2026 Summer Cruise 05/08/26 - 09/08/26

 05/08/26 Blankenberge and snooker golf

Martijn had fit the new fuel pump the previous evening so initially was contemplating moving on to Vlissingen in the afternoon, however Laurin (and crew) don't do well in lumpy seas so we suggested waiting a day for a (slightly) smoother ride which left us with a day to explore Blankenberge which was a new port to all of us and one that the Laurin's had hoped to explore anyway. Google had found a unique "snooker mini golf" about 15 minutes away, there was a Carrefour in town too, and a water taxi across the port entrance which meant that we could do a circular walk and also look at the sea state in case we changed our minds and decided to move today. First up we went to pay the harbourmaster and then started our expedition only to hear a rather large crash and see people running towards a big crane. Very quickly it became apparent that the crash was nothing to do with the crane  and that there had been a serious car accident on the road below. Patrick (as our most qualified first aider) took off at speed to see if there was anything he could do whilst the rest of us followed. Apparently a car had been driving erratically, narrowly missed some cyclists and then hit the tramlines, flipped and landed on it's roof. Luckily the ambulance station was just down the road and so they were on site before Patrick got to the car. 

We continued on, identified an Aldi which we could use later without having to carry groceries from the Carrefour around all day, and very quickly found the snooker golf. Everyone was thirsty by then so we all had a drink at the nearby cafe before the teenagers had a round of snooker mini golf whilst the adults enjoyed a second drink in the shade.

We then headed back along a very windy seafront where we were grit blasted by sand, confirming our decision to stay in port was a good one. Patrick chose to walk up to the end of the breakwater to look at the entrance at low tide whilst the rest of us caught the ferry as a shortcut back to the boats. A quick trip to Aldi and then an early night ready for a 3:30am alarm call for an early start to catch the tide.

06/08/26 Blankenberge to Mosselplaat

We'd decided to go early morning to make the most of the day, allow Martijn time at Jos Boone in Middleberg as he wanted to buy some new navigation equipment, and to hopefully get us moored up on an island on the Veerse Meer not only because it is beautiful, but also to save some money as mooring on the islands there is free. After the fun and games 2 days before we lent AJ to Lynan to be an extra pair of experienced hands.... and because Lynan sails better and AJ prefers this. 

Martijn had all ready put a reef in Lynan but we hadn't done the same on Laurin as if it's windy we usually just sail with headsain and mzzen... although with hindsight a reefed main as well would have been helpful. Sailing without AJ was more challenging, although nothing we haven't done before. We needed to be more thoughtful about leaving the pontoon and fenders took longer to get in. Once out of the entrance channel the seas were really lumpy for Laurin and for the first hour we only managed about 4 knots and that was with probably a knot of tide to help us. Esme joined us on deck just before dawn.

Things improved somewhat once we were past Zeebrugge and we were rewarded by a lovely sunrise and we hoisted the main. 

Despite our best efforts we missed the 8:38 "blue wave" at Vlissingen  by about 2 minutes so moored up at the waiting pontoon for a bacon sandwich and a rest while Lynan motored on to Middleberge and Jos Boone. We finally caught them up about mid day, fuelled up at Jos Boone and then motored the rest of the way up the Middleberg canal to the Veerse Meer where we managed to find some space to moor on Mosselplaat island.

07/08/26 Mosselplaat to Zierikzee

A lazy pancake morning followed by another trip down the Veerse Meer, through the lock and under to the Zeelandbrug to beautiful Zierikzee. We had a lovely walk through the town to stock up on bread and milk and grab an ice cream before spending a pleasant evening on board.

08/08/2026 Zierikzee to Stampersplaat

An earlyish start to make the most of the tide but sadly no wind until we got through the Bruinisse Lock. Once we were through there was a little wind from behind so we took the opportunity to get our spinnaker out. Our original spinnaker for Laurin felt cumbersome compared with the small kite and pole on our old boat Vreny so before we went travelling we got an asymmetric kite made with the brief that we should be able to fly it as a cruising chute as well. It never really flew very well without the pole so it very rarely got used as it really needs three able hands to drop it. Now the kids are older we've been meaning to get it out for a play but never really had the right conditions for long enough for us to figure out our jury rigged setup. Today was a good day to try. Not sure if the symmetric would have been better but that was completely buried under the forepeak so the colourful sail that the kids designed came out to play and we enjoyed being able to keep up with Lynan for a change.

We finished the day with a well earned beer on one of our favourite islands - Stampersplaat.

09/08/26 Stampersplaat

A much needed lazy day on board. Read a book, did some jobs, had a little swim once the wind direction changed and there were not so many jellyfish to dodge. Reminded me why we love this place so much. Then we were rewarded in the evening by the wild horses coming to the little harbour we are moored in. Perfect!

In the evening we had a long awaited viewing of "Epic the musical" much to the girls' delight which AJ was forced to sit through as part of a deal made earlier in the year where he promised to watch it if Esme ate certain foods. We only managed half of it so will have to continue another day. We finished the day with a little stargazing at the beautiful dark night sky.

2026 Summer Cruise - 31/01/26 to 04/08/26

 
I've been a bit delinquent in blog writing and contact from an old friend who would love to see pictures of our travels has given me a gentle nudge..... so here goes. We have been on board lots since we brought Laurin over to the Netherlands.... perhaps I'll go back and post some pictures but for now I'll focus on this trip. 

As we had northerly winds forecast early in our trip we decided to make the most of them and head for Oostende with our Dutch friends. Although Martijn had been in the past, the rest of the family hadn't so we were looking forward to sharing one of our favourite places with them. Unfortunately this meant moving a little quicker at the start of our trip than was probably sensible. We cleared customs at the ferry port reasonably quickly, got to Laurin and unloaded the car. I then left the rest of the family to unpack and start to get her ready whilst I went shopping for groceries. There was very little room to move on Laurin once we'd loaded  all the food and drinks on board and it was baking hot so we ate ice creams and then started to tackle the carnage. Eventually things looked a little more ship shape and we agreed to meet the Dutch at Wolphaartsdijk the next day. 

01/08/26 Den Osse to Wolphaartsdijk

Day one didn't go exactly to plan..... all ready to go... kind of... and when we turned the key to start the engine all the electrics went dead.... both engine and domestic. Doh! We'd had the same problem at Easter and everything had sprung to life when I waggled the battery cable to our common negative switch in the engine bay. We'd got some new terminals and a new tool but chose "not to mess" with it during our trip at Spring half term as everything seemed to be working and we had guests on board. This now came back to bite us. This time no amount of wiggling the cables would get it started and there was a crazy amount of black powder on the switch so we got out the new tool and fit a new terminal. In less than an hour we were back in business and on our way. Next up, it was the Dutch's turn to have engine troubles but eventually they were on their way too and we both somehow managed to make it into the same lock at the entrance to the Verese Meer. At this point Martijn explained that Lynan didn't seem to want to idle. His engine was either in forwards, backwards, or stopped. Once we got into Wolphaartsdijk alongside the hugs and Radlers, we also brainstormed possible causes and solutions to the engine problem... and with some tinkering managed to increase the idle speed to something that kind of worked.

02/08/26 Wolphaartsdijk to Vlissingen

Onwards to one of our old favourite yacht clubs at the south entrance to the Middleburg canal. We had a bit of a nice sail on the Veerse Meer... even Esme got involved. It was a lovely day and it reminded me a little of 2 years earlier when we delivered Laurin to her new home in the Netherlands with our friends Steve and Dee on board. The Veerse Meer was one of the only bits of the Netherlands they got to see.

AJ did a great job of helming through locks and bridges and soon we were in Vlissingen. There had been changes at the club and they now used QR code based payment which was nice and easy. A quick restock of fresh food at Lidl and we were ready for the coastal trip down to Oostende the next day.

03/08/26 Vlissingen to Oostende

An early start to catch the tide and then a lovely trip down to Oostende. Not much wind so a lot of motoring but we did get a bit of a sail in towards the end. 

It was great to be back at the Royal North Sea Yacht Club and the kids were pleased to see Simon was still harbourmaster..... they still remember him feeding them sweets after their first North Sea Crossing on Laurin.

Sadly there was no space at the Royal North Sea Yacht Club for Dinner so after a rest for some, and a swim for the girls, we took a walk along the seafront to find another source of Moules!

04/08/26 Oostende to (unintended) Blankenberge

The following day we had time for pastries and a spot of shopping before a lunchtime departure which was supposed to be for Vlissingen... and perhaps catching the "blue wave" up to Middleburg. The Blue Wave is a scheduled convoy of boats through the bridges between Vlissingen and Middleburg which happens about every 2 hours.

Unfortunately we very quickly had a call from the Dutch to say their engine had given up completely! There was very little wind so they changed to their light headsail and made slow progress while we stood by and waited for Martijn to investigate. What he found was the low pressure fuel pump was leaking considerably. A number of phone calls later, Martijn had found out that North Sea Boating in Blankenberge (7 miles away) was the only place he could find a spare pump.... but it closed in just over an hour. We quickly took Lynan under tow whilst figuring out the rest of the plan. 

More phonecalls to a marina at Blankenberge and it was arranged that Martijn would pay for the pump and the harbourmaster would collect it for him. There was a hammerhead pontoon free which I could tow them on to. We discussed alternative plans for getting Lynan alongside the pontoon.... I was assuming we'd switch to an alongside tow at some point in or before the harbour entrance which would allow much better control in close quarters but Martijn hadn't done this before and preferred the idea of me towing him behind and doing a loop to pull him alongside the pontoon, where the harbourmaster would be waiting to catch lines. I was a bit concerned about not being able to control Lynan's speed but Patrick suggested Martijn could drag buckets if needed to help with this. With hindsight, choosing the right time to switch to an alongside tow would have been challenging and there really didn't feel as much space in the entrance channel as I'd thought. The  entrance was a little more "exciting" than I'd hoped as there was a lot of cross tide and I was ridiculously grateful for us oversizing our engine slightly when we refitted Laurin over 10 years ago. In the end I almost had to ferry glide us in complete with Lynan towed behind. luckily the breakwater sheltered us from the tide just before the channel got too narrow for the both of us but not before some locals gesticulated wildly causing me to second guess our approach. It soon became clear that there was a LOT of tide even once we approached the marina and so Patrick soon figured out that Martijn's plan for me to do a wide loop and pull him neatly to the hammerhead was clearly not going to work. I had to once again ferry glide us through the entrance and then kind of slingshot Lynan in getting her as close as possible before dropping the tow line. Luckily Martijn is an awesome sailor and managed to glide Lynan onto the hammerhead. A couple of pirouettes later and Laurin was tucked in in front of her. Big sighs of relief and hugs all round!

Summer Cruise 2024 31st July - 10th August: The Grevelingenmeer with our Dutch friends

 Wednesday 31/07/24 Goes to Mosselbanken (17Nm)

The Dutch were keen to get moving as they’d been in Goes since Saturday. There were limited bridge openings but the 1pm bridge looked like a good bet and would just about give us time to get up to the Grevelingenmeer, our favourite Dutch cruising ground. We still had work to do on the holding tank and to be honest also the headsail but that was less time critical. We also had to stock up with groceries and water, not forgetting having a last goodbye pastry breakfast with Steve and Dee. 

Martijn kindly gave Steve and Dee a lift to the station and then very quickly we were ready for off. The kids requested a crew swap so Jazz came with us while AJ took the opportunity to jump on Lynan. AJ got the better sail, partly because Lynan is faster but also because we were nursing our damaged headsail. 

After going through the Bruinisse Lock we pulled in to the big Bruinisse Marina to by chips and our weekly ticket for the Grevelingenmeer (Brilliant value at just over 25 Euros) so we could moor up on the islands. We then headed over to Mosselbanken to chill out and watch a lovely sunset.

Thursday 01/08/24: Mosselbanken to Stampersplaat (7Nm)

Another crew swap and another motor for Laurin with AJ delighted to be on the boat that actually sailed. At Stampersplaat we initially came alongside a beautiful Dutch Barge with a lovely family on board and rewarded their hospitality with a box of Lego that was now surplus to requirements on Laurin and taking up space. We then set to dropping our Genoa and starting the repair. I dug out my trusty speedy stitcher and the repair tape from Jos Boone and spent the next 2 or more hours sat in the sun repairing the UV strip on the sail. It was slow work but I did get faster with time and had lovely company not only from Monique and Martijn but also some of the other people moored on the island, particularly Katja who was a fountain of knowledge on Ooltgensplaat, but more of that later!

Once the sail was repaired we moved Laurin alongside Lynan who had found a spot next to the wall and enjoyed a chilled out evening.

Friday 02/08/24: Rest Day on Stampersplaat 

Nothing much to report for Friday other than Martijn turning on the engine to recharge batteries and noticing he had VERY little diesel in the tank. We scrabbled around and found a litre or so in the bottom of one of our jerry cans and he headed off to Brouwershaven to fill up, holding his breath and having all fingers and toes crossed! Patrick and I enjoyed a well earned rest day, whilst Esme and Jazz enjoyed watching the wild horses on the island. The paddle board was pumped up and the kids played. Bliss!

Saturday 03/08/24: Stampersplaat to Den Osse (3Nm)

We were quite keen to get to Den Osse as we’d met some people in a lock who’d said that the waiting list was now 1 to 2 years rather than the 5 years we were quoted last year. AJ yet again jumped ship but this time Laurin managed to get some sailing in… testing out my repair! Once there AJ very quickly borrowed one of the club Pico’s and enjoyed a very breezy sail.

On chatting with the Harbourmaster, we found out that the waiting list was indeed 1-2 years (which will suit us fine) but we need to apply to be members and put on the waiting list. The board then need to approve us! I figured it might be good to meet members of the board so that they could put a name to a face and as luck may have it, there was a pot luck supper that evening! The kids were a bit nervous to just rock up so Patrick and I went, taking our best English Lancashire Bomb cheese and leaving the kids to hang out with our Dutch friends. We very quickly made some new German friends but nobody seemed too sure about needing the board approval to join the waiting list. We eventually identified a member of the board and said hello but were left with the impression that approval was just a formality. 

Sunday 04/08/24: Den Osse, shopping and Jeanzz

Patrick, Esme and I got an earlyish start to borrow some bikes (way too big for me with scary backwards peddling brakes) to go get shopping at the Plus supermarket in nearby Scharendijke. I may have nearly run Esme over and did I say… I really dislike those bikes! Once back I did a bit more laundry, enjoyed a chill and shower, and then we all headed over to Jeanzz for dinner. We’d eaten here a couple of times last year and it didn’t disappoint. Awesome mussels, ribs and waffles for desert!

Monday 05/08/24: Den Osse to Haven West Repart (3Nm)

Esme’s Dyslexia Tutor, Sarah and her family were holidaying close by so we arranged to meet them at the South West Corner of the Grevelingenmeer. Patrick and I had spotted the stagings last year when we had driven to check out Helevetsluis as a potential home port and I had been intrigued by what seemed to be a kids playground in the water! The little harbour was VERY busy but Martijn spotted a 10m boat coming out of a tiny gap on the pontoon and suggested that I moor there and then he raft alongside. I did a first pass, trying to measure up and wasn’t sure… not helped by the the guy on the boat behind telling us there wasn’t enough space. With our port prop kick there was no escape route should it all go wrong so  I bottled it and then Martijn proved the point by putting the slightly bigger Lynan in the gap. He did have the decency to say that he only did it as his prop kick is the other way!

I went to explore the climbing area with E and Jazz and no sooner had we got there than Sarah text to say she’d arrived. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiding in the slight bit of shade we could get from some bushes next to the inland beach, chatting and watching the girls.

All too soon Sarah and family left us (it was really hot and it would have been really challenging getting their dog, Tilly across both boats to chill out on board). However we made plans to take them out for a sail later in the week. In the evening we all walked over to the North Sea Beach for a drink at the beach bar and to watch the sun set.

Tuesday 06/08/24 Haven West Repart to Archipel (6Nm)

A short sail to the lovely (and AJ’s favourite) islands of Archipel. Lots of chilling out, paddle boarding and swimming to get out of the heat.

Wednesday 07/08/24 Archipel to Bruinisse and a joy ride with the Bramhams (15Nm)

An earlyish start to get into the big marina at Bruinisse to make sure we got a place. We rafted up alongside Lynan and waited for the Bramhams (complete with dog Tilly). It was a bit of a mission to get her across Lynan and on to Laurin but once we were under way she loved being on board. 

That evening the girls played in the big paddling pool at the marina reliving their early childhood and we enjoyed take away pizza from the marina shop.

Thursday 08/08/24 Bruinisse to Goes (19Nm)

With heavy winds forecast for Friday and our Dutch friends needing to be back at work on Monday we decided to accompany them back to Goes in order to maximise our time together. Esme also wanted to go to the swimming pool at Goes with Jazz. We retraced our earlier steps (this time minus the crew swap) and enjoyed a pleasant sail back. The only slight concern was that Goes was very busy and there was no guarantee of a berth for us (meaning we might need to go to the marina in the centre rather than our favourite club where our friends would be). In the end they made space for us even thought it was quite “interesting” getting in.

Friday 09/08/24 and Saturday 10/08/24

A bit of boat shuffling, paddle boarding, swimming, games nights, shopping and jobs followed by a visit to the fairground which was enjoyed by some more than others!