Delfzijl to Lauwerzijl

At 07:30 I move to the bunker berth to fill up with diesel before moving on. The harbour master is late arriving so "Aurelia" sets off.

I take 104 litres at €1.10 per litre and finally clear the Neptunus Jachthavn bunker berth at 08:30. Visibility is not brilliant with a fairly dense fog. As we leave the berth the log does not appear to be working. We clear Kleinsluis locks and proceed along the canal towards Groningen. We are again using the
Staande Mastroute and this stage will cover the portion missed on the northbound passage.

At 09:20 we pass "Aurelia" who has again suffered a cooling failure. They wave us on and we continue towards Groningen. The passage is uneventful comprising mostly straight canal sections through farmland.

The Groningen bridges close for lunch so we edge into a waiting area near the Oosterhavn bridge where we moor at 12:15. A quick check shows the log impellor fouled by some marine growth and barnacles. These are cleaned off.

At 13:00 passage is resumed. Quite a large convoy has built up and I am pleased to see that it includes "Aurelia" who have got the engine running again. Progress through Groningen is quite slow as the convoy negotiates some 8 bridges. As the afternoon proceeds the wind becomes quite strong at NNW 15-30 knots. The log is now working.

At 15:24 we clear the Dorkwerdersluis. This was a crowded lock with the wind blowing across it. We moored alongside a large Dutch sailing barge and it was difficult to control "Kiriwina" using only the midship port cleat. My standard locking procedure is to position the boat as accurately as possible with a minium of 4 fenders deployed. Then I secure a midship mooring on as short a nip as possible. With the boat stable I add a stern or bow line if necessary.

We are towards the front of the lock and I lose sight of "Aurelia" during the afternoon. I later find out that she suffered a series of engine problems but got as far as the UK where she was laid up pending resumption of her voyage south in the summer.

The last lock of the day is the Lammersburen. This is a nasty because the wooden fendering is vertical with no horizontal elements. I have not seen one like this before and the problem only becomes apparent when one is comitted to the approach. Gulp! It's too late to stop the approach and sort out some horizontal fendering.

I wonder whether it would be possible to just sit the boat in the middle of the lock. Not likely with the prevailing wind. Fortunately salvation is at hand when the skipper of a larger Dutch yacht beckons me to moor alongside.

We are soon clear of the lock and moor at the adjacent Jachthaven de Waterwolf where we are all fast at 18:10. This is an interesting stop. It is basically a caravan park with some moorings and a restaurant.

During the day I noticed an occasional rattle from the prop area. I put this down to the stripper rotating.

Daily Run 33.2 miles Passage Time 8.5 hours. Marina Cost €6.40