Starry Night guide to dutch cruising


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Typical clog for bruggeld collection. This is on the river Vecht. Starry Night's Bridge Adventures! The Netherlands Convoy through Haarlem Centrale Brugbediening, Dordrecht Waddinxveen lift bridge Amsterdam Night Convoy Route St Pancras (NL) Railway Bridge Boskoop lift bridge Utrecht 16 Arched Bridges The Norfolk Broads Ludham Bridge Somerleyton Swing Bridge	[ Dutch Survival 1 - Utilities ] [ Dutch Survival 2 - Locks ] [ Norfolk Broads ] [ Thames] [ contact us ] [ Links ]
	Dutch cruising tips - bridges (many and various)
		Our first encounter with opening bridges, as for many newcomers to the Netherlands waterways, was on the Kanaal door Walcheren between Vlissingen and Middelburg. We were lucky that there was a commercial barge immediately in front of us, and we just followed him through; otherwise we would have had to wait for the time slots when the bridge is opened for "Sport" traffic. The information needed to work out when bridges are opened is published in the Wateralmanak Deel 2. Opening times are also usually posted on signs nearby or attached to the bridge. In the case of the Kanaal door Walcheren the bridge opening times as described in the Almanak are confusingly complex in their Dutch, and we never did fully understand all the ins and outs. But it didn't matter - you wait around a bit (and a bit more sometimes) and the bridge opens! Usually opening times are straightforward! You do need to take bridge waiting time into account when planning journeys. It is unusual to have to call on the bridge control VHF, for which the VHF channels are posted by many bridges and listed in the Wateralmanak Deel 2. The bridge watchers, sometimes miles away and controlling a number of bridges, are monitoring shipping by Radar or more normally by CCTV, and the bridges will be opened for you seemingly by magic. On waterways used by commercial traffic a longer than normal wait can mean that a barge is on the way and they want to open the bridge only once for everyone. We have also seen bridges going up and down like yo-yos with an opening every few minutes for leisure craft, as each one arrived. If there is commercial traffic about it makes sense to let them go ahead as they are just as fast as leisure craft (or faster) and they work wonders with the bridges! In Haarlem the river in the centre of town is twisty and narrow with lots of bridges. Here, they operate a convoy system. Its all explained in Wateralmanak Deel 2. You definitely want to follow behind the big boys here! Similar systems are used elsewhere. If a bridge has been opened for a barge and the bridge watcher thinks you will fit under without it being lifted, he (or she) may change the lights to red and lower the bridge as you go under. It happened to us in Haarlem and was very scary as we were unsure of what was going on. When the lights show red and green together, and the bridge starts to open, the rules of engagement seem to expect you to start passing through as soon as you fit; in other words, before the red light goes out. The red light only seems to go out when the bridge has fully completed its open cycle. This approach reduces the disruption to road traffic. You can only do this if you have both the red and green aspects. If you have red only and the bridge is opening, it probably means they are coming from the opposite direction first. You need to be very cautious! Some bridges require a push button to be pressed to alert the operator. They are not always obvious to find, but have a good look around. After a while, sixth sense will tell you when and where! There is usually a sign next to the push button, which quite often implores you to press the button only once! Sometimes you will be spoken to in Dutch after pressing the button. Most bridges are free, but in some areas, Freisland is a good example, many of the smaller bridges will charge bruggeld. This may be €0.60 per bridge or a few Euro for a succession of bridges through a town, collected at one bridge. The fees are posted before the bridge. The bridge keeper collects the toll by dangling a clog on an elasticated line from a pole. They are very expert at swinging the clog right into your hands. Don't expect any change! You will also see "Geen Bruggeld" (no bridge toll) posted on some bridges, but the clog on a line may still be presented and it seems customary to put some change in it. The ANWB/VVV Waterkaarten show all the bridges with their clearances. Each bridge has a unique code number that is cross-referenced in an index in the Wateralmanak Deel 2. A similar cross-referencing system applies to locks. This enables you to find quickly the opening times and other key facts. Opening bridges are indicated by prefixing their clearance data with “BB” for beweegbare brug, e.g. BBH45 W230. Fixed bridges do not have any prefix, e.g. H50 W100. Dimensions are in dm (tenths of a metre). You need to be very careful when planning a route to ensure that you do not get carried away with enthusiasm, and accidentally overlook a fixed bridge which you cannot fit under. It’s easily done! Bridge essentials Commercial traffic works wonders with the bridges! Have plenty of small change for bruggeld Be patient when waiting, but get a move on when your turn comes Useful vocabulary beweegbare brug - movable bridge (swing, lift, or whatever) bruggeld - bridge toll brugbediening - bridge opening brugwachter - bridge watcher draaibrug - swing bridge doorvaarthoogte - air draft eenrichtingsverkeer - one way working geen bruggeld - no bridge toll hefbrug - vertical lift bridge hier melden voor…. - report here for ….. hier drukken voor….. - press here for ….. konvooivaart - convoy operation spitsuursluiting - rush hour closing spoorbrug - railway bridge vaste brug - fixed bridge wachtsplaats brug - waiting place for bridge	Kanaal door Walcheren - the first bridge you meet! Haarlem convoy - let the barges do the work! Typical bridge watcher's abode with times posted on the white sign, and a yellow direction signpost for the junction the other side. Entrance to Edam town harbour - no machinery for this one - the Harbour Master can be seen pulling down one half with a pole, having climbed up the other half to weigh it down. No local authority Health and Safety officer here! Here the bridge watcher has to crank this bridge up and down - like the HM at Edam, he works several bridges, so a wait is inevitable as he can't be in two places at once! In Gouda this bridge is right by a busy intersection and it took ages for the traffic to get to a point where the bridge could be opened. Classical Dutch double lifting bridge One of the many lift bridges on the Gouwe Canal, this one at Waddinxveen Here the push button for the bridge was nice and obvious. Sometimes they are very close to the bridge and not so easy to reach.
Updated 9 March 2009 Copyright © 2006-2009 Mike Hawkridge	back to top