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| Lift bridge at Zuidveld lock |
16.7º C. Cloudy, muggy and breezy. Set off at 8.15
a.m. after Mike had topped up our water tank. We winded and followed Rosy to
the liftbridge. I stepped off and operated it. Only two cars had to wait. At
Vlagtweddesluis there were two fishermen on the lock island below the lock,
with half a dozen rods where I needed to get off to turn my key in the slot to
operate the lock, which was full. They didn't want to move and had to be
encouraged (by the boat!) to pull their rods in. Up the lock, with ropes fore
and aft, as the incoming water from the single paddle causes the boat to pull
forward very forcibly. On up to Bourtange. Again the lock was full – we
expected the locks to be empty as no one went past after we’d tied up the day
before. (The liftbridge
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| Bridge locking bars at Zuidveld lock |
worked normally) When we arrived at Wollinghuizen and
found the lock empty, we came to the conclusion that a boat which had been
moored in the marina at Veelerveen had gone up the arm into Bourtange. A young
couple with two small girls came from the house alongside the lock to chat to
Bill as we came up in Wollinghuizen lock. We spied a cruiser coming up behind
us as we were leaving the lock. Through Jipsinghuisen without a hitch. At
Sellingen an elderly couple had stopped their car and came over to chat,
unfortunately they spoke no
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| Terwalslagerbrug |
English but followed Mike’s few words of Dutch. A
cruiser arrived and Mike asked them if they would lift the bridge to save us
having to use our key and lower the bridge again. They didn't speak any English
and Mike had to explain several times what he wanted them to do before it sank
in. I made lunch on the way to Zuidveld lock. Another cruiser arrived, a
younger couple this time who spoke excellent English, so Mike could ask them to
use their key to do the bridge. The
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| Terwalslagerbrug |
man on call out was patrolling, driving
past us in his car, he waved. Two more cruisers were at the next swingbridge,
so we went through without having to stop. I stepped off and operated
Terwalslagerbrug – the one we had problems with on the way down. No problems
today, it worked like (noisy) clockwork! Bill suggested we stop on the quay by
the bridge as a change of scene from Roelagebrug, so we did. The quay was much
wider and free of farm junk, so there would be plenty of space for a BBQ. Our maintenance
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| Terwalslagerbrug control buttons |
man came past again in his car. He stopped for a short chat – the canal was
busy today he said, more cruisers were coming. We had to tell the next three
boats that the bridge was electric and they didn’t need to push it to open it –
just press the button! Mike went off on foot to get the car as it was only a
couple of kilometres to Roelagebrug and Bill went with him as he was going to
call in Edah in Ter Apel. They came back with stuff for the BBQ and beer. Mike
lit the BBQ. Bill had eaten his dinner before we’d got ours cooking! Sat out
and ate
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| View of distant German wind farm from Terwalslagerbrug |
sausages and pork steaks with baked spuds and leftover curry, washed
down with a few bottles of Grolsch, Mike’s favourite Dutch beer. We made more
charcoal by burning branches of a tree that had been cut down and left in the
ditch beyond the quay. A lady on a horse went by on the far bank, she crossed
the bridge and carried on down the canal. On her return she paused for a chat,
she told us that she was from the fourth farm up by the bend, heading back up
the canal. Sat out until it was started to get chilly as the sun was setting, then
went indoors to watch TV.
(PS: Cheated with photos as I had none from 2005 - these are from 2014)
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