2008 will again bring us many changes. Like 2002, just the reverse sequence.

At the moment we enjoy the winter in Woerden, Holland. Close to the family, in the centre of the country, everything in close reach. We plan to move again in the spring. In a north-easterly direction but without fixed goals. We simply want to spend a good time sailing without having the hassle of needing to get somewhere.

A major undertaking this winter was the search for a new house for the period after living on Grote Beer. Since some time we knew that we would go back to Switzerland. So we searched the Internet and wrote an advertisement just before Christmas. And found the house.

For the nautical among you:

47degr28min42.1N 09degr32min04.3E

A small garden, lots of space to walk our future dog which is to be born in September. Bus stop outside the garden, train stop at 600 metres, St.Gallen at 15 minutes.

In the lower picture the view toward the lake with Germany visible on the other side.

We now did a serious step towards a new future and we therefore will put up Grote Beer for sale this autumn. We are looking forward to Switzerland again but realise that it will need some adaptation on our part.

But first we need to create a liveable house. At the moment we don't even have a bed.

All that wil take its time.

 

 

Last week we were in Switzerland for the 3rd time this winter already and we signed the contract for our future home. It is located in Staad, a village at the lake of Constance, 3 miles from the Austrian border.

At the picture we are looking east. The location is at a hill side which reaches from the lake at 400 metres to Heiden/Appenzell at 800 metres. The lake is to the left.

The house is a semi detached house, built in 1942 but totally modernised. We have more rooms that we need between us but of course space for hobby, children and grandchildren.

 

April

Mid April we left our winter harbour Woerden. Without a defined destination for this year. Because 2008 will be our last sailing year, we will do everything in a different way. Not sail towards a destination but simply let wind and mood decide where we go. And look at those small thing that we allways skipped in the past years.

Woerden was a perfect wintering place and we realy enjoyed life there. The last weeks in Woerden were taken up by a lot of visits. Both family and friends. In the end we said goodbye to quite a few new friends. But maybe? The world is small.

Our first destination was Haarlem. Apart from the charming town itself, there is a160 year old polder pumping station nearby which we really wanted to visit. I read and knew a lot about it but we had never seen it. 'Cruquius'. Old steam technology and oversized pumps, not unlike the handpumps we used to have in the yard in the old days. But the 8 Cruquius pumps lifted 65 cubicmeter per minute over a 5 meter height difference.

The power came from a 'Cornish engine', a huge reciproking steam engine with more than 10ft piston diameter. And 10 hand-fired boilers. Today the whole thing moves hydraulically for demonstrations.

The trip north past Haarlem had many bridges with, sometimes, considerable waiting periods. But Haarlem is a beautifull town with an interesting history and very much worth seeing.

At the moment we are in Nieuwendam, a northerly suburb of Amsterdam. We will stay some 2 weeks. It is very quiet here and yet close to the city. Els looks after the grandchildren for a week and i have 2 prospect who want to see Grote Beer.

From here we want to traverse the Noord Holland canal towards Den Helder. And then the sea.