A few weeks after officially becoming boat owners, as soon as we are done with exams, we travel with our dear friend Annabe to Grou. We depart early morning in the dark and the sun rises while we are on the train. We are planning on leaving early afternoon because we would like to reach the IJsselmeer by night, so we try to prepare everything as quickly as possible. That includes writing a grocery list on the bus. We arrive on the boat after a long journey of about 5.5 hours. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot more to do than what we had in mind before we can depart. The last cushions need to be put inside, our own luggage needs to be stuffed somewhere and we need to do groceries. Thankfully the supermarket lets us take the cart to the harbour so we don’t have to carry everything, but the inhabitants of Grou were probably not too fond of the noise. We also install the navigation light, since our plans involve sailing in the dark. It is a bit of an improvising project but it will be stable enough for now. In the end, we cast loose the mooring lines in the late afternoon. We wave goodbye to the previous owner and set off towards the IJsselmeer. For the most part, we have the motor on, but at some point, we unfurl the genoa as well. It is a lovely route through the countryside of Friesland, and the weather is quite enjoyable. We decide to stop for the night in Lemmer, at the edge of the IJsselmeer. De harbour master has already gone home but promises to be there the next morning at 09:30. Time to enjoy the luxury of shore power (heating!) and a hot shower.
