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

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!