Five days home, a bow thruster with a grudge against rain, and the last sailing day of the season.
Dieppe Harbour – 7 – 11 Sept – By Ilse & Piet
Halfway through the vacation, we promised the wind and tide would work with us on the way home — and for the most part, they kept their word. Five days, three ports, and one properly soggy stretch of Channel later, Adriana is back where she started: Breskens Marina. This is the second half of the story, the one where the outbound trip quietly turns into the last sailing days of the season.
Dieppe→Boulogne-sur-Mer→Nieuwpoort→Breskens (home)
The Logbook, Day by Day
Day 11 · Mon 7 Sept
Dieppe to Boulogne-sur-Mer
Misty, Motoring and Making Way
Off the dock at 07:19, just as the sun came up over Dieppe — handy timing too, since the green navigation light was out and a temporary one had to stand in while we waited for the fishing boats to clear the way. By 07:33 we were out of the harbour, manoeuvre executed perfectly.
Light wind, a calm sea in our favour, and a close watch kept for the fishing buoys that don’t bother showing up on the chart. At 08:14 the rain came looking for us — jackets on, genoa out, engine at 2000 rpm, holding 8.8 knots and slowly gaining ground on the weather. Coffee and a slightly questionable little cake arrived at 08:42, and by 09:20 the engine finally went quiet: proper sailing, with a bit of sunshine thrown in. By 10:40 the wind had built enough to call for an extra reef in the genoa — sweets handed round, a French sandwich, and a call made ahead to secure a berth.
At 12:33 the rain caught up with us properly, jacket back on and the genoa doing all the work alone. But Boulogne-sur-Mer welcomed us in style all the same: a seal at the harbour entrance, seeing us home.
Misty at dawn. Motoring through rain. Making way regardless.
Day 12 · Tue 8 Sept
Boulogne-sur-Mer to Nieuwpoort
Lashing, Lumpy and Limping
Underway by 08:15 under genoa alone, 7 knots toward Cap Gris-Nez, grey skies and a light rain keeping things honest. The waves had some size to them, but nothing Adriana couldn’t handle — and with the current running in our favour, the speed crept quietly upward without anyone asking it to.
By 09:20 we’d rounded Gris-Nez, raised the main, and picked up a favourable thirty-degree push from the current — reward enough for a yellow Napoleon bonbon, thoroughly earned. Preventer rigged and ready. Noon brought a change of mood: wind gone, rain arrived, engine on, and every one of us properly, thoroughly soaked. A seal said hello at 12:12, and a porpoise came by near Gravelines to see how we were doing. More rain followed. And more.
Then the bow thruster started acting up again — likely rainwater working its way into the touch button. Wet through to the underwear, we called it there: warm fleece blanket, new book, and a proper rest before the next leg.
Lashing rain today. Lumpy seas held. Limping onward tomorrow.
🔧 On the List
The bow thruster’s touch button has a habit of sulking whenever it gets properly wet — this is at least the second time rainwater has found its way in and knocked it out. A new button is already on order, and the old one gets a chance to dry out before it’s called on again.
The bilge is still on our watch list too, from earlier in the trip — no new developments there, just continued checking on every passage.
Monitoring — new bow thruster button on order
Day 13 · Wed 9 Sept
Nieuwpoort to Breskens
Nice, Numbing and Nearly Home
The dryer did its job overnight — sailing gear dry again and ready for another round. The previous evening’s weather had other ideas though: gusts up to 7 Beaufort came through, and we were very glad to be moored on the sheltered side of the quay for it. Cold and wet was the forecast, so four layers and thermals went on before anyone stepped outside.
Off the dock in Nieuwpoort at 11:07, genoa up, underway for the last leg of the trip. It was blowing hard and we went with it — heavy seas, patches of blue breaking through stacked clouds, and the sun finally joining in as the Belgian coast’s seaside towns slid past one by one. The Silt Hotel in Middelkerke made a clear landmark, followed by the Thermae Palace in Oostende and the harbour at Zeebrugge, before the final stretch home to Breskens.
The last sailing day of the season. Adriana goes into winter storage from here.
Nice sailing today. Numbing cold at times. Nearly home now.
” The last sailing day of the season — Adriana goes into winter storage from here. Tomorrow is for tidying up, cleaning, and topping up the job list before she’s put to bed for the winter.
Day 14 · Thu 10 Sept
Breskens Marina
Well-Rested, Wiping and Winter-Ready
A proper lie-in this morning, a slow start, and a breakfast worth waking up for — pancakes with Nutella, jam, and sugar, exactly as they should be. Dishes done, we sat under a weak but welcome bit of sunshine to plot out the day’s jobs and cleaning tasks.
And what a list it turned out to be. Deck scrubbed and polished, stainless steel stripped of salt and brought back to a shine, cockpit deep-cleaned, windows polished until they actually sparkled. The guest cabin and bunk cabin were emptied out and thoroughly cleaned, the forward toilet and shower scrubbed, the technical space tidied and sorted. Every surface got a vinegar treatment too, to keep mould at bay over the winter — the boat smells properly fresh for it. To finish, we sat down with Breskens Yacht Service to go through the winter maintenance list together.
Well-rested this morning. Wiping down all day. Winter-ready tonight.
Day 15 · Fri 11 Sept
Breskens to Home
Orderly, Offshore-Done and Onward
Up early for one last round of boat care — the aft section got its vinegar treatment, every corner and locker checked inside and out for damp or dirt, cleaned and dried properly. Sheets, duvets, towels, and pillowcases all went into the laundry bag for a proper wash at home before next season. One conclusion after two weeks aboard: a boat collects an astonishing amount of dust.
Then it was time to say goodbye to summer, and to this trip — and since we never do that easily, we stopped in Philippine for mussels at Auberge des Moules on the way home. Absolutely worth it.
Orderly on board. Offshore chapter done. Onward to Barcelona.
What’s Next for Adriana
Two more weekends this autumn to get her properly winter-ready. Early October she comes out of the water, and the next big phase of the refit begins: maintenance work at Breskens Yacht Service, hatches replaced, the Webasto reinstalled, a new washer-dryer combo fitted, new radar and instruments mounted. The list is long, but everything on it is exactly as expected — no new surprises. New sails get measured next week too.
Once the list is done, Adriana will be ready in spring for the next adventure: we’re bringing her to Barcelona, in stages. Fancy joining a leg of it? Send Piet or Ilse a message.
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This was our first sailing vacation with Adriana. We’re grateful for how well she looked after us — and we’ll keep looking after her with the same care.