"Passantenhaven" missing

A “Passantenhaven” is the Dutch name for marinas which allow guest boats for a limited of time to stay. On the way to Roermond, I had difficulties finding such. For the first attempt, I followed a recommendation to turn right straight downstream the “big bridge”. But no, this was a Yacht Club, not offing guest stays. Then I entered Roermond city, where you can keep your boat only between sunrise and sunset. Next stop: Roermond City Marina, which only has eight spots, and they were all taken. But the harbour master was amiable and pointed me at some piers where I could stay in the lake just opposite. And this was a perfect choice. Luckily I have everything on board and don’t need port infrastructure. So, this is where I went and found a place immediately, set up a picnic table on the grass and especially my dog enjoyed having a nap with nothing shaky under his four paws. I think these are the kind of places I will explore more. If you encounter the same issue, this one is at N51.19837 / E5.94948. Another one is just w few hundred meters South. It’s not very busy, but spots tend to fill up in the evening. I just had for some time difficulties connecting to the internet. But I figured that when I switched down to 4G, it would work. Still more enough for working on the “boat office” - the maritime form of the home office. Electric power I get from 5 m² photovoltaic on the roof. On a sunny day, that’s enough to run everything with 6 kWh traction batteries. I still have two power banks for shady days, one with 280 Wh and 150 Wh, which I tend to keep packed in reserve, and I also have 120 W and 50 W peak solar panels.

Eddie having a nap on solid ground

Meandering Maas

Between Venlo and Maastricht, the Maas River splits into some sections of straight canals and besides those, there are the quiet arms and lakes of Maas, also called Meuse. You still can’t go along them to avoid the humongous locks, as you will hit the wall at some point, keeping the water levels straight between lock levels. I decided to stay in this region and found a winter mooring place. In the old days of the internet, I would have posted my geo-log and described much more about the details. Now, I prefer keeping my location off the public charts. But should you take or plan to take this route, please get in touch. I am happy to share what I know one to one. I subscribed to a new GPS tracking system which is excellent. It’s “Gaja” and you can download the application for Android or iOS by clicking here. There is also a free version. But once I was convinced, I signed up for the annual subscription. It is about the same price as 1 (!) nautical paper chart. I fear this started the end of my old Garmin (which I love). I think I will have to download my World of Waypoints once, take out the batteries and put it in my treasure box for the days to look back on the years when this machine guided me around the globe.

I also ventured into Belgium by following the meanders; when there is time, I will probably continue to Liege. The original plan to bring the boat to Alscace has to wait. There is too much work and also family arrangements.

The boat is performing very well. I see more of the kind here in the South of the Netherlands. And everywhere, these boats now get a lot of attention. It’s just a very smart concept. Even the engine, with just 10 BHP does not let me down and allows a decent cruise speed of 6 km/h at around 3500 rpm and a fuel consumption of about 2 liters per hour. It’s a Yamaha 9,9 High Thrust. That’s all that’s needed. And it is super comfortable. Even home office works. The only shortcoming is manoeuvring in tight ports, when there is strong wind. And as there are sometimes sports boats on the Maas, which could not care less, it needs closing doors when hitting the waves from a bad angle.

I will continue exploring the “Passantenhaven” for a few more days and then the boat will also be my base for a course I will teach in September at Tilburg University. Then it gets ready for winter. And there the plans are completely different. I still go to Hong Kong in October and need to finish my Dacha before it gets really cold and a big move is on the horizon.

Maasbracht

After a quick trip to Germany, I moved the boat further the short way to Maasbracht. These Lakes are really pretty and they give a bit of the feeling I had last in Biesbosch. I was lucky, because the easily morning was still calm and I could moor the boat safely in the harbour. Later in the afternoon, quite strong wind came up and continues through the night with strong rain. The rain sustained for days and only yesterday it became friendly again. There is always something to do on a boat, so I kept busy with the water installation. Actually, the sensor for the fresh water tank corroded, because I added choline in the tank before. I tried to fix it, but needed to order a spare online.

It is not easy to find mooring places, but I was lucky to get a winter spot in the Van der Laan Yachting Marina. It is run by outstandingly competent and friendly people, and given that other marinas near Roermond which I visited for enquiries were quite snobbish, I like this one a lot. Also there is a crane up to 75 tons, storage halls, working halls and everything you need for proper maintenance. So, I will be calling as a passant at some other places and stroll around the lakes during summer. I am also teaching a coure in Tilburg University in September, which comes at a handy commuting distance. Then I get the boat ready for winter “hybernation” and continue to Hong Kong.