Dutch Harbour Organisation
The following morning, the kids were faster than ever, had breakfast and brushed their teeth quicker than normal, had their clothes on in seconds because this morning, they were longing for going ashore, fishing crabs. Jonathan speaks German with the Dutch children - the foreign language he knows and since Dutch children are "foreigners", that is the language he uses (with not a too great success that is...).

That we are in a foreign country was experienced when I was making the dishes standing in the galley of ZEEPAARD just having positive thoughts about life, Holland and sailing, when I was suddenly waken up into reality by a Dutch man in uniform on this natural harbour on the insulated island of Mosselbank. Some sort of crossing between police and harbour master talking to me in strict language in Dutch. Oh dear, what have I done wrong now?

I pulled out my head out of the "Kuchenbude" (the sprayhood extension), and said in English that I could not understand Dutch but that I could show him whatever he needed. His uniform gave respect, so I immediately added that I had found a Slovenian suit-case with all necessary papers inside, which I could show him (the ship’s papers actually were placed in a small plastic "suit case" from some conference Jurriaan or someone must have attended in Slovenia some time). She officer did not pay very much attention to my "papers" and just pointed at the flag saying something about "Neederlands". In return, I pointed at my Swedish flag hanging down from the port spreader saying something about Sweden.

This representative of the Dutch authority started to soften up and started to understand and continued speaking in English while certainly thinking his part about "Dumme Schweden".

- "Where did you come from and how did you get here?", he asked very much more politely now.
- "Through the locks" I answered straight forward and pointed to the locks one could see not too far away in the distance.
- "And you have never heard of Natuur- en Recreatieshap De Grevelingen?" he asked.

And then he explained about the necessity to buy a one week ticket for Grevelingenmeer for EUR 9. But since we had not done so, we normally would need to pay him, and thus would be forced to pay a penalty of an additional EUR 4. So instead of charging us EUR 13 (not very expensive anyway...), he gave us a brochure in English with a map and nice explanations that one only may stay a maximum of 3 days in each place and thereafter has to move away from that mooring at least 1000 meters in a straight line (no curves allowed here!) and may not return to this spot for the following three days. This was to allow other boats to get to the same place and the yachts could nicely move around in the Grevelingenmeer.

What an effective organization! Certainly a possible procedure for the crowded Swedish Bohuslän during July, maybe?! While I was thinking of the consequences of such an organization, he asked us to please pay the EUR 9 for the week in our next harbour, thus avoiding the penalty. Just as quickly he had arrived, he disappeared again, checking other boats and we prepared ourselves to cast off.

After 2 hours motoring in non existing winds we had crossed the whole of Grevelingenmeer and I understand why so many Dutch people were sailing despite the lack of wind, just for the sake of not getting anywhere too quickly.
The next harbour we visited showed the excellent and professional organization of Dutch harbours. We arrived in Brouwershaven around 2 o'clock after having found this harbour with the help of hundreds of green and red buoy boys on the left and right to us all the way. They must get some sort of volume rebate for sure from the buoy manufacturers here in Holland! And when in doubt there are even buoys painted in both green and red just to make sure... or you may choose whether you would prefer to regard this particular buoy as "green" or "red" since it works either way, depending on from where you come, or where you want to go or from which side you would like to see this mark. And not enough with that! Buoys have numbers painted on them, which are marked on the charts so you really know exactly where you are (except for the approx. 100 m in between the buoys, where interpolating is asked)!

Well, anyway, I wanted to tell how our Dutch flag on Zeepard once again put us among the "homers" who should know how everything works. So we approached Brouwershaven by following the "traffic". We thought we'd look how they do and then see how it all works. Each yacht was welcomed by a loudspeaker voice saying "Guuute Mittach" from above. There, in a glass building high up, which looked more like a tower on a medium sized airport, sat the harbour organizer exchanging orders with the yachts entering the port.

Then it became our turn to receive the ever polite "Guuute Mittach!" and then something like "Ouvernachte?!". I looked at the nearest yacht for some help and he translated friendly: "Do you wish to stay over night?!". "Yes" I replied to the friendly yacht close by. "Ahhh, English!", came the voice out of the loudspeakers, "If you wish to stay overnight you can go to Charlie 15, that is the second entrance to starboard and you are welcome up for further information". - "Thank you..." I answered quietly to myself, wondering how he could have known we spoke English, whereby he immediately answered "You're welcome"!

Later, when I went up there, into the tower to pay my harbour fees, I found out that they had spy microphones hidden in the entrance hearing everything they said on the boats entering far below!

I wonder what we more had said onboard… But luckily it must have been in Swedish. Or was it in German to the children?

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