Wednesday 21 May
Thursday 22 May
Friday 23 May
Saturday 24 May
Sunday 25 May
Monday 26 May
Tuesday 27 May
Langedijk (Het Waartje) to Medemblik
Medemblik
Medemblik to Hindeloopen
Hindeloopen to Sneek
Sneek to Sneekermeer
Sneekermeer to Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden
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We set out at 7:30 to arrive at Braaksluis about 09:00, which is the published opening time. The anglers on the bank opposite our moorings were still there in their little tents looking rather cold. But there was a clear blue sky to cheer us all up.
We arrived at Braaksluis at five to nine, just as the lock keeper stepped out of his van to start work. He immediately gave us a green light and beckoned us in. Luckily for us the lock keeper at Roskamsluis had been misinformed. The lock keeper was very friendly but spoke no English, though we did manage to communicate to some extent. We were through by 09:05 and on our way.
When we got to the canal cross-roads where the Kolholm Diep runs into the Westfriesche Vaart, we could see that the Westfriese Sluis was indeed out of action, with a closure board informing that it would be shut until the end of May. Our Almanak was clearly wrong on this point. So we turned North and began the detour, the first bridge being right in front of us – the Waardbrug. Maureen pressed the “report here” button and a disembodied voice spoke back in Dutch but we did not understand what was said. Shortly afterwards a yellow van pulled up and out stepped our friendly lock keeper. We were quickly through with lots of waving.
At the next bridge (Nieuwesluizerbrug) the same procedure produced another van and a different chap who was wearing clogs. Once through here it's just a short hop to the Amstelmeer which is an inlet from the Waddenzee that has been closed off with a dyke. It was quite choppy here with a fresh Northerly wind rattling in off the North sea. We were across this little lake in no time and pulled into the calm waters of the Haukeshaven to wait for the Haukessluis lock to open for us. This was the crucial lock; the time was 10:30 and it would close at 11:00 for three and a half hours so we had to get through if we were going to make Medemblik that night – but there seemed to be no one about.
There was another boat on the waiting pontoon that had arrived just before us and they too seemed puzzled by the lack of action. We pulled alongside them to find that they spoke good English but had no information on what to do to get the lock keeper’s attention. We had a phone number from the Almanak, so Maureen shouted it across to the lady crew member who wrote it down on her leg! She phoned the number but was told it was for “central control”, but was given another number to try which didn’t work at all! So she got off her boat and hoofed it round to the other side of the imposing gates, which was all we could see. Low and behold the gates opened within a few minutes, and we were in.
The lock keeper had been there all the time and was oblivious to our presence. There was a phone number to contact him but it was written on the top of his lock control cabin were you had to be in the lock already to see it! Here it is should you ever need it - Haukessluis lock telephone 06 5337 4186. We had a long conversation with the lock keeper who spoke excellent English and was very interested to know where we had been and where we were going. This lock took us down 4m below the level of the Amstelmeer.
The next lock was Slootluis (tel 06 5325 4822) and the lock keeper (the bridge keeper in clogs) had the gates opening as we arrived. Here we went down a further meter to the prevailing level of the Wieringermeer area. Then there were two more lift bridges. At the first we had to summon the bridge watcher. After a short wait a little yellow van arrived and it was our Braaksluis lock keeper on one of his many errands. He did the next bridge for us too.
Now we were on the original planned route with a one hour cruise along the Westfriesche Vaart to the two locks at Medemblik. These locks were very slow. The second one was operated by remote control and took nearly an hour to negotiate. We arrived in the Westerhaven at Medemblik around 15:00 very relieved to be there. We hastily sent off a text to Alan and Gill to let them know they had a roof over their heads in Medemblik, and where to find Starry Night.
About 21:30 we got a phone call from Gill to say they were outside the harbour master’s office. Mike headed out to find them, but there was no-one there. They were obviously at one of the other three harbours! A phone call solved the mystery and within a few minutes they were delivered to the Westerhaven by their taxi driver.
North Holland country-side 5m below sea level
Big fields and distant vistas of farms and trees
Westfriesche Vaart - no sign of a yellow van yet!
Overlekersluis at Medemblik - a 3m rise. The open bridge behind is for the steam railway that runs to Hoorn
The Westerhaven at Medemblik seen from Starry Night
Today was spent doodling around Medemblik. In the afternoon we walked to the Steam Museum which is about twenty minutes out of town. It is located in a disused steam pumping station and is full of interesting old machinery as well as working models.
On the way back we walked along the coast road past the big marina where some massive sailing meet was in progress. In the car park there were trailer/car combinations from all over Europe. It has been a lovely warm day.
The castle at Medemblik
We set off just after 09:00 and within a few minutes the Kwikkelsbrug had been opened for us and we were heading out of Medemblik across the IJsselmeer.
There was quite a brisk wind blowing in our face but it was a lovely day and the water wasn’t too choppy. We could see quite a few other boats already out and a large knot of small sailing boats attended by swarms of safety boats right in our path. They were just finishing off a race and as we approached they withdrew to one side so we didn’t have to worry too much about them. It took two and a half hours to get across, on a straight line almost exactly on a North East heading.
Before mid day we were nosing into Hindeloopen harbour to see how busy it was before deciding where to moor. There was hardly anything moored in the town harbour so we put Starry Night on the pier while we looked for the Harbour Master to find out where he wanted to put us. The HM was busy in his back yard with a chain saw but stopped work to direct us to a nice spot on the harbour wall, where we settled ourselves in.
The nearby fish and chip stands were already doing a roaring trade and we couldn’t resist for long before we had to go and get our lunch. Everything is cooked to order and the fish pieces are very generous and plump, coated in a thin batter, and when cooked are done to perfection. The F&C here is on Maureen's top ten list of best F&C world-wide. You do have to be prepared to wait, but it was certainly worth it. We took everything back to the boat and sat outside on the back to eat our lunch.
In the afternoon we wandered around Hindeloopen down the picturesque back streets with their little canals. The harbour was starting to fill up, with nearly half of the boats being German flagged. Even at 19:00 there was plenty of activity, and the HM was still working small boats through the little lock next to where we were moored. In the harbour there were still spaces left and very few boats were rafted out, and these seemed to be in friendly groups.
Finally, we watched the sun set over the Ijsselmeer in a clear blue sky.
Kwikkelsbrug between the Westerhaven and Oosterhaven in Medemblik
Mike and Maureen taking refreshments at a canalside cafe in Hindeloopen with......
......Alan and Gill.
After a leisurely start to the day to allow birthday boy Alan a lie-in, we set off for the ten minute hop over the IJsselmeer to the harbour entrance to Wokkum. The lock at Wokkum was just opening as we arrived and we were soon gently pottering along the picturesque twisty and narrow waterways through Wokkum town. The bridges all opened on cue, and we began to get practice at catching the clog for the bruggeld.
The price for bruggeld seems to have gone up quite a lot since 2006. Our route took us through the Hegermeer and up the Wijde Wijmerts to IJst and then into Sneek from the West side. Our goal was to find a mooring in the basin by the Waterpoort. When we arrived, there was just one space which was in a fairly noisy location by a main road.
Just as we got tied up there our chief mooring spotter noticed that a boat about the size of Starry Night was moving away from a very nice location much quieter than the one we were at. We decided to go for it, having to disconnect electricity, untie and manoeuvre before someone else nabbed it. The space was about a foot longer that Starry Night but we did manage to fit in with some help from the skipper of a very big shiny boat who was clearly concerned for the wellbeing of his asset!
After we got settled in we went for a stroll around Sneek, did some shopping and sussed out somewhere to eat in the evening. Alan’s choice for his birthday nosh was De Lachende Koe (The Laughing Cow) on Kleinzand which is a traditional Dutch “eatcafe” serving typical Dutch cuisine in a not too formal atmosphere. Our meals were all very good and quite sizable. Maureen and Gill shared a starter of mussels that arrived in two separate bowls each big enough for a large starter in their own right.
When we got back to the boat the sky was clear blue with no hint of what was to come.
The narrow waterways of Wokkum
Alan paying bruggeld
During the night it had turned quite a lot cooler and the sky was dull and threatening. The wind had picked up and it didn’t look good. We headed out of Sneek still lulled into a false sense of what the weather was really doing by the shelter in the built up area. As soon as we were out of Sneek we could feel the strength of the wind.
By the time we had headed out into the Sneekermeer we were battling against a strong cold wind coming from the North and then it started raining. The womenfolk retired inside while the men stood firm at their posts. After a short while the men decided that enough was enough, and that as this was a holiday and not a pre-qualification test for entry into the SAS, we should look for a sheltered spot and hole up. A convenient island was spotted with mooring stages on its southerly side which was perfect. Despite the shelter of the trees it was quite an effort for the crew to restrain Starry Night until we had her well and truly tied down.
We retired inside and the rain got worse. So we decided to stay put for the day and do books, booze and scrabble, with a bit of bird watching. We finally identified the BFB (big flappy bird) working the marshes, as a marsh harrier. Later in the afternoon a small sailing boat took refuge next to us on the same staging. Basically the accommodation on this boat is a purpose built canvas “tent” on what is otherwise an open boat. The two girls crewing it have hunkered down inside to stay the night. We have decided not to offer to share our dinner with them.
The Waterpoort at Sneek with Starry Night in foreground (picture taken Saturday!)
We woke up to cloudy skies and no rain, but the strong winds were still very much in evidence. We had to get Alan and Gill to Leeuwarden by nightfall, so we decided to head off as soon as we were ready. The skipper was not keen on taking the scenic route because he didn’t like the idea of all those bridges which would involve waiting around in the wind with Starry Night going every which way.
So we headed up the Prinses Margriet Kanaal which is the boating equivalent of a motorway, nice and wide, with bridges we can fit under easily. At the Rogsloot we turned off towards Warten and spotted a fuel point at the marina Stichting JH Wartena and Mike decided it would be a good idea to top up the tank with diesel. It was quite an effort to get Starry Night tied up as the wind tried too make sure we wouldn’t succeed. A bell summoned a lady on a bicycle who filled us up. As usual, no foreign credit cards were accepted, and it was strictly cash.
Then we were on our way with just a couple of bridges to do in Warten itself, in comparative shelter and all quickly opened. After that we were back into open countryside and the menfolk were again trusted to do their duty alone up top. We then headed along Lang Deel to the outskirts of Leeuwarden where we joined the Van Harinxma Kanaal to make a long circuit round the South and West side of town to approach the centre from the West. At the second opening bridge in town we had to fork out €6 to cover the opening of the remainder of the bridges through Leeuwarden. This is the first time we have ever had to put paper money in a clog for bruggeld!
We moored up in the Wester Stadgracht which is a waterway formed by the old moat of the city fortifications and is now flanked by a park. It is very pleasant and quite peaceful, while being very convenient for the centre of town. The loo/shower facilities are very clean and quite new, but there is no segregation for men and women, and on one occasion Maureen had to share the facilities with two noisy Germans (male)!
We had a stroll round town to check the station whereabouts and confirm train times for Tuesday, and to find a restaurant for this evenings meal. During our wanderings we succumbed to coffee and apelgebak, before heading back to the boat. Leeuwarden is quite a large university town but seems rather sedate and we haven’t noticed very many students.
As it’s Monday most restaurants seem to be closed but we finally settled on Humphry’s which turned out to be an excellent choice. It is in an old antique shop like a vast rabbit’s warren of rooms on lots of different levels – perhaps once a very grand house. We ate in the library and the fixed price three course meal was excellent. The only down side was their inability to accept Mastercard – only Visa was accepted. We just don’t understand!
Today we saw our first British flagged boat since leaving Veere.
Our mooring at Leeuwarden
Enjoying our meal in the Library at Humphry's Restaurant
A corner of the bike park at Leeuwarden railway station
While Alan martyred himself by packing and not going shopping, Maureen and Gill discovered “the best fabric shop in the world” but inexplicably returning with no purchases. We then went down to the station where we found that A and G’s train to Rotterdam was already on the departure platform with twenty minutes to go. So we helped them get settled into their compartment and bid our farewells. We have really enjoyed having Alan and Gill on board for the last week and will miss Gill’s morning cuppa and Alan’s “doing of the pots” (besides their company!).
We then headed over to the Ceramic Museum to look at the “biggest” collection of Dutch tiles in the universe – which section of the museum was closed for renovation! However the rest was very interesting as Maureen loves blue and white china.
After lunch Maureen did more retail therapy and further discovered the Dutch fear of credit cards. Mike did an 100 hour service to the engine involving changing the oil, filters and so on which took the best part of three hours. It rained earlier this afternoon but has now brightened up a bit and seems a bit warmer so we wonder what tomorrow’s weather will be.
Gill and Alan settled in for the journey home
Copyright © 2008-2009 Mike Hawkridge