Deinze to Kortrijk

26 kms, I mobile bridge, 2 locks, 4.25 hours.

We were not intending to stop in Kortijk but yesterday we received a message on our mobile phone saying that we needed to register our Sim card in order to stay live, for security reasons. No problem with that, don’t want anyone thinking we are terrorists! So we decided to stop in Kortrijk today instead of going all the way through to Menen (just another 12 kms away) because our mobile service provider has a shop here. 

It was a warm start to the day, about 13 degrees when we left at 9.15, with some high clouds.  The Leie River in Belgium is not the most interesting waterway.  It is wide, quite pretty in places

and very industrial in others

With nothing else to photograph, I took some pics from the bow.  The white lumps that appear in some photos are the bikes on the bow

Here is a different view of the boat showing the solar panels and the iBoost router strapped to the Hook and Moor gadget and tied to the mast.

There is quite a lot of commercial traffic (we saw 18 commercial barges in 4 hours)

We have started taking note of the fancy cars the barge owners have, mostly BMWs and Audis, latest models

How can they see over the top of their cargo?

Oh,the whole bridge goes up and down!

And two huge locks.

140m long,16m wide

At the first lock, St Baafsvijver, we arrived just as a barge was exiting the lock and we were told to go straight, no waiting at all.

The second lock, Harelbeke, is undergoing major “renovations”.  Two years ago when we first passed this way we used the lock on the left (going upstream) which is now hidden behind miles of sheet metal pilings which form a coffer so they can work in the dry. 

At that time the lock we used today was under construction and what a pleasure it is with its smooth walls and metal lined rim so no chafe on lines and fenders.

We were held up here for half an hour, waiting for a commercial who was coming up behind us. 

As we came to the outskirts of Kortrijk splats of rain started to dance around us.  We had to lower the mast and take down the bimini in order to pass under the bridge at the entrance to the “passantehaven” (public marina), getting a thorough soaking, and as soon as we tied up the rain stopped.  Who do we blame – Murphy, or the half hour wait in the lock?

Moerbrugge to Deinze

40kms, 2 bridges, 5.5 hours

Soon after 9.00 this morning we left the dock and I called the bridge for service. Right away it started preparing and by 9.15 we were through the bridge and on our way.  It was rather cloudy and a bit cool in the wind but really not cold.  This stretch of the Canal from Ghent to Oostende is not our favourite piece of water, it is just rather boring.  The first hour is not too bad, quite pretty and narrow

although the tree surgeons have been taking vengeance on the trees alongside the canal and it is now rather bare. 

Now this is some chipper-shredder!

We passed the Beernem Yacht Club, pretty deserted at this time of year.

Ian spent some time sanding his boxes

We started to see some big commercial barges again.

Some empty and high out of the water

Some heavily laden, almost to the point of sinking!

And a bridge under construction.  We noticed the major work going on here last year but had no idea what they were doing, well, now we know.

After 3 hours we arrived at our turn off from the Canal Ghent-Oostende to the Afleidings Canal van de Leie (the canal that connects the Leie River to the Ghent –Oostende Canal).  This will eventually be part of the major canal between Paris and the Dutch seaport Terneuzen and there is a lot of work being done on the canal sides, so really not very beautiful.

Watery road signs:

From the Canal Ghent-Oostende to the Leie River

From the Leie River to the Kromme Leie  and Deinze

Over 5 hours after leaving Moerbrugge we turned into the Leie River, and 15 minutes later we called the Tolpoort bridge at Deinze, which opened promptly,

and were surprised to see not one single boat at the quay!  

This is a popular place to stop and it is the first time in 6 or 7 visits that we have been the only “residents”.  

Oudenburg to Moerbruggebrug

30 km, 2 locks, 13 mobile bridges, 5 hours

We left the mooring at Oudenburg at 9.00 this morning, under heavy clouds and drizzly rain. Fortunately the drizzle didn’t last long but there was a rather chilly breeze which brought out the woolly mits, beanies and scarves.  Today we only travelled 30 kms but it took 5 hours with a  plethora of mobile bridges (13 in all) and 2 locks.

First mobile bridge at Plassendale lock

We were delayed in the lock while the lockkeeper cleared some rubbish from behind the gates

The Ghent-Oostende Canal

Stalhille bridge

Nieuwege bridge

The outskirts of Bruges, lots of permanent moorings

 We stopped at Scheepsdalebrug on the outskirts of Bruges because there is a shopping complex just 3 blocks away with large chain stores such as Lidl, Aldi, Gamma, Hema, Zeeman, etc.  A few days ago Ian ripped a 20cm long slash across the front of his jacket and we have been looking for a new one since then.  We thought this complex would be the most likely place.  We also wanted to stock up on some of our favourite Belgian groceries before heading into France at the weekend. We didn’t find a jacket (wrong season!) but Ian did find engine oil at a really good price so we now have enough for the next two oil changes. With 10 litres of oil to carry we had to leave behind the boxes of wine; after unloading all our purchases on the boat I walked back to Lidl – to find it was closed.  Don’t know why, there was a scribbled note stuck to the door which I didn’t understand.  Hmmmph!

At 2.15 I called Kruispoortcentrale which controls all the nautical traffic around Bruges.  Between Shceepsdalebrug and Katelijnpoortbrug on the other side of Bruges there are 8 mobile bridges and a lock to negotiate and these are strictly controlled.  Normally pleasure boats go through in a convoy at a specific time (2.30 from Scheepsdalebrug) but today we were the only pleasure craft in transit so the controller opened the bridge straight away but said we may have to wait at some of the bridges for commercial traffic.

Scheepscale bridge - closed

and open

Krakele bridge

Waiting at Warande bridge

As we approached the third bridge, Warandebrug, the lights changed from red to red/green, we heard the warning bell ring, the booms to stop the traffic came down  - and nothing happened.  Then the lights changed back to red only, the booms opened, traffic started moving across the bridge again and we were left wondering what was going on.  20 minutes later we finally got through the bridge.  We presumed it had to do with a commercial barge and all was explained at the next bridge which opens into the lock – 2 huge commercial barges exited and slid passed allowing us to enter the lock.

Bridge before Dammepoort Lock

Bridge at the exit of Dammepoort Lock with a commercial waiting to enter

De Nieuw Papegaai Windmill

SintJanshuis windmill

Bonne Chere windmill

Kruispoort bridge and old city gates

Bluebells in the park alongside the canal

Gentpoort bridge and city gates

A very fancy mobile home!

Last bridge of the day - Steenbrugge bridge

By 4.45 we arrived at our destination, a long quay at Moerbruggebrug, half reserved for commercials and the rest for pleasure craft.  We tied up close to the division between the two, got the wifi working, marginally, and thought we were settled down for the night but 2 hours later a huge commercial loomed up behind us and edged closer and closer.  It was heading for the piece of quay right in front of us and when the huge slab of steel was sliding less than a metre by us Ian decided the best idea was to move astern and give him more room to manoeuvre.  So we moved about 20m back, and suddenly got a really strong wifi signal!

Tomorrow will be another longish day, 40 something kms, just 2 bridges and no locks.  Early night tonight! 

Oudenburg

We spent the day at the pontoon in Oudenberg so Ian could do some work.  He is making new storage boxes for the aft deck and needed to do a lot of drilling, etc, so this is the ideal spot with its free electricity.

There is an old man who visits all the boats offering to sell potatoes, eggs and anything else growing in his garden.  

The veggie vendor

Today he also had leeks. I bought 5 kg of potatoes (should keep us going for a while and saves me lugging them from the supermarket!) and half a dozen eggs free range laid today, which were not cheap but he gave me a discount because most of them were rather small.  I know I could have got cheaper in a supermarket but we do like to support the local entrepreneurs.

While Ian was working industriously on his boxes I walked into the town centre, about 20 minutes away.  I didn’t really need anything, apart from the exercise.  Between here and the town centre the path runs alongside a disused section of canal which is now a waterfowl paradise.   There were geese and coots and quite a few different duck species but I only recognised the mallards and the muscovies.

I really must find a book about the waterfowl in Belgium.

Apart from that? Just cleaning and cooking! 

Diksmuide to Oudenburg

36 km, 6 lift bridges, 1 lock, 5 hours

At last, the day to start cruising has arrived.  First thing Ian went off to Delva (a hardware store) to buy some last minute necessities while I made breakfast, then I did a quick dash to the supermarket -  for some last minute necessities.  Ian stored the bike on board, unhooked us from the electricity, we untied the mooring lines and off we went.

It was a truly glorious day, bright sunshine, the lightest of breezes and the chilly early morning (4C) had warmed up to 10C by the time we left at 10.30. 

What a beautiful day

Our first lift bridge - Tervatebrug 

Our favourite house

Bird life

Two hours later we stopped briefly at the WWV Westhoek marina in Nieuwpoort so Ian could go to the nearby Sint Joris lock to buy a cruising permit for 2017 (€75) and I made lunch.  

The Sint Joris lock leads into the Nieuwpoort-Plassendale Canal which has 5 lift bridges and boats are required to group together in convoys which form at the first bridge at specific times but the lock keeper told Ian that when there is very little movement on the canal they usually let the boats go through at any time.

So, after going through the lock, 

I called Plassendale Centrale and asked when we could pass through the first bridge. “Oh, ja” came the reply, “I’ll make it ready now”.  Before 13.30 we were through the first bridge.

The five lift bridges on the Nieuwpoort-Plassendale Canal:

Rattevallebrug

Slijpebrug

Leffingerbrug

Gistelbrug

Zandvoordebrug

And a few other sights along the way:

My favourite cow statue - on a roof

This roof doesn't look too healthy

Lucky kids

Love these tiny canalside cottages

By 16.00 we were tied up at the pontoon in Oudenburg which is free and also has free electricity and water. 

By this time the temp had risen to 21C, we had long since peeled off a good few layers of clothing, and opened all the opening windows and hatches.  But with the clear skies, as evening approaches it is getting cooler and I think we might just get the electric heater out tonight.

Dramatic sunset

Chicken on the Barbie tonight!

Ian tending the bbq and a glass of wine