Wednesday 7 May
Thursday 8 May
Friday 9 May
Friday 9 May
Sunday 11 May
Monday 12 May
Tuesday 13 May
Middelburg to Veere
Veere to the Veerse Meer
the Veerse Meer to Willemstad
Willemstad to Alphen a/d Rijn
Alphen a/d Rijn to Karger Plassen
Karger Plassen to Leiden
Leiden
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Another beautiful morning with clear blue skies. This morning all we had to do was the short trip to Veere which is on the Veerse Meer near where the canal from Middelburg emerges. We slowly meandered down the canal and pretty soon were in a small convoy of sailing boats and one other boat like ours. One of the sailing boats was a large new one and wanted to be first in the queue for the lock (his demise as it will become clear!). Another was a single hander who was very erratically motoring down the canal (ultimately cause of said demise).
When we reached the lock where the canal meets the Veerse Meer there was the normal milling about in the wind while the lock was made ready. Eventually the gates opened, boats came out and we went in. Mr Big was first, then Mr Wobbly, then us and another steel boat and a few others. Mr Big stopped and got his lines dockside rather quickly. Mr Wobbly didn’t react quickly enough and the nice plough anchor resting on the stem of his boat planted itself into the stern of Mr Big’s boat. The man in the other steel boat (which was by now tethered to ours) said to us “There’s going to be big trouble!” in perfect English.
Within a few minutes of leaving the canal we had negotiated the very narrow harbour entrance and were into Veere harbour; we were well settled in by lunchtime. Veere is very pretty and is a big tourist attraction judging by the number of people wandering around.
Being school holidays and a recognised holiday week here, the place is rather too crowded: but certainly well worth a visit. In the afternoon we went round the town hall and looked at the old courtroom. On display were some brass hands which were made at the expense of convicted thieves; this replaced the previous practice of having a hand chopped off for the same offence.
We also went round the “Scottish House” which was indeed rather Scottish, and celebrates the connections between Scotland and Veere. It is was very hot this afternoon. The harbour master is rather a cool dude.
Veere
Veere town harbour
We made one more quick sortie round Veere to get some bread and then we were off. We motored gently down the Veerse Meer and decided that the island where we had moored on our last trip in 2006 was definitely one of the better spots so we homed in on the preferred mooring stage where just one other boat was tied up.
Unlike last time when it seemed that there was no one else on the whole Meer besides us, many of the mooring places have boats occupying them, and overall it’s very busy. But just like last time it is very windy. The chap already moored up on the stage leapt out of his boat to help us get tied up; the Dutch are very good at helping each other moor up, probably because windy conditions are so commonplace. We spent a relaxing afternoon doing not much.
The entrance to Veere harbour
The fine weather is holding and each day seems to be a bit warmer than the last. The long-term forecast is quite positive till the end of next week. We set off at 08:15 so that we would get to Willemstad by mid afternoon. No sooner had we set off than we had run aground on a sandbank due to inattention by the skipper to the warnings of the crew. Luckily we were able to reverse off but the log impeller got gummed up with sand and stopped working!
The trip to Willemstad is a run of some 36 nautical miles with three big locks interconnecting different waterways. It starts with the Veerse Meer which is stagnant salt water; then there is the Oosterschelde which is tidal saltwater directly from the sea through flood control sluices; then the dammed estuary waters of the Krammer and Volkerak which are now non tidal freshwater; and finally Hollands Diep which is fresh water but tidal, with the tidal stream flowing via Dordrecht and Rotterdam to the sea. It sounds more complicated than it is. These waters form part of a major shipping route from Antwerp to Rotterdam for very large and fast barges and in addition there can be quite strong tidal streams to take account of. We were lucky with our timing and had hardly any time to wait at locks.
By 15:30 we were on the visitors moorings in the municipal harbour at Willemstad. Mike fixed the log impeller which involved removing it from its skin fitting at the bottom of the hull and replacing it with a purpose made bung, and then reversing the process after a good cleaning. In the process one proves by example the oft quoted rule that a hole one square inch of area one foot below the water line admits about two gallons of water per second – our impeller fitting is over three feet below the water line and more like two inches in diameter!
By 16:30 we had been rafted onto by another bigger steel boat. The inner harbour was full of enormous steel and fibreglass gin palaces belonging to some conspicuously wealthy people. We found out afterwards that an unnamed pop star was getting married in Willemstad which accounted for all the big boats as well as the TV crew we saw. It is in stark contrast to this time in 2006 when we were one of just a few boats moored in the inner harbour and the town was virtually empty. But this year we have sunshine and heat, so we are not complaining! We managed a nice evening stroll round town and some of the ramparts before seeking shelter in Starry Night from the swarms of midges.
Locking out onto the Krammer
Fast moving barge traffic - we are being overtaken here
Willemstad town harbour full of big expensive boats
We had agreed the night before with our raftee that we would leave at 08:15 and they were ready to occupy our spot alongside on cue. Due to other rafted boats on either side it was a bit of a squeeze to get out but all was accomplished with the minimum of fuss. It would be another long day to get somewhere where there would be OK moorings. This time we didn’t want to stop at Dordrecht nor Gouda which meant we had to reach Alphen a/d Rijn before any reasonable moorings would be found. Ideally we would be able to get to the Brassermermeer. The obstacles to progress were adverse tidal streams almost all the way to the Juliana Sluis near Gouda, and thereafter various lift and swing bridges for roads and railways which stopped operation at 18:00 on a Saturday. Hence the early start.
First we visited the new marina next to ours to use their pump-out which was free and very efficient. The day quickly became hot and hazy and the temperature inside the boat reached 30 degrees. There was heavy barge traffic on Hollands Diep. Shortly after leaving Willemstad we had five barges bearing down on us from behind, all having come out of the same locking, and fourteen visible approaching! Not to mention sailing boats and cruisers etc. This level of traffic made the left hand turn up Dordts Kil a tricky exercise and we did it by crossing over one lane of traffic at a time dodging between gaps in the parade of barges. As we rounded the corner into Dordts Kil we were confronted by an armada of about thirty steel cruisers coming down Dordts Kil on some sort of group outing and wanting to cross our path, just to add to our navigation problems.
By 11:30 we were through Dordrecht and witnessed the big railway lift bridge open up for some sailing boats to pass through. By 12:30 we were heading out of Rotterdam and eating our lunch as we headed up the IJssel. We were through the Juliana Sluis with its two drawbridges without a wait and making splendid time up the Gouwe Canal. Would our luck hold? – you know the answer already!
The first lift bridge at Waddinxveen opened with just a short delay and we were through. We knew there was a problem with the next lift bridge at Boskoop when the bridge watcher came out of her bothy to tell the skipper of “Atalante” that the bridge was broken and it would be an hour’s wait. Atalante tied up to some pilings and Starry Night tied on to Atalante. We found out that a piece of metal about three inches by eight inches had just fallen off the bridge and it wasn’t known if it was safe to open. The first engineer arrived after the hour at 16:00 and after waving said piece of metal around and looking up at the bridge structure, promptly called for another engineer to assist so he could climb up onto the structure. The second engineer arrived. Ladders were brought out, and put back and at 17:30 they made a snap decision to see if the bridge would open. We had thirty seconds warning to get our engines started, and disentangle ourselves from Atalante while she also cast off ASAP. We got the green light and went for it along with an armada behind us.
Why the hurry? The railway bridge and two road bridges at Alphen all stop working at 18:00 on a Saturday and we had less than thirty minutes to get through them or be trapped between bridges with nowhere nice (at all?) to spend the night. The distanced involved meant dispensing with the speed limit. We were in the lead so we kept on going a bit faster and looking back to see if the other boats were keeping up – yes, a bit faster – yes still, eventually to our sea cruising speed and a bit faster and we held it there. Atalante and another cruiser slowly overtook us to our relief and we tucked in behind. The rest of the armada were gradually left behind as we ploughed on. By 17:55 we could see the vital railway swing bridge in the distance start to open and boats come through from the other direction. The first of our squad arrived just after the last boat the other way passed through and as our lights turned green, then Atalante, and finally we were through. Shortly after we passed through, the bridge closed leaving the remaining boats stuck the wrong side even though they were in sight of the bridge – just not close enough. The skipper of Atalante looked back at us and gave us the thumbs up and punched the sky. He turned left at Alphen, while we went straight on to try some moorings by a lake about a mile up another canal.
It was a pleasant enough location with plenty of other boats moored for comfort, but spoiled by idiots in fast boats driving up and down with no regard for their wash – not uncommon we are discovering. The other down side was the height and density of the stinging nettles on the bank! Must remember garden shears for the next trip! (not the first time we have said this).
Being overtaken (again!) by a heavy on the Dordts Kil
Lift bridge at Waddinxveen like the one at Boskoop
Rafted up to Atalante waiting for the Boskoop bridge to open
There was no point in being too early because the lift bridges are not manned before 10:00 on Sunday. We eventually set of at about 10:15, the stingers getting their final revenge for the battering they had received earlier with the boat brush. Passage through the bridges of Alphen was smooth and efficient and we turned North and headed for Brassermermeer. It was already incredibly busy – more busy than we have ever seen. There were huge numbers of day boats of all descriptions mixed in amongst the cruisers which were mostly steel boats like ours, and fibre glass sailing boats. The day boats are not constrained by the bridges because they have a low air draft so they are very popular boats here as there are so many places to go within the “day”. We found a mooring at the “haven” at the South East corner of the Brassermermeer. On our last visit there had been just one other boat. This time there were at least sixty moored up, but it is a big mooring area and could take the boats. Here we had lunch. The wind was blowing hard and quite a few boats had trouble mooring up and needed help. After lunch we headed on towards the Karger Plassen. As we left we realised that we had a huge swarm of midges taking refuge out of the wind on our port side. As we turned the boat to leave they moved round the boat to stay on the sheltered side which was in the skipper's face. It was hard not to inhale them! Once out on the lake no amount of speed and manoeuvring could shake them off. They were good for seven knots! A severe dose of fly spray reduced their numbers so that we could continue in tolerable conditions. Finally when back in the canal on the other side of the meer and we slowed down in traffic, they all disappeared.
We decided that we would explore all round the Karger Plassen which is a series of interconnected lakes. These lakes were crammed with boats. Boat movements were not in strict lanes but from above must have resembled the randomness of Brownian motion. It was very hard work to keep track of all the boats around you to avoid collisions, but fun none the less. In addition to droves of cruising motor boats there were plenty of sailing boats tacking this way and that, as well as dozens of boats at anchor here, there and everywhere. I don’t think we have ever seen so many boats all at once. After doing the rounds we selected a spot to moor for the night and around 16:30 we were tied alongside a field where Maureen could spot lapwings and black tailed godwits. We sat on the back and had our dinner outside for the third day running. Even at 19:00 the boats were parading by at the rate of one every five to ten seconds. Mostly day boats but quite a few cruisers too, and the occasional speed boat doing about twenty miles per hour. We expected things to die down by 21:00 as people would have to go home to be ready for work on Monday but activity didn’t really stop completely until well after dark.
Haven moorings at the SE corner of the Brassermermeer
A busy stretch of canal near the Brassermermeer
Waiting for a bridge to open
Finally some peace and quiet at our mooring on the Karger Plassen
By 08:00 the parade had started again! Not at Sunday's rate but still a lot of boats about for a working day. We have since found out that today is another holiday of some sort but we don’t fully understand. We set off for Leiden after a leisurely breakfast and a final peer at the black tailed godwits. By the second opening bridge (Spaniardsbrug) we were tucked in behind another boat so it was their duty to press the button to get the bridge opened, which they did. We waited for ten minutes or so but there was no sign of action. Another boat came along and we waited a bit longer. We could see this boat’s skipper on the phone. When he stopped talking his wife came forward to tell us that the bridge was broken and we should moor up (again we asked!). There was just a street alongside, no mooring bollards or rings, so we slid sideways and hitched ourselves to a lamppost (there's a first time for everything!). Our friend, who had a much bigger boat tried a bench as a hitching point but when it started to part company with terra firma he decided to let go and just let the wind keep him pressed against the shore.
Eventually two chaps in orange vests came along and opened the bridge locally (presumably the remote control system was kaput). Within ten minutes we were through the next bridge by the harbour master’s office and moored up in the Leiden town harbour. The berths are good solid finger pontoons with box pilings. Electricity and water is by token, costing 50 cents each. So far on day one we have used three of the five tokens the HM thought we would need for three days. The shower and toilet facilities described in our new Guide to the Netherlands Inland Waterways as palatial turn out to be housed in an old bridge watchers brick control building. There are whole walls where the tiles are all missing, a heating radiator is lying in one of the men’s showers and the place has obviously seen happier days. We were rather disappointed.
Leiden itself is very lively being an old university town. It has a network of canals and some lovely side streets. We visited the VVV and obtained crucial information to enable the activities for the next few days to be planned; they told us that the Water Taxi shown on various maps we have and again in our new guide, ceased operation over a year ago due to lack of funding. So we have figured out which bus will take us to the station and museum district, which is otherwise a good thirty minutes walk. We have also found the nearby Albert Heijn (read Tescos). On the way back from an exploratory rece of the town, we took in the Hortus Botanicus (botanical gardens) which were very pleasant with interesting hot houses. We are well on the way to breaking even on our museum cards purchased back in Middelburg.
Day boats parading through Leiden
Near Leiden city centre
Leiden's canal-side bars and restaurants
Today we were up bright and early so we could beat the crowds at the Keukenhof Gardens famous for their spring flowers mainly tulips. First we caught a bus to the station which saved our legs for later; then we bought a combined ticket for the bus to and entry into the Keukenhof, which is situated near Lisse about 30 minutes bus ride away. The trip there was very easy and we were there before 10:00 am.
The gardens were a little bit passed their best due to all the hot weather we have been having. But nevertheless they still were amazing, with so many different varieties of tulips and other spring flowers laid out in beautiful surroundings, interspersed with interesting sculptures and water features. We spent about four hours wandering around and had our lunch there. Then we got the bus back to Leiden. It was on this bus that we noticed a sign that informed of a bus strike tomorrow and the next day. Just as well we went to the Keukenhof today!
After we got back to Starry Night we decide to take our dinghy out for a jaunt round the Leiden canal system, most of which is closed to large boats as the low bridges don't open up. We took the advice in our guide to take a map with us which was a good idea as it would be very easy to get lost. There was much less boating activity than yesterday lending credence to the holiday theory. From the water is certainly a good way to see Leiden.
Keukenhof Gardens
Copyright © 2008-2009 Mike Hawkridge