This will be a shorter update. The passage from Cuxhaven to IJmuiden (eye-MEW-den) went well. I was curious how the 4-on/4-off watch schedule would feel in practice, and whether the sleep deprivation would grind us down, but it went surprisingly smoothly.
We split the journey into four-hour shifts, and Eric put together a great document laying them all out.
Sunday, April 12
16:00 – 18:00 · Kyle + Eric
📍 Departure, exit Elbe River
⛵ Motor for the first hour, then sail
🌊 2.5 kt current with us to start, 2 kt current against by the end18:00 – 22:00 · Eric
📍 Cross the gap to reach the Wadden Sea islands
⛵ All sailing
🌯 Off shift prep dinner22:00 – 2:00 · KP
📍 Traveling along the Wadden Sea islands, end near Norderney
⛵ All sailing, some wind chill
Monday, April 13
2:00 – 6:00 · Eric
📍 Traveling along the Wadden Sea islands, end near Borkum
⛵ All sailing, some wind chill
⚠️ Note: option to stop in Borkum if needed6:00 – 10:00 · KP
📍 Traveling along the Wadden Sea islands, end near Terschelling or Ameland
⛵ All sailing, possible motor at the endetc...
When someone was on watch, they were responsible for navigating safely south the traffic separation scheme, staying north of the shallow coastal waters, and keeping track of the fishing vessels and wind farms scattered in between. Checks every ten minutes, log entry every hour.
The shifts went by faster than expected. We had to motor for part of it, which made sleeping through the engine noise a little harder. We sipped tea, worked through a loaf of banana bread and some burritos, and watched the distance to IJmuiden slowly tick down. A few birds joined us for part of the trip, and the Dutch Coast Guard hailed us with much the same questions as their Swedish counterparts had earlier in the trip.
We made our approach to the marina around 4am. Eric was on the bow with a spotlight, checking the entrance. We found a spot at the end of the dock, tied up, shook hands, sorted out the moorage payment, and got to bed.
We were up around 9am. I couldn't help myself starting on a few boat jobs. Eric packed up, said his goodbyes, and caught an Uber to Amsterdam Schiphol.
I tracked down a certified Volvo Penta mechanic named Ewoud to do the 50-hour service on the engine, which meant changing the transmission oil and filter. I asked if I could watch, and he was kind enough to walk me through the whole process, pointing out things to keep an eye on during regular checks. Ewoud was friendly and clearly knew his stuff, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to engine servicing.
I'm on my own again. The plan is to stay in the marina until Friday or Saturday, spend some time exploring Haarlem and Amsterdam, and then continue south down the coast. I'm excited to see what lies ahead.