Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th June 2004 Langebrug to Wedde.

Monday 14th June 2004 Langebrug to Wedde.

Westerwoldse-Aa - photo by Johan Zuidema

7.9°C Chilly, grey, overcast with a cold south west wind. Drizzles of rain which lasted (thankfully) only a few minutes. We set off at 9.10 a.m. and ran down the Westerwoldse Aa to Wedde, a distance of 8.5 kms. Three boats came out of the Veendiep - two of them turned the wrong way and went towards the dead end at Wedde (the direction we were going) until they realised and turned round to head for the Winschoterdiep. Perhaps only one of them had the map! The channel from the junction with the Winschoterdiep had been wide and straight, except for one bend at Langebrug, all the way to the junction with the Veendiep, a distance of six kilometres. After the junction the navigation became more like a river, winding between reedy banks, passing a large camping site. 

Trees by Westerwoldse-Aa - photo by Johan Zuidema

First there were fixed caravans and then some men were laying bricks to make new bases for more ‘vans. A large meadow had lots of bays set out, bordered by low bushes, for touring vans and campers. A small mower was busy cutting the grass ready for the influx of holiday makers. The river passed through a pleasant wooded area, winding past white and yellow waterlilies. The water was shallower, we were leaving coloured muddy trails behind us in the water. At Weddeveer there was a small windmill on top of a building alongside the waterway, it had a rotating set of small blades to direct the main sails automatically into the wind. We arrived in Wedde at the limit of navigation for large vessels. Beyond the next road bridge the navigation was suitable only for canoes. 

Westerwoldse-Aa - photo by welvoart

It was 10.45 a.m. and the weather was showing signs of brightening up. Helped Mike unload the moped off the roof using a plank and he went to collect the car from Langebrug. When Mike returned he spotted that I’d missed a call on the ‘phone - it was from Glyn - he must have called when I was in the engine room starting the Rediline! Mike tried dialling back using the new callback system only to find he was engaged (at that time he used dial-up, so most likely he was online)! Then we all went into Blijham in the car to get a few groceries from the C1000 supermarket. Back for lunch. Mike took Bill to get diesel from the garage halfway between Wedde and Blijham, where they were selling it at 78.9c a litre, which was much cheaper than in Germany, so they did two trips in the car with all their cans and topped up Rosy’s fuel tank. 

Waterlilies  

When they’d finished with the fuel Mike lit the BBQ and we cooked sausages and baked spuds. Bill did slavinken and ribs (half of the ribs were for Fanny). I made stir fried veg to go with our sausages and spuds and we sat outside and ate our dinner, waving to all the passersby in cars and on bikes - they all waved! A queue of sportscars and vintage cars went by. Mike and Bill recognised the owner of the trip boat company whom they’d met earlier at the garage. He waved too! While we were waiting for the meal to cook, I had one of Mike’s Grolsch. Bill and Mike shared a bottle of Côte du Rhône with their dinner and later they had a few G&T’s. Bill had had a text message from Jim MacD. who was at Oldenburg in Germany, (having crossed the Dollard and gone up the tidal Ems) waiting for the tide to go down the river Hünter to Bremen and then up the tidal river Weser and later on to the Aller. A man on a bike stopped to have a chat. Later a couple in a pickup towing a trailer (for wood he told us) stopped to talk - they were fascinated by the boats, having seen nothing like them before. Bill showed them his boatman’s cabin.  

Tuesday 15th June 2004 Wedde.

12.7° C Grey, muggy and showery.We all got up late after a late night the night before. I collected up all the BBQ gear we’d left at the top of the grassy bank next to the park bench.

Westerwoldse-Aa - photo by supervakantiehuis

Later Mike and Bill went for more diesel. They topped up Bill’s containers so he had as much fuel as he could carry and refilled our containers for use in the car. The price had gone up 1c from the day before - now 79.9c! Still much cheaper then in Germany! They found the library in Blijham, but it was only open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2.30 until 5.50 p.m. with extra late opening 6 until 8.30 on Thursdays. Meanwhile I repotted my seedling herbs, parsley and chives, and the plants off the roof of the boat. Mike watched the football, the Netherlands and Germany drew, scoring one goal each.