Lauwersmeer 18th June

 

We left Vlieland on Sunday – but not quite as Mrs B hoped. There are 2 ways in & out of Vlieland. One, the way we entered, is the main channel which the ferries and most normal people use. The other is a narrow channel which dries out at low water. Mrs B thought that was worth a go. After all if they go to the trouble to lay buoys and stick withies (sticks) in the sand/mud it’s a pity if you don’t show appreciation by using it.

So we set out 3 hours before high water. This was perhaps a little ambitious as there are only inches to spare – but Mr B didn’t want to be late. He didn’t need to worry, as very soon we were hard aground. And we stayed that way for a while whilst a very strong currant swirled around us. We get going again after half an hour and ground our way along the bottom until the buoyed channel finished. At this point it changed to withies and we had some difficulty deciding which was a navigation mark and which was a fishing mark. And so we bumped along for quite a while with no other boat within a mile or 2. But things got better as the tide continued to come in and eventually (much to Mrs B’s relief) we popped out at the other end of the channel and joined the rest of the world. We made our way to Harlingen which is the local centre and where the ferries start form to the outlying islands – a bit like Oban is where a most of the ferries to the Hebrides start from. It was a lovely day and the classic boats were out in their hundreds. A magnificent sight.

 

A high-speed ferry

A small selection of the classic ships we saw in the Waddenzee

 

We were very lucky, as when we were in Vlieland eating pancakes, we chatted with a local Dutch couple and they told us about a little known quiet yacht harbour in the middle of Harlingen. So we spent a couple of nights there waiting for Mr B’s uncle David (82) who joined us for a week’s fun. He arrived OK and we set off in an easterly direction along the canals.

The 3rd mate at the helm having just missed some large ships.

 

 We decided to go to Dokkum for the night and Mr B worked out a shortcut. This involved some very low bridges which didn’t lift. Photo below!

Jenni Ann going under very low bridge.

 
Dokkum was a very pretty town and we went on from there to a lake on the coast – the Lauwersmeer. We had to go through a lock on the way and 82-year-old uncle was put to work.

Uncle David earning his keep

 

A short stop for lunch on an island & Mrs B found an Orchid. Mrs B likes Orchids! Mr M gained a few bonus points – much needed……….

Mrs B’s Orchid!

  

That evening we locked out into the wild Waddenzee and set off for the island of Schiermonnikoog. This is the most easterly of the Dutch inhabited Frisian Islands, and you can only get to it at high water (or an hour of so either side). It was blowing a good 6 & Mrs B had her doubts about this. To try to shorten the trip Mr B took a buoyed shortcut across the sands and all was well until 2 buoys before the end when we went hard aground. We managed to back off and turn around, as Mr B calculated it was too risky hoping for a bit more water in the remaining hour before high water. So we went back to the beginning of the shortcut and went the long way – with no problem. When Mr B paid the bill at the marina on the island the lady said they had only just found out that the channel was no longer useable. Anyway it was worth a try.

Schiermonnikoog harbour at low water

 

It was howling by now – a good force 6. This increased to force 7 the next day, and we had to delay our departure by a day. But we managed a day’s cycling around the island – fine downwind, but a struggle into the wind – especially when you are 82. But David did very well and only fell off a few times………….

Intrepid cyclists at the east of the island

Cycling into a gale

 

Re-fuelling with a Bacon & Cheese pancake

A field full of ? Godwits on Schiermonnikoog

 




Cattle Egrets on the Lauwersmeer

 

On Saturday morning we did manage to make the trip back to the mainland (only an hour) and then went back through the Lauwersmeer (a very beautiful wildlife area) and got to Groningen where David leaves us tomorrow.

Our mooring in the centre of Groningen with a “Rondvaart” going through a lifting bridge 

 

 

Groningen is a very old university city - & we found an excellent restaurant last night. But it’s raining hard today – the first real daytime rain we’ve had.

 

Jenni Ann

Vlieland Saturday 13th June

 

We left Amsterdam and made our way north up a series of canals in the land to the east of the Ijsslemeer which go through Alkmaar and then either exit at Den Helder, Den Oever or Medemblick. We over-nighted at Langerdijk where it rained & blew. The only good bit was that we moored near a very pretty windmill.

Jenni Ann & Windmill.

A “Classic” Dutch boat

 

 

 

We continued north and stayed at Middenmeer, a town which is only about 70 years old as it was built on land reclaimed from the sea. The next morning we had to go through a lifting bridge which opened for business at 9:00am. Mrs B pressed a button on a post and spoke into a box. A few minutes later a cheerful lady turned up in the pouring rain, gave us a cheery wave and opened the bridge. We proceeded on to Den Oever where we had to lock through into the Ijsslemeer. Disaster. The sign said it only opened for a short period around 9am and at 4pm. There were some men working on the lock and the doors opened and shut a few times – and then shut. And stayed shut until 4pm when we locked out into the big pond. It was far too late to go anywhere so we tied up and waited for the morning. We went through the sea lock from the Ijsslemeer into the Waddenzee which is the fascinating area inside the Frisian Islands. It is mostly very shallow – sand at low water – with buoyed channels. This can be very deceptive as even in strong winds there are no waves. We crossed the sea to our favourite island - Vlieland. While the Waddenzee never gets rough, the same can’t be said for the gaps in between the islands, and we had a slightly too exciting time going around a sandbank to get to the harbour on Vlieland. Mr B had had a slightly senior moment in not buying this year’s chart, which didn’t help as the buoys had moved since last year’s chart. The windscreen motors gave up at this point which reduced visibility somewhat. Had they been able to speak they would have probably complained that they were designed for spray and rain – not lumps of solid ocean. Anyway we made it into the harbour where a stiff Gin & Tonic improved life no end.

 

Today is beautiful. A gentle breeze – wall-to-wall blue sky. So we set off around the island on our bikes on purpose made bike paths made of crushed shells. There is mile after mile of deserted beach, but perhaps a hidden crime wave?

A crime wave?

Mr B ready for takeoff.

 

At the far end of the island there is a wonderful café where we treated ourselves to enormous pancakes

Mr& Mrs B enjoying pancakes

 

We’ll probably go to Harlingen (on the mainland) tomorrow as Mr B’s uncle is joining us for a few days.

 

It’s getting near G&T time so that’s enough for now.

 

Jenni Ann

The start to this year’s cruise could have been better. An irritating minor leak in the saltwater cooling pipe in the engine developed a few days before the intended start day, and proved difficult to cure. It was a copper pipe which had become a poor fit in an “O” ring and was dripping salt water onto the alternator. A replacement pipe arrived but to our dismay was now a rubber hose (like you have in cars) but didn’t come with copper ends needed to fit into the "O" rings. Anyway a cure was eventually made, but we lost a vital fair weather day. We set off on Saturday 6th June and got as far as Harwich harbour where we met mountainous seas. 2 days later the forecast looked OK so we set off, but the winds of the previous days had left a swell on our port beam which made for a very uncomfortable crossing. I had intended to go to Blankenburg but when we got there 11 hours later it was low water and there was substantial onshore swell. I decided to turn sharp left and go against the tide and 2 hours later arrived at Zeebrugge. The next day was a much happier one as we set off very early to catch the tide and 2 hours later zoomed up the Westerschelde past Flushing. We carried on up for another 2 hours and went through the canal to the Oosterschelde and from there to a mooring on a tiny canal which leads to a pretty little town called Steenbergen.

Mooring outside Steenbergen

A peaceful night was followed by a trip to the town which we had visited before with our sailing yacht Solitaire. There is a supermarket yards from the quay, so we stocked up with Dutch goodies. We discovered that the town is where Guy Gibson (of Dam Buster fame) was buried after he was shot down in 1944. All the more relevant as we were watching the D-day landing remembrance on TV.

Thursday was another full day of motoring. We crossed the Rhine which was busy as usual.

New cars on the Rhine

On the way Mr B saw some storks in a field and managed to get a photo of them.

3 Storks in a field

We spent the night at a very pretty town called Vianen where we bought an Indonesian take away meal for one person. This provided enough food for us both for 2 nights! On Friday we went through Utrecht. Neither of us had been there before and we were amazed by it. It was beautiful. There is a canal which goes through the middle of the city with many bridges which are very low. We had 6 inches clearance on some of them, so it was a bit nerve racking but well worth it.

A low bridge in Utrecht

Another view of Utrecht

Just outside Utrecht we saw a curious obstruction ahead. It turned out to be a temporary footbridge. The man on the “bridge” started an engine and the 2 ramps, one at either end, lifted. The barge on which the bridge was floating then pivoted around the pole in the water at this end of the photo. I think the barge may have been moved with an outboard motor fixed at the far end (where the man is) but I’m not sure. I was too busy trying not to hit it!

A temporary footbridge just north of Utrecht

Friday night was spent at Maarssen – a pretty village just north of Utrecht. On Saturday we proceeded up the river Vecht which winds through very grand (& expensive) houses which are just outside Amsterdam. We entered the Marker Meer (the south bit of what used to be the Ijsselmere) at Muiden and half an hour later were in Amsterdam. And that’s where we are as I type – in the Sixhaven, a yacht harbour opposite the Central Station with a 24-hour free ferry service to the city. Mrs B was given a guided tour of the red light district last night before we found a very excellent bar.

To make up for the sins of last night, today we went to the Rijksmuseum and saw the wonderful exhibition of Dutch Masters paintings.

The Sixhaven has a free Wifi service so we’ve been able to get and send emails and also talk to various people on Skype. Not 100% successful when we tried to talk to the lady in Aldeburgh, as I eventually established she doesn’t have a microphone.

This missive is going to various friends and family. Some of you want the place names so you can trace our route as we go. Apologies to those for whom this is too much detail. I’m not using a mobile phone for emails this year, but am relying on finding Wifi hotspots. I found one in Maarssen where someone hadn’t made their wireless network secure and was able to download emails but not send them unless I used webmail. So I’m expecting communications to be somewhat intermittent.

Jenni Ann