On a day when the rain blew horizontally across the channel, we arrived wet and cold at Papenburg, only to be faced with another defective bridge. To our horror, we were told the railway bridge would not be lifted until the following afternoon. After some begging, the bridge keeper relented and let us through. We were so glad to see Jan from the shipyard waiting and ushering us into Henning's covered boat dock. Safe from the persisting rain, we spent two days under the roof while our solar panels were fitted.

Strangely, one notices other boating problems that need attention once approaching a shipyard. In this case, it was our stern thruster. Inconsideredly, it had sucked in a piece of rope, rendering it useless and broken. That meant a lift out of the water and replacement of the same. Here is Austin holding firmly onto the ropes of his boat - just in case! When Hennings boat mechanic Herr Specht is on the job, he really looks things over. While working on the stern thruster, he noticed that two propeller blades were slightly warped. As he explained, this causes vibrations and potential damage to all sorts of other thing-a-me-bobs in the boat! Prop-less, but not quite legless, we were put back into the water, so we had somewhere to put down our heads while staying an extra few days.

We saw most of what Papenburg had to offer during our last visit, so we hired a car to explore further afield. First, we drove just across the Dutch border to Fort Bourtange. Austin sent his drone up to take a shot of the fort from above. This time, unlike in Cochem last year, the drone came back!

Built in the 16th century during the Eighty Years’ War as a defensive barrier against the Spanish, it later also tried to keep the bishop of Münster (Germany) and Napoleon's troops at bay. In 1851, Fort Bourtange had lived out its usefulness and became a typical village. As living conditions deteriorated, local farmers dismantled the fort. In the 1960s - 1990, the star fortification was gradually rebuilt and is now an open-air museum of archeological, historical and environmental significance. I found some little freeloaders hiding in the old mill on the fort, not paying any rent. They looked asleep, but their beaks sprang wide open as soon as a parent flew by. It's much like Austin spotting another apple cake! By the way, he has recently taken a liking to the Dutch natural peppermint tea!

The following day, we paid Meryle and Helmut in nearby Walchum a visit. We met last year when we moored in their harbour and were invited into their quaint wooden chalet. Meryle is an Aussie from Wangaratta, and Helmut is German, and they have led a life full of adventures on their sailboat Fallado. In the meantime, they bought the house next door and now alternate between them. Multitalented in writing, painting, and gardening, Meryle baked an amazing cheesecake for our visit. Helmut, a retired engineer, is building a massive oak table from what looks like half a tree! We spent a lovely afternoon in their new wooden house. It still has the previous owner's pirating tenants in residence. What you need now, Meryle and Helmut, is a cheeky parrot!

With the weekend to go until our prop can be transported for a “Nip and Tuck” to the Netherlands, we did some shopping and housekeeping and then, on Sunday, drove to Delfzijl, where the boat festival called “Delfsail” was on its final day.

Boats of all ages, sizes and origins were only outnumbered by the crowds of people. Unfortunately, it was again one of those northern days where the sun comes out for 10 minutes, followed by bowing winds and horizontal rain. Umbrellas, we soon realised, were of no use whatsoever! The scant display stand shelters only kept people standing right in the back dry while everyone else still got wet. We were part of the last session to get a look inside a 16th-century Spanish Galleon, a real pirate ship! There were people dressed up as pirates everywhere! The Dutch Navy, in their destroyer, kept a close eye on them. There were music bands and activities for young and old among food stalls with the obligatory ‘frites' (chips) with mayo, waffles, herrings and Dutch pancakes. 

We had one more day to roam around, so we drove to the Northsee on the German side on Monday. There is a place on the coast called simply Norden (North). From here, one can ferry to the islands of Norderney, Borkum and Helgoland, major German holiday destinations.

It was a wonderful, sunny day for a change. Lots of people were walking the Norddeich (dyke), relaxing in the typical beach basket seats or exploring the mud flats of the largely dry areas of the Wadden Sea during low tide.

Our main destination was Norddeich's Seal Station. This centre takes in 30-80 orphaned seals every year. The centre gets tips about abandoned pups from the public and monitors the beaches and coastline. 

The pups are called “Heulers” (Criers) and cry out loud for their mums, who usually are not far away. If their mums have not returned within a few hours or a day, the pubs need help to survive. They typically get separated from their mums in severe storms or due to human interference. Where are the dads, you might ask? Seals have a "5-minute-marriage”, and only the mums look after the young ones until they can fend for themselves.

When taken to the centre, the often weakened pups get a medical check-up and are treated for injuries. In the beginning, they are fed mother milk replacement, later fish purée, and finally whole fish. While at the centre, one pup eats about 200-250 kilos of fish. When they are strong enough, they are taken back to the beach and slowly released into the sea.

We learned a lot about seals' anatomy, habits, and development. Their back flippers propel them along in the water, while the side flippers are used for steering. Seals can swim up to 35 km/h, while humans manage a mere 8 km/h.

Their unique ability to dive is due to their capacity to store lots of oxygen in their muscles and blood. Per kg of weight, they possess double the amount of blood than a human. They can also lower their heart rate so that only the heart and brain are supplied, while the muscles use their own store of oxygen. Another trick they have up their sleeves is to close their nose muscles so tightly that no water can penetrate. 

We loved the seal pups we saw at the Station—they were adorable! 

Our straightened prop was there when we arrived back at the shipyard. The next morning, everything was go-go-go: boat out, prop fitted, hire car returned, boat in, and off we went!