{"id":179,"date":"2026-03-06T09:33:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T09:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/?p=179"},"modified":"2026-03-06T10:19:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:19:30","slug":"the-last-trip-to-ipswich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/archives\/179","title":{"rendered":"The Last Trip to Ipswich"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One final flight across the Channel \u2014 and no more showstoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Piet – Fox’s Marina, Ipswich – Bound for the Netherlands<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all started with a fuel filter. One small, essential part \u2014 and a lead time of ten days in the UK. Ten more days of waiting felt completely unacceptable when the horizon was already calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A quick scan of chandleries across Belgium and the Netherlands turned up a promising lead: Van de Rest<\/a> in Wemeldinge had exactly what we needed, in stock and ready to go. As luck would have it, we were already planning a long birthday celebration weekend in Amsterdam \u2014 so a short stopover in Wemeldinge became the obvious solution. We picked up the part on the way, and the weekend was wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Brexit Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the filter in hand, the next obstacle loomed: getting it to the UK. Since Brexit, shipping even small goods across the Channel has become a surprisingly painful affair \u2014 high costs, unpredictable customs delays, and no guarantee of timely delivery. Handing the part to a courier and hoping for the best was simply not an option we were willing to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face-to-face meetings \u2014 both with Oyster and with the team at Fox’s \u2014 were simply worth the time, and worth every euro of the airfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piet made the call quickly: fly over himself. Ryanair had cheap fares from Eindhoven to Stansted, and carry-on luggage can hold a fuel filter just as well as anything else. It was the kind of direct, practical decision that sailors learn to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Productive Wednesday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The morning flight touched down at Stansted, and Piet was at Fox’s boatyard in Ipswich by noon. The fuel filter changed hands almost immediately \u2014 and within the hour, it had been successfully fitted to the diesel engine. What had seemed like a logistics puzzle for weeks was resolved before lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the mechanical side sorted, Piet turned to a thorough round of final checks. One by one, the systems came to life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Generator \u2014 started and running smoothly<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Main engine \u2014 fired up without hesitation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Newly fitted autopilot with its new controller \u2014 tested and confirmed working<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Everything performed exactly as it should. After the checks, Piet sat down with Oyster Brokerage to work through the paperwork: the bill of sale, the acceptance letter, and the various practicalities of a formal vessel transfer. It was the kind of meeting that simply needs to happen in person \u2014 unhurried, thorough, and genuinely valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No More Showstoppers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    By the end of that Wednesday in Ipswich, the verdict was clear: there were no remaining obstacles, no unresolved issues, nothing to delay the journey home. The yacht was ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A tentative departure date was agreed on the spot. Weather permitting \u2014 and barring any swift and dramatic deterioration \u2014 the vessel will leave Ipswich on the evening of Thursday the 12th, arriving in the Netherlands in the course of the morning on the 13th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n