A busy pattern of low pressure systems has been throwing quite a breeze over the Grevelingenmeer, but the 26 motorboats of the MBM Club cruising fleet are on schedule and now located in the modern Port Zelande marina and holiday complex.

Reviewing the past 48 hours we have to admit that the weather has been remarkably kind, despite a synoptic chart that looks more like a fingerprint chart.

Our al fresco group meal on the volley ball court at Herkingen Marina on Thursday evening (2 July 2001) was able to go ahead despite an odd sprinkling of warm rainwater early in proceedings. Close on 80 got together to eat using an impromtu camp kitchen made of 13 disposable barbecues and the evening was rounded off by Terry Hughes who, at our invitation, addressed a magnificent 9kg water melon as if it was of Highland ancestry. Terry and his wife Veronica had joined us in their boat Papa Dip, which these days can be found at Delta Marina, Kortgene. It has been good to meet up with them again and, with apologies to all Scottish readers of this website, the melon tasted all the better for his blessing.

It was only when events were safely at an end that a spectacular thunderstorm came flashing its way across the marina. The waterworks were over quickly, but lightning could be seen on the horizon for over two hours afterwards.

Yesterday (3 July 2001) saw the fleet take a lazy meander westwards along the Grevelingenmeer and amongst its various islands to its closed border with the North Sea coast. A brisk wind provided perfect yachting conditions, with many sailing craft making excellent progress under foresail alone. But although it caused no more than a popple on the water, there was little inclination for our fleet of motorboats to loiter and all made their way to our chosen stop of Port Zelande for the next two nights without exploring many of the meer’s often shallow backwaters.

Mooring in boxes proved to be an interesting exercise for some. ‘Boxes’ are moorings where you tie the bow or stern to the main pontoon but secure the other end to wooden posts, rather than fingers. Port Zelande offers kinder boxes than many, with more generous gaps between the posts and half-fingers jutting out from the walkway against which you can aim, but for those who have not encountered them before it still feels as though you need four crew (plus a couple to lift the fenders out of the way of the posts), at least as many ropes and a good dose of luck to make the perfect arrival.

A couple of scuffed gunwhale fenders aside, all cruise participants did a pretty good job of the exercise but judging from comments afterwards there were a few heart-in-mouths moments; squaring up to a couple of posts not much wider than your boat with 20 knots of breeze on the beam and aiming to make a landing on a small finger to windward was always going to be fun.

Despite their ability to provoke an adrenalin fix, once you get used to them, boxes seem a pretty good way of securing a boat; with ropes in all the right places there’s little chance of fender scuff and hence, those annoying little squeaks and twangs that wake you up when the wind gets up…as it did again last night.

Not that we are worried today (Saturday 4 August). The sun is managing to peek its way though clouds and there’s a general air of blob about this massive marina with its excellent range of modern facilities. Despite the proximity of the islands, there’s enough breeze to encourage most to stay where they are, take a wander along the dyke or walk around the marina to the large holiday village and swimming pool next door that also boats a well-stocked supermarket.

Tomorrow we take the shortest leg featured on any MBM cruise, the two mile hop to the town moorings at Brouwershaven.