This winter we are staying in Bruinisse and so far we like it very much. It is nice and quiet with lots of space around us and the cars are nice and close. Throughout October the weather is mild and the cockpit tent is not up yet. From November we adopt the "winter mode" with double top windows and drying bags, regularly at night the dehumidifier on and the cockpit tent on. With the fine heating on, it is very comfortable and cozy on board.
Time flies by with our daughters remotely in Asia. So once a week we call each other via whatsapp usually with pictures. We also follow their adventures on polarsteps and instagram. They are enjoying themselves very well, but fortunately so are we ☺️.
In October there is still quite a bit of life around us in Bruinisse from boat owners winterizing their boats. From December on we are mostly alone except for an occasional winter visitor on another dock. Now in December it does feel a bit bare and lonely without much atmosphere. But that doesn't matter to us. We are hard at work during the week and enjoy our cozy little "house" in the evenings. We also just enjoy the peace and quiet and nature around us. On the weekends we are often out and about and the next three weeks during the holidays we will be with our daughters in Asia.
The advantage of lying in Bruinisse is that we can easily go sailing. We do that a few times. In mid-October a Sunday with Inge, Mark, Tess and Max (grandson Teun) with friend. A very pleasant day. In late Oct and mid Nov, the two of us sail up the Grevelingen on Sundays with nice weather and anchor on Sunday night and sail back on Monday after a day of working from home on the water. The epitome of freedom 😃.
We also sail up the Oosterschelde to Burghsluis on a beautiful sunny Saturday in late November. We were the only passers-by and had a delicious meal in the cozy restaurant het Oliegeultje. On Sunday we sailed back, our first time with the cockpit tent on in cold wind and rain. It was good to try it out; it went quite well and was comfortably warm.
On the weekends we are hiking a lot. I still the even weeks on Fridays with Mieke now on the Pilgrim Trail. But I also get Toine along more and more often on weekends 😃. I even got Toine excited about a hiking vacation in Scotland next spring (West Highland Way, inspired by Rayon Winn's book). That makes me so happy 😊, and it's a good reason to do some longer walks together more often now ☺️.
Early October with Harry and Anja, when we finally visit them for a weekend at their vacation home in Belgium. Very cozy, with nice weather, beautiful nature and delicious food. Two weeks later with Inge and Mark near Hellendoorn. Unfortunately our plan to walk the Pieterpad together as sisters for three days in the area where we grew up is cancelled, because Inge broke her collarbone playing field hockey. Still, we go that way, visit our old neighbors Klaas and Ineke and have a delicious meal together at the bistro in Enter. On Sunday Toine and I walk 22 km of the Pieterpad from Hellendoorn to Holten, the first part with Inge and Mark. Again in lovely sunny autumn weather.
The weekend in Burghsluis we take a 3-hour walk on Sunday morning in the dune forests of Burgh Haamstede. In the rain and with Toine's just new walking shoes. They run very well! We skip Sinterklaas this year, but on Sunday we do take a 2.5 hour walk with Inge and Mark in the dune woods of Noordwijkerhout and on the beach. With hot chocolate and ginger nuts. On the way back to Bruinisse we get fries from Hetty's for the first time. Tastes very good 😎.
The following weekend we celebrate our wedding day in Maastricht and take a nice walk through the Maasmechelen area on Saturday and on Sunday on the way back in the woods and on the heath near Leende. Komoot is very helpful in figuring out all these walks 😃. Lovely to be able to relax in nature on the weekend after busy working weeks.
Culinary wise, things are also pretty good. Besides still enjoying Hellofresh meals immensely during the week, we have a fantastic lunch at Plan C in early November (where we can finally use some of the coupons from Toine's farewell to Assistance Dog Netherlands 👌). The following day we have a wonderful lunch and wine tasting at Sailors Inn while it is windy and raining outside. Mid-November we have a very successful HRC lustrum Captains dinner at the SS Rotterdam with an interesting tour of the ship beforehand. In early December a nice dinner with colleagues from my work and partners. And finally last week a lovely dinner at Château Neercanne for our wedding anniversary. The Airbnb was less with very bad beds, but practically close and with a good microwave to dry the drying bags from the boat all over again 😅.
In between we are occasionally doing trip planning for the first part of the April 2025 departure. Very nice to meet Roel and Jacomine from the TARA at the end of Oct (we have dinner with them 😃) just before they go back to their boat in Panama. Very valuable to exchange experiences.
We also signed the final sales contract for our apartment. Construction started in September and should be ready next September. We drive by it from time to time to take pictures. We secretly sometimes think "this is our last winter aboard for now" (until we get to colder areas while traveling). The next two winters we will live in the apartment.
In between all this, we both have very busy work weeks with quite a bit of hectic work at Toine's. No wonder the past few months are flying by with our daughters at a distance. Fortunately, we can both finish our work well before our 'postponed summer vacation' to Bangkok and Cambodia during the holidays together with our family. On to a new adventure. Live is very good ☺️😊☺️😊.