 Nieuwpoort Lighthouse |
Soon we were passing the Nieuwpoort Lighthouse, built in 1949, which stands as a replacement for earlier versions destroyed during World War conflicts. It features a distinctive white tower with red horizontal bands, making it easily recognizable. Standing at a height of 27m, the lighthouse serves as an important navigational aid for vessels entering and leaving the port of Nieuwpoort. Its light has a range of approximately 17 nautical miles, ensuring safe passage in the surrounding waters.
We were taking advantage of the tide. Flotillas of ships slipped by in the shipping lanes that headed up past Ostend, Blankenburg, Zeebrugge, and eventually the Westerschelde. The wind got up and rocked us about, but that discomfort was offset by the bright sunshine. Just off Zeebrugge we spotted what might have been a whale spouting out through its blowhole, but on closer inspection it turned out to be a tug testing out its firefighting jets.
A solitary porpoise joined us for part of our journey before moving on to richer pastures, Fishing boats and military vessels kept us on our toes.
 The Inevitable Fishing Boat |
Once on the visitors pontoon, I shot off to report in to the harbour master. He was, of course, out of the office, but he had left a contact number. On establishing communication, I was instructed where to berth, and was informed he would text me code details in a minute. We berthed and hooked up to the electricity supply. In a short while the harbour master hurtled down the pontoons on his electric scooter to check we were OK, and said he'd be back in an hour to sort out fees. Two hours later he still hadn't communicated, but I tracked him down in his office and sorted out fees.
Time to explore. The marina was nestled between two large breakwaters. It was not overly large, indeed small compared to Nieuwpoort. Beyond the breakwaters magnificent beaches seemed to stretch forever. To the east the mouth of the Westerschelde stretched away over a long, meandering route to Antwerp. On the other side of the mouth stood the tall buildings of Vlissingen. The land swept around Walcheren up the coast of Zeeland.
All the surrounding area is steeped in historical connectivity with England. Under the Secret Treaty of Dover, concluded in 1670 between Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France, England was supposed to get possession of Cadzand as well as Walcheren, as the reward for helping France in the then impending war against the Dutch Republic. In the event, the Dutch resistance - much stronger than anticipated - managed to repulse the French-English attack, and the treaty was not implemented.
In 1685 Cadzand was an important station on the escape route of Jean Harlan, a Huguenot from Calais, who escaped after Louis XIV's Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Cadzand was also an important destination that year and shortly thereafter for other Huguenot refugees from the Calais area when their temple at Guinness, Calais was demolished by royal decree in the summer of that year. During the year 1847 a large exodus of people from Cadzand, occurred, mainly to the United States.
 Cadzand Beach with Walcheren and Vlissingen on the Horizon |
We were hungry. Settling down at one of the tables outside a restaurant, we ordered a couple of beers. It was good to be back in Holland again. The young waiter of Indian origin was ultra keen to take our food order, and could not grasp that we preferred to sip our beer first. Perhaps he received a bonus for quick food orders. Eventually another waiter took our order for food. He spoke fluent Dutch, but we discovered he originally came from Lewisham and also spoke fluent English. His parents had moved to Holland 15 years ago. He lived in Terneuzen, and daily drove for 45 minutes to work here. "In London it would take me that time to drive a mile," he said. "These beaches here at Cadzand are reported to be the best beaches in Holland. And the people in this region are very clean and tidy. They always take plastic bags with the and bring their rubbish back home," he added.
"And do you support the local football club" piped up Rex.
"No, I support Arsenal," he replied.
"Don't get me started!" exclaimed Rex.
The couple on the adjacent table were German. A short conversation revealed that they had driven across to Cadzand where they had a flat in the town. Indeed, many German cars were parked in the town.
Back to the boat for a kip.
 Out on the Breakwater |