ACCESS TO Nieuwpoort is fairly straightforward, unless you are coming from the west when the Trapegeer Bank needs to be negotiated. To assist you there is a buoyed channel from just West of Dunkerque which after about 5 miles will lead you away from the coast through the Passe de Zuydcoote to the buoys E11 (starboard hand) and E12 (south cardinal). From there you can set a course of 065 degrees until you see the entrance to Nieuwpoort abeam after about 8 miles. Don’t forget that if you are using a fairly small scale chart not all the buoys will be marked on it so don’t be misled into thinking you have gone further than you have.

Once inside the breakwaters it’s 1.5 miles up the Yser river before you get to the marinas. There is a choice of two. Taking the starboard channel where the river divides will bring you to the KJN marina with its distinctive triangular clubhouse. Take the channel to port and you will find the massive VVW marina on your port side. Either is good. Both have decent restaurants (when last sampled). Visitor pontoons are well marked near the entrance. KJN is slightly better placed for local shops and transport.

Like many sailors, Nieuwpoort was the place I drank my first glass of Belgian beer, and if this is your Belgian landfall do sample a glass of something nutty and brown or the famous white beer or any of the other few hundred varieties on offer. (Don’t have too many more because most Belgian beers are far stronger than UK or other foreign brews.) As I’ve tried to explain to my mate, asking for a half of lager in Belgium is like asking for fish and chips in a French restaurant. Alas, some people just won’t take good advice.

And that’s about it. It’s a long hike to town with nothing too exciting to see when you get there. The original settlement founded in the twelfth century was more or less destroyed during WWI and what you see today are replica buildings, pleasant enough but perhaps not worth the long walk along a main road. In the other direction there are sandy beaches. There’s also an inexpensive coastal tram to Ostend. For most people Nieuwpoort will be seen as an efficient deep-water refuge with all facilities, including fuel.

© 2008 Yachtpilot.