EXPLORING EUROPE BY BOAT

SUMMER 2004

During the winter months our thoughts once again turned to how we would like to spend the forthcoming summer. We concluded that we would like to make a return visit to The Netherlands. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent there in 2002 and although it is a small country there are still many places we have yet to visit by boat.

Initially we may follow the Stand-up mast route (Staande-mastroute). The first port of call would be Vlissingen in the Westerschelde, making our way to Dordrecht by crossing the estuaries in the Delta region, then up to Gouda, Leiden, Haarlem and Amsterdam. From there we could cross the IjsselMeer into Friesland. In Friesland there are so many waterways to explore. This may involve revisiting towns from our 2002 trip as well as new places. We will enjoy the known as well as the new.

In the meantime we are busy preparing the boat, including cleaning and polishing, antifouling the hull, having the engines serviced, and checking safety equipment. We are also working on the passage plan for the trip down the Thames, across the English Channel and up the French, Belgian and Dutch coast. For this we will need to buy new charts and upload waypoints into the GPS system as well as planning the route on the paper charts.

If all goes to plan we will set off at the end of May and return in September. We can hardly wait.

	Forward to Report One - Ramsgate to Dordrecht.
	Forward to Report Two - Dordrecht to Medemblik.
	Forward to Report Three - Medemblik to Heerenveen.
	Forward to Report Four - Family and Friends in Friesland.
	Forward to Report Five - Heerenveen to Reading.

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