Clipper, Beneteau Oceanis 343 from Numansdorp to Ramsgate and vice versa, August 2024
Friday, Audust 16th, Numansdorp
Lex and I drove to Numansdorp on Thursday afternoon. We wanted to leave early on Friday to arrive in Ramsgate at a reasonable time. According to the forecast, we would mainly have a southwesterly wind of about 15 knots, which would later veer a bit. The plan was to cross as clause hauled as comfortably possible and then, under the English coast, steer towards Ramsgate as clause hauled as comfortably possible again.
But, as often happens, things turned out quite differently. The Haringvliet Bridge wasn’t opening from 06:00 but only from 09:00. Oh well, that meant an extra hour of sleep.
The stretch from the Haringvliet Bridge to the Stellendam lock went very smoothly. It was just sailable, and with 7-9 knots of wind, we could sail almost the entire way. The weather was a bit less favorable. We started with rain, but by the time we were in the lock, it had completely cleared up.
In the Slijkgat channel, I checked the wind forecast again. It turned out to be quite different from before. Instead of a southwesterly, we had a northerly wind of 9-10 knots, which was expected to weaken later and shift in all directions.
Once at sea, this also turned out to be incorrect… There was a westerly wind instead. The strength, however, was accurate.
Anyway, we did not cross over immediately but first headed towards the wind farm to then cross the TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme) through the anchorage area near Noord Hinder.
That went very well. By the time we reached the anchorage, the wind had veered a bit, allowing us to continue sailing until it weakened so much that we had to start the engine.
Saturday, August 17, Ramsgate
At 11:30 AM, we were moored in Ramsgate’s outer harbor.
We had motored the entire night, but for the final stretch, the wind picked up again, making it perfectly sailable. That was a nice bonus. With full sails, we could enjoy sailing for another hour or so, and the weather was fantastic.
We were briefly visited by Border Force, who asked some questions over the VHF radio but did not board. We had already registered online, and they were satisfied with that.
Before entering Ramsgate, you must first report to port control, and once inside, you check in at the marina office, where they assign you a berth. There was plenty of space, so we had a good selection. Docking went exceptionally smoothly.
It took a moment to find the marina office. It’s a rather small and unassuming building, somewhat tucked away. We received a very friendly welcome and only had to pay for the night.
Ramsgate is a beautiful historic town with a rich past. The Royal Temple Yacht Club is the place to visit after a crossing. It opened just as we arrived, but unfortunately, there was no chef, so no lunch or food service. Oh well, there were plenty of other restaurants nearby where we could have lunch.
That afternoon, we visited the Tunnels, an impressive air-raid shelter that provided space for 60,000 people and genuinely offered the local population a completely safe refuge during the many bombings of World War II.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring a bit more, and in the evening, we had dinner at a Greek restaurant. After that, we called it a night. It hadn’t been a particularly rough crossing, but it was still a night with very little sleep.
Monday, August 19 – Position 51:46.973N 003:08.095W
Today was a truly perfect day.
We departed around 09:30 local time with a broad reach in about 10 knots of wind. With the tided in our favor, we were already making 7 knots, and later, as the wind picked up and we even put in a reef, we frequently exceeded 8 knots SOG. The weather was also fantastic. It was the kind of day you rarely get on the North Sea.
By around 6:00 PM Dutch time, we were already at Noord Hinder junction. A record! From there, it was a starboard turn towards the Slijkgat. The tide had turned by then, pushing us significantly southward. Well, it was a full moon, almost spring tide. When the wind died, we eventually had to start the engine to stay on course.
At around 2:00 AM, we expected to arrive at the Goeree lock. If all went well, it would be operating at night, but the Haringvliet Bridge wouldn’t open until 09:00 the next morning.
Tuesday, August 20th, Numansdorp
In the end, we arrived at the Goeree lock a bit later than expected. The current that had helped us all day now turned against us.
At 04:45 AM, we were waiting in front of the lock. Sailing through the Slijkgat at night is always an experience. The channel is well marked with lit buoys, but it has quite a few bends. This makes it tricky at times—you see a whole bunch of blinking buoys, but which ones belong together?
Anyway, it helps if you’ve sailed there at night a few times before, and of course, Navionics is a great help as well.
By 06:15 AM, we were through the lock. The final stretch on the Haringvliet was calm. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, we were passing under the Haringvliet Bridge—the first opening at 09:00 AM. Fifteen minutes later, we were moored, exactly 23 hours after departure.
It was a very successful and enjoyable trip.
