May 1

Rochester skyline as we made our exit at 0600h

the Crew: Terry and Annette as we set off

part of the historic displays of old ships in Chatham dockyards

We made it! First crossing of the English Channel in my new boat  ‘Wandering Canuck Too’.

Last view of Britain as we set off the channel towards the continent.

Not without a little drama, we had an engine overheat issue as we left Rochester on the Medway. Probably due to an improperly set coolant valve (I’m learning…), and we were moving faster than the previous owner had likely ever done, the engine got hot. OK. We stopped and drifted with the tide, and Terry kept lookout as I dived into the engine room, added some additional coolant to replace that which had boiled, and adjusted the coolant valve. Restart, and an eagle eye on the engine temperature for the rest of the trip. We had alternative plans, had there been further issues, but the mighty engine just purred along with no complaints and we made our way at between 9 and 10 knots with the tide, to North Foreland.

Here we decided between breaking the trip in two and spending the night at Ramsgate, or just going for broke across. The weather was ideal, though there developed a little chop over the swells, later. Onward we went, dodging the commercial traffic in the main shipping lanes, and across the sand banks that made the swells ‘interesting’. I’ve found where I need to secure items better when dealing with coastal waters!

It was longish day, but we arrived on the European side of the channel and made our way east past Dunkerque (spelled imaginatively different in every language!), to Nieuwpoort in Belgium, where we arrived at 1912h. Into the harbour, onto the previously arranged mooring and all was snug. We had a celebratory visit to the marina clubhouse, and then crashed for the night. Thanks to Terry and Annette for their company, assistance, and sharing of stories.

arrival into Nieuwpoort, Belgium, harbour. A great trip!

Today, after arising to another glorious spring day, we watched the fish boats exit the harbour, and a number of sail training yachts begin their training maneuvers. This brought back memories of my training course in Vancouver and the hundreds of docking maneuvers we practiced! Terry and Annette had determined that there was a tram that would take them to Oostend, where they would catch a train for their further adventures. I decided to go with them, and off we went through the coastal resorts that line the shore in this area. There are thousands of apartments in large (mostly ugly) concrete blocks from Dunkerque all the way along the coast. Not appealing to me at all, and I suspect this will make the area VERY busy in the warm holiday season. I enjoyed my excursion, and then back to the boat to get ready for the Belgian Canals tomorrow.

Nieupoort Harbour at first light as the fishboats begin to leave.