High tide at 2pm, it was a lackadaisical start to the day.

Bob went overboard to clean the prop. Those winter months spent up on the hard to dry out in order for the repairs to be made also meant the antifoul dried and is no longer as effective as was.

A quick refill. A red phone box where the bank teller machine for making payment was set up.

The time upon us, out motored Gratis on this exquisitely warm summer’s afternoon. Tide with us, we zoomed along past a dredge

and the highlight of the day, sighting a group of seals lounging on the sandbanks making the most of the sun’s warmth (afraid I could’t get any closer).

For a while, we even had a hitchhiker.

Through the lock at Terneuzen, the cruiser is today greeted by a mount of works taking place to enable today’s largest cargo ships into the Gent – Terneuzen canal ports.