Moerbruggebrug to Dendermonde Lock

No blog last night because yesterday was a long day - almost 11 hours underway.  We didn't intend it to be that way.  We set off from Moerbrugge brug at 9.30 heading for  mooring on the outskirts of Ghent just before the lock into the Schelde River which is tidal.  You have to choose your time of passage when travelling up or down the Schelde to coincide with either the rising or falling tide depending in which direction you are travelling.  We needed to go through the lock at Ghent about an hour after high tide to travel down the Schelde River on the falling tide to the Dender, which we expected to do today.

By 3.00 in the afternoon we had arrived at our intended overnight stop but did a quick side trip into Ghent to buy fresh milk and bread.  By 4.00 we were on the way back to our overnight spot and Ian suggested I phone the lock to find out what time we had to go through the lock, thinking it would be early in the morning.  Well, it was too early in the morning, before the locks opened, and the next time was 5.30 in the afternoon, meaning we would arrive at the Dendermonde Lock after dark.

But we were still in time to make it that same day so we just kept going through Marelbeke Lock at Ghent, arrived at the Dendermonde Lock at 7.30 and found a place to stop just 2 km after the lock just as it was getting dark.

And here is the day in photos.

Our mooring at Moerbruggebrug

 Taking a walk before we left the mooring we found this huge mushroom, the size of a football!

 The open lock at Beernem.  This is a "keersluis" used to control the water in times of flood.

 This is a busy canal, lots of big barges:

Double trouble - a barge pushing a barge.

 And another one

Very heavily laden

Two barges coming towards us, one trying to overtake the other, on a bend.  Little did he know there was another big barge just behind us!  They must have missed each other by inches and caused the barge being overtaken to swerve dramatically towards the canal side. 

No cargo at all, almost surfing

Going down river on the falling tide

The lock at Dendermonde

Ian operating the mid-ships hook system in the lock

Mr Friendly Lockkeeper opened his window for a chat

Our mooring in the middle of nowhere.

Flandria to Moerbruggebrug

Laundry day today, one load of whites (mostly sheets) in the club washing machine and a few black/navy items that I did by hand.  When that was all done we filled up with water and then I intended to go for a walk into town.  I love Bruges, one of my favourite cities.  I started off with a bit of a dickie hip and after about 100m I knew I could go no further and hobbled back to the boat.  Gee, but it's tough getting old and decrepit!

Instead a took a few photos:

Njord in a line of boats

One of our neighbours must be into Zen or Buddhism

Ian found a friend

She got even more friendly

We have a visitor on the boat

Exploring

Exploring even further

We watched the Grand Prix and set off at 3.30 for somewhere down the canal with a free mooring, not quite sure where.  At Steenbruggeburg I phoned to ask for passage through and got a torrent of very fast Flaams that I did not understand apart from the word "niet!", meaning we couldn't do something.  Maybe the bridge was no operated on Sundays.  We tied up to the bank and went to chat to a boat moored just behind us.  They said the bridge was operating but they had already been waiting for over an hour.  While we were talking a huge commercial barge appeared on the other side of the bridge - aha, this is what we had been waiting for.  As the huge barge passed us poor little Njord was sucked into the propeller wash but we stayed on the bank, held tight to the lines, and came to no harm.  There was a pleasure cruiser following the barge through the bridge which was thrown around all over the place.

Once through the bridge, about a km further on, we passed this flotilla of some 20 boats from Flandira Yacht Club return after a weekend in Ghent.

Just before Moerbruggebrug we stopped at a free mooring which we remembered from previous trips up and down this canal. 

So peaceful

A B&B should you not want to stay on board.

Ian chilling

Scheepsdalebrug to Flandria Yacht Club, Bruges

After a quick trip to to Lidl at 8.30, to stock up on our favourite wine, I called the bridge keeper for information about passing through the 7 bridges around Bruges.  The book tells you that this must be done in convoy but there were no other boats waiting for passage at that time.  The bridge keeper was very friendly, as usual, and said we could go through right away.  So we had to hop to it, get the boat ready, fire up the engine and shake off the lines.  Shortly after 9.00 we had already gone through Scheepsdalebrug and as we approached Krakelbrug it was already being prepared for us.  But at Warandebrug there was no sign of preparation and we had to stop.  I called the bridge keeper to ask if we must tie up and wait and he explained that they were discussing it,  there was a convoy of boats coming in the opposite direction and they were deciding where to hold us while the convoy passed.  They let us through Warandebrug and held us in the Handelskom ( the old commercial dock area) which is lovely

just before the Kanaal Brugge-sluis, which is an enormous lock.  

We were the only boat going up river and it takes an age to pump in enough water to change the level - we felt a little guilty!

At the double Kruispoort bridges we had to wait for a huge commercial container barge to come through - just inches to spare and he didn't even touch sides!

This is a lovely stretch of water around Bruges with windmills

centuries' old city gates

 and towers

You may have noticed from the photos that the weather had not exactly been summery.  We have had a mixture of sun and showers ever since we arrived, but the temperature has been pleasantly cool.  The coldest has been 12 degrees in the early morning, but always warming to about 19 C by the end of the afternoon.  It is quite squally weather with sunshine and calm replaced by wind and rain in quick succession.  Seeing we arrived here in sandals, shorts and sleeveless tops from the hot summer in the Azores we have been very happy to find autumn well under way.

We have been surprised at how empty the canals are.  We expected still to find a lot of boats in use as the summer draws to an end but we have encountered fewer boats in September than we did in May.

So here we are at Flandria Yacht Club, such friendly people who remembered us from our stay here in May.  It costs €15 per night with free electricty and water and there is a washing machine and drier, which I will use tomorrow.

Jabbeke to Scheepsdalebrug

Just a short trip

Slow, slow start today, I only got up a little before 9.00 - goodness gracious me, what is happening to me!  I took a walk in the morning looking for a shop to buy bread, but didn't find one.  I did find this rather charming row of cottages.

At 11.30 we set off for Bruges, or the outskirts of Bruges I should say.  Tomorrow we want to moor in Flandria Yacht Club where we spent some time in the spring.  Lovely place, free wi-fi, and we want to watch the F1 Monza Grand Prix, qualifying tomorrow afternoon and the race on Sunday.  Of course we will have to pay to stay there overnight (€15), so we elected to stay at another free spot tonight.

On the way we passed my three favourite bridges.  Yes, I must admit I am a bit anorak-ish about bridges and locks - must have been an engineer in a previous life - or maybe it's just my father's genes coming through - he was an engineer.

So here are pics of my three favourite bridges.

Lift bridge at Stalhille (not much sun this morning!)

Swing bridge at Nieuwege

Cantilever bridge at Scheepsdale
Bridge closed

Bridge open ( the sun did come out from time to time!)

And here we are , moored in the shadow of that amazing bridge.

We discovered that that there is a large shopping complex about 500m from this mooring with an Aldi, Lidl, Colruyt, Kruitvard, Hema, a DIT store and various discount clothing and shoe shops and a lot else beside.

We made one trip to Aldi, the first shop we discovered, but the wine we particularly like is at Lidl so I went on a second shopping spree while Ian did some work in the boat (i.e. sorting out his electronics cupboard), which is when I discovered the big shopping centre.  Good thing there was only one pair of arms/legs to carry or else we would have spent a whole lot more money!  But we might just go back tomorrow.

Nieuwpoort to Jabbeke

On our way at last

Yesterday afternoon we moved the boat from the far end of the marina, where she lay out of the way of all the comings and goings of the passing cruisers at the height of summer, to the visitors' mooring right in front of the clubhouse.  We went into the bar to have a drink - and get the free wi-fi code. Spent an hour there doing emails then went back to the boat and found we could still pick up the free wi-fi there.  Great!
We spent the evening surfing, and mainly finding out how to up load more data Mbs to the SIM card we bought at the airport.
At 9.30 this morning we left Westhoek marina and joined the small flotilla of boats waiting to traverse the Nieuwpoort-Plaasendale canal.  There are 5 low mobile bridges in a short space (about 16 km) and a mobile bridge keeper (he travels alongside the flotilla in his car/scooter) who operates each one.  So there are specific opening times and all boats wishing to use the canal must form up and go through all at the same time.
When we passed this way in the early summer we say huge hook-like things alongside the canal and could not imagine what they were for.  Now we know - enormous hanging baskets of flowers.

Each bridge was also festooned with flowers

Couldn't resist this one - advertising a deep freeze and freeze dried business, don't know any more than that!

At Plassendale we passed through a lock that was built in the 17th century and is now a national monument.

We stopped at 1.30 at a free mooring at a tiny village called Jabbeke.  It consists of 2 restaurants, a B&B and a scattering of private homes.  Just lovely.

It has rained on and off throughout the day but in between the showers it was very pleasant. There was a bit of a breeze in the afternoon but that has died away completely leaving us with these lovely reflections.

Having left our boat in the care of Westhoek Marina these are our thoughts about it:  after 3 months we found our boat in good condition, secure, no problems with that.  But the overall impression is a somewhat soulless place, more a business enterprise than a clubby feeling, although the people running the bar try hard to make you feel welcome.  The price of a mooring for the summer months was reasonable; for our 9m boat it was €150/month, €135 in June.  But our biggest problem is that the harbour master is hardly ever there seeing he spreads his time between two marinas.  Also,  you get a "key" to operate showers, washing machine, water and electricity, for which you pay a deposit plus a certain amount to cover your usage.  But you have no idea how much you are using and it can come as a shock when you take the key back at the end of your stay.  In retrospect, if not staying on board, Westhoek Marina is fine, but if you are staying on board rather go to VVW Westhoek on the other side of the Jorissluis, which is a little more expensive but offers a whole lot more, including free wi-fi throughout the marina, a very friendly harbour master who is always there, and a fine restaurant.

2nd September

Still in Nieuwpoort preparing to leave

I slept like  a dormant volcano last night, didn't even roll over I don't think, and only woke at 8.15!  No milk for the meusli and no bread, so no breakfast.  We went off to the supermarket fairly early on our bikes, filled the panniers and a small back pack with essentials for today and came home to have peanut butter sandwiches with fresh whole wheat bread.

I did a second run to get perishable supplies for the next couple of days seeing we want to head off to Bruges tomorrow and will stop at a free mooring on the way which has no shops nearby. And, just to copy Jaqui, this is what I fitted into my panniers plus the small backpack  - one bicycle load in other words.

Note the fresh Brussel sprouts and carrots, chicken and sausages, milk and water, crackers(2different kinds), bacon lardons, eggs, cheese baguette and dish washing soap.

In the afternoon Ian did a third supermarket run for booze!

The Lycamobile SIM cards that we ordered on line have not arrived. They were data cards for internet use but, fortunately, while we were at the airport in Brussels we bought a Base mobile phone card which includes 500 Mb of data and we can continue to top that up.  It's  not the cheapest way to get on line but at least we are in contact with the world.

Ian did a maintenance check on the engine, all absolutely fine, and then we moved from our long term berth about 1km from the club house to the visitor's mooring right next to the showers, bar, etc.  We went into the bar and had a drink this evening, very reasonable prices, and lovely hosts.

Barbie chicken and veggies tonight -  yay, my favourite!

More pictures tomorrow - promise!

1st September

Back on board Njord in Nieuwpoort 

Oh, it's so good to be back.  It took 3 flights, a 3 hour train ride, a 40 minute tram ride and a 3 km walk carrying all our luggage, because we couldn't find a taxi. 

The food on TAP has not improved at all, not even on international flights, it has got worse and now it is not only a disgrace but an embarrassment.  I found it positively nauseating, and could not eat it at all.  On top of that there was an announcement that the alcohol was limited.  No problem with that but it turned out to be limited to nothing at all.  We were in the 4th row to be served and there was no beer or wine and it could not have possibly run out in 3 rows!  Sorry about the rant but I cannot imagine what tourists travelling to Portugal must think, what an advertisement for the country!

However, there was an up side - the seats are bigger and even Ian had enough leg room!

We arrived at Lisbon airport from Terceira at midnight and our flight to Brussels was at 7.00 in the morning so we didn't bother with a hotel.  We found very comfortable sofas where we could stretch out right opposite the FNAC store, and managed to sleep a little.

The train ride took an hour longer than expected due to a misunderstanding between us and the train conductor, and bad signage in the station at the airport.  There was a lovely girl who helped us work out what train to catch, and get the tickets, but when we got to the platform with 10 minutes to spare before our train was due to depart, there was already a train waiting at the platform and the overhead LED display said it stopped at a town half way between Brussels and our destination, Oostende.  Eventually we found the train conductor and said we were travelling to Oostende is this the right train.  Well, he said, you take this train to the next station then get off and get another train to Oostende, or wait 15 minutes for next train.  With all our luggage we did not feel like changing trains and platforms so opted to wait 15 minutes.  However, consulting the train timetable there was no train in 15 minutes time!  So I went back to speak to the helpful lady.  That was the train, she said, the next one is in an hour!  An hour later we boarded the train, that again said it was going to Kortrijk just half way to out destination.  As the  train pulled out of the station the conductor appeared.  Is this train going to Oostende, we asked as we presented out tickets.  Yes, he said, but if you get off at the next stop there is another train that will get you to Oostende much quicker, only 2 hours instead of 3.  But you must change platforms from and there is only 5 minutes till it leaves.  I guess the conductor from the first train was just trying to be helpful but didn't give us all the facts!

The last stage by foot was not so pleasant either but at least we had a lot less luggage this time (compared to when we arrived in the spring!).  We had 2 computer bags, one small piece of hand luggage, one suitcase with wheels, and worst of all, one 15 kg package with no wheels or proper handle.  That last item contained a length of black reinforced exhaust which we will need when the boat comes out of the water next month. Ian carried the unwieldy package and I pulled the suitcase. But it was not so good for my arthritic old hips and Ian's hands were a sorry sight by the time we reached the boat.

We found Njord in good condition, if somewhat grubby on deck.  A few of the patches on the deck that Ian spent so many hours grinding out and priming during our last cruise, but didn't have time to paint with top coat, are showing signs of rust again unfortunately, so I guess there'll be more grinding and painting on this trip.  The boat is perfectly dry inside and no smell of damp at all.

Fortunately we had left some booze on board and enough items in the store cupboard to rustle up a tasty spaghetti bolognaise so we didn't have to rush off to the grocery store (good thing too seeing we arrived at about 7pm and the supermarket closes at 6.  I had not realised how tired and stressed I was from the last 2 months of work until I sat down with a glass of wine (or 2), kicked back and let all the trouble and strife drift away. 

Wow, it's good to be back on our floating home.