15/08/26 Goes - Neeltje Jans anchorage
In order to keep Laurin in the Netherlands we need to "reset" our Temporary Admission "clock" in order to avoid permanently importing Laurin to the Netherlands and having to pay VAT. Very kindly the Dutch have implemented a system where we notify customs and then sail offshore to one of 2 navigation marks, take a selfie rounding it and then when we return send it to them along with a photo of our AIS track. They will then issue us with a "Temporary Import Porting Document" which is valid for another 18 months. We can do this for up to 10 years and then if we wish to stay we need to pay VAT on the current value of Laurin at that point. In reality this means we need to do the trip out to WP6 each year as we can never guarantee the weather late or early in the season to use the full 18 months.
Last year we went to Roompot Marina with our Dutch friends and took advantage of their free swimming pool (with slide and wave machine) the days either side of our trip out. This time, without Esme on board, none of us were bothered about the pool so we chose to save some money and try out the anchorage near Neeltje Jans. We had taken a look before when the kids were very young and didn't feel too great about it, but now having anchored much more when we were in the Med we were keen to take another look. The journey there was uneventful (except for the bacon and egg butties using the last of "almost real" bacon I'd bought in Belgium), with us needing to motor nearly all the way. It still amazes me that a whole bunch of traffic is held up to let little old us pass under bridges.
Once at the anchorage we were reassured to see a number of other boats with the same plan. It was not the prettiest of locations... rather more functional.... but it served a purpose and saved us some Euros.
It was quite a breezy evening but as we had been anchored since almost lunchtime (teaching AJ how to calculate the correct length of chain) we felt secure in our holding. I was most dismayed to find that my go to anchor alarm app when we were in the Med had been discontinued.... RIP Drag Queen! In the end I couldn't find a good solution without paying, and once I get my free access to Savvy Navvy it will include one, so we settled for dropping a pin on my Navionics boating app when we anchored and then recording our track for some reassurance.
We dozed and chilled out for most of the afternoon then had dinner and an earlyish night.
16/08/26 Neeltje Jans anchorage to Vlissingen via WP6
I was a little anxious as I'd emailed the Douane (customs) in advance about our trip out to WP6 but unlike last year, had no confirmation. Regardless, Patrick was keen to get the trip out of the way so we left at about 7am, ensuring our AIS was on and that our track was being stored on our Navionics app. Despite a lack of wind, it was a little more rocky and rolly than I anticipated but in the end was a pretty uneventful trip.
We managed to sail once we had rounded WP6 and as it was the first time we had sailed along the Dutch coast north of Vlissingen, it was interesting to see new scenery. We finished the day in the small yacht club after the first lock into the Middleberg canal and enjoyed showers and a beer in the clubhouse. Once back on board, we saw some English boats arriving so went to say hello. They had chartered out of Suffolk Yacht Harbour... part of our old stomping ground and it was their first time in the Netherlands. We joined them on their boat for a drink whilst they took advantage of our "local knowledge".
17/08/26 Vlissingen to Mosselplaat
Early in the morning I sent all the information needed to the Douane email address and then followed up with a phonecall. Luckily there are about 4 phone numbers on the automated reply so eventually (third try) I got to speak to a real person. The lady didn't know so much about the Temporary Admission so said she would ask her colleague to deal with it. We did a quick supermarket run for milk and bread and then got underway. The Middleberg canal seemed more like a motorway with a fleet of Belgian craft obviously on their way home for the end of the holidays. We stopped at Jos Boone in Middleberg to fill up with Diesel, before heading up to the Veerse Meer. We moored at Mosselplaat, imspired by our Dutch friends' mussel harvest from earlier in the trip and AJ and I set out with a bucket and boat hook. Once we had enough I set about cleaning them and putting them to soak in seawater ready for lunch the next day.
We had a lovely dinner of pasta with ratatouille whilst watching others enjoying the Veerse Meer. One particularly overcrowded small cruiser appeared to be demonstrating "incorrect trim" with her stern almost under water!
After a lazy morning we confirmed with Dutch customs that all was in order regarding our trip to WP6. Then smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for brunch and a discussion about plans for the day.... do we head back to the Grevelingenmere or stay on the Veerse Meer for another day. The thought of a possible mooring close to a take away so we could have chips with the mussels won over and we decided to stay on the Veerse Meer. We headed east through the sailing schools, marvelling at what a great area it must be to learn to sail. Kids were being taught in all manner of craft, but more importantly were on adventures to islands where they could catch crabs and have a picnic. Ploughing through "windsurfer alley" needed eyes everywhere and then disappointingly the jetty close to the take away was busy enough for us to give it a miss. We would have needed to raft up and it was pretty exposed and noisy. We all voted for heading inland and finding a quieter spot.
Arneplaat is a beautiful little island with a well protected little harbour. However it is only deep enough for us to moor up alongside the outer pontoon (but can use either side so we are still protected).
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