Port Zelande
Monday 29th June
We woke early and took our time getting ready as there was no rush to leave as our journey to Port Zelande would only take us about 3.5 hours. We slipped our lines and left the marina and within a few minutes were under full sail doing a very pleasant 5 knots. As the wind picked up and changed direction, we tacked a few times and then, as it got a bit gusty, we reduced the amount of sail we had out, more for our comfort and ability to see around us than anything. We had a number of shallow areas to avoid, so kept to the buoyage as much as possible.
Today there were many sailing boats out on the water and we enjoyed keeping up with those going our way. Before we knew it, we had arrived at our destination and were tying up to seek out the harbour master for his berthing instructions. Chris returned from the harbour master to say that we could stay where we were for the night, so we moved the boat along the pontoon and got her settled. After lunch, we took a walk to explore and crossed the main road to wander along the dam (Brouwersdam) and the soft sand by the sea. As to be expected, there was a cool breeze blowing. Well this was the North Sea, after all and by looking at the sand dunes there, it could have been Caister or anywhere on the Norfolk coast. We found a cafe for a coffee and sat watching the children play, just like at home, with their buckets and spades and kites. Somewhere along here, according to the posters, you can go kitesurfing and sand buggying, but we didn’t see any out. On our walk back we spotted the signs for Centerparcs, Port Zelande, but we couldn’t see their dome. However, once back on the boat we could see and hear some sort of party going on from the Centerparcs lodges, which went on well into the late evening.
We had problems connecting to the electricity, so Chris went off to find the harbour master to sort it out and eventually we were plugged in and had power. Carole cooked dinner while Chris sorted out some work matters. After washing up, we watched a programme Chris had downloaded before turning in for the night.