{"id":367,"date":"2026-05-10T05:47:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/?p=367"},"modified":"2026-05-10T06:02:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T06:02:37","slug":"finally-readyto-sail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/archives\/367","title":{"rendered":"Finally Ready\nto Sail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Papers in order, sails on board, Dutch flag at the stern \u2014 and a first berth of our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Ilse & Piet – 10 May 2025 – Breskens Marina<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, something shifted. After months of parts and paperwork and patient waiting, Adriana is finally \u2014 properly, officially, undeniably \u2014 ready to sail. Safety, administration, regulations, VAT: all sorted. The endless to-do lists have given way to something rather more exciting. An open horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We decided the best way to celebrate was to do exactly what the boat was built for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our First Berth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We moved from the visitor pontoon to our permanent berth \u2014 a meaningful moment, even if the spot itself is admittedly on the narrow side. We’ll be shifting to another position next week, so consider it a temporary home for now. But it is ours, which counts for a great deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we settled in, Piet took Adriana out for a short motor trip around the marina. It was the first time either of us was genuinely at the helm, without anyone else standing by to take over. It went, frankly, better than we had dared hope. We brought her in neatly and without drama, thanks in no small part to Kurt \u2014 our new friend at the marina \u2014 who was on hand to help with lines. A smooth landing is always easier with someone who knows the pontoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A Day of Errands Across Holland<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Midweek, we split up and covered a surprising amount of ground. Piet drove a loop through South Holland to have the AIS and VHF reprogrammed with our new MMSI number \u2014 a routine job that nonetheless feels satisfying to tick off. At the same time, Piet drove to North Sails in Rotterdam to collect the sails. By that time the car was fully loaded, there was very little room left for anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same trip also took care of two important safety items. The EPIRB \u2014 the emergency beacon that transmits your position if you end up in serious trouble at sea \u2014 came back freshly reprogrammed and ready. And we added a new eight-person life raft to the inventory. The car was genuinely full when Piet drove back to Hofstade. A productive day, measured in kilograms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Paperwork Is Done<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This week also brought the last of the official documents: the registration certificate, the final ship station licence, and the VAT certificate. Three pieces of paper that together mean we can take Adriana out on the water and prove, to anyone who asks, that she belongs to us. It is a remarkably good feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We immediately bought a Dutch flag and placed it at the stern. Whenever we are on board, we can proudly fly it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A Weekend of Bringing Things On Board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This weekend has been mostly about the satisfying logistics of actually moving in. The overfilled car was unloaded. The sails and the life raft came aboard. We stocked up with beautiful white and blue bed linen and towels \u2014 the kind of domestic detail that makes a boat feel genuinely like somewhere you want to be. And we hung a new blue clock, which I received as a Mother’s Day surprise, so the onboard weather station is complete again. The essentials, in other words, are all present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

We also hoisted one of the sails \u2014 the easiest one, naturally \u2014 and it went remarkably well. The others will have to wait for calmer conditions and an extra pair of hands; the wind picked up before we could continue, and there’s no need to rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

I spent some time tackling the black streaks on the gelcoat deck. It is meticulous, slightly tedious work, and we still need to find a more efficient method \u2014 but the result is worth it. The deck deserves to look its best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neighbours and New Beginnings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the evening, we headed to the sanitary building for the official opening of the new facility. It looks absolutely immaculate \u2014 the kind of place that makes marina life feel rather civilised. Afterwards, we had a lovely dinner at Lafayette sur Mer, which rounded off the day beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a warm, easy evening. We got to know more of the boat owners in our dock, swapped stories, learned a little about what to expect from the marina through the seasons. These are the friendships that make a marina feel like a community rather than just a car park for boats. We came back tired and content, crawled into our fresh sheets, and slept exceptionally well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

What’s Coming Next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We’re heading back inland this morning, but we’ll be back on Friday. The plan for next weekend is harbour manoeuvre training with Marcus \u2014 practising until the two of us can handle everything smoothly together, without needing to think too hard about any of it. That kind of confidence takes repetition, and we’re looking forward to putting in the hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re also on the lookout for new mattresses. The current ones are heavy latex, which is comfortable enough but not ideal for ventilation on a boat. We’d like something lighter that breathes better but doesn’t ask us to sacrifice any sleep quality. If anyone has a recommendation, we’re listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u26f5<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adriana is official. The flag is flying. The sails are on board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next stop: actually using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Papers in order, sails on board, Dutch flag at the stern \u2014 and a first berth of our own. By Ilse & Piet – 10 May 2025 – Breskens Marina Last week, something shifted. After months of parts and paperwork and patient waiting, Adriana is finally \u2014 properly, officially, undeniably \u2014 ready to sail. Safety, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-refit-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367\/revisions\/381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingadriana.com\/sailing-adriana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}