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Jumbuck - Baltic Rally - Delivery Cruise Breskens to Den Helder



We decided on one last attempt to catch up with our French pals on Boisbarbu who left Lymington one day in front, so chugged out of Breskens at 4am aiming to sail most of the Netherlands west coast in one day. Having used the marinas free wifi to check the current location of the other rally entrants, we were beginning also to feel paranoid as we were clearly the furthest away from Kiel and our 6th July start!

Pitch black as we nudged out of the marina and hauled up the mainsail in the Westerschelde. It's a busy waterway normally, due to Antwerp being located 12 miles inland, but this morning only one coaster, and a solitary fishing boat patrolling back and forth across the estuary mouth.

Absolutely flat water, and nice and warm even pre-dawn. We headed north, picking up the winding channels through the sandbanks, initially with zero wind. The tide was in our favour, so with Jumbuck's engine on 2500 revs, our 6 knot normal speed often turned into 7.5 over the ground. Hundreds of beach huts set on this side of the shoreline and a few with lights on, showing they can be used for overnighting.

Dawn broke before we were clear into the North Sea, wind 6 knots from the N/NE, so continued to motor sail. The tide turned against us late morning just as we began to mix it up with the huge amount of commercial traffic off the Netherlands Europoort.

They've created a kind of marine roundabout called Maas Central off the mouth of Europoort, towards which all ships arriving or departing have to head. We didn't have to, but we were there anyway.

Heads swivelling like Meerkats we plugged our way through the traffic, ducking and diving. Often place, there was less than 1/4 mile between some ships.

Mid arvo saw us being diverted from our preferred course by a marine guard boat, as we were directed around some workings on a potential new wind farm just south of Ijmuiden. There are several wind farms set offshore up this coast (see picture above) as well as lots of oil / gas platforms and well heads. Mak ES it like a dodgem track! But at least by then the tide had turned back in our favour, so even though the breeze never got above 7 knots, we were able to motor sail making 8+ over the ground.

Early evening saw us round inside Texel Island to fetch up in Den Helder by 1930 EU time. Good passage of 109 miles in less than 16 hours, considering the light winds.

It was good to link back up with Boisbarbu, and also say hello again to a couple of Australians, Marlena and Bob, who we had met before back in the UK. They too are doing the rally in their brand new Bavaria Vision 46 named Champurrs. Very spacious compared with us.

We are moored at the KMJC marina, run by the Netherlands Navy which has Den Helder as it's main base. Small and a bit tight to park, and the facilities whilst basic, are clean and functional. Rating? Maybe 7/10. Cost €22 all in.



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