Skipper, Marion, recounts her adventures in ‘East Breeze’ on the Dutch OGA Anniversary Cruise, 3 – 17 August, 2024 and delayed return to the UK.
Ten years ago, I conceived the idea of taking my Tamarisk 22 foot gaffer, ‘East Breeze’, to the celebrations for OGA10 in the Netherlands. If I could sail west from Southampton as far as Yarmouth, I could sail east to Shoreham. Then I could get to Eastbourne and, when I could see the other side, I would cross the Channel. So, early one morning, I crept away from a gaffers’ rally at Bembridge and that is what I did. ‘East Breeze’ had her original, 40+ year old engine, fragile sails, a quantity of rot and very little in the way of electronic navigational aids. We had a wonderful time in the Dutch mast-up route and then came all the way back through owing to hurricane Bertha.
Ten years on, ‘East Breeze’ has several more channel crossings under her belt, a new engine and sails, is much repaired and equipped with more electronics and I had crew. We crossed from an anchorage near Felixstowe to Belgium, some 80 miles over the ground, braving the many ships, creeping in and picking up a berth in Ostend shortly before midnight. We were in touch with other British gaffers who had crossed further south and they caught us up in beautiful Middelburg after our short hop to Blankenberge and a longer one across the Westerschelde via Vlissingen. When you enter the sea lock and the water goes down, your realise that you have reached the Low countries. Our pre-rally trip took us cycling at Kortgene, anchoring in the glorious Veersemeer and thence to Wemeldinge on a great day of arrival of Solent and East Coast gaffers and with a huge Belgian/South Dutch gaffers party prepared by themselves.
Ten years ago we left Wemeldinge on a pitch black morning but this time it was only raining and the weather improved as a posse of Dutch and English boats became the rally feeder. We experimented with our locks and bridges pattern: don’t all rush at once but don’t get left behind and crammed in to the old port harbour at historic Willemstad with ‘Hilda’, our “shepherd” boat. Oh what a tying up and shorelining and fendering went on. The sailing is inland in anything from a short canal to what is practically a sea. Some are salt; others fresh. In some, you may not tack and have to be ware of the furious and fast arrival of cargo carrying barges. The next day after sailing in very light airs (we took the view that we would sail past the other Tamarisk and then motor, during which time we passed some of the bigger boats clearly doing the same sort of thing) we entered the fine harbour of Hellevoetsluis to start the main rally. It’s a fine town, bigger than some but still one of the star-shaped forts constructed to deter Napoleon. Here we were registered and fed pizza, given a tour of the town by Admiral de Ruiter himself and introduced to the first stage of battle, a variation on skittles, involving belaying pins and an admiral figure who wasn’t to be knocked down. I managed to do that with my first shot.
About fifty ships took part in the rally, some travelling the whole whole way and others leaving or even leaving and joining again. Some were very big indeed but there were plenty of little folk. I particularly liked ‘Katje’ who joined us at Gouda and stayed until Haarlem. Part of the rally covered the same ground as previously. Some of us took the tidal River Spui, motoring and occasionally sailing through green fields of sheep or cows with the occasional windmill. Dordrecht with its riot of brick houses sporting distinctive roof lines and hardly any under four hundred years old. Then Gouda: as hot as it was ten years ago. The museum haven is a beautiful spot in the canal lined old city. More houses with giant glass windows and displays of stylish ornaments or beautiful window boxes. The lakes at Kaag provided welcome cool and then we motored in to the great medieval town of Haarlem towered over by the majestic Grote-Kirk. Here I witnessed a unique event: there was a free organ concert in the church after which the audience was led along the street to a garden to listen to a live performance on the carillion. These chimes of bells are a feature in Holland and can be programmed to play anything from the Beatles to Bach but this one was played for real – apparently with a keyboard under the tower linked to the clappers. When he finished, the soloist waved to us from the tower. I also lost my radar reflector by accidentally motoring into a tree hanging over the quay.
We traversed Amsterdam, giving way to ferries and looking out for ships, arriving on the seawall in the suburb of Durgerdam. At each stage, thee was a party attended by local gaffers who were not sailing. Here we were privileged to meet Molly and Joachim, two founder members of the Netherlands OGA. We began to be joined by pilot cutters and crabbers. After that, we were on open water and able to sail to Hoorn and our final port of Enkhuisen. Beautiful towns full of enticing shops. I loved the bakeries. Prizes were awarded and raucous gaffer songs were sung, cementing relations between the UK and Dutch/Belgian gaffers. An old friend, this time in the form of storm Ernesto, chose this time to appear, leading us to abort plans for a direct crossing back to the east coast. I joined a posse of boats for the final stage, right back through the canals although stopping in different places. These included Oude Tonge which was the place worst affected in the 1953 floods which caused the deaths of 300 people and numerous animals in the area. Our own East coast was affected too with 30 deaths in Felixstowe and many more out at sea. A sobering moment.
I ended my trip as I began in 2014; single handed as my crew had commitments which couldn’t wait. We sailed and motored in some testing conditions but ‘East Breeze’ coped with the three long passages which meant that I was able to claim my East Coast cruise dinner at the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. Little did I know when I learned to sail and bought a Memory 19 (because it looked like a boat) about 2001 that the Gaffers would change my life. I have done thing I would never have done on my own and learned so very much from all of you. Thank you for another great summer.
Marion Shirley, East Coast OGA member
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