We planned a late start to today's cruise to allow for an urgent UPS delivery. One of the folding chairs we had bought the previous day had a faulty cushion and the owner of the chandlers had arranged for a replacement to arrive post haste. This gave the opportunity for one or two additional purchases and a relaxed start to the day for the whole fleet. We received Richard and Margaret on board and later were pleased to say hello to Ray and Audrey from Liella who were also rendezvousing at Willemstad. By 1.30pm we had completed our purchases and said our goodbyes and could get underway for our passage to Zierikzee.

Departing from Willemstad we turned to port and made for the Volkeraksluis, going only slightly awry by heading for the barge lock and not the separate yacht lock. Being so used to commercial vessels we forgot that in these parts yachts tend to be cordoned off to a separate area. A straight forward passage along the Volkerak buoyed channel was hampered only by a barge who insisted on sticking like glue to the right side of the channel. We managed to lose him as we went north of the Noordplaat nature reserve and headed for the Krammersluizen. At 9 metres wide the lock was just wide enough for the boats to go two abreast and we all squeezed in for yet another imperceptible change in water level. From here it was a pleasant cruise across a flat Oosterschelde, cruising easily under the 15 metre clearance of the Zeelandbrug.

The outer pontoons at Zierikzee were stacked out with yachts but we continued on to the Oude Haven where motor boats and yachts raft out three or four deep from a long pontoon alongside the harbour wall. We had a fine evening for dinner on board Virginia Lady and were joined later by friends of theirs from home who by chance were in town at the same time. Their tales of their passage from England by sailing boat - three days beating to windward in the rain and a water leak - were enough to remind us all why we prefered motor boats.

We had altered the cruise schedule to take in Zierikzee in order to make a day trip by boat to the Delta Expo on Neeltje Jans island. This is an artificial island half way along the Oosterschelde dam that houses the huge storm barrier installation which was the final stage of the flood defences following the 1953 disaster. The next day we set out in Precious Time to make the 8 mile trip to the solitary pontoon, an outpost of the Roompot Marina which serves the Expo island.

A ten minute walk and we were in the exhibition, which was quiet on a mid-week day before the school holidays. The main exhibition has now been moved into the Delta Plaza building, isolating a particularly interesting water-based demonstration of the Delta Project in what is now the barrier control building. However, the remainder of the exhibition has been expanded with even more activities, including sand sculptures, a 3D film and a hurricane machine. As a light interlude between drainage exhibits we headed for the rubber boat waterslide and enjoyed a mad ten minutes whilst most of the youngsters watched the seal display.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 26 nm

Total to date: 1446 nm

Avg Speed: 6 knots

Duration: 5 hours

Diesel: 36 litres

Mooring: €17/night

Electricity: €0,50 meter

Water: Included

Locks

Volkeraksluis

Krammersluis

Bridges

Zeelandbrug (15.1m)

Charts

1807.8

1807.4

1805.6

1805.5

1805.8