We’ve left the country! For the first time since 2019 we are cruising abroad, and we’re now in the Dutch inland waterways.
There were several challenges getting here – in particular navigating all the windfarms that seem to spring up faster than the charts can be updated, and the dreaded Brexit paperwork. However, both surmountable and relatively pain free.
Our Imray paper chart was from 2017 and despite ordering the new 2022 edition, it didn’t come in time. I also had electronic Admiralty charts from 2019 on my PC, and an updated Navionics card for the plotter. But the most recent windfarms were only on the Navionics, so as we crossed I realised that my initial planned route took us through two new windfarms. Firstly the Galloper North, which is effectively an extension northeast of the Greater Gabbard, which was a small diversion slightly north of our planned route. Then an extension to the massive Borsele windfarm off the Dutch coast. This latter meant that the only viable route was going to be the official passage across the windfarm, but we were going to arrive there about 11pm – just as it got really dark.
Going through the windfarm at night was surreal. Surrounded by synchronised red flashing lights we entered the ‘black hole’ of the passage. There was also a strong cross tide, so we had to crab through at an angle to hold our track, and it was very difficult to judge how far from the turbines we were. Not scary as such, but certainly a tense 2 hours. The surreality (?) was increased by the full moon rising behind the sea of red flashing dots.
Our arrival in Vlissingen around 7am local time was uneventful and we went straight into the lock into the inner harbour, and found a berth in the Yacht Club Schelde marina, just by the entrance to the Kanal door Walcheren that goes up to Middleburg. This is a friendly and well kept club run marina, with good showers and toilets, a bar and casual restaurant on site.
The final challenge was to go through the border control formalities. I had read all the advice and understood that Vlissengen had a border control office and that we should email our crew list to them on arrival. I did this but after a couple of hours with no response, decided to phone the local office. The officer I spoke to was very pleasant, spoke perfect English (of course) and said his colleagues would come out to us. Within an hour two police officers arrived and had a very friendly chat, no awkward questions about red diesel, simply took our details, stamped our passports and gave us a stamped form to show to anyone else who needed to check.