Today I was out touring with the Jaguar Forum Crowd. I have shown the garage G&G run by Raymond and his wife Joke before. They specialise in the maintenance of Jaguars. Mostly the models from sort of XJ till X350. Nothing much older or more modern.
They are one of the sponsor of this Dutch Jaguar forum. Every year they organise a tour around Zeeland. One of the provinces here in the Netherlands. What with Covid, just about all car related events have been cancelled. But if you organise it well, you can actually tour.
So I set off this morning around 08.30am. Met up with some 12 other guys and their Jaguars along the way. We arrived 10.15 at G&G
Covid regulations means everybody has to register his/her name on a self health declaration. Everybody needs to keep 1,5 m distance (unless from the same house hold). In all well over 30 Jaguars turned up. About 60 people including some children.
As always Raymond is talking very passionately about his Jaguars. He is in the process of restoring this XJS
I have shown his garage and workshop in some more detail in earlier post. Every year he organises a technical day as well. Where he as his staff demonstrate all kinds of maintenance jobs. I find his workshop absolutely fascinating! I have yet to come across a better equipped and or organised workshop than Raymond.
Different workstations for different jobs. Each with its own dedicated tools.
I have seen Raymond taking apart a complete Jaguar Autobox here several times in just a few hours.
Parts and more Parts. He stocks just about everything!
I mean, have you ever come across a workshop where every singel items in the shop is lined up and positioned down to the last millimetre?
Special tools, every kit labelled
At about 10.45 after some coffee and cookies we set off.
Almost immediately we can to a closed railroad crossing. Pretty cool one too as this is an old steam engine railroad that runs during the summer months!
IN this path of the Netherlands a lot of people still take their religion very serious, which also mean going to church twice on a Sunday. So a lot of people in their Sunday best out and about in the little villages we passed through
Here is another typical “Zeeland” scenario; A diver crossing the road!
Zeeland has some excellent diving locations and hundred of parks will be parked along the dikes and people changing into or getting out of their diving gear!
These sort of views are very typical for Zeeland
Finding a restaurant that will cater for a large group is near impossible during these covid times. Raymond had managed to secure the help of a lady who ran a local “friettent” as we call it. You can get french fries, burgers that sort of stuff. Very simple, very pleasant and you just eat it sitting down outside.
Raymond was putting his drone through its paces, so I dare say we will have little video soon to.
So a very simple, but very pleasant lunch stop. Dutch love eating friet (fries), the weather was gorgeous, and we got to talk about cars, admire each other cars!
After lunch we drove for another hour or so. We stopped for 15 minutes at this location overlooking the Westerschelde. A huge waterway which leads from the Northsea into Antwerp harbour.
Of course, this being the Netherlands, you need to share the road with a lot of bicycles!
All in all, a very pleasant and enjoyable day. My Jaguar ran great, did almost 400 km.
Jeroen