Helgoland – Ijmuiden 188 nm
After a week on Helgoland, we are finally moving on. The weather isn’t perfect, but according to the forecast it’s the best we can expect for the next few days. Before we leave the island, we make a quick stop at the gas station in the morning.
Whereby fast is perhaps not quite the right word. There are already three boats waiting in front of us and it takes over an hour before it’s finally our turn. But with over 500 liters of diesel, the wait is definitely worth it, as we save around 400 euros on Heligoland compared to the mainland. At 9:30 a.m. we finally cast off and set course for Holland. As predicted, the weather is calm, only the swell from the wind of the last few days makes it a little bumpy. We stroll along the East Frisian Islands under motor and Lucky the cat first makes himself comfortable under the saloon table in his Fluffy, but then prefers to move back into his cabin on the floor. Here he gets a good cuddle from time to time and seems to be doing a bit better this time. As a precaution, I gave him a few globules for nausea, which the vet nurse recommended for such cases. However, he hasn’t quite got used to the rocking yet. But that would probably be a bit much to ask.
Although the motoring is annoying, we simply pass all the islands and leave Wangerooge, then Spiekeroog, Langeoog, Norderney, Juist and finally Borkum on the port side. The harbors are packed during the vacation season, and we don’t have to squeeze in as well. We also want to make up a few miles to the west. So we continue past the Dutch islands of Schiermonikoog, Ameland and Terschelling, even as darkness falls. We were motoring the whole time and could only use the genoa as a support for a few hours in the morning. There is still some rocking, however, as a short wave and old swell keep us bouncing through the water. Lucky doesn’t really like this and complains loudly about it at night. In the morning light we see Vlieland and Texel and their beautiful long beaches.
At Texel, we turn off into Molengat and take a little current around the islet of Norderhaaks. Unfortunately, in the following Schulpengat, the current is fully against us and we only make slow progress. It doesn’t matter, because we see numerous seals and even a few porpoises. Fortunately, the counter-current eventually subsides and we make good progress again. In the late afternoon, we reach the Seaport Marina in Ijmuiden, where we intend to stay for the next few days.
To sum up, a fairly uneventful trip. Lots of motoring, baguettes with cold cuts for lunch, tortellini with tomato and mozzarella filling in the evening and pancakes in the morning. It’s certainly not enough to write an adventure novel! But we are glad that we made good progress to the southwest before the next westerly wind.
In the evening, we head to the beach bar around the corner for dinner. We enjoy curry and a mixed snack platter at Zilt aan Zee with a wonderful view of the kilometer-long beach. Afterwards, we plan the next few days in the cockpit and decide to continue sailing on Thursday if possible.
We spend Monday and Tuesday working. Both in the office and on the boat. We clean La Ola thoroughly with soap and water and are amazed at how much dirt can be washed off. Apparently we didn’t sail a light gray boat, but a white one 😉 Axel also takes care of the fenders, which have become quite overgrown during our long stay in Cuxhaven and weren’t looking their best before. In the end, after a lot of work, they look like new again! I start the washing machine and am glad that I don’t have to carry the pile of laundry around. Lucky continues to follow the activities skeptically, but even dares to leave the cockpit briefly in the evening. On Wednesday, after a bit of office work, we take the bus to Amsterdam, where Axel and I haven’t been for many years. The journey goes smoothly, we find the bus and train without any problems and there is only a few minutes‘ wait when we change trains in Amsterdam-Slooterdijk. After about an hour’s journey, we tumble off the platform in Amsterdam-Centraal and virtually fall straight into the next canal tour boat. Thanks to buying our tickets online, we don’t have to queue at the ticket office and are on the tour boat at 12:30. We cruise along the canals for an hour and, in view of the blazing midday sun, we are glad of every bridge that provides shade.
After the tour, we continue on foot through the streets of Amsterdam, where we are somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds. Apparently, it seems to be all the rage in Amsterdam to go to the candy stores, as we spot one on every other corner. This weekend’s Pride Parade is attracting a colorful crowd and rain flags are already flying from the pretty houses everywhere. We take a lunch break at a small café on the Herrengracht canal and continue our fish & chips test. We have a great chat with the three ladies from Cologne at the next table. We continue along the canals for a while and finally return to Ijmuiden by train and bus in the late afternoon. The return journey also goes smoothly and we make a short stopover at the shopping center in Ijmuiden to be prepared for tomorrow. The weather forecast predicts fine north-easterly winds, so we hope to sail on to Zeebrugge.
Tomorrow at 6 o’clock we will continue. Stay tuned!