Wind and waves - battling the elements

Hollands Diep to Tholen

I've said it before – Saskia doesn't like waves. And today we had plenty. It was at least sunny to begin with, but a brisk westerly had come up in the night, which we would have right on the nose as we set off to complete our journey down the Hollands Diep. There were plenty of massive barges charging backwards and forwards, but we clung to the side of the channel and stayed out of harm's way. This pic tries to convey what it was like:

The spray was regularly coming over the bows, so that our washing, instead of drying on the rail, was getting an extra rinse and at risk of blowing away. But we did have time to admire the little fortified town of Willemsted over on the south side of the waterway:

Shortly afterwards we reached the locks that link Hollands Diep to the Volkerak. Sensibly the barges are kept apart from yachts and pleasure boats. There was quite a queue when we arrived, but the lock chamber was enormous and 20 boats fitted in easily, in places four abreast. This lady obviously believes in starting her children sailing early – there were also two little boys about four or five running around the deck, in life jackets:

The Volkerak was not much better in terms of wind and waves, but eventually we came to the turnoff onto the Schelde-Rijnjanaal, with a reassuring signpost. Crossing the channel to reach the entrance was a little nerve-wracking, but all went well.

The canal was a lot calmer, though there was still plenty of barge traffic to keep an eye on. Nowhere to moor up for lunch, so we took it in turns to eat on the run. That did mean we arrived at our evening's destination, Tholen, mid-afternoon, and were allocated a comfortable mooring:

We walked into the village for a bit of sightseeing and shopping, and got caught in a fairly sharp rain shower. But we had time to admire the town hall:

And also a bar just across the dyke from the harbour, which served very acceptable beer and apple pie:

Tomorrow we will leave the Netherlands, with some sadness. We have greatly enjoyed our time here, this year and last, and also greatly appreciated the many fine qualities of the Dutch.

Next stop Belgium, and Antwerp in particular.