Noahs Arc outside Dordrecht

View of Dordrecht from top of Cathedral

Another lock

Leaving Dordrecht

Long straight runs in Holland

Mariner in Wessam

Another obstacle on the River Meuse

7th June . Headed out of the Dordtrecht mariner and was confronted by the ARC. Amazing you must Google it. Some eccentric has built it as he knows that the world is coming to an end. Then headed onto a smaller canal and came back out onto the Oude Maas. Lost a buoy today, must have scraped against a lock wall. Used the VHF for the first time and got a reply. Fantastic. Now pissing with rain and getting towards 8pm. Decided to moor on a barge turning point in Tilburg. Nowher else to moor and we are all wet and cold. 4 locks today.

Boring stretch of water

8th June Headed off early as some large barges are arriving and want to turn. Boring stretch of water now just dead straight . Moored at Helmond and blowing a gale.

Retrieving lost fender 

9th June. Left Helmond early again and once again boring motoring. A few locks and not much traffic. Nearly had a colision with a tug pushing a barge. He was coming up and I was going down and no room to pass him. Had to reverse rapidly. Moored in Wessam. Blowing a gale and nearly smashed into the mariner. Moved to the Yacht club mariner and found the Harbour master and he placed me on an outer mariner. Great place.called Comfort Mariner. Thaen headed to the bar with TJ  and Colleen for some stress relief.

After replacing 6 large batteries

10th June Beautiful day. Sun at last. Had a cycle around the harbour and over to Maasbracht. Nice town on the river but being Sunday everything dead and closed. Like cycling through a Day of the Trifids movie set. Afternoon watched a bit of tennis with TJ at ther Beacon Bar.

87 year old engine - perfect

11th June Had a bad start this morning. Motor wont start. Organsied with the Harbour master for a deisel mechanic. Otto came over. After a few OOOOs he said |I needed a complet new bank of batteries. 1200.00 Euros later. Managed to get them and put them in with his help. Wessam for another day.
12th June. Fog. Just before we left Wessam I met Tex and Anthea Jones from Hamilton who has also just bought a Cruiser and knows nothing about them either. Hopefully catch up with them again further down the line as he and Anthea are also heading to France. Motored down the Juliana Canal ( 3 locks )  and headed for Maastrecht. A real ancient city with the Belgian border 1 K wets and the German border 2 k east. Moored alongside an 87 year old Dutch barge. Beautifully maintained by Luke. The engine is also 87 years old.. Had a walk around the town and of course stopped for a beer in the square with TJ and Col.
13th June . Stayed in Maastrecht another day as had to cycle down to the JH Peiterson Yacht Haven to get my ICC Certificate. Still raining.. Walked into the Maastrecht square and caught up with Tex and Anthea. Had a crazy eveing on the boat with Tex, Anthea, TJ and Collen. Colleen had managed to stretch the meal out to 6 people. Tex was a fighter pilot in the French airforce for 3 years. Heading to Namur tomorrow. which is in Belgium.
14th June Thursday this must be Belgium.... Up early and filled the deisel tanks to the gunnels as deisel is more expensive in Belgium 415.00 Euros later. Couldn't reach Namur in one day. So moored in Huy Yacht club about 20 k out of Namur. A nice little town perched in the shadow of 2 huge Nuclear power plants. Motored 71 K today and only 3 locks.
15th JuneRaining agian and grey ( Belgium of course ). Plan to get to Namur today. Got to Namur eraly but could not get onto the mariner as wind too high so moored across the river outside a Casino. Had diner in restaurant in the square with Tex, Anthea, TJ and Colleen. Only 3 locks again today.
16th June Had to cycle off this morning to get a large torch as we will soon be in France and encounter a couple of long unilluminated tunnels. One is 5k long. Should be fun !!!!

Me and Tex - 2 cricket experts

Having diner in the Namur square

The square in Namur

KIWI ROSE parked outside casino in Namur

End of another day

17th June. Woke up this morning in Namur to a beautiful day. We are off to Dinant. This blog needs a bit of work as I am doing it at 7AM on to of the Mariner Bar roof and the sun means I can't see the bloody screen to well.