Veere to Middelburg

Rafted up in Veere

 On 17 June we were having a hot and relaxed morning on our island in the Veersemeer waiting for a space to open up in the tiny harbour of Veere village - not an official WOA stop, but we had already seen pretty much all that Haringvreter had to offer and we were looking for a change.  Then someone messaged to say that the harbour was already getting full. We charged over there with no lifejackets on, all the hatches open and the solar panels still rigged. It was only 1.5 miles and there was no wind to speak of. We rafted up, and our lines were taken by Colin Saltmarsh. Colin is a friend of Alan Teed (who Sam sailed with across the Atlantic in 2009) and keeps his boat in Suffolk Yacht Harbour. It's a small world, and east coast sailing is even smaller.

Veere is another place we last visited around 15 years ago. It's a very attractive village, or small town, but there's not a lot to do. I went to visit the church but it was closed on Tuesdays. Then I did a hot lap of the rest of the place and had a drink with some other WOA members.

On 18 June we set off for Middelburg, for the final gathering of WOA yachts before we all went our separate ways. It's just a few miles down the Kanal door Walcheren. As you turn into Middelburg you pass Jos Boone which has one of the most convenient fuel berths in the Delta. (And supposedly one of the cheapest although it didn't seem cheap to me). After putting 45 litres into the tank and filling three 10-litre cans I heard a shout of "Hi Camilla" from several passing boats. Wait, those weren't Westerlies. No indeed, this was a mini-cruise from Haven Ports Yacht Club, my home club at Suffolk Yacht Harbour. Wherever I went in Middelburg I kept bumping into people I knew.

Our final day on the cruise included a very good guided tour of Middelburg and an excellent dinner with final speeches and awards at the yacht club. It was good to find some things hadn't changed, and the loos and showers were still in the same place too. We filled up with water, did all the engine checks and we were ready for the long trip home.

One last excitement was getting checked out of Schengen. According to CA information the Koninklijke Marechausssee will come to your boat. I emailed them and had no response. Then I phoned the number given on the website and was told it was the wrong one. Finally I spoke to someone who said yes, they would send out some officers at the beginning of the afternoon shift. We returned from our guided tour to find two helpful, uniformed ladies already at the harbourmasters' office and stamping passports. They didn't need to stamp mine (the German one) but they did photograph and check it. I do know that at least one WOA member actually went somewhere else in Schengen before sailing back to the UK, but I won't mention it to the authorities.

Visitors' berth in Middelburg

The Vleeshal, used as an art glallery

Our excellent guide

It's good to know that the shower block is just where it always was, under the clubhouse