Friday 28 – Sunday 30 September
Having made a better job of passage planning and tidal calculations, we got cracking at first light, North into a Northerly, which gradually backed through NNW to NW, ranging from F4 to F7, with an unpleasant sea and poor visibility – the latter a repetition of this stretch back in the Spring. Sadly it all proved too much for Mate, who succumbed to a very bad day’s seasickness and abject misery, leaving Skipper to manage pretty much the whole passage single-handed.
Just after midnight my weary crew gratefully tied up to the quay in Borkum, having completed a passage of 90 Miles and 15 hours of illness. Although a friendly couple came to say hello the following morning, nobody seemed to care, any more than on our previous visit, to take any money from us. Probably just as well, as we departed less than twelve hours later, and were soon enjoying a totally different day, with Mate helming under full main and genoa, and the speed touching nine knots.
We continued down the estuary of the Ems river, that forms the border between Germany and the Netherlands, and followed the channel back to Delfzijl. We had difficulty locking through the small lock, which seemed very narrow, into the Eems Kanaal, and found a comfortable and friendly berth at t’Dok, a club marina. A very long hose was necessary to fill our tanks with fresh water…very slowly.
We joined the Sunday convoy through the bridges East of Groningen, and settled in the basin of the Zuiderhaven to await the next weather window. Meanwhile we treated ourselves to supper out, and a very wet walk around this bustling university town.