A fresh breeze accompanied our trip up the Middleburg canal to Veere, where we made our way through the stop lock into the non tidal Veerse Meer. This is a wonderful open area for sailing and there were many yachts enjoying the good sailing in the protected conditions. There is a well buoyed (and withied) channel which marks the safe water with a minimum depth of 2m across most of the Meer. The islands which are spread along the Meer offer secluded moorings for those who prefer the peace and quiet.

At the end of the Meer the Zandkreek lock links the Veerse Meer with the tidal Oosterschelde, and there was a healthy competition to find space in the lock. Coincidentally we rafted next to Stella Rose, a member of the Motor Boats Monthly fleet who we had met last year. It was a short trip along the Oosterschelde to the entry to the Goes canal at Sas van Goes. This is a much smaller lock and there was a short wait before we could make our way through.

Once into the canal we were amazed to see large numbers of swimmers in the waterway, some even playing chicken by swimming across the channel between the boats. The Wilhelminabrug is controlled remotely by the lock at Sas van Goes and once the convoy were all in position the bridge raised to allow us through. The Ringbrug at Goes opens on the hour and is operated by the Stadshaven harbourmaster who then opens the St Maartensbrug to follow. The tiny inlet of the WV de Werf marina was quite crowded and with only 15 places for visitors, we opted to continue on to the central moorings of the Stadshaven. Here we were shown to a prime alongside spot at the head of the canal where we were well placed to explore the nearby town centre.

At the recommendation of Roland, the bridgekeeper, we spent a very pleasant evening dining at Het Elfde Gebad, enjoying excellent service from the maitre'd. As usual we had arrived on the day of the town's fete and the Grote Markt was filled with rides and stalls. Unfortunately that evening was scheduled for the fair to move on and there was quite a bit of disturbance from all the comings and goings.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 19 nm

Total to date: 2040 nm

Avg Speed: 7 knots

Duration: 3 hours

Diesel: 60 litres (est)

Mooring: €13/night

Electricity: €0,50 meter

Tourist tax: €0,72pp/night

Locks

Veere Schutsluis

Zandkreeksluis

Sas van Goes

Bridges

Wilhelminabrug

Ringbrug

St Maartens brug

Charts

1803.8

1805.2

1805.3

1805.5