Before I knew anything about sailing, I thought that a lot of wind was good for sailors. Actually, what you really want is a “lagom” or just right amount of wind, preferably from the direction opposite of where you are headed. For our trip so far, we have had mostly headwinds and lots of them. Lulu does very well sailing upwind or “beating” against the wind, she can sail at a pretty close haul and makes good speed. However, when the wind is against you, the waves are against you, too.
So one way for us to avoid headwinds was to take the inland waterways of the Netherlands, which was lovely. But it is slow going, with bridges and locks and cities which mean that you travel small distances each day. So we exited the canals yesterday and sailed to Belgium, and are looking to sail further southwest. Unfortunately, that is exactly where the winds are coming from.
So this weekend, we are going to stay put. Enjoy Belgium, look for some good food and beer, and set out next week when we have a bit better winds to sail on.