Scheldt and Dender Rivers 15-21 June We had a great week with friends from New Zealand Marg and Adrian. We travelled on the large tidal river the Sheldt from Antwerp, and then onto the smaller Dender river. On Saturday low tide was at 9:50, so we went through the 10am bridge from the marina. The bridge keeper only opens that bridge at certain times of the day, and then has to drive to the next bridge to let us out of the Kattendijkdok, so there was a bit of a wait. However when we did get through that bridge we were able to go straight into the lock. This was very lucky as it is a slow lock, and if we had missed it, it may have been a couple of hours before we had another chance. There were already 3 commercials in the lock and with us came a tug and three cruisers, and there was plenty of space for more. We got out of the lock at 11:23, onto the tidal Scheldt river which was already flowing with the tide. A fine misty rain started just as we left the lock. We had about 50kms to go on the river, however with the help of the tide we got to our turn off just after 4pm. Our top speed was 12.7km/h, which was about 5km/h faster then our normal speed. After going through the lock, we found our preferred mooring empty so were able to tie up securely for the night. The next morning Howard had a fish before we set off into town. Another fisherman shared our pontoon. The river was very quiet, but we did see a group of 6 boats travelling together down the river. We cycled into the town of Dendermonde which had a delightful city square. We visited the Beguinhof (Beguinage), which was quite run-down, but had a small and interesting museum. Then we had a quiet time on the boat. Our next stop along the Dender River was Aalst. A little larger town, also with a delightful old town square. The church was also worth a visit, with a bright interior and a Reubens painting, which was featured as part of the "Flemish Masters In Situ" exhibition. We stayed two nights at Aalst and met with Davy and Claudio on Tuesday who had done some work on our boat when we were moored at Diksmuide for the winter 2017-18. They came over to discuss some work we needed done to meet our CVB certification. After they left we took a ride along the river to see the lock we'd have to go through the next day and then to the city park. The lock in town is only 5.25 m wide so none of the commercials can pass it. And they have to either back in or back out to get to the chemical plant, as there is not enough room there to turn around. One old boat backed by us without a bow thruster. A photo of the castle-like station and our mooring - making use of our canopy and the detachable sides. On Wednesday we headed for Ninove. The locks were now 5.2 m wide - the narrowest we had yet entered, and good practise for France where many are only 5m wide. They were also manual, with the lock keepers, having to manually open and close the gates and turn the valves to let the water in. We were not sure whether we would get a mooring in Ninove as the town mooring was quite small, and was full when we got there. But luckily the concrete mooring just past there, only suitable for larger ships, was free and we had a delightful mooring just a short way from town. After a cycle into town Howard and Adrian had a fish, which had to be stopped when we started hearing the thunder from an approaching storm. They finished packing up just before the rain and wind squall hit us, and then another Dutch barge came down the river and we let them moor up against us. A tree fell down with the wind in the park next to us. Thursday was our final day of cruising, and the river was prettier and more windy (ie twisty), which kept us on our toes. Geraadsbergen was the final stop for Adrian and Marg. We had dinner at a local American Diner before they set off with Howard in the morning for a trip to the Netherlands. Now I have a weekend to myself, while Howard does his 24 hour fishing competition in Vlaardingen near Rotterdam.
1 Comment
Richard Switzky
13/7/2019 12:01:15 am
I continue to be wowed by the fabulous photos. You are seeing such things that are far off the beaten track. I love following your trip.
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AuthorWe are sharing stories about and travels on our barge Moondance. Archives
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