Monday 5 October 2015

Nieuwpoort to Stalhille/Jabbeke

Friday 18 September 2015

At eight thirty sharp we dropped off our marina key with the jovial havenmeester and moved across to the duckweed filled St Joris Sluis

Happy harbourmaster

where we waited at the gates for about ten minutes with a beam-on breeze making life a bit difficult; eventually barge Silk Purse, owned by Canadians Barrie & Carole Grant, emerged and we could take their place going in the opposite direction.

Duckweed

St Joris Sluis

A most friendly lockkeeper who incidentally, had surfed the South African coastline from Cape Town to Durban, held us in the lock for quite a while as we waited for any other boats coming from the Nieuwpoort side to join the 10h00 convoy to Zandvoordedraaibrug. Eventually we led the dash to Zandvoordebrug but it was not long before we were overtaken by a zealous Dutch boat which in turn was overtaken by another Dutch flagged boat just before the final bridge just so they could be certain of arriving at the free mooring before anyone else. By the time we arrived at their mooring they were already tied up so I made a point of going past them as fast as possible – childish but most satisfying.

The convoy

It was not long before we arrived at the pedestrian footbridge across the canal and where there is a free mooring with pay electricity and water and from where we experienced all four seasons almost simultaneously!

Pedestrian bridge Jabbeke-Stalhille


A short while later

Took a 5km ride to Jabbeke where we had a beer in one of the local pubs and then rode back to Stalhille...

Riding across the freeway on the way to Jabbeke

The road to Stalhille


...before popping into a restaurant across the water from our mooring for a glass of wine.

Restaurant, Jabbeke-Stalhille intersection

Meat slicer

Elle through the restaurant window

5 comments:

  1. Monday 5th back in the office after +/- 3800 kl m through the Karoo this mileage included Mthakatye. Met up with very distant cousins 5th and 2nd in line and managed to stand next to the grave of the pioneering dating back to 1820's this was peter and Jane's doing! Glade to see you guys enjoying your trip hope you found Gerd and Lesley. I am a bit lost with dates at the moment, don't know when who arrives home but will keep in touch. Now going to Google your positions and start following you again enjoy.

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  3. Here you have had heavy rain hope this has not effected you at all?

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  4. Here you have had heavy rain hope this has not effected you at all?

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  5. Thanks for the comment James - your trip sounded lekker and a nice surprise finding the pioneering ancestors resting place. See next blog installment for 'finding Gerd and Les'. Been a bit behind with blogging due to hectic times/bad internet - will try to get more or less up to date in the morning.

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