No disco tonight

August 18, 2007

Beneden Sas - Middelharnis 5hrs

In case we had more time, from Beneden Sas we would have taken the route to Grevelingen, to the salt water area. But we hadn't and expecting visitors tonight and tomorrow, we decided to enter the Volkerak, direction Haringvliet. Quite some nice (former) fishermen town there as well, but as this is closed from sea by the Haringvlietdam, this is fresh water (or at least a blend).

Even though not high season any more, the Volkerak sluizen still rather busy. Though large locks, high season can be a mess here. The signs on the waiting jetties show how to line up for waiting - but not sure everyone complies with... In the lock we encountered 'l Argonaute, a French flagged Linssen, we would meet again later in Dordrecht.

A quick glance at the moorings in Den Bommel and Stadt a/h Haringvliet made us decide to go for Middelharnis. This has a very cosy mooring, at least if one has to opportunity to moor at the far end, in the middle of the center. Most mooring places are alongside the entrance canal. Mooring there can mean a rather long walk to the nice center, and it is quite busy with the passing yachts on the narrow canal. At the entrance of this canal coming from the Haringvliet one has to pass a lock that is usually open. Except from Saturday-evening 22:00 to Sunday-morning 08:00. The harbour master explained why. Until last year they experienced quite some problems with youngsters visiting the disco's with their speedboats, returning to their home base again in the middle of the night with high speed, troubling the moored yachts. Simple solution: close the lock, problem gone.

Middelharnis inner harbour

Lucky as we were, the harbour master showed us a place that just had become vacant in the center... Just a few places away from the former mooring place of Faya Loby, the 45ft sailing yacht of our friends Theo and Michelle. They are sailing the oceans for 7 years now (Caribean, North America, Panama, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, all the way). At this moment their ship is in or near Malaysia/Singapore, but as our friends just had their annual brief break in the Netherlands, having their foothold in a place nearby, we invited them on board and afterwards had a very good company and cosy dinner in the recommendable restaurant Vingerling at Middelharnis quay. Lots of things to talk about!