We often sail South or West from our home port of Eastbourne, so for our late Autumn cruise, Hodge and I decided it to shake it up a bit and head East along the North coast of France and Belgium. Vlissingen in the Netherlands had been on our ‘list’ of places to sail to after I was set it as my passage planning exercise during our Offshore Yachtmaster examination many years ago. We’d always wanted to ‘close that circle’ and execute the passage, and now it was finally time.
Being October, finding a weather window was much like finding a needle in a haystack. Tough. And that was to be the ongoing story of the trip. Studying the various forecasts and synoptic charts the week before, it was looking like we would be able to get to the Netherlands with a favourable wind direction (if a little strong) but coming home would be our challenge. With this in mind our plan was to do one big leg to get as far along the coast as we could, then we would be able to hop our way home in small chunks whenever the weather would allow.
The wind was a strong south westerly at 20-25kts, and it looked like this would be maintained and then build over the coming days as a huge system and ‘named storm’ made its way across the Atlantic. Nonetheless we were confident we could make it work and decided to go for it. If needed, we could always leave Ruby May somewhere along the northern coast of Europe and bring her home at a later date.
We had a fantastic and uneventful 20hr passage from Eastbourne to Vlissingen. After heading towards Dover, we turned South crossing the TSS at its narrowest point and with a favourable tide we were able to shave miles and subsequently hours off the passage before continuing eastward. We settled into our home from home and our ‘boat life’ routines. Adventure and new ports were beckoning.
We’d opted to head for Vlissingen Michiel De Ruyter Marina, as it’s the most central marina in Vlissingen, has decent protection from the weather, and is close to the many bars and restaurants the town has to offer.
The entrance to the marina is narrow, and with a strong cross-tide and wind, coupled with fast Pilot boats darting in and out of a nearby entrance, the approach is not the easiest. Ruby May has a beam of 4m, the entrance is billed as being 6m, so there’s exactly 1m of wiggle room each side, which when you need to enter at an angle is not for the faint hearted.
We radioed the marina team, who duly lifted the two narrow foot bridges that cross the entrance, and cautiously made our approach. Hodge took us through with no drama, a disappointment to the watching crowd, I’m sure! We found our allocated berth and were delighted to learn that the marina ‘office’ is in the ‘bar’, so being very conscientious about admin we wasted no time and quickly went and checked in and arranged a visit from border force to also check into the Schengen, this was nothing to do with the lovely local beers and wines on offer of course.
The town of Vlissingen was a charm. Beautiful Nederland architecture surrounded the marina basin; well preserved and unique it was a silent and solid tribute this country’s maritime history. We paid a visit to the Museum which overlooks the marina and weren’t disappointed. The Museum was modern and engaging, with an audio guide and floor upon floor of artefacts and tales from the past. The focus being the story of Vlissingen and importantly of Michel de Ruyter, the namesake of the marina we were berthed in. We were very impressed.
Notably the museum had an entire room dedicated to the ‘Battle of the Medway’ or as they call it the ‘Raid on the Medway’. A piece of history with which both Hodge and I are very familiar, with it having taken place on the River Medway in Kent, UK where we spend much of our time as sailing instructors. There were many paintings and pictures of the Dutch naval fleet firing on and capturing our British Navy flag ship, the HMS Royal Charles. It was fascinating to see the propaganda in action and how proudly the story was told. Somewhat the opposite in the UK where this story is known by so few and was a significant embarrassment and hit to our military. Definitely not something that we teach in schools!
After a few days of exploring this magnificent town, we decided that with the wind howling along the north coast it would be best to turn our focus to exploring the canal network. Vlissingen is the starting point of the famous ‘Standing Mast Route’ or ‘Staande Mastroute’ as it’s known locally. From here it’s possible to traverse the canals and network of waterways through Netherlands and Belgium, covering 1,000km one can avoid the North Sea entirely and make passage to Amsterdam.
We’d researched the various options locally, and the first town in the canal system that caught our interest was Middleburg. At only 6nm from Vlissingen, Middleburg is the capital of Zealand (the province we were in) and is steeped in history. After further (incredibly confusing) research online we were led to believe that there would be a lock opening and a ‘blue wave’ at 1752. The Blue Wave is the local name for a coordinated lock and bridge opening that is available to pleasure craft, starting at Vlissingen, with bridges opening at pre-schedule intervals, the blue wave allows craft to make their way to Middleburg in a convoy whilst minimising disruption to road traffic. So, like excited children we made our way out of the Michiel du Ruyter marina and through the sea lock at Buitenhaven. There we perched ourselves on the waiting pontoon, before radioing the bridge master to confirm our intent. It was at this point that we realised the online confusion around the ‘blue wave’ was not constrained to ‘online’, with the bridge master informing us that the next Blue Wave was in fact at 2042. We double checked hopeful that there was a translation issue, but alas his English was of course perfect.
Opting for dinner and a glass of wine to bide the time, we sat on the deck as the light faded, watching the comings and goings of the busy port. Home to Damen Yachts, a super yacht brand, we marvelled at two of the beasts that were currently in fit out stage near the enormous boat sheds. Like mini cruise ships, these super yachts are a good option for any billionaire wanting to add to their collection of toys. We pondered at who might own them and what we would change about them if we were to buy one… of course when you’re picking out the detail on your hypothetical super yacht there is always a list of things you would and wouldn’t want, and would change, that’s just how it is.
At 2042 a loud alarm sounded disrupting the peace, barriers dropped down across the nearby road and slowly the bridge lifted, creaking under its own weight. We were the only boat in the ‘blue wave’, which was unsurprising given it was now darkness and the wind was blowing 20+ knots. We carefully made our way along the canal, with each bridge opening like magic in succession. Through the darkness we were able to pick out features ashore, the silhouettes of buildings and grassy banks littered with sheep. It felt like a true adventure. We had called Middleburg marina earlier in the day, and had been allocated an alongside berth on the waiting pontoon, which was a prime location and was kindly being offered for the duration of our stay, as it was out of season.
Making our way through the final bridge and rounding the corner at Middleburg to enter the marina area, we were stunned by the sheer beauty of where we’d arrived. Think Amsterdam, but without all the people and ‘goings on’. It was a delight, a feast for the eyes. Beautiful, cobbled streets met us, and twinkling warm street lighting glowed, like something from the Dickensian era. It was beautiful.
In the morning as we slid the hatch open to take in the world around us, another ‘wow’ was uttered by each of us in turn, as we saw Middleburg in day light for the first time. It was time to explore.
The beautiful town of Middleburg dates to the 8th century and is home to 50,000 people. It is steeped in history, which is reflected in the stunning traditional architecture. Centred around the beautiful canal system, Middleburg has a bustling market (where we were thrilled to find truffle infused cheese) a stunning gothic church, the Lange Jan tower, which complete with 200+ steps rewards the visitor with a breath taking view of the area. We took on the challenge of the steps one morning and from the top of the tower we could see the long straight canal which we had taken days before under the cloak of darkness from Vlissingen, it was a fantastic sight.
We enjoyed our few days in Middleburg, in-land and off the beaten track. It was surreal to be in-land with Ruby May like this, her white hull and tall mast stood out amongst the quaint flower-adorned bridges, used to coastal sailing and oceans it felt she was having a holiday of her own. We were keen to see a little more of the in-land water ways and so opted to move further into the canal system. After a fantastic stay, we slowly made our way out of Middleburg, traversing the main ‘Standing Mast Route’ once more, we stopped next at the most incredible town of Veere. Veere is just 3.5 miles from Middleburg and is perched on edge of the stunning Lake Veere. In season, I believe it is packed with tourists and day trippers, who flock here for the water sports and beautiful scattering of islands that the lake has to offer, but for us visiting out of season we secured a prime position at the quayside marina. Arriving at night fall, with the strong seasonal winds testing our skills, we tied Ruby May up to our pre-allocated berth and ventured up the steps.
We were met by buildings dating back to the 12th century, all unique and charming, some tall and some short, their doors were solid and wooden, their windows all different sizes and the cobbled street at their feet and antiquated street lighting set the scene. You could image the history of this small village, the horses and carriages that must have clattered along the cobbles. It was an honour to visit. We took an exploratory walk around the village, completing it in under 20 minutes. What an incredible place, and how lucky we were. Every street had stories to tell, and every building kept secrets from centuries gone-by.
Heading for ‘the oldest Inn in the Netherlands’ we were delighted to be met by a well-dressed host, who allowed us in for a drink. He was managing a very smart, but not very busy (due to seasonality and weather) high-end restaurant. We felt somewhat underdressed, so kept ourselves to ourselves, sitting quietly in the most stunning round room with huge beams and all sorts of artefacts dotted around. It was in this very room that William of Orange held his wedding breakfast, such was the grandiosity. And for this ‘pub’ visit alone, we were pleased to have made the trip.
Our stop in Veere was just for a couple of nights. The weather windows along the coast were few and far between and we had plans to visit a few ports along the Belgian and French coast before heading back to the UK. So before long it was time to slip lines and head out of the wonderful in-land waterways and make our way back to the coast.
Click here to read the next leg of this adventure where start our coastal ‘hop’ home, sailing from the Netherlands to Belgium, visiting the fabulous ports of Zebrugge, Oostende and Niuewpoort, with a quick trip into Bruges.
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