Author: GrayRoute_admin

Freedom

Self-sufficiency is priceless

June 28th 2019

Dusk has fallen, our last evening here.

Our last day at anchor here in our beautiful corner of the world. The sun was back again, making the day even better than it already was. In the warm morning sun we gave the cockpit a good scrub which was long overdue. Cleaning a boat is always more fun when it’s warm and sunny.

This is the 7th day that we are anchored here. We’ve never anchored for such a long stretch of time, simply because we have never been able to do that. Before we had the solar panels we could stay at anchor for a maximum of 2 nights. Then we had to hurry back to the marina because we were out of power. The fridge would stop working, but that is of course less dramatic than when your engine won’t start because of depleted batteries.

But the solar panels work like a charm, especially when we move them around following the trajectory of the sun. The batteries are full every day (provided there’s at least a bit of sunshine) and the panels generate enough power to run all the 12 volt equipment like the fridge, the anchor light at night and all the lights in the boat, charge 2 phones, 2 iPads, a handheld VHF and a computer every day. We can also run the alternator, which transforms the 12 volt output of the batteries to 220 volt, and with that we can charge another computer, the batteries of 3 cameras and power a rice cooker. Even on a cloudy day like last Wednesday the battery doesn’t deplete more than 87% of its capacity. So we are very happy with this set-up. 

If you buy solar panels to get cheaper energy it’s hardly worth the investment. It takes a long time before the investment has paid itself back. But from our perspective every day at anchor is a day less in a marina, which on average costs €20 a day. In this calculation it doesn’t take long for the investment to pay itself back. But what’s more important, to be off grid and the increased self sufficiency gives us so much more freedom and mobility. That is truly priceless.

Next on our wish list is a water maker. Before our time at anchor was limited by our battery life. Now the only limit is set by the capacity of our water tank. If we can generate fresh drinking water ourselves, we would be truly self-sufficient.

Speaking of which, we’re running low on water, so we have to leave. When we checked this morning there was still about 30 litres in the tank. Probably we can stretch our supply till tomorrow evening, since we’ll be sailing all day tomorrow. That means that with the solar panels and our current water capacity we can stay away from shore for about 7 to 8 days, which is great!

Dusk has fallen now, time to go inside. Early start tomorrow. It truly was a glorious day.

Drifting through nature

Surrounded by high reeds and dragonflies

June 27th 2019

Underneath overhanging trees

It was significantly cooler today. We decided to go on a little adventure with our inflatable dinghy, so we set out to explore the smaller creeks that are branching away from the main channel. We paddled through the high reeds, under overhanging mossy trees and over shallows where we could see the fish swim amongst the water plants. The perspective from the small dinghy is so different than from our boat. You’re much closer to the surface, enabling you to see all the little details like the dragonflies hovering above the water, the flowers on the embankment and the waving water plants underneath the boat. It feels like you’re really immersed in nature. Slowly we drifted on the current through the beautiful landscape. Nothing to be heard but the sound of singing birds. It truly was a memorable journey.

Harassed by bloodsuckers

Making a mosquito screen

June 25th 2019

Enjoying another day at anchor

Another tropical day. The weather provided the perfect reason to dive in the water and scrub the hull. After two years in the water it was high time. But our cleaning operation revealed another looming DIY-project. We have to do the anti-fouling again, which is the preventive layer on the hull that prohibits growth of algae, weeds and mussels. He had added a new layer two years ago, but this time we have to scrape the hull completely clean before we can add the anti-fouling. The underlying layers of primer have started to flake, which is a common defect with this generation Dufours. In Stellendam there were two other Dufour 31 of a similar age with the same defect. Is seems like we have no choice but to haul out our boat if we want to work on the hull. But that can wait until spring. Let’s enjoy summer first.

We also had to do something about the local bloodsuckers. The downside about inland waters is the abundance of nasty flying and stinging creatures. This location is not only infested with mosquitoes, but there are loads of horseflies as well. Last year we bought insect window screening fabric with a very small maze to prevent even biting midges to enter the boat at night, with the intention to make screens for all the hatches. But since Stellendam lies next to the sea, there were hardly any mosquitoes nor midges. So we forgot about the screening project to sorely regret it now.

Because this place is just teeming with the devilish bloodsuckers. When it gets dark we immediately seal everything almost airtight, so the biting beasties can’t get in. But with the heat it’s suffocating inside. You really are dying to open a hatch, but then of course, all the nasty bloodsuckers fly in immediately. Luckily we had the presence of mind to bring the window screening fabric with us when we left, so we tried to make a makeshift screen with duct tape. Hopefully it holds!

Archetypes for comical duos

Listening to Norse mythology

June 24th 2019

Captain Fluffy on the watch

Another warm day at anchor. As we had thought most boats have left by now, but there are still a few moored here in the small channel. With all the noisy holiday makers gone, the peace and quiet returned.

It was too hot to do anything during the day, apart from the occasional dive to cool down, so we listened to an audiobook about Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. A great book if you like mythology. Sadly most knowledge about this culture has disappeared, although there are still a lot of references to Germanic or Viking traditions in our contemporary culture, like the days of the week which are names after Germanic Gods and Goddesses. Of the whole Norse mythology only a few dozen stories remain, and most of those are about Thor and Loki. There were dozens of Gods in Asgard, but of some gods there is hardly any mention to be found in literature that is left. Maybe Thor and Loki were the most entertaining of the lot, as archetypes for comical duos: The big slightly dim-witted muscular guy and his cunning mischievous friend. Or maybe Christianity rooted out all the stories that contradicted with Christian beliefs. We will probably never know why these stories have disappeared. In his book, Neil Gaiman encouraged the readers to re-tell the stories, and not to be afraid to add something of your own. Because that is what keeps stories alive.

Out of sync

Fighting a lingering nine-to-five mentally

June 23rd 2019

The swans however, are synchronising their leg stretching

You know those days that everything is slightly out of sync? This was one of those days. For one reason or another we were both very tired and didn’t have the energy to do anything. We tried to work, but it turned out to be nothing but a pointless exercise. Maybe you shouldn’t work when the temperature is tropical, and just embrace it as a moment to relax and enjoy. Could it be the lingering nine to five mentality that is rearing it’s ugly head? The notion that we have to be productive during daytime? Perhaps this is one of the things we have to get to terms with, if we want to be perpetual cruisers. We should learn to travel when the weather permits, learn to work when we’re not travelling and relax when it’s not time to travel or work.

We decided to seize the day. So we abandoned the idea of doing anything constructive and went out for a swim instead.

Our little paradise

Back to the IJsseloog

June 22nd 2019

Ketelhaven Dronten to anchorage IJsseloog: 1,8 nautical miles

The weather forecast has predicted a tropical week, so we’re leaving Jachthaven Ketelmeer today to return to the anchorage at the IJsseloog. It will be great to spend the week there at anchor, where we can go for a swim if it becomes too hot. A last shower, filling the water tank and all the small water containers, and we were ready to untie the lines.

Doesn’t this look like a picture out of a fairytale book?

We had hoped that we would be able to anchor at the same spot we had anchored a few days ago. And as if it was meant to be, they had saved us a spot. We didn’t want to be too far nor too close from the embankment. It took a few tries to set the anchor, but after that we had the perfect spot again. We might be getting the hang of this anchoring thing.

We had expected the anchorage to be absolutely swamped because it was a Saturday, but it wasn’t that crowded at all. Later on it turned out that it wasn’t crowded yet because it was still early. During the day the channel slowly filled up and at the end of the afternoon we counted 19 other boats that we could see. But they will probably all be gone tomorrow evening, and we will have the place for ourselves again.
We watched the sunset in the cockpit, just like last week, and enjoyed the choir practice of the frogs. We were glad to be back in our little paradise.

Land dwelling exercises

Cycling to Dronten for groceries

June 21st 2019

We decided to stay one more day. There was still a bag with laundry waiting to be done and we were running low on fresh food. A quick search on internet told us that the nearest grocery store was 8 kilometers away. That’s too far to walk, especially the return trip with all the groceries. But fear not, the marina had bikes for rent that came with handy cycle bags.

The nearest town is Dronten in the polder of Flevoland, which is the largest artificial island in the world. The reclaimed island is just about 50 years old which you can tell by the newness of the buildings and that all the streets are very straight, as if they’ve been drawn with a ruler (which they probably did). After all the historical towns we have visited it was weird to be in such a new place. But although it all looked rather urban, the atmosphere was friendly and people took their time chatting with cashiers, promenading past shops and eating ice cream in the sunshine.

Cycle bags and backpacks filled with fresh foodstuffs we went back to the boat. We did another laundry and even got some work done despite the fact that we were dead tired; it seems that our poor legs aren’t used to land dwelling exercises like cycling anymore. 

Strike a pose

Captain Fluffy on the catwalk

June 20th 2019

Anchorage IJsseloog to Ketelhaven Dronten: 1,8 nautical miles

We were running low on water and it was high time for laundry again, so we are going to leave the anchorage and head towards a marina. There are three marinas on either side of the island, and we chose Jachthaven Ketelmeer, a club run marina on the south side of the Ketelmeer.

The rain that was supposed to fall yesterday was now falling with a vengeance. Stupidly we forgot to close the forward hatch when the rain started, so our duvet and sheets were drenched. It’s a good thing we’re heading for a marina with a dryer…

Without too much difficulty we found a slip and moored with relative ease. It’s a bit weird to be in a marina again after 5 days at anchor. The boat moves differently when moored in a marina. When you’re anchored you always have headwind so the movements of the boat are predominately in the same direction, the motion is only magnified as the wind speed increases. But if you’re in a marina the position of the boat is fixed, making the wind the variable. The weirdest thing however is this subtle hint of land sickness when you get off the boat. It’s similar to sea sickness caused by the abrupt absence of motion. It’s a weird feeling, just as if the land is moving.

Captain Fluffy didn’t show any signs of land sickness. Clearly happy to be in a marina again, he jumped off the boat for a late afternoon walk and was immediately spotted by the harbour master’s wife. Captain Fluffy, always keen for attention, let himself be admired and posed gracefully for the camera as if he was working the catwalk.

Captain Fluffy on the catwalk, as captured by the harbour masters’ wife and posted on FB

Alternative for a shower

Rain and an afternoon swim

June 19th 2019

Here comes the rain…

Clouds signaling rain and thunder arrived around noon. A good moment to get some work done. Although it was supposed to rain the whole afternoon it cleared up quite quickly, allowing us to have a nice afternoon swim after all the hard work. Because if you are at anchor, the best alternative for a shower is to take a refreshing dive.