I was invited to join the 2Kayak4Batten team for the crossing of the Rotterdam Europoort Maas Entrance. The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest Port in Europe and as such it's approaches are regulated.
In 2003 Nico and I crossed the harbour entrance with just a VHF call for our Around the Netherlands by Sea Kayak. The channel is 1 km wide and we had to stop halfway for the vessels were a bit faster (and bigger!) than we thought.
When I learned that the KNRM lifeboat would escort them for the crossing, it was an easy decision; I did not want to miss this. At 07:45 I met up with Feike, Fenna and Willem at 's-Gravezande and at 08:45 sharp, the KNRM Jeanine Parqui arrived at the Maasmond north pier accompanied with some very nice wave action on an otherwise flat sea. Just before that some big container ships and ferries in the channel, but on our crossing there was no shipping at all.
Thanking the KNRM for their escort we continued along the south breakwater and along the Maasvlakte land-reclaimed industrial area. At the corner I spotted an offshore patch with some waves. On this windless spring-tide day and otherwise flat seas...
Combining bus, metro, train and 4K walking got me back to my car and I could return to pick-up my kayak. Arriving back just in time at Rockanje to join the team for dinner at the campsite. Thank you Fenna, Feike and Willem for your great company and the KNRM for escorting us.
I captured the crossing (and VHF communication) in below edited video.
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