We are Sorrry But The Tube is Delayed Due to A Swan on the Tracks

Its hard to believe that we have already been in London 3 1/2 months.  Time continues to fly by without stopping to catch its breath.  I'm actually not sure what the heck we have been doing but considering the expense,  I decided it was time to get a few things down so when we look at our bank account we can console ourselves.

One would think that after my winter swim in the Thames, I would be less than anxious to stomp around its shoreline in boots and surgical gloves at low tide, looking for relics but always up for a new adventure,

The pipe hoard from a day Mudlarking on the Thames 

I jumped at the opportunity to join Sue and Ed from Angel Louis and Ruth from MV Dora Mac to go Mudlarking.  For our morning's toil, we were rewarded with 18th century pipes and pottery.  Some quite ornate, most broken, as was the custom when these one use/throw away pipes were finished. Without a Mudlarking license,  no digging is allowed.  We could only pick up what was uncovered as the Thames tide ran out.  Since this and a follow up visit with King, Barbara and Michele, we have since learned of another site that supposedly has dated Roman tiles.  Saving that for the Spring.

London NYE Fireworks

December, as always was special.  This was even more so this year with daughter Barbara and partner Michele joining us for the holidays.  We caught up with CA friends Margaret and David in Ashtead in early December and did Christmas Eve again at Westminster along with the crews from Angle Louise and Shiret.  For Christmas day, Gene, a new friend from San Diego, met while standing in line for a Benjamin Britten Concert at St. Paul's Cathedral, joined us for dinner.

December weather continued to be mild into the holidays.  This is only mentioned here because we had complained so much about the cold last year that Barbara and Michele arrived at Heathrow both bundled up like the Michelin Man.  Once unlayered, they didn't leave too many of the major sights untouched which was a great feat considering New Year's Eve an evil bug began an

Ostinato's new colorful spot in the West Basin

excursion through the boat, visiting each inhabitant for 24 hours of hell before skipping off to the next.  Unfortunately, Michele was attacked first...just after midnight.... on New Year's Eve....on the Tower Bridge.  As you can imagine, she did not get a lot of sympathy from passing revelers.  Barbara and I at least got to do our time in the privacy of the boat.  Well, as private as that gets.  King was spared.  What kind of deal he made with the devil to miss the fun, I have yet to learn.


The rest of January has been focused on the boat.  King is determined not to leave his list of never ending boat chores to the last minute like we did last year.  However, I have managed to get him out to a few museums, lunch time concerts and the theatre.  Our favorite has been the musical Once.  Yes, we did our early morning standing in line and sat on the front row.  Brilliant!  January is Boat Show month and there is no boat show that King doesn't want to attend.  The London Boat Show was first. The highlight this year was the Turkey booth.  Marinas all around the coast of Turkey were represented.  As our Turkish Rep guided us from one desk to the next, at the end of several introductions he would proclaim "this marina is way too expensive but talk to him anyway".  What's the poor guy gonna say after that.  As we talked, we learned that he use to manage the marina in Turkey where Bob and Jean, friends from Shell Point, kept Patient Lady.  Bob, he sends his best! What a small world.   Of course, you can't just do one day so when Ivor and Denise, from Orwell Yacht Club fame, sent us the code to get free tickets on line, we grabbed the chance to meet up with them at the show.  Afterward, they joined us on the boat to share their recent experiences visiting our friends and ABYC in Shell Point while we stuffed down some really awful grocery store pizza.  Sorry guys.

The following week we were off to see friends from Copenhagen, Haakon and Judith, at the Dusseldorf Bot Show.....the Biggest Boat Show on Earth!!  Airline tickets on Ryan Air were £29 RT to Weeze/Dusseldorf  which one would think from the name would be near Dusseldorf but no, not really.  We arrived late so I made reservations at the "Best Deal Airport Hotel".....which one would think from the name would be near the airport but no, not really.  King was not amused by the hotel location, and insisted we take a taxi to get to it instead treking down a dark airport road (I will make you guess who suggested that).  The following morning, when we made it to the train station 3 minutes after our train had departed, his humor continued to deteriorate.  The fact that the next regularly scheduled train didn't run on Saturday added insult to injury and resulted in an hour wait huddled outside on the station platform.  Did I mention the coffee machine at the hotel didn't work? By this time, my travel planning skills were being put into question so when I told him our boat show tickets could be used for free travel on the train, skeptical does not begin to cover it.  Regardless, we boarded the train without tickets.  You can imagine my relief when the herd of young boys in front of us pulled out their printed Boat Show tickets for the conductor as he strolled down the aisle toward us.  I then got to give King my smug, I told you so look.  The next trial was to get to the hotel via subway.  Stops were not every few blocks which they seem to be in London so we ended up passing our destination several times before we were able to get off the damn thing. Finally, even with all of the travel drama, we still managed to arrive at the show within an hour of its grand opening.  King quickly laid out his strategy and we were off and running, cruising up and down each

Nothing like a little Champagne
 after a hard day at das bot show

aisle with purpose.  I was relatively relaxed knowing that since we were traveling Ryan Air, where luggage costs more than your ticket, there would be minimal purchasing going on here.  If it didn't fit in the backpack, it wasn't coming home.   We crawled back to the hotel at 5 p.m. where we finally caught up with Haakon and Judith.  They had champagne waiting for us!  All of a sudden, I was no longer tired.

The following day, we were up early to say goodbye to Judith and Haakon and make our final run through the show.  Books for the Rhine and Danube were purchased.  While not in English, the drawings are great.  A few other items, including a passerelle (boarding ladder) have our attention but require some additional homework.....not to mention it does not even come close to passing the backpack test.  By 3:00 P.M. we are on our way back to Weeze.  A great trip......until we were reminded at Stansted immigration that our time is limited in the UK.  Hard to complain since its even harder in the State's for visitors but wintering over is becoming very difficult for American cruisers in Europe.

2013 St Kat's alumni, Liz and David,
visited Ostinato in January 

After the boat show frenzy, Liz and David (Lazy Tern) our neighbors from St. Kat's in 2013 shared some time with us as part of their whirlwind visit home to see family.  Plans were made to meet somewhere in the Med., not sure when but for sure it will happen.  We shared a bottle ...or 2 of champagne and spent a wonderful evening sharing our summer sailing experiences.


In mid January we did a quick trip to Glasgow.  First Class on Virgin Train's was only £15 more so why not?

Someone thought it was cold enough that
Robbie Burns needed a hat and scarf

Whoa.  King is in real trouble cause I really liked First Class.  They wined and dined us from the minute we sat down till we rolled off 6 hours later.  A great museum, good food and a bit of shopping and we were on our way home again.  The Glasgow rain turned into lovely snow, making the return trip outstanding.

These last few weeks, the grey weather has made it very easy to be lethargic and stay around the boat.  There's always something to do...or not.  While saying this, I realize that the temps have been milder here than at home in Florida on many days so I need to stop whining.  We did finally venture out.  Of course, choosing the day of the city wide Tube strike was probably not one of our more brilliant moves.  Unlike those we have experienced in the past, this one only closed down part of the Tube system.  Unlike when the whole thing is closed, where you have a clear picture of what your options are. this resulted in mass confusion as no one seemed to be quite clear which tube lines were open and which were closed.  And, of course, it rained all day.

Militant Swans?

A bus and 2 Tubes lines later, we were on the home stretch. Tower Hill station was only one stop away. Suddenly, the District Line came to a halt in the middle of one of its mysterious tunnels.  Everyone in the crowded little box groaned.  What now!  Finally, the announcement came....the Tube would be delayed until a swan was removed from the tracks.  This was the 2nd swan that had ventured onto the tracks over the last 24 hours.  Could they be union members?



We are preparing for our annual pilgrimage home next week.  Looking forward to seeing family and friends.  If you are in the Tallahassee area we hope you will get in touch.  For ABYC folks, we are working hard on this year's Summer Cruise presentation.  Taking bets on if I will get a word in this year.  Duct tape anyone? King doesn't allow on the boat so I'll have to borrow it from someone.

Gene and Michele waiting patiently for the Christmas dinner

We think this is Leon High School band at the London NYs Day Parade.

The all Indian/Scottish pipers was unexpected

Wine fender....who-ooo

In search for an open Tube station New Year's Eve along
with a gazillion others

A cuppa?

The traffic cone stayed in place for our entire visit to Glasgow!  

A Brief Dip in the Thames

A tight squeeze for Ostinato in St. Kat's

St. Katharine's Marina is jammed packed this year.  To make matters worse, they are doing a major dock improvement project which has required some cruisers to make multiple moves.  Ostinato is now in her 3rd home and is expecting to have at least one more move.  I have been lobbying hard to return back to the Central Docks but I'm thinking not a snowballs chance.  Ron, the dock master, just smiles and cracks on about Yanks.  We are on the north side of the East Docks behind the "Frank Sinatra" boat (another story).  We are so far away from the showers, I need to pack a sandwich for the trip.  King doesn't seem to care where they put us as long as he can still grab free WiFi off one of the restaurants.

We have quickly picked up where we left off last year. On the repeat list was a flu shot.  I felt very brave this year and even reminded King we needed to go.  So, on a sunny afternoon we walked to the local Boots pharmacy to make an appointment.  When we arrived, we were told that no appointment was needed.  They could take us now.  With that, the pharmacist scurried back to her office to prepare the dose.  NOW?  I wasn't ready for NOW!  and it wasn't the same pharmacist.  I wanted the same lady that did it last year.  I wasn't dressed right, I suddenly felt ill, maybe I was coming down with a fever and I'm sure it was a full moon and everyone knows you shouldn't have a flu shot on a full moon.  What was King thinking bringing me here?  An eternity later, she returned, apologetically explaining they only had two doses left and they had appointments for those later that afternoon.  Would we mind terribly coming back tomorrow?  I had been given a reprieve.  With the fear that I would bolt over, King let go of the death grip he had on the back of my coat.  The following afternoon we returned and the minute we walked in I knew all was right with the world.  Behind the counter was MY pharmacist.  Oh happy day!  She remembered us from last year so we spent some time catching up....and sharing with her how to get cheap tickets for the theater.  Sigh.  I'm good for another year.

Put your name in the drum for Book of Mormon tickets

King tells Ed & Sue he doesn't have to "dump his date"

And speaking of the theater, The Book of Mormon opened last year just before we left London.  The show was an immediate sell out but every day they hold a lottery for front row tickets...for 20 pounds sterling each!  A total of 21 tickets are sold for each night's performance.  You must indicate on the form if you will want one or two tickets.  Typically, the last name drawn is only for 1 ticket and if they pull a ticket that wants 2, the winner is asked " will you dump your date?"  and the answer is always "YES", sometimes to the date's surprise!  We made our way to the theater district four times last April, filled out the official Book of Mormon entry form, placed it into the big gold drum and waited for the 5:30 p.m. crowd count down and drawing.....but no luck. Some might of been discouraged but we were on a mission (ha,ha) so as soon as we returned back to London, a trip to Leicester Square for the lottery was at the top of our list..well, at least mine. First night no luck, 2nd, and 3rd nada.  By the 4th try, the staff  handing out the form greeted us with a "You know the drill".  It was Friday Night Date Night so we had a back-up should lady luck not smile on us once again.  We were joined in the jubilant crowd by the crew of Angel Louise, Sue and Ed.  It was their first time....I whispered to King that I was going to be very depressed if they won tickets and we didn't.  King gently reminded me that our chances did not increase each time.  I just don't think that's fair but no matter cause I WON the chance to buy 2 tickets!!!!  Not only did I win but King's name was called for the single ticket so Ed and Sue grabbed that one and were able to pick up a second ticket at the ticket counter. Thank goodness, cause otherwise, Ed planned to "dump his date".  We should of picked up a national lottery ticket that night.  The musical, by the way, is raunchy but hysterical.  Since then we have also stood in line for "day of performance" tickets for Mid Summer Night's Dream where we again were rewarded for our effort grabbing 10 pound front row seats.  I fear, we are getting very use to being in the front row.

If I had given it a minutes thought, I should of seen it coming.  There is no way that King can be forced to repeatedly plunge into the icy waters of the North Sea without some imbalance in the universe being created.  It was only a matter of when, not if, the event would occur.  We had been invited to play "Joker" on Angel Louise, the other Catamaran in the marina.  It had been Hair Day so Mr. Kingsley had put on his hair stylist uniform (rubber gloves and old clothes) and worked his magic to make my gray disappear.  Since I haven't had a hair cut since I saw Sumkit last Spring, I then spent the rest of the afternoon doing the drying and flat ironing required to bringing the unruly mop under control.  At the appointed hour, I pulled out a bottle of wine I had just picked up at the Waitrose 25% off sale and a package of my favorite hummus.  It had been raining, of course, so around the dock we tromped balancing umbrellas along with the other goodies.  Up and over the walk-way yakking away and then suddenly, I'm underwater.  King grabs hold of my hand and has me partially suspended in air until I spy a ladder just 5 feet away.  Much more sensible.  Miraculously, I emerge intact with shoes and glasses still in their rightful places.  The hummus and the umbrella, however, were long gone, as was the bottle of wine which crashed onto the dock as King grabbed for me. Back to the boat I squished as quickly as my short legs would carry me.  Since we had already had the conversation with other cruisers about uglies in the water, I knew what was coming.....off to the Emergency Room we go.  After a quick shower and putting on dry clothes, King hailed a taxi.  Once the driver heard ER he quickly became our best friend and was phoning his wife for information that he thought would be helpful.  For my American friends who are not so sure about the Medical system outside the U.S, let me just say the process was brilliant.  I will admit that the triage nurse had a hard time keeping a straight face during the interview but he was aware of Wyles disease which apparently lurks in the Thames.  The good news, no treatment was recommended unless symptoms begin to appear. The better news.....it was FREE! Don't even ask..... no pictures exist of this event.

We decided we wanted to return to our traditional Thanksgiving of dinner on the water so after much agonizing we decided to skip the Mayflower dinner this year.  Instead, we joined Ed and Sue and Ann and Nigel, from Chanticleer, aboard Angel Louise for a Thanksgiving feast accompanied by plenty of champagne to keep the conversation lively.  The food and company perfect.

Thanksgiving: great dinner and drink aboard Angel Louise

Getting ready for Christmas visitors, daughter Barbara and partner Michele.  I've wrapped lights around the life lines from one end of Ostinato to the other.  I whined so much last year because "EVERYONE had Christmas lights but us" that King purchased some off the Internet while we were home.  These things have 10 different light patterns to chose from, none of which are just plain old, stay on all the time with no flicker, lights.  And, there does not seem to be any way to get them in sync.  It makes me dizzy to look at them.  Maybe Christmas lights from China was not such a good idea.......but I guess until the marina is put on seizure alert by the National Health system, they will do just fine.  We have two stings left over.....King is trying to convince me they are backups.  I'm thinking we need some up the mast!

London Jazz festival - free performances all over town

The Gloriana is tied up close to us this year.

The Gloriana is a tourist attraction at St. Kats... and yes! The sun does occasionally shine.

I love that Londoners name their buildings:
The Armadillo and the Shard

And then there's the Cheesegrater and the Gherkin

Ostinato's current home

Fireworks celebrating the Lord Mayor's Day in early November

Our favorite bridge - London Tower Bridge just outside St. Kats

Last Sail of the Season

Last sail of the season, Ipswich to London

It was fun returning to Ipswich.  The Harbour Master, Phillip and his crew at the Ipswich Haven Marina gave us a warm welcome back....and a slip close to the showers.  We also had a great evening with Ivor and Denise, members of the Orwell Yacht Club, which included a return to the OYC.  How nice to see the ABYC burgee hanging in the club.  Ivor and Denise will be visiting Shell Point and ABYC as a stop on their vacation to the States in November so we spent some time talking about the Forgotten Coast's  "must sees".  After reweaving the trampolines back in place, Bill took the opportunity to tour a bit of the East Coast, King did his magic on the engine and heating problems and I went to TK MAXX for some retail therapy.  It really works!  The new bikes made the multiple trips to Fox's chandlery, by all of us, a bit easier than our last visit when we hoofed the 2 miles each way.  Besides Bill attempting to wash his clothes in the marina dryer, everything went without a hitch.  Thankfully he hadn't added the detergent!  Claire has promised to do some retraining when he returns home.

Last May we waited forever in Ipswich for a southerly wind to blow us north to Scotland. Now, we couldn't buy a north wind. We finally settled on a light southerly wind and hoped to make the best of it to reach Stangate Creek in the River Medway.  Stangate Creek would be our overnight stop on the Thames before catching the next day's tide up to London.

Prop unwrapped - check, trampolines reattached - check, new circuit board installed on port diesel heater - check; fuel filters running clear and bad fuel off - check; port alternator repaired and starboard alternator on hold (the nice part of having a cat) - TBD/London;  books, charts, passports, and everything else that wasn't attached, off the floor and back where they live - check;  plastic twisty tie recovered from electric head; fuel and water tanks refilled, laundry, grocery shopping done and a night off to go to the movies.  All just in time to slip through a very tiny weather window.

Quiet anchorage in the River Orwell

As we waited in the Prince Phillip Lock, (yes, the same one that kept us captive last May) the lock keeper commented on how much better we were looking on our departure compared to our arrival.  I thanked him for noticing.  We motored down the river and anchored for the night across from the Suffolk Yacht Harbour so we could take advantage of the morning tide.  No one was up for being bounced about the boat again so it was with great relief the next morning that the weather forecast continued to show light winds,a tight beat but that would do.

A beautiful sail down the East coast

We had bitten in pretty hard with the anchor the night before so King, the resident worrier, was sure that we had attached ourselves to Davy Jones locker, or some such, but it came up without a hitch and we were off.  This time, we departed the harbour without reprimand from the Port Authority for straying into the big ship's channel. Always a good way to start the day.  Under sunny skies, the winds averaged 10k.  It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed a whopping good sail.  We certainly deserved one!





By the time we had reached Stangate Creek, the sun had given up the ghost.  As the thick, heavy clouds took over the sky, the temperature seemed to instantly drop ten degrees.  We were all happy the heaters were repaired. The plan was to have a leisurely, pancake breakfast kinda morning, departing as the tide changed around 10 a.m.  Oh how we love plans!  About 7 a.m., King decided we were close to being aground which would hamper things a bit for that 10 o'clock departure.  "Everyone up!  We have to move the boat."  After several futile attempts to find something beside mud to sink the anchor into, we cried "uncle" and began the trek up the Thames.......as slow as we could with a 4k tide at our back.  The locks at St. Katharine's would not open for another ten hours.  We were entertained during the long trip by watching the drama of several police boats, full of guys dressed all in black, following a large container ship going down river.  Several hours later, they passed us going the other way.  What can I say, it was a very slow entertainment day.  Next to the high crime drama, the highlight of the trip was going through the Thames Barrier with King and me "discussing"  which opening was our assigned "G".  We were both wrong.

Thames Tidal Barriers just down stream of Greenwich

Slipping through the barriers

The Tower Bridge means we've made it back!

Even the water taxis didn't stress us out this year as they zipped around us moving hordes of tourists up and down the Thames.  We were almost there.


Finally, we had arrived!  King kept Ostinato doing donuts in front of the Tower Bridge as we waited for our turn to enter the locks.

Just as we tied up in the lock, crew from Wings, Artemis, and Alchemy arrived to welcome us back to London.

Helen, Ginger, Sally, Al and Gus, all return cruisers from last winter

It's great to be back in London!









Bill has departed back to Florida.  His company was great....especially on the North Sea crossing. The morning before he left, the UK experienced 80 mhp winds across the continent.... I slept right through it.

Now the task of changing the boat from cruising mode to dock living will begin.  I look forward to using real wine glasses again, not worrying about filling the water tanks and getting satiated on concerts, theater and museums.  Can hardly wait!

THE END......

 Ha, ha!  Just kidding.  You guys already know I can't be quiet all winter.

St. Katharine's lock entrance

London Tower Bridge

A quick stroll through the Red Light District in Amsterdam

Floppy hood?  Fix it with a clothes pin.

ABYC Burgee displayed at the Orwich Yacht Club (10th from the right)

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