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”.