Following a break of one week consisting of work, football and sightseeing, we embarked on the final leg through the Noordzeekanaal to IJmuiden. Quite boring really but luckily the weather cooperated. The days before had been horrendous with horizontal rain and strong winds....
So we motored out of Amsterdam and successfully negotiated the locks heading out into the North Sea at IJmuiden. But no more sailing at sea for Struana this time, which was just as well as the weather deteriorated rapidly, from grey to rain + wind, and lots of it. It was tough to moor neatly but moor we did and there we were, in the homeport for Struana for a while. Home away from home, with her true homeport remaining Aberdeen, of course!
Struana was made ready for some time by herself and we all left by bus and fast ferry back to Amsterdam to catch the overnight train back to Zurich.
Distance: 12 Nm
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Volendam to Amsterdam (Sixhaven)
The Friday brought end of vacation blues, not helped by a strong south westerly wind which meant a short hop on the engine into het IJ, which is the main waterway through Amsterdam.
We wanted to arrive early -midday- to ensure a space in the small, very conveniently located, Sixhaven, opposite Amsterdam Central Station. This we achieved and Struana was safely moored in her home for the following week. Some more bitterballen, biertjes and relaxation followed.
During the week Frederik would go to football camp and Maria and Sofia would be able to see some sights, with the final leg of the journey - to IJmuiden on the North Sea coast - to be completed the following weekend.
But not before a mini family reunion ....
Distance 10 Nm
We wanted to arrive early -midday- to ensure a space in the small, very conveniently located, Sixhaven, opposite Amsterdam Central Station. This we achieved and Struana was safely moored in her home for the following week. Some more bitterballen, biertjes and relaxation followed.
During the week Frederik would go to football camp and Maria and Sofia would be able to see some sights, with the final leg of the journey - to IJmuiden on the North Sea coast - to be completed the following weekend.
But not before a mini family reunion ....
Distance 10 Nm
Den Helder to Volendam
A break from sailing on Wednesday to allow for some resting, the consumption of kroketten, bitterballen and heineken and a visit to the various museums, in particular the display of a submarine, was followed by the continuation of the journey on Thursday.
On a tide flowing into the Waddenzee we headed towards Den Oever where we left the salty waters and entered the fresh IJsselmeer. Mooring and other manoeuvres were getting better, and we happily continued our sail into the IJsselmeer towards Enkhuizen on the full main and no 3 genoa. It was a very pleasant close reach into a southerly force 4.
Little to report otherwise except to say that following the locks at Enkhuizen, some fatigue began to set in and hence we motored the remaining 12 miles to Volendam.
Distance: 38 Nm
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On a tide flowing into the Waddenzee we headed towards Den Oever where we left the salty waters and entered the fresh IJsselmeer. Mooring and other manoeuvres were getting better, and we happily continued our sail into the IJsselmeer towards Enkhuizen on the full main and no 3 genoa. It was a very pleasant close reach into a southerly force 4.
Little to report otherwise except to say that following the locks at Enkhuizen, some fatigue began to set in and hence we motored the remaining 12 miles to Volendam.
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Cuxhaven to Den Helder
On Sunday night and Monday morning the weather reports came through with more encouraging forecasts, changing their tune from north westerly 6's occasionally 7 to variable 3 or 4. So we decided to head out at around 15:00 on Monday to catch the last hour of tide coming in to be followed by a nice sweep out of the Elbe, albeit still with strong headwinds at first.
We crossed the shipping lane to follow the proper right hand side of the lane and worked our way out of the Elbe into the 2 to 3 metre swell which had had the chance to build over the last 4 days. It wasn't so nice. But even this stretch inevitably came to an end and as we mingled with the various ships anchored offshore, we hoisted the full main (still in anticipation of a dying wind, which was still close to 6), selected a quiet moment in the traffic and headed due south for about a mile to cross the shipping lane again. The No 3 genoa also went up and as we cleared all traffic we headed west to south west for the 150 mile stretch or so around the top of the Friesian islands. With the engine relieved of its duties - at last - things started to quieten down.
As the night fell, the sailing was yet again glorious. However, the wind was dying and, as the night progressed and as windy as it had been previously, calm descended upon us. We left it for what is was for a while while the speed slowly dropped to 0, but with the residual swell, it soon became uncomfortable with the sails doing little but make a lot of noise, slamming from side to side. So the engine came back on and as dawn came on Tuesday we found ourselves in the midst of a mirror like sea.
This continued into Tuesday but luckily the wind did come back, just off Schiermonnikoog, and we continued sailing. Peace again....
Some other events of note were the sighting of seals poking their heads out and taking a look around and the visit of a Dutch customs launch to check our papers, in the afternoon. The palavre of getting Struana properly registered paid off handsomely, it was a brief visit indeed.
And then as night fell again, and on a high tide, we made it passed Texel to set course for our final destination, Den Helder. The old saying about relaxing when the harbour is in sight proved too true, with a near existential brush with a sandbank at midnight following a collosal and damning error in navigation tarnishing an otherwise fine voyage.
We entered Den Helder at 01:00 on Wednesday.
Distance 180 Nm.
We crossed the shipping lane to follow the proper right hand side of the lane and worked our way out of the Elbe into the 2 to 3 metre swell which had had the chance to build over the last 4 days. It wasn't so nice. But even this stretch inevitably came to an end and as we mingled with the various ships anchored offshore, we hoisted the full main (still in anticipation of a dying wind, which was still close to 6), selected a quiet moment in the traffic and headed due south for about a mile to cross the shipping lane again. The No 3 genoa also went up and as we cleared all traffic we headed west to south west for the 150 mile stretch or so around the top of the Friesian islands. With the engine relieved of its duties - at last - things started to quieten down.
As the night fell, the sailing was yet again glorious. However, the wind was dying and, as the night progressed and as windy as it had been previously, calm descended upon us. We left it for what is was for a while while the speed slowly dropped to 0, but with the residual swell, it soon became uncomfortable with the sails doing little but make a lot of noise, slamming from side to side. So the engine came back on and as dawn came on Tuesday we found ourselves in the midst of a mirror like sea.
This continued into Tuesday but luckily the wind did come back, just off Schiermonnikoog, and we continued sailing. Peace again....
Some other events of note were the sighting of seals poking their heads out and taking a look around and the visit of a Dutch customs launch to check our papers, in the afternoon. The palavre of getting Struana properly registered paid off handsomely, it was a brief visit indeed.
And then as night fell again, and on a high tide, we made it passed Texel to set course for our final destination, Den Helder. The old saying about relaxing when the harbour is in sight proved too true, with a near existential brush with a sandbank at midnight following a collosal and damning error in navigation tarnishing an otherwise fine voyage.
We entered Den Helder at 01:00 on Wednesday.
Distance 180 Nm.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Cuxhaven
Stuck in Cuxhaven from yesterday probably till Monday 4th of July, NW6 occasionally near gale 7. Main problem is the direction, straight into the Elbe...
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