Gent to Diksmuide
July 1st to 10th 2024
Gent, on the Scheldt
This was one of several special family weeks during 2024. Calliope had to be in Diksmuide, North Belgium, on July 10th to be lifted out for her quinquennial (5-yearly) hull clean and re-paint. We had been travelling up from Saint-Jean-de-Losne in France for the past 2 months, and had an appointment to keep in Gent on July 3rd with eldest granddaughter, partner and first great grandson.
We arrived in Gent a couple of days before to get organised , and catch up with boating friends on Dreamer. All of that journey is already posted, including the last two episodes, one in Belgium and one on the Meuse.
Here we are moored up against Dreamer on Portus Ganda, the largest of several ports/marinas in Gent.
As well as spending time with Mieke and Frans Stewart and I also had to get shopping in and prepare the boat for visitors, including a 16 month old! Luckily Mieke has several grandchildren and had put together a wonderful pile of toys, books, life jackets, travel cot and bedding. Thank goodness for friends like this!
Dreamer’s quay is almost entirely full of big barges with people living aboard. Between them they have planted climbers along the wall, making it extra colourful in summer. I cannot resist photos of flowers like these.
Stu and I had time for our own wander round Gent to re-aquaint ourselves with one of Belgium’s gem cities.
It was rather a grey day, and my photos are not worth sharing – well maybe just this one of the castle.
This is a barging blog, not a family blog, but because the two sometimes intertwine I will give a quick view of us all together in Gent.
On 3rd July I went off to Brussels airport on the train to meet Keeva, Cameron and little Marlow. After a long days work and travel for them we got back to Calliope at about 10pm. With a bit of food and wine everyone was ready for bed. Luckily they all settled down in their new quarters for the night.
Next day was designated as Explore Gent Day. Exploring Gent meant exploring some of their food and drink as well – waffles, chocolate, Gentse Kopf (a kind of tasty brawn), frites, bitterballen and naturally beer.
A bit daft I suppose, but as I was not the tourist on this occasion I did not take many photos of this fascinating, beautiful, full-of-histories city. Keeva took loads!
With a child on board we also spent time in parks and sand pits, squares with fountains and simply on Calliope with toys and books. Keeva liked the play parks too!
Before we leave Gent I just want to add a nature note. I have long loved grebes and often try to photograph them, but they always catch sight of me and dive under water.
I was so lucky at Portus Ganda. A brood of grebe chicks had only just hatched. Their nest was right alongside a pontoon and the chicks were too small to swim far so mother grebe had to stay put.
Look carefully for the zebra striped chicks – I think 3 are visible.
Not only that, but I got a little video of father grebe bringing a fish back for one of the chicks to swallow – if you like nature and birds its worth a quick look; only 15 seconds. This is part of barging life; you get close up to the flora and fauna of the waterways. (Try to ignore my excited voce!)
We only had two nights in Gent with Keeva and Co. because of our date on Diksmuide. So on the second evening, after some time on the back beck with Mieke and Frans, The youngsters went for a stroll round the city to see it lit up at night while great- grandparents babysat.
From our mooring there was a beautiful view of the cathedral, especially at night.
Keeva and Cameron got up close.
Ringvaart and Kanaal Gent-Ostende
After our nights at Gent it was time to say tot ziens (goodbye) to our Belgian friends and set off north, initially to Brugge. There was a definite end goal in sight – to get there in time to watch England play in the quarter final of the Euros – we are all football fans.
The journey began up through Handelsdok (the Trade Dock), and on towards the Grootdok, or Big Dock, where most of the ships are of ocean going size. We would have preferred to go through Verbindingskanaal and joined the Bruges Vaart(Brugge Way) near the middle of Gent, but the lock connecting to it was closed for modernisation work.
We felt quite small alongside some of these!
Then we joined the Ring Vaart, or canal ring around Gent, and waited for our turn through the big Evergem lock – all very calm and controlled. Once through the lock we were at the junction with the Brugge Vaart; a turn to starboard had us heading out on the Kanaal Gent-Ostend. Just 37kms to go to reach Brugge.
The first part of this canal is wide and busy but once some commercial barges turned off we had the waterway mostly to ourselves.
With the youngest crew member having a midday nap Keeva and Cameron were able to enjoy the front deck position – always a favourite with guests!
It’s quiet and peaceful there, with just the swish of the bow wave for company.
[Football allegiances are clear!]
There is a friendliness on the canals and rivers between the crew on vessels of all sizes. Captains of the biggest commercial barges will normally acknowledge us as they pass by, and leisure craft always enjoy a quick wave.
Keeva has been on board Calliope a few times before and has learnt the ropes!
There are not many landmarks between Gent and Brugge to photograph.
But there is one nice looking marina at Beernem, mainly for cabin cruisers. Here it is.
As we got closer to Brugge we called up the control centre there which sees boats through the succession of bridges from the outskirts of the city right through to the other side.
The first is called Moerbrugge. Soon after our call the bridge lifted for us. We explained where we were going to that day and knew we would be seen on the cameras as we neared each following bridge. They would open without the need for more calls, apart from the one at the entrance to Coupure Marina.
Brugge
We have not stayed at Coupure before. The map told us that there was a bridge across the entrance which had to lift for us to enter. A call to the harbourmaster ensured it would happen.
If you saw the Red Ensign blowing on Calliope as we left Gent you will know that this was rather a windy day! Turning into Coupure was not an easy manoeuvre for Captain Stu. As there is not enough space to turn Calliope inside the marina, we had to go in astern, with the wind threatening to blow her sideways along the canal. But as usual Stu brought his ship into her mooring steadily and surely.
Here we are tied up securely. The bridge can be seen in the distance, back in its lowered position.
Apart from the entry, Coupure is a good mooring from which to see Brugge. It is just a 5 minute walk to the centre and all its beautiful buildings.
But first we had the football.
We found a convenient, very friendly, sports bar. And England won!
(If you are worried about Marlow being in the bar, he was very happy and I took him outside for a chunk of the match)
Our guests had less than 24 hours in Brugge. Next morning we set off to have a good look around the centre. Keeva took all the photos! I just have a tiny taste of the city.
But we did explore lots of the little streets and backwaters that make Brugge so attractive. And we found somewhere else to have waffles!
Back to the boat for luggage to be packed and a pizza restaurant to be found between us and the station! We enjoyed a good lunch together and then walked to the station to find the Brussels airport train, and say goodbye.
It always seems a bit empty when family have gone again; calm and quiet, with a lonely edge. But Stu and I had something to focus on. We would be leaving again in the morning. We had two days to reach Diksmuide and our lift out; I booked our Coupure exit for 9am.
We discovered in the morning that our exit would be with about 7 other boats, who had also booked to go. We were happy to be last in the queue and once on the canal we turned to the left with 4 boats, whilst 3 others turned to the right.
As we set off I was ready with my camera to make amends for the scarcity of photos the day before. The cruise around the edge of Bruges is full of photographic opportunities from locks and bridges to old city gates and windmills.
We were in a convoy with five of the other leisure boats, all destined to go through the one lock and four bridges together. Things were made easier by the Coupure harbour master who had informed the control centre that we were on our way; no need for calls or radio. I could concentrate on photos!
The one lock is rather interesting as it is a semi-circular in shape, and has three entry gates. The extra gate is not now in use but was the way to the Damse Vaart canal, built under the orders of Napoleon to transport troops. It was later used to service an old industrial area of Bruges.
The best way yo show the shape and size of the lock is using Google maps. Our route is shown buy the blue arrows.
You can see the old, unused, Damse Vaart going off at an angle on the right.
The convoy continued around Bruges, under the various bridges, on of which is my favourite. Its method of opening is just so amazing; the bridge turns upwards through a quarter of a circle, leaving the road on its side in mid air.
Here is is coming back down to its horizontal position after we had gone through.
The canal continues a mainly straight path towards Ostend, often through long tree-lined stretches looking out over farmland.
It is a very pleasant, if unexciting, trip; no more locks for a while, and only one more bridge to be lifted.
Actually that is also an interesting bridge, this time swinging the road like a swing boat!
So here is a photo of Stalhillebrug.
Kanaal Plassendale-Nieuwpoort
Eventually we reached the point where the canal to Nieuwpoort leaves the canal to Ostende. This is where we turned left, with all the other boats in our little convoy.
This whole area was a place for tolls to be paid to the Spanish, about 400 years ago and still has remnants of the historical past – not these wooden pontoons though!
With the other boats we turned into the lock that took us through to the Plassendale- Nieuwpoort Canal. Yes, it seemed that we were all going the same way!
It is an unusual lock both in shape (it is much wider than the canal) and in having two sets of doors at the far end.
As our little flotilla sailed on you can see the two sets of white doors – and a lift bridge to allow us out.
This bridge is on quite a busy road; the traffic queued back several hundred metres each side.
All the other boats continued to Nieuwpoort, or beyond, the same day, but we like to take things steady and had a stop in mind at Oudenburg.
It is a mooring just outside of town, and opposite a nature reserve, fields, and flat rural land across to the sea, a few kilometres away.
I would imagine that in the winter, with the wind blowing straight on from the North Sea, it could be quite cold and desolate.
But on this day in July it was lovely, despite the cloudy skies.
Oudenburg also has an Aanuit borne for electricity and water. This was a new system to us, but works well. We downloaded the Aanuit app which finds the closest electricity and water borne to you, and ‘connects’ you to it. Then you can take as much water and electricity as you need, and carry on. An invoice is sent to you at the start of the next month.
But of course you have to moor close enough to the borne!
Luckily the cap to our water tank is at Calliope’s bow, and we have a long hose!
Voila, job done!
Before we left Oudenburg we had a very new experience! It seems that this canal, and the Iser, are being used to test out an AI driven barge – the Watertruck.
It came by us and I got a quick video – it is initially alarming to see a big barge with no obvious wheelhouse or Captain bearing down on you! But we saw it several times in different places and situations, and it was always amazingly safe.
Then it was our turn to be off. This was the last day of our odyssey to Diksmuide!
The Plassendale canal seems to be all sky! It has polders surrounded by dykes on both sides, with occasional farm houses and small villages – a certain eerie beauty under grey skies.
By noon we had reached Nieuwpoort and the Sint-Joris lock that takes us from the canal onto the Iser, via the big Spaarbekken basin.
This basin is home to a marina and many water sports – a busy place in July. But as you get closer to the river it becomes quiet and rural.
River Ijzer (Iser)
We followed the channel set out by red and green buoys, which kept us out of the way of the sailing school, the kayaks, paddle boarders etc!
Southwards we cruised, between more polders and big skies, for 16 kilometres.
Its is a very gentle journey, with just one lift bridge along the way
Diksmuide
Two hours later and we were mooring up at the Port of Diksmuide. We were not able to moor next to the boatyard that night – their quay was busy – so had booked a mooring at the port.
And a lovely mooring it was too !!
We were on an end pontoon, sort of sideways on to the river, looking back towards Nieuwpoort.
Having checked in and paid our mooring fee we went for a walk, coming back to catch a different view of the mooring, once more under great Flemish skies!
It was to be our last night afloat for ten days or so.
The peaceful Iser river ensured a tranquil scene as we prepared to turn in.
This was at 9pm – such soft dusk colours.
Next morning, the 10th July, and right on time, we were awake early and waiting for the call to our lift out, just 500m up stream.
We were called around 9, and less than an hour later we came out of the water, just like this, but slower!
We had a new style of high life living for a while, with great views across the river the the Iser Tower.
And that is where we leave Calliope and crew for this blog episode.
I will write a short one later of our (excellent) experiences at the Buitenbeentje shipyard and the cleaning and repainting of Calliope’s hull.
goodshipcalliope 