MV Dirona travel digest for Antwerp 2020

Position: 51°27.45'N, 4°0.54'E

Entering the lock at Hansweert behind three commercial vessels. Unlike the past two locks we've been through, this one has no basin specifically for recreational boats, likely because there is less recreational boat traffic here. The more common Standing Mast route joins the river Scheldt at the mouth near Vlissingen. Because we're heading east to Antwerp, we decided to take the shorter route through the Zuid-Beveland Canal.

Position: 51°27.40'N, 4°0.55'E

Damian, a large commercial barge, entered the Hansweert lock beside us after we were inside. You can see the wash from their bow thruster and from the barge Dingenis Maria directly in front of us. Unlike the tug wash we encountered in the Kiel Canal a year ago, this one didn't push us around much.

Position: 51°27.40'N, 4°0.55'E

The Hansweert lock door closing behind us.

Position: 51°27.40'N, 4°0.55'E

The commercial boats exiting the lock in front of us. The skipper of Damian, the boat that had come in after us, offered to let us go first, but we're not on the clock and opted to let them exit first. We don't mind being in close quarters with these boats because the crews are amazingly precise and careful with their boats.

Position: 51°26.76'N, 4°0.77'E

That's a thruster pouring water out in the middle of this massive double barge moored just outside the Hansweert lock. Because this boat is operating light, the thruster is partly above the water.

Position: 51°23.58'N, 4°2.04'E

The timing of our run to Antwerp meant we'd be running against a strong negative tide in the river Scheldt for the first part of the trip. Here we're doing only 4 knots where at 1939 RPM we'd do around 8.5 knots in calm water.

Position: 51°22.41'N, 4°3.17'E

Antwerp is the second largest commercial port in Europe after Rotterdam and commercial traffic is heavy in the river Scheldt. This is the 589ft (176m) chemical tanker Stolt Confidence passing us en route to Antwerp.

Position: 51°22.30'N, 4°8.50'E

The Norwegian-flagged chemical tanker Nordstraum overtaking us en route to Antwerp.

Position: 51°23.01'N, 4°9.91'E

The cooling towers of the Doel Nuclear Power Station are prominent in the distance as we look towards Antwerp.

Position: 51°22.02'N, 4°13.12'E

Commercial traffic is increasing as we near Antwerp with many vessels visible ahead.

Position: 51°21.62'N, 4°13.46'E

Lock signals for the Berendrecht Lock and Zandvliet locks at the Port of Antwerp. The Zandvliet lock is 1,600ft (500 m) long, 187 ft (57m) wide and 44 ft (13.5 m) deep and was the largest lock in the world when opened in 1967. It was superseded by the adjacent Berendrecht lock in 1988, that is 36ft (11m) wider. The Berendrecht lock was in turn superseded in 2016 by the Kieldrecht Lock on the opposite side of the river that is 14ft (4.3m) deeper and currently the largest lock in the world.

Position: 51°20.85'N, 4°14.99'E

The 320ft (97.5m) hopper dredger Pallieter working the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°20.75'N, 4°15.35'E

Very low free board on the commercial barge Ganzestad. If you look carefully, you can see that the deck is below the waterline.

Position: 51°19.51'N, 4°16.27'E

The Doel Nuclear Power Station is on the banks of the river Scheldt and traffic passes surprisingly close by. The four-reactor plant has a capacity of 2,923 MW.

Position: 51°18.46'N, 4°16.39'E

Looking down an arm of the Port of Antwerp on the south bank of the river. Barely visible in the distance is the Kieldrecht Lock, currently the largest lock in the world measuring 1,600ft (500 m) long, 223ft (68m) wide and 58ft (17.8m) deep.

Position: 51°16.42'N, 4°18.65'E

Total huge refinery and petrochemical platform in Antwerp is the 3rd-largest in Europe and recently underwent a $1 billion upgrade. The refinery produces 338,000 barrels per day and a new steam cracker can process 1.1 million tonnes.

Position: 51°15.93'N, 4°18.01'E

The Kallo Lock to our south was built in 1979 and is 1,181 ft (360m) long, 164ft (50m) wide and 37 (11.4m) deep.

Position: 51°15.67'N, 4°17.91'E

Blog readers Rudi Van Gelder and Diane Seerden sent us this photo taken from their apartment of Dirona on the river Scheldt (position approximate). Jennifer is visible on deck in yellow getting the lines and fenders ready for us to lock through at Antwerp.

Position: 51°15.45'N, 4°18.04'E

Another lock, this one much smaller then the previous, leading to a small basin. The satellite imagery shows a couple of ships inside, so presumably the lock still operates.

Position: 51°15.29'N, 4°18.25'E

De Waterbus vessels were criss-crossing the river as we neared Antwerp.

Position: 51°14.27'N, 4°21.76'E

Fina Antwerp Olefins monomer plant owned by Total, processes naphtha, butane, and propane.

Position: 51°14.24'N, 4°23.33'E

The dramatic Antwerp Port Authority Building viewed from the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°14.20'N, 4°23.95'E

The skyline of Antwerp, viewed from just outside the Royerssluis between the river Scheldt and the interior canals.

Position: 51°14.20'N, 4°23.94'E

We've arrived into Antwerp near low tide.

Position: 51°14.22'N, 4°23.92'E

Here we are with our bow to the current waiting for six commercial vessels to exit the Royerssluis so we can enter to be locked up.

Position: 51°14.50'N, 4°24.22'E

Packed inside the Royerssluis with five commercial barges. For this lock, we handed two looped line up to the lock tender, who secured them to a bollard. Then we tended the lines as the water level increased.

Position: 51°14.50'N, 4°24.22'E

The first of many fabulous street art displays that we'll see in Antwerp, this one above the Royerssluis by artist Gooze.

Position: 51°14.53'N, 4°24.36'E

Bridge lifting for us to exit the Royerssluis.

Position: 51°14.49'N, 4°24.37'E

The Siberia Bridge opening for us to enter Kattendijkdok.

Position: 51°14.49'N, 4°24.37'E

Passing underneath the Antwerp Port Authority building in Kattendijkdok.

Position: 51°14.41'N, 4°24.38'E

Two river cruise boats from Basel, Switzerland where we embarked on our Rhine River Cruise.

Position: 51°13.89'N, 4°24.47'E

Moored at Kattendijkdok for the night. Our ultimate destination is Willemdok, but the London Bridge is closed for emergency maintenance, so we'll wait here for the 6am opening tomorrow.

Position: 51°13.89'N, 4°24.46'E

A big crew working on the London Bridge. Road and tram traffic was stopped for most of the day. The bridge will be open later this evening, but we'll not move into our final slip in Willemdok until tomorrow morning.

Position: 51°13.94'N, 4°24.49'E

On our first walk around Antwerp we passed more beautiful street art, this one by artist Djoels.

Position: 51°13.99'N, 4°24.48'E

East German Barca van mounted on a shipping container. The van and container is part of the mobile stage for Belgian world music group Think of One.

Position: 51°13.81'N, 4°24.66'E

Enjoying a light lunch at Den Tros overlooking Willemdok. We've both been to Belgium before on business trips, but the is the first time here together.

Position: 51°13.69'N, 4°24.37'E

The striking MAS (Museum aan de Stroom) focuses on Antwerp and its connections to the world.

Position: 51°13.69'N, 4°24.37'E

The Whisperer is a collection of five large statues along the Antwerp waterfront. A figure standing on top of a waterfront building "whispers" messages that are received and repeated by another at dock level, while three other figures climb the building. Personal messages can be delivered through an app. Every day as we get close to the boat, we enjoy hearing the familiar sound of the whisperer as we approach.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.34'E

Looking towards our berth in Willemdok where we'll be tomorrow.

Position: 51°13.91'N, 4°24.36'E

A happy Jennifer enjoying Antwerp with London Bridge and Dirona in the background.

Position: 51°13.98'N, 4°24.10'E

Twelve historic cranes along the Antwerp waterfront are part of the MAS's collection of 18.

Position: 51°14.07'N, 4°24.12'E

This creative street art spells "Darling" with automotive rear-view mirrors.

Position: 51°14.07'N, 4°24.17'E

Street art mural by artist Smok.

Position: 51°14.00'N, 4°24.17'E

StAck Antwerpen by creative company STRAY, who focus on temporary occupations to prevent vacancy risks and also to "create a social leverage for the building and its surroundings".

Position: 51°13.97'N, 4°24.18'E

More wonderful street art, this by artists Ceepil & K.Shit.

Position: 51°13.63'N, 4°24.31'E

A delicious pizza with Belgian beer at the extremely popular Otomat. We arrived a little on the early side and the place filled up shortly after and remained packed the rest of the evening.

Position: 51°13.89'N, 4°24.47'E

The Antwerp Port Authority building lit up at night and reflecting into the Kattendijkdok.

Position: 51°13.89'N, 4°24.47'E

Dirona moored in the Kattendijkdok at Antwerp for the night while the London Bridge, visible in the background, undergoes repairs.

Position: 51°13.92'N, 4°24.44'E

Heading through London Bridge on the first opening of the day. The bridge opens on-demand roughly every hour between 6am and midnight, with larger gaps around rush hour.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

Anne-Francoise And Willem Timmermans sent us this picture taken from their top-floor apartment of Dirona in our new temporary home at Jachthaven Willemdok. The marina is a popular winter layover and is quite full this time of year.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

Our first snowfall of the year—a few brief flurries at Jachthaven Willemdok in Antwerp.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

Miguel, Olivier, Anne-Francoise and Willem Timmermans (from left to right) stopped by for a visit and a tour of Dirona. Miguel is a long-time follower of our YouTube channel and they all are interested in Nordhavn. We very much enjoyed meeting the Timmermans, and their warm welcome to Belgium.

Position: 51°13.67'N, 4°24.30'E

A delicious meal at Roest in Antwerp across the road from Jachthaven Willemdok. We loved the glass floor that revealed Antwerp's old brick-covered drainage system.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.28'E

The MAS museum building has a viewing platform at the top that we checked out on a walk into town. The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady) pictured, was completed in 1521 and is Belgium's most impressive Gothic cathedral.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.28'E

The dramatic Justitiepaleis (Palace of Justice) court building, with the spire of Sint-Pauluskerk (St. Paul's Church) at left, viewed from the top of the MAS.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.28'E

The Whisperer is a collection of five large statues along the Antwerp waterfront. A figure standing on top of a waterfront building "whispers" messages that are received and repeated by another at dock level, while three other figures climb the building. Personal messages can be delivered through an app.

Every day as we get close to the boat, we enjoy hearing the familiar sound of the whisperer at dock level as we approach. This picture shows the other four figures. (The dock level figure is out of the picture at left).

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.29'E

The entrance to Royerssluis, the lock we passed through two days ago to enter the Antwerp inner docks.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.27'E

Jachthaven Antwerpen Linkeroever (Antwerp Marina Left Bank), on the opposite side of the river from Willemdok, with its tide-constrained entry lock.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.27'E

The view northwest down the river Scheldt. Jachthaven Antwerpen Linkeroever is across the river and the entrance to the lock we passed through two days ago, Royersluis, is just visible at right.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.29'E

Loodsgebouw (Pilotage Building), completed in 1895, was the headquarters for Antwerp marine pilots until they moved across the river to Thonetlaan. The smaller building just visible to the left is Next to the building of the buoy shed where navigation buoys were dismantled, maintained and repaired.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.29'E

View east to our berth at Willemdok in Antwerp from the top of the MAS building (Dirona is moored roughly at center, click image for a larger view). It's a fabulous place to moor—we're loving it here.

The basin was completed in 1812 on the order of Napoleon, the second of Antwerp's extensive interior docks to be built. Willemdok connects to Bonaparte dock, completed in 1811. Bonaparte dock originally had a lock, now closed, providing a connection to the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.26'N, 4°23.96'E

Antwerp's grand main square, Grote Markt, flanked by ornate 16th-century guild halls. The fountain in the center, erected in 1887, is of the city's legendary hero Brabo.

Position: 51°13.27'N, 4°24.00'E

Antwerp's Stadhuis (city hall) was completed in 1565. The building face is richly decorated, but currently is not visible due to renovations. What you can see is actually a cover that looks like the original building, put in place during the works.

Position: 51°13.26'N, 4°23.96'E

Map of the medieval walled city of Antwerp, oriented with north to the right. The river Scheldt is at the top, and we're standing in Grote Markt, the large blank area at top center just south of (below) the river.

Position: 51°13.23'N, 4°24.00'E

Delicious-looking Belgian waffles are for sale everywhere.

Position: 51°13.24'N, 4°24.00'E

We had an excellent lunch of wonderfully fresh seafood on the enclosed terrace at Grand Cafe Du Nord near Grote Markt.

Position: 51°13.24'N, 4°24.02'E

Antwerp's Graffiti Team at work in Grote Markt. The organization removes unwanted graffiti throughout the city free of charge. Based on what we saw, they seem to be doing a pretty good job everywhere, except on the trains where it looks like a losing proposition. But the trains probably are outside their jurisdiction.

Position: 51°13.23'N, 4°24.03'E

Inside Antwerp's spectacular Cathedral of Our Lady, built between 1352 and 1521. The cathedral is richly detailed with beautiful carvings, sculpture and artwork.

Position: 51°13.23'N, 4°24.03'E

Among the impressive art collection at Cathedral of Our Lady are several paintings by Antwerp resident and notable Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. Pictured is the altarpiece Descent from the Cross, one his early works that established him as a leading painter.

Position: 51°13.23'N, 4°24.03'E

The Cathedral of Our Lady also has some beautiful modern art. Famous Belgian multidisciplinary artist Jan Fabre created The Man Who Bears The Cross in 2015.

Position: 51°13.21'N, 4°24.00'E

Statue of Nello & Patrache, the main characters in a 19th-century locally-set story that became one of the best-known children's story in Japan after a Japanese diplomat sent a few books home from New York in 1908. The story was little-known in Antwerp, but after so many Japanese tourists arrived asking about the locations of various settings in the story, the city last year erected this statue in front of the cathedral where an important part of the story takes place.

Position: 51°13.10'N, 4°23.90'E

In the mid-16th century, Christophe Plantin ran one of the most respected printing houses in Europe. The museum Plantin-Moretus has excellent displays and descriptions of his printing equipment and technology, including the world's oldest printing press. We really enjoyed our visit.

Position: 51°13.20'N, 4°23.91'E

Colorful flowers displayed streetside in Antwerp.

Position: 51°13.25'N, 4°23.89'E

16th-century owl cup on display at DIVA diamond museum in Antwerp. The museum had some beautiful items in its collection, but wasn't as diamond-focused as we were expecting. Given that 80% of the world's uncut diamonds are traded in Antwerp, we were hoping to learn more about the diamond industry itself.

Position: 51°13.24'N, 4°24.10'E

Having a drink at Elfde Gebod (Cathedral Cafe). The walls of this unique establishment are filled with religious statues and the place is very popular—shortly before 5pm we barely got a seat and any table that came empty was snatched up immediately.

Position: 51°13.27'N, 4°24.09'E

Delicious Mexican food for dinner over wonderful margaritas at Carambra in Antwerp.

Position: 51°13.66'N, 4°24.31'E

Otomat Pizza suits us perfectly. :)

Position: 51°13.79'N, 4°24.29'E

Two more vibrant Antwerp street art murals just north of the MAS museum—we can see these from Dirona in Willemdok.

Position: 51°13.99'N, 4°24.19'E

Two million people, mainly from eastern Europe, emigrated to the US from Antwerp via Red Star Line ships. Nearly a quarter were Jews escaping the rise of Nazi Germany. The old Red Star Line warehouse now is home to an excellent museum detailing the history of the emigration along with many stories of those who departed, including Albert Einstein.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.10'E

Flood barriers along the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.44'N, 4°24.07'E

We keep thinking we'll get tired of visiting churches, but are always astonished at the workmanship and level of detail in each. This is the extraordinary interior of St. Paul's Church in Antwerp, completed in 1571,

Position: 51°13.43'N, 4°24.06'E

The Calvary outside St. Paul's Church, completed in 1747, contains 63 life-size statues and nine reliefs. It's quite impressive.

Position: 51°13.33'N, 4°23.87'E

Antwerp's 13th-century castle Het Steen. The building currently is being renovated and is closed to the public.

Position: 51°13.25'N, 4°23.74'E

View down Haarstraat towards the omnipresent spire of the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Position: 51°13.15'N, 4°23.67'E

Walking the raised promenade along the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.13'N, 4°23.71'E

Looking south along the street Plantinkaai, likely named after the famous local 16th-century printer Christophe Plantin.

Position: 51°13.12'N, 4°23.74'E

Hard to argue with that. Axe throwing is apparently becoming a popular pastime—this is one of several amusing signs outside the Urban Woodcutter axe throwing venue in Antwerp. We read about another axe-throwing bar opening up in Los Angeles. What a perfect combination: sharp instuments and alcohol :).

Position: 51°13.12'N, 4°23.74'E

Riding the restored 1930s era wooden escalator into the Sint Annatunnel pedestrian tunnel underneath the river Scheldt. The wooden escalator was really amazing.

Position: 51°13.12'N, 4°23.74'E

Walking through the Sint Annatunnel under the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.46'N, 4°23.52'E

Maritieme Dienstverlening en Kust (Maritime Services and Coast Agency) ships moored on the west bank of the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.46'N, 4°23.52'E

Boarding the ferry to ride back to the east bank.

Position: 51°13.46'N, 4°23.56'E

Antwerp skyline from the ferry across the Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.46'N, 4°23.56'E

The fabulous Antwerp Port Authority building viewed from the ferry across the river Scheldt.

Position: 51°13.28'N, 4°24.09'E

An excellent meal with a bottle of Barbera d'Alba at Italian restaurant Barbarella in Antwerp.

Position: 51°13.26'N, 4°23.99'E

Antwerp's main square, Grote Markt, looking fabulous lit up at night.

Position: 51°13.69'N, 4°24.48'E

Antwerp's purpose-built love lock gate was erected in 2012 beside Willemdok.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.29'E

View northwest along the river Scheldt from the top of the MAS museum building.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.29'E

Dirona, lit up in blue at center, moored in Jachthaven Willemdok, Antwerp viewed from the top of the MAS museum building.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.45'E

Replacing the KVH Link set-top box with the new Android-based version. KVH Link has improved greatly with the V4.0 offering, and the new set-top box is rock solid and easy to install. While working in the entertainment system, we also removed the three wall warts that supply 5V to each of the set top box, the Harmony Hub remote control system, and the Fire TV Stick. The inefficient wall wart transformers were replaced with direct feeds from the 24V-to-5V converter that also feeds the Aft and Laz Raspberry Pis. We also removed the inefficient wall wart that powers the Netgear POE switch and replaced it with a 24V-to-48V converter. And, finally we replaced the wall wart that fed 12V to the entertainment system cooling fans and replaced it with a 24V-to-12V converter. With that done, it looks cleaner, wastes less power, and doesn't require as much cooling.

Position: 51°13.67'N, 4°24.28'E

A delicious meal from the grill at Napo's in Antwerp over a bottle of Italian Primitivo (Zinfandel).

Position: 51°13.68'N, 4°24.31'E

Figures from the Whisperer sculpture scaling a dockside building.

Position: 51°13.69'N, 4°24.33'E

Our regular listening to the fifth statue of the Whisperer on our way back to Dirona from dinner, with the fabulous MAS museum lit up in the background.

Position: 51°13.36'N, 4°24.60'E

Walking through the quadrangle at the University of Antwerp's Stadscampus on our way to Antwerp train station. The institution was founded in 1852.

Position: 51°13.12'N, 4°24.94'E

The first public opera performances in Antwerp date to the 17th century. Their current home was completed in 1907.

Position: 51°13.09'N, 4°24.94'E

Installing windows on a modern all glass-faced building. The crane is equipped with a suction cup attachment that allows the operator to quickly pick up a 10-ft glass panel, swing it around and install it several floors up. The suction cup suction is controlled by the crane operator, so a single person can do all the glass movements.

Position: 51°13.00'N, 4°25.26'E

Completed in 1905, Antwerpen-Centraal was recently named the most beautiful train station in the world. It's hard to capture the grandeur of the station in just a single picture—the building really is spectacular.

Position: 51°13.00'N, 4°25.26'E

On the train at Antwerp station for a 50-minute train ride to Brussels.

Position: 50°50.82'N, 4°21.27'E

The light-filled Galeries St-Hubert were the first shopping arcade in Europe when opened in 1847.

Position: 50°50.82'N, 4°21.27'E

Enjoying a Hobbit's "second breakfast" of chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and a croissant at the Galeries St-Hubert.

Position: 50°50.85'N, 4°21.18'E

The mural Balkan Trafik by Sarajevo artist Rikardo Druskic. Balkan Trafik is the name of a festival held annually in Brussels that showcases the contemporary and traditional creativity of the Balkans.

Position: 50°50.78'N, 4°21.19'E

Brussels famous Grand Place is one of the most magnificent city squares in Europe. Ornate 17th-century guild halls are flanked by the 15th-century spired town hall (left) and the King's House (right), completed in 1873. The square is all but invisible until you walk through one of the entry lanes, making the scene even more striking.

Jennifer had visited here in the 1980s on a work trip with IBM and was keen to bring James to see it. After standing for centuries, a couple of decades hasn't aged it a bit. :)

Position: 50°50.80'N, 4°21.16'E

A closer look at the impressive 17th-century guild halls along the north end of the Grand Place.

Position: 50°50.71'N, 4°21.02'E

Tintin mural on Rue de l'Etuve near the Grand Place. Cartoon strips are considered a major art form in Belgium, similar to manga in Japan, with Tintin being Belgium's best-known fictional character.

Position: 50°50.71'N, 4°21.01'E

Mmmmm .... waffles.

Position: 50°50.70'N, 4°21.01'E

A replica of Belgium's famous Manneken Pis (Dutch for "little pissing man") dates from the 17th century (the original is kept in the Brussels City Museum). Most of the time the statue wears a costume, often relating to a particular country, trade or local event.

Position: 50°50.64'N, 4°21.11'E

Statue by Brussels artist Tom Frantzen of famous Belgian composer and performer Jacques Brel, who sold over 25 million records worldwide.

Position: 50°50.56'N, 4°21.17'E

Tour Anneessens (Anneessens Tower), a vestige of the 13th-century of the first fortifications built around Brussels.

Position: 50°50.53'N, 4°21.14'E

L’Estrille du Vieux Bruxelles is housed in a building that dates from 1587.

Position: 50°50.46'N, 4°21.05'E

Another Tom Frantzen sculpture, this one of 16th-century painter Pieter Bruegel, one of the most significant of the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance artists.

Position: 50°50.48'N, 4°21.04'E

The majestic interior of 13th-century Eglise Notre-Dame de la Chapelle, Brussels oldest surviving church.

Position: 50°50.50'N, 4°21.01'E

Crossing over the train tracks through Brussels.

Position: 50°50.65'N, 4°20.73'E

The mural Froed & Stroef by Farm Prod., Jannin Liberski on Philippe de Champagnestraat in Brussels.

Position: 50°50.74'N, 4°20.88'E

The spectacular high alter inside the Eglise Notre-Dame de Bon Secours (Church of Our Lady of Good Help).

Position: 50°50.78'N, 4°20.94'E

The distinctive leopard-print facade of le DNA, a Brussels live-music nightclub that was established in the 1980s.

Position: 50°50.80'N, 4°20.96'E

Comic mural Broussaille and his Friend Catherine by artist Frank Pe.

Position: 50°50.82'N, 4°20.92'E

Collection of murals along Rue de la Chauferette created by Greek artist Fotini Tikkou as part of Pridefestival Brussels 2014.

Position: 50°50.84'N, 4°20.91'E

A novel way of moving from upper-story apartments: a truck with an extension ladder is brought up to the window and a special platform is raised up and down to transfer items between the apartment and the truck. This is how belongings are moved in and out of apartments in Amsterdam too.

Position: 50°50.90'N, 4°20.96'E

The Brussels Stock Exchange was founded in 1801 on the decree of Napoleon. The building is located on the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein, the second most important square in Brussels after the Grand Place. The famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin was an assistant to one of the artists tasked with creating the building's abundant ornamentation.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

While we were in Brussels, blog reader Theo Le Duc stopped by Willemdok and sent us a few photos of Dirona on the dock. Theo spends summers touring northern Europe in his Krogen Express 49 Ritser, currently moored across the river at Jachthaven Antwerpen Linkeroever.

Position: 50°50.90'N, 4°21.23'E

The statue Jeanneke Pis, of a young girl squatting and peeing, was erected in 1987 as a counterpart to Brussels' famous Manneken Pis statue.

Position: 50°50.90'N, 4°20.88'E

An excellent lunch at Fanny Thai in what appeared to be Brussels' Thai district. At least six Thai restaurants were packed into one block on the same street.

Position: 50°50.87'N, 4°21.50'E

The 300-year construction of Brussels' twin-towered Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula began in 1226.

Position: 50°50.87'N, 4°21.55'E

The fabulous organ in Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula appears to almost float above the nave.

Position: 50°50.87'N, 4°21.55'E

Some of the many spectacular stained glass windows in Brussels' St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral.

Position: 50°50.69'N, 4°21.81'E

Looking north across the Parc de Bruxelles to the Chamber of the Nation building. This is the lower of the two houses of the Federal Parliament of Belgium.

Position: 50°50.57'N, 4°21.62'E

The Royal Palace, facing the southern end of Parc de Bruxelles, is the official palace of the King and Queen of Belgium. This building, completed in 1904, is more of an office for the royal family—their official residence is in another palace on the edge of the city.

Position: 50°50.54'N, 4°21.57'E

The neoclassical Catholic church Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg on the Place Royal. The square was built in the late 1700s along with Parc de Bruxelles that we just walked through. The church opened in 1849.

Position: 50°50.59'N, 4°21.48'E

We hadn't realized how much altitude we'd gained as we walked, but we turned a corner and arrived at the public garden in Mont des Arts with its great view towards the city center. The statue at the end of the park is of King Albert I of Belgium, who reigned between 1909 and 1934. The steeple in the distance is city hall in the Grand Place.

Position: 50°50.56'N, 4°21.49'E

The main building of the six-museum Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium was completed in 1887. One of the institutions housed in this building is the Oldmasters Museum, founded in 1801 on the order of Napoleon. If we had a little more time in Brussels, we would definitely have stopped in for a visit.

Position: 50°50.27'N, 4°22.50'E

At the European Parliament buildings on the outskirts of Brussels. On busy days, as many as 10,000 people can be on site in the 17-building complex.

Position: 50°50.39'N, 4°22.49'E

At Parlamenterium, the European Parliament visitor's center. This display shows information about the three places of work for the parliament, here in Brussels, at Strasbourg, France (that we saw on our Rhine River trip) and in Luxembourg City.

This is the first time we'd encountered COVID-19 restrictions, albeit minor: to enter Parlamenterium, we each had to sign a form indicating we had no symptoms of the virus and hadn't been to a high-occurence area.

Position: 50°50.39'N, 4°22.49'E

A 360-degree video simulation of the European Parliament hemicycle, where parliamentary members are arranged by political group. The hemicycle design is a melding of the different parliamentary seating systems of member countries such as Britain, France and Germany.

Position: 50°50.36'N, 4°22.37'E

At Cafe Luxembourg less than a block from the European Parliament in Brussels. Unsurprisingly, its clientele were all wearing suits and talking about politics rather than shooting pictures and talking about museums. :)

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.45'E

The blue light on the pilot house dash (indicating generator autostart is enabled) and the orange warning light in the the engine room were both too dim. We found that new lights were much brighter and nothing else was wrong, so we just changed both lights.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.29'E

Today we visited the MAS museum that focuses on Antwerp, its history and its connection to the world. Most of the displays were less Antwerp-focused than we were expecting, but we enjoyed the visit. This photo was taken at the World Port display that describes the evolution of the city's port that was once the largest in the world and currently is the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam.

Position: 51°13.74'N, 4°24.30'E

The Celebration display at Antwerp's MAS museum focuses on life's rights of passage. This camera model is actually a full-sized coffin, an example of a "fantasy coffin" created in the African country of Ghana.

Position: 51°14.00'N, 4°24.54'E

The street art mural Paint 'n Run by Rise One on the back of an old warehouse overlooking the Kattendijkdok.

Position: 51°14.36'N, 4°24.48'E

The striking Antwerp Port Authority building, designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, is built over and into an old fire station.

Position: 51°14.45'N, 4°24.43'E

The light-filled atrium inside the Antwerp Port Authority building.

Position: 51°14.45'N, 4°24.43'E

An aerial photograph on the floor of the Antwerp Port Authority atrium showing the extent of the port's interior locks. This view looking south shows the river Scheldt starting at center right and winding to the upper left with the lock-enclosed docks in either side. The two narrow parallel lines slightly right and below center are the Berendrecht and Zandvliet locks, the second and third largest locks in the world. Willemdok, where Dirona is moored, is at the southern tip of the port at far upper left where the Scheldt bends away to the right.

Position: 51°14.08'N, 4°24.64'E

Enjoying a pint at the Antwerpe Brouw Compagnie taproom just south of the Port Authority building.

Position: 51°14.02'N, 4°24.51'E

A fun dinner at quirky Lazy Jack, built into an old waterside warehouse along the Kattendijkdok.

Position: 51°13.26'N, 4°25.25'E

Looking down Van Wesenbekestraat, the core of Antwerp's Chinatown. We passed the area on our way to the train station.

Position: 51°13.09'N, 4°25.27'E

At Antwerp Centraal for a day trip to Ghent. The interior is just as dramatic.

Position: 51°3.21'N, 3°43.54'E

Our first stop in Ghent was Sint-Baafskathedraal to view The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, also known as the Ghent Alterpiece. Painted in 1432 with 20 panels, it is one of the earliest known oil paintings in the world and one of the most influential.

The painting is incredibly popular—the viewing area was crowded even at 9:45am in early March. Photography isn't allowed inside the church, so this picture is from their web site.

Position: 51°3.23'N, 3°43.52'E

Enjoying a snack at Sugar & Spice in Ghent.

Position: 51°3.25'N, 3°43.53'E

Stadhuis, Ghent's city hall, was completed in 1600.

Position: 51°3.23'N, 3°43.50'E

The view north from 299ft (91m) Belfort in Ghent is worth the 350-stair climb to the top. The UNESCO-listed belfry was completed in the 14th-century. In the foreground is Saint Nicholas' Church, with Stadhuis partially visible at right (click image for a larger view).

Position: 51°3.23'N, 3°43.39'E

Fantastic dancing figures on the stepped roof of 16th-century Metselaarhuis (Mason's Guild Hall) in Ghent.

Position: 51°3.24'N, 3°43.33'E

Ghent's former post office, with a 170ft (52m) clock tower, was built in the neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance style for the 1913 World's Fair. The building now is an upscale hotel and shopping mall.

Position: 51°3.41'N, 3°43.27'E

17th- and 18th-century buildings overlooking the historic square Sint Veerleplein in Ghent. In the corner is the old Fish Market gate, topped with a statue of Neptune.

Position: 51°3.41'N, 3°43.20'E

Ghent's medieval castle Gravensteen dates from the 12th century.

Position: 51°3.30'N, 3°43.26'E

It was just warm enough to have lunch outside at Di Massimo with view to Ghent's historic canals and buildings.

Position: 51°3.24'N, 3°43.24'E

Ghent is one of Belgium's oldest cities, with beautiful architecture. This is the view east from Sint Michielshelling (St. Michael's Bridge), looking past centuries-old buildings to Saint Nicholas' Church visible in the distance.

Position: 51°3.23'N, 3°43.25'E

Twentieth Century Fox Films commissioned street artist Bart Smeets to created this mural based on the 2014 movie The Monuments Men. The film is tells the true story of Allied soldiers and others who return to their owners art stolen by the Nazis. Featured in the mural, and the story, is the The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painting that we saw earlier today.

Position: 51°3.21'N, 3°43.48'E

The spectacular interior of 13th-century St. Nicholas Church, one of Ghent's oldest buildings.

Position: 51°3.30'N, 3°43.46'E

Mural at west entrance to Werregarenstraat, Ghent's officially-sanctioned street art alley.

Position: 51°3.41'N, 3°43.24'E

On a tour of 12th-century castle Gravensteen. We enjoyed the tour, but information about the history of the castle was rather sparse.

Position: 51°3.41'N, 3°43.24'E

Looking southwest across Ghent from the rooftop of castle Gravensteen. Di Massimo, where we had lunch canal-side, is roughly at center, under the black umbrellas on the left side of the canal.

Position: 51°3.45'N, 3°43.46'E

Dulle Griet, named after a figure in Flemish folklore, was the fifth-largest siege gun in the Middle Ages by caliber with a barrel diameter of 26 inches (660mm). It is one of three such guns created in the 15th-century in the Belgian city of Mons. We saw one of the other three, the 20-inch (510mm) Mons Meg, when we toured Edinburgh castle in the summer of 2017.

Position: 51°3.44'N, 3°43.55'E

Early 20th-century art nouveau buildings overlooking the square Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market). The square is one of the oldest in Ghent and the historic center of the city.

Position: 51°3.43'N, 3°43.54'E

Fabulous architecture looking along Baudelostraat from the square Vrijdagmarkt in Ghent.

Position: 51°3.45'N, 3°43.81'E

Enjoying an IPA at Gruut Brewery during the traditional brewpub portion of our city walk.

Position: 51°3.57'N, 3°43.74'E

Massive 79-foot (24m) "self-actor", an early 20th-century fully-automated spinning machine at the Ghent Museum of Industry. The whole works slides forward to the bar where Jennifer is standing, and back again. To keep the machine running at full speed, children had to run underneath while it moved to retrieve cotton fluff.

Ghent was the first city in the European continent where the Industrial Revolution took hold, and became a major textile producer. The museum does an excellent job of covering this history, including the industrial espionage that triggered the city's textile prowess. Until the late 1800s, Britain closely-guarded its industrial technology, but a Ghent entrepreneur managed to smuggle a spinning machine out of Britain in 1798, sparking Ghent's industrial revolution.

Position: 51°3.57'N, 3°43.75'E

The Ghent Museum of Industry also has an excellent and extensive exhibit covering three centuries of printing technology. This is an Original Heidelberg Cylinder letter press machine built in the mid-1900s.

Position: 51°3.37'N, 3°43.55'E

A delicious meal in a wonderful atmosphere at tiny Mexican restaurant Palenque in Gent.

Position: 51°3.25'N, 3°43.32'E

Night view of the square Korenmarkt (Wheat Market), with Gent's old Post Office at left. The square's name derives from the 11th century when wheat was brought in by barge and traded here.

Position: 51°3.25'N, 3°43.38'E

We loved how even at night on a cold March evening, people where sitting outside to dine throughout Ghent.

Position: 51°3.25'N, 3°43.38'E

Stadshal (City Hall) in Ghent, viewed at night with the tower Belfort that we climbed earlier today. The modern new Stadshal was quite controversial when erected in the midst of historic buildings with even UNESCO complaining that it altered the setting of the world heritage-listed Belfort. We found the structure rather attractive, with an historic-looking appearance.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

Today we re-seated the heat sink on our navigation computer with more heat sink adhesive to attach it more firmly. Strictly speaking, it cools fine without the large heat sink. But the sink prevents the fan from having to work hard, making it quieter and allowing it to consume a bit less power.

We're still kind amazed at the small size of the ThinkStation P320 Tiny. The computer has run flawlessly since we installed it twenty months ago.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

One of the items we brought back on our most recent trip to Seattle was a Creatorele HS-10 SN-411C386, a 10-channel hoist crane radio wireless remote to investigate as a possible replacement for the Yacht Controller wireless remote that we use to control the thrusters and engine remotely.

We use the Yacht Controller as a virtual wing helm station. Our boat doesn't have the space for a hard-wired wing helm station, so we use the remote control to allow us to run the boat from outside during the last stages of docking. The Yacht Commander is not very good value at $7,000 but it's a great addition to the boat. Recently, it's been struggling to connect to it's base station in some conditions. This only happens when there are other industrial remote controls in the area. For example, near the marina in Antwerp, it constantly cut in and out. And, during our crossing of the Gota Canal it frequently cut out. We're pretty sure the lock masters' remote controls used the same channel as the Yacht Controller. This shouldn't cause a problem, but the Yacht Controller doesn't appear to be well enough protected against interference from other radios.

The net result is that the Yacht Controller usually works well, but can get flaky where radios are on the same frequency. This mostly isn't a problem, but on the canal it was alarming: it would usually function properly, but several times as we worked into a lock and approached the lock master with their remote controls, it would cut out. Cutting out in tight quarters with a 55-ton boat is not what you want.

We've looked at competing products, but they all cost more than $6,000 and we hate to change this one since it usually works. What we decided to do is to purchase a commodity crane remote for $115 and install it in parallel with the Yacht Commander where either (or even both) can be used at the flick of a switch. We can use the crane controller when the Yacht Controller is not operating correctly due to radio interference.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

The remote works! The new Creatorele 10-channel crane remote control was just installed as a second remote control for the boat. It can take control, run the boat forward, put it in reverse, and run the bow and stern thrusters in either direction. The new remote is installed in parallel with the existing remote, allowing either to work fine.

We haven't used it enough to know what we think about it but in early testing some aspects of it are amazing. The Yacht Commander has reception problems if there is material between the remote and the base station. When operating from the back of the boat, James keeps the Yacht Commander behind him since, in front, his body sometimes blocks reception when at the far corner of the boat. The new remote works reliably five boats down the dock. In many ways it seems better, but it'll take some use to see which we prefer. The radio reception and remote operation reliability tests much better.

Position: 51°13.67'N, 4°24.34'E

Another enjoyable evening at Otomat Pizza in Antwerp.

Position: 51°13.57'N, 4°24.61'E

People in general don't seem particularly concerned about COVID-19, but we're starting to see some indicators. Here at Albert Heijn, an employee is disinfecting the self-service checkouts after each use.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

Jennifer returning from the nearby Albert Heijn grocery store with a cartful of provisions. We sure love that folding cart—it gets a ton of use.

Position: 51°13.88'N, 4°24.51'E

A delicious meal at Croatian restaurant Zagreb in Antwerp. Here the ebullient proprietor is showing us the whole fresh fish available.

Position: 51°17.45'N, 4°17.59'E

Entering the Liefkenshoektunnel en route to visit the Berendrecht Lock. There wasn't an easy way to reach the lock by public transit, so we took a taxi. The tunnel, completed in 1991, was built from eight preformed sections that were precisely sunk in place with ends sealed, and then unsealed to create the roadway.

Position: 51°20.59'N, 4°17.37'E

Looking along the retracting channel for sliding lock gate of the Berendrecht Lock, the largest lock in the world when completed in 1988 and now the second largest in the world. The closed gate is just visible at the far end of the channel—each gate is roughly 230 long, 75 ft deep and 36 ft wide (70 x 23 x 11m) and weighs about 2,000 tonnes.

Position: 51°20.62'N, 4°17.37'E

The 331-ft (101m) chemical tanker Tina Theresa exiting the Berendrecht Lock, viewed from the bridge across the inland end. Although the Berendrecht is the second largest lock in the world after the Kieldrecht Lock on the other side of the river, you couldn't tell by looking at them. Both are 1,600 ft (1/2 km) long and 223 ft (68m) wide, but the Berendrecht Lock is "only" 44 ft deep (13.5 m) compared to the Kieldrecht's 58-ft (17.8m) depth.

The scale is just immense—it's hard to believe this basin is a single lock and that the ship at the other end is several hundred feet long. To put this in perspective, the Berendrecht and Kieldrecht locks have six times the area of the huge lock through the Bonneville Dam along the Columbia River that measures 676 ft (206m) long by 85ft (26 m) wide.

Position: 51°20.68'N, 4°16.90'E

Scania 460 with an elaborate AC/DC Thunderstruck paint job. Those Scania truck owners sure are proud of their vehicles. Having spent a day at the Scania factory, and driven many of their vehicles, we know exactly why.

Position: 51°20.68'N, 4°16.89'E

These hundred-foot-plus barges look tiny in the Berendrecht Lock.

Position: 51°20.76'N, 4°16.81'E

Cranes at the Port of Antwerp, viewed from the western end of the Berendrecht Lock.

Position: 51°20.77'N, 4°16.89'E

The 442-ft (135m) chemical barge Thalys exiting the Zandvliet lock adjacent to the Berendrecht lock. The Zandvliet lock is 1,600ft (1/2 km) long, 187 ft (57m) wide and 44 ft (13.5 m) deep and was the largest lock in the world when opened in 1967. It was superseded by the Berendrecht lock in 1988, that is 36ft (11m) wider.

Position: 51°20.65'N, 4°16.89'E

The 360-ft (110m) chemical barge Bergse Diep (green, at right) and other similar-sized ships don't even come close to filling the basin of the Berendrecht Lock.

Position: 51°20.38'N, 4°17.11'E

Straddle carriers at the Port of Antwerp, viewed as we walk south to Fort Lillo.

Position: 51°20.32'N, 4°17.06'E

Railway tracks are super-dangerous for cyclists because the several-inch gap along each track can capture a bike wheel and cause the bike to flip. Strail level crossing systems look like a nice solution to that. The way the system works is a heavy rubber collar pushes snuggly up against the track on both sides, leaving an unbroken surface with nothing to catch a wheel. When a train passes through, the train wheel, under the weight of the train, pushes the rubber down out of the way. Its an innovative and effective solution. As well as being safer for bikes, its a far smoother crossing for cars.

Position: 51°19.01'N, 4°17.21'E

Passing the Monsanto Europe agricultural products chemical plant. Monsanto was a US company founded in 1901 that was one of the early pioneers in applying biotechnology to agriculture. Some of the products they produced generated much controversy for the company, including Agent Orange and the insecticide DDT. If this did impact the company's value, it wasn't permanent, as the Bayer purchased Monsanto in 2016 for US$66 billion.

Position: 51°18.95'N, 4°17.22'E

A view to the cooling towers of the 2,923 MW Doel Nuclear Power Station that we passed on the way into Antwerp.

Position: 51°18.28'N, 4°17.40'E

At Fort Lillo, about an hour's walk south of the Berendrecht Lock. The fort was built in the late 1500s to defend Antwerp and successfully held off a British attach in 1809 during the Napoleonic wars.

Position: 51°18.28'N, 4°17.40'E

Taverne 't Pleintje at Fort Lillo, where we stopped for a pint while waiting for our taxi back to Dirona.

Position: 51°14.60'N, 4°23.42'E

Passing Katoen Natie on our way back to Dirona by taxi. The company, headquartered in Antwerp, is an international logistics service provider and port operator founded in 1854 that currently has 12,000 employees world-wide.

Position: 51°13.73'N, 4°24.46'E

Andre and Oxana de Weldige-Cremer, owners of Norhavn 6304 Casarca (ex True North), alternate between their home in Belgium and their boat, currently moored in the Canary Islands. They both are keenly interested in boating and Nordhavns—as part of Nordhavn Atlantic Passage 2017, they crossed the Atlantic to Europe the same year we did on their previous Nordhavn, the N55 Angela, and before that owned a Nordhavn 47. We really enjoyed spending time with them both.

Position: 51°13.82'N, 4°24.38'E

At L'Officina L'Officina da Franco & Giacomo in Antwerp for what would turn out to be our last restaurant meal for the foreseeable future. For a last meal, it was a good one—the food, wine and service were excellent. Here our server is preparing a pasta dish made by melting the inside of a cheese wheel and stirring pasta inside. It was fabulous.