4th June
We had a relatively late start to the day and after showers and breakfast we headed off to explore the town. A ten minute walk brought us into a bustling town centre and market day. We didn’t have a long shopping list, but Chris was keen to investigate further whether he could buy data for his electronic devices for times when we wouldn’t have access to wi-fi. Unfortunately, despite visits to all the likely shops, no one was able to help, as you have to have a local card and address to buy what was on offer. Note to future travellers to Holland – data here is also much more expensive than at home in the U.K.
We wandered round the market and enjoyed looking and smelling all the different sights and sounds of a Dutch market. There were many food stalls, selling everything from fish, raw and cooked, to sweet creations similar to donuts. On this occasion we didn’t give in to temptation, apart from a small bag of very hot chips which we nibbled at on our way back to the boat. We bought some bread from one of the many bakers and were amazed at the size some of the loaves are – we reckoned a good kilo, at least. There were also several cheese stalls selling wheels of the locally produced cheeses, samples of which were freely available. Nice – but not Cheddar!
Once back at the boat, we had some lunch, following which Carole did another bagful of laundry while Chris was engrossed with some work problems. The free Zeeland wi-fi was not helping matters as it was not constant.
The day had turned out to be lovely and warm, so we decided to treat ourselves to dinner out at the Yacht Club bar and restaurant. We opted for the 3-course special, which was very good but far too big for both of us. We were stuffed and the plates were far from empty, so we resolved to stick to one or two courses when we go out again. A gentle stroll along the canal path was needed before turning in for the night. This was the first night we didn’t need either a hot water bottle or fire on in the boat and we slept well.
5th June
It was another bright start to the day and we breakfasted and showered and decided that we would be moving on to Mosselplaat today. Mosselplaat is a small island in the Veersemer with a few free pontoons for boats to stay on away from the towns. The only facilities here are a chemical loo and rubbish bin, and a few trees. Before departure we just had to get some more milk and some meat for dinner, which Chris was hoping would be a barbecue. All we had to do was find a supermarket, which so far we hadn’t found. We were just heading out when Chris took a work call and had to return to the boat to sort something out.
Carole sought the assistance of the harbour master who confidently advised to go straight to the end of this road and turn right. Easy – he said. Well the supermarket was found – eventually – and shopping bought, but it took further advice from several local people and quite a lot of walking … and the temperature was climbing rapidly towards the mid 20’s. Chris had finished his work, washed the decks down and filled the water tanks before Carole returned. We then decided we would depart at the next bridge lift and somehow we managed to get organised just as the bells sounded to close the bridge for the lift.
We motored out but soon were able to put the front sail up and shut the engine off for a very pleasant, if short sail to the lock. We approached the lock at just the right time as it had just opened to let some other boats through and without stopping we had a green light to enter. This lock had granite rock walls and enough mooring bollards in the wall to put our ropes on. Within about 10 minutes we were out the other side. We motored past Veere and came in close to one of the pontoons at Mosselplaat. There were already three boats on the outside pontoon, but following a discussion with one of the people already there, we ascertained that there should just be enough water for us on the inside of the pontoon. And there was and two friendly pairs of hands also took our lines to get us tied up. The boats instruments were reading zero depth so very tight for us scraping the keel on the sandy bottom. Chris had managed to turn off the depth alarms before we left Middelburg as we knew that this was going to be very shallow.
There were two ladies, one Belgian and one German, both in their swimming costumes and Carole enquired if they had swum yet and was told yes – very refreshing. The boat’s instruments advised a sea temperature of 18 degrees. No problem – this was 18 degrees in the very warm sunshine. Five minutes later Carole was suitably attired and down the ladder for her first swim in the sea of the season and yes, it was very refreshing.
We took a walk to check out the signs on the island, which gave Carole a chance to dry off in the sunshine. When we returned to the boat Carole jumped in again and this time it didn’t feel so cold. Chris still couldn’t be coaxed. He is waiting for the temperature to reach 30 degrees. Well you never know.
We had a cuppa and were discussing what to cook on the barbecue when we noticed that the wind had completely changed direction and the sky was rapidly darkening. We could also hear distant rumbling and the temperature was cooling quickly. Within minutes a storm was approaching and before long the heavens opened, which put paid to the barbecue.
In its place Carole cooked an equally tasty pasta dish, which went down well. We then settled down for a quiet evening of reading and cards before bed.