.  We love free.  The staff's enthusiasm for the museum is infections. Our €4 provided us with our own personal tour guide to view the first (and still functioning) pumps used to reclaim the land. Pretty impressive and with global warming, certainly knowledge we may need in the near future!  I also got to tell Huub, ABYCs resident Netherlander that "yes, we did stop at the Cruquius Polder....and it was way cool!"

In Haarlem, Peter, an OCC Regional Rear Commodore, came by to share information he had gathered for us on a location that can remove our mast for the trip up the Rhine.  He came bearing gifts of charts, books and lots of great information.  It was like having Santa Claus visit in June!  Thank you Peter!

A busy morning at the L9
between Haarlem and Amsterdam

June 28 - time is running short.  It's time to get Ostinato to Amsterdam.  Only a day left to visit Mr. Kingsley's hair dressing salon and get the boat presentable for crew prior to Patty and Frank's arrival on the 30th....assuming the "Standby" god's smile on them.  Thankfully, the trip was non eventful so nothing exciting to report.  Mr. Kingsley did a lovely job on my hair, per usual. Afterward we moved into high gear changing oil and impellers, the making of beds and seeing how many clothes I could stuff into the very expensive washing machines.  I think is was a new record.  At 22:00, I finally mopped myself into a corner by the couch and crashed and burned.  Are they really arriving at 5:55!

Willenmstad was nice but a bit tight for the wide girl

Our favorite bridge 

Every orchestra needs a conductor.....

The Dutch really love their bicycles!

We are going in there!?

No description needed!

That bull looks excited to see us

A look at what would be left of the Netherlands w/o the dikes

This Blog is in memory of our wonderful friend David Hide.  Thank you for your generous sharing of knowledge about sailing in the Netherlands and your unreserved offer of friendship to two strangers from the State's.  You will be missed.  We love you Margaret!