Tuesday, 6 August
Today it’s just the two of us and we got up early to make the most of the tide when we get out onto the sea.
We motored down the North Sea Canal from Amsterdam staying to the right, keeping well out of the shipping channel and keeping an eye out for crossing ferries.
There’s 14 miles of channel and it was a very fine morning.
We got to the lock to exit onto the North Sea and had to wait a little, so we went round in circles until the light went green. It’s not just a lock, it’s a lock-bridge-combo!
We were the only yacht in the lock and La Bamba was missing Quattordici. We were also missing our very useful crew, but we managed
After we came out of the lock we met this
A bit concerning! We had to get out of the way while it turned and reversed!
Then we turned left and sailed down the Dutch coast, which is one long beach.
It was a fantastic sailing day.
The wind was around 8 knots and we were doing 6.
Later it filled in to around 12-14 and we stormed along at 8-9 knots. Someone took a photo of us and shared it on a Dutch Facebook page that our friends Marc & Monique spotted:
We got to Scheveningen and were moored along the dock by 3pm
After tidying the boat we hired bikes and enjoyed cycling along the front of Scheveningen.
I lived near here when I was a child, but I didn’t remember any of it. It is bigger than Blackpool. Scheveningen used to be the centre for the Herring trade, now it’s the centre for beach holidays!
Everyone is here and yet there’s plenty of room.
We swam in the sea, a lovely temperature. And as I watched the children jumping the friendly waves, I remembered doing the same with my sisters.
It’s a perfect family beach with a gentle incline and soft sand with lots of shells.
We enjoyed a drink at the beach club and ate back near the marina
It’s lovely weather. We are not sure where we will go tomorrow, either a last Dutch stop or onto ZeeBrugge. Either way it will be a much longer sail in a bit more wind.