In the May holidays we take the SeaQuest for a week to Chatham and London. The weather is very changeable with regularly stormy winds, so it is good to look for the right weather holes for crossing the North Sea. On the way there we have a good weather hole with calm winds from behind. We sail in 25 hours in one go from Bru to Chatham, partly sailing and partly on engine.
After a day in Chatham we sail with a lovely sunshine up the Thames to London. We spend three days in the bustling city with alternating sunshine, some rain and especially strong winds (it storms in the Thames estuary and on the North Sea). In between the depressions the weather is calm and we sail from London to Vlissingen in 24 hours. Once in Vlissingen, the weather starts to blow. The last day we sail with ZW 6-7 Bft via the Westerschelde back to Bru. A wonderful week of fresh air and we get to know the SeaQuest better and better. Apparently that just takes time.
On the way there, the weather is on Friday and Saturday 1 and 2 May. Timely timed we drive Friday afternoon after a Corsendonk session from Toine to Bru. At half past 4 we cast off and then we can go straight through the lock. There is a lovely wind from the north and we sail energetically to the canal through South-Beverland. Chasing large commercial vessels, we passed the two bridges and the lock within the hour and sailed on via the Westerschelde to Vlissingen. It is 10.30 pm when we sail past Vlissingen via the Belgian coast into the North Sea and it is already quite cold. Really well prepared and rested we don't notice the sea later. Especially Toine is very tired. But that's more a feeling than a feeling that it's turning out the wrong way. We spend the guards thickly packed outside because it is on this part of the North Sea that we pay close attention. The wind is getting less and less and when we change our guards (03.00 hours) the engine turns on. Crossing the shippinglanes between 6 and 9 o'clock is no problem at all. Shortly after that we quickly approach Ramsgate and at that moment we decide to sail another 50 miles to Chatham. That gives us some more rest in the coming days. We still haven't been to Ramsgate ;-).
We sail via the Thames Estuary along the Red Sand Towers to the left onto the Medway. A historic stretch of water because here Michiel de Ruyter won an important victory over the English fleet in 1667 by sailing 'the chain' stretched over the Medway and setting fire to the English fleet. One of the worst losses the English fleet has ever suffered. The Medway is pleasantly busy with two sailing races. Just in time for low tide we can enter the lock through the marina of Chatham. Arriving in England after 25 hours of sailing always feels good! The town itself isn't very special and neither are the restaurants, so we have dinner on the boat and watch a movie.
Sunday 3 May is actually a nice sunny day. We take the bus to Rochester, the village where Charles Dickens was born. There we fall in the middle of the annual 'Sweep Festival'. We see a lot of people dressed up as chimney sweep (or as the woman of the chimney sweep) who do a kind of folk dance with a broom in their hand. Lots of eateries and here and there some bands performing. A lot of fun and they drink a lot of beer. We keep it 'cultural', walk around a bit and visit the beautiful old castle and cathedral. Once back at the boat we call the marina in London to ask if we can come a day earlier. Tomorrow the weather will be lovely and after that it will be stormy for two days. Luckily that is possible because a lot of boats (including Oceanpeople) leave earlier also because of the weather.
So we sail from Chatham to London on Monday the 4th of May. About 55 miles first down the Medway and then up the Thames. It is even so hot that we can sunbathe for a while. It is still fun to sail with your own boat into London. At first a bit wide and boring, but once through the Thames Barrier narrower and busier. With ferries around us, planes over us and the London skyline as a view. We have a strong current with us and around 4 pm we arrive at the lock of Limehouse Marina.
We get a nice place next to the 'Wedding cake'. After a drink on the boat we have a delicious dinner at Gordon Ramsy's Narrow Inn overlooking the Thames. A super cozy evening with the four of us! After another card game we fall asleep like a block. That is ok after two good bottles of wine ;-).
We spend the two days in London very efficiently. The first day we take the DLR and underground to Big Ben. That place immediately gives a real London feeling. We walk via Downingstreet 10 to Trafalgarsquare and take the subway to Lesceistersquare. We walk around a bit and buy tickets for 'a musical'. After long doubts we arrive at Lord of the Dance.
We're having lunch at Jamie's Fifteen. Remains delicious but less special than two years ago. It is nice and sunny and we walk via the Tate Gallery (a bit too modern for us) along the Thames to the Towerbridge. A nice piece of London. Then it is time to take the underground to the theatre. When we are in the hall we see a 'somewhat elderly' audience around us and we wonder what the girls are going to think of this. It is a beautiful dance performance, with a lot of enthusiasm and very well danced. Toine really loves it, so does Eline, Marinthe and me a bit less. Around 11 pm we are back at the SeaQuest.
The second day in London we start with an audio tour of the Houses of Parliament. Very impressive! Marinthe really likes this and Eline a bit less. Then it's time to go shopping. The girls pick the routes with the underground. We walk over Oxfordstreet, Bond and Regentstreet. With a big contrast between the fancy Selfridge and the cheap Primark. Apparently there's plenty of people in London for those expensive shops. There are also a lot of expensive cars driving around; every few minutes you see a Porsche, Aston Martin, Maserati and so on. Especially spotted by Marinthe. I'm reading the book 'This can't be true', by Joris Luyendijk, and it's very appropriate to read it now that we're in London.
Tired of shopping we return briefly to the boat to rest and eat. And then back to the Victoria Palace Theatre, this time for a real musical, Billy Elliot, with a much younger audience. A beautiful performance we find all four of us. Very well played by quite young children. The only thought we have is what it does to you when you are so young (13 years old) and you play such a big musical and get loud applause.
The last day in London we spend quietly on the boat. Eline is doing some homework and Toine is doing some work. We leave at 2.30 pm and first we go a mile up the Thames for some pictures of the SeaQuest just before Towerbridge. We sail down the Thames back into the North Sea. It is great sailing with half wind till 1 o'clock at night. Then the engine is switched on in a very quiet position and we tuft the shippinglanes back to Vlissingen. The sea is flat and there is not much wind, but against. Toine makes an important discovery this way back ... the autopilot must be in a less sensitive position ... then the boat is much more stable! That also explains why we found the way there partly heavy. And also why we found the way back from Scotland so hard last year. We never had that feeling with the Brandaan. When the autopilot is on position 5 it keeps steering and moves its 'butt' a lot, especially on a windward course. So you can see that it always takes a while before you know a new boat well. The last part to Vlissingen we can sail very well with NO 3-4 Bft. Once in the marina we lie in the sun with a glass of rosé. Life is good! Especially when the dinner party in the evening turns out to be a great success.
On Saturday May 9th the wind is strong again, ZW 6-7 Bft. We first go to the pool, the girls are looking forward to it. By taxi back and forth; absolutely fine. As soon as there is enough water above the threshold of the harbour we leave (14.30 hrs) and sail up the Westerschelde to Hansweert with only the cutter. There is still a sturdy ZW 5-7 Bft that will last until we reach Bru. Through the canal with the lock and the two bridges this time it will take more than 1.5 hours. Once we are on the Oosterschelde we think the wind has subsided a bit and we set full sails, but that is far from true. It is a piece of spectacular sailing with the gangways through the water.
Toine loves it, the girls and I get to go into a reef. The last part before the wind we only do on the genoa. At 10 p.m. we can, after a phone call, go through the lock and we are back in Bru. Sunday we sleep late and clean up the boat at our leisure. We look back on a wonderful week of 'living' on the boat; that always tastes like more!