Our first 4 days...

23 March

A long long day…and night…and day

Well, we didn’t start off too well by having a rather late night of wining and dining with our house sitters, Jeff and Nellie, from the Sunshine Coast in Australia, the night before we left.  We feel so comfortable leaving our home and cats in their care.  They are wonderful people and what pity they  live on the other side of the world!

So, to bed after midnight and up at 6.00 in the morning with an early flight to Lisbon.  There we had a long wait for our connection to Brussels, which turned out to be even longer as the departure was delayed, and we finally touched down at 00.15. We spent 5 or so hours hanging out in the airport, checking out the memorial wreaths laid earlier in the day to the victims of the terrorist attack at Brussels airport exactly a year ago, and having atrociously expensive coffees (only 1 each!) at Starbucks - €4.90 each.  Expensive, yes, but they were also the best coffees we had on this trip. (Price comparison for anyone who is interested: at McCafe in Lisbon airport - €2.30, and at an Italian bistro type place in Brussels airport they were €3.60 but half the size of Starbuck’s and not as good).  We took the 5.30 train from Brussels to Diksmuide and walked to our boat some 20 minutes from the station.  It took less than an hour to remove the 2 bicycles and large captain’s chair, which live outside on the aft deck, from the interior, dig out the bimini cover from the bowels of the cavernous saloon locker, and get it erected.  Then I walked to the supermarket to buy milk (so we could enjoy a much deserved coffee break).

Today seemed awfully long. We had a good few chores to get through, but intend having an early dinner, early to bed, and I’ll be up at 2am to watch the very first practice session of the first race of the currents F1 season.

24 March

Our yacht club, De Ijzervaarders, has a work weekend in the spring when each member is required to do an hour’s work sprucing up the club after the winter – and this just happens to be work weekend.  Ian did his turn pressure washing the pontoon in the morning. With the bikes commissioned I went to the supermarket twice to stock up on groceries and spent some time in the afternoon cleaning green winter crud off the deck. 

The weather has been glorious, if a little windy.  It is warmer than we expected reaching the mid teens by the afternoon (although early mornings are still a bit nippy at around 7C) and hardly a cloud in the sky. 

25^th March

Ooh, not such nice weather today.  Warm and sunny but with a biting, cold, gusting gale-force wind from the North.  Ian spent 2 hours doing more pressure washing of pontoons and continued cleaning the deck –with a toothbrush. No, not the whole deck, just the green cruddy bits, but there were an awful lot of them and it took 4 hours.  It was worth it though because it is shining clean again. At lunch time the club provided soup, barbecued sausage and fresh baguettes for the workers (and wives). Very welcome and a great opportunity to meet some of the members who we have not met before.

26^th March

Up early, way too early, 2 hours too early, to watch the first Formula 1 race of the year. After that more cleaning, sorting out, a visit to our friends at Buitenbeentje where we stayed last year when the boat was in the paint shed, a snooze in the afternoon, I read my book…. Basically a relaxing lazy day!  Tomorrow we start cruising!