Friday 12th August 2005 Oudekerk to Berlikum.

Tiled bridge at Giekerk on 11 towns race circuit. Ouddeel Murk

10.7º C overnight. Grey, damp and chilly, sunny later in the afternoon. It was drizzling when we set of just after eight. Took photos of a tiled bridge, covered with pictures in blue and white of the ice skaters who have competed in the famous eleven towns race – the Ouddeel Murk forms part of the course – the pictures had been skilfully arranged to form images of ice speed skaters when viewed from a distance. We skirted Leeuwarden, heading southwards, to the east of the city, then the canal swung right to run to the west,

Tiled bridge at Giekerk on 11 towns race circuit. Ouddeel Murk

south of the city on the main commercial route, Van Harinxmakanaal. As this is the route for masted vessels all the bridges are moveable, including two pivoting swinging railway bridges. After seeing nothing but a small cruiser on the little canal we were suddenly back among the cruisers and yachts, most of which were heading south for the lakes. We turned right near Deinum (a town with an intriguing Mediaeval church which has a tower topped with an onion dome) off the Van Harinxmakanaal on to the

Tiled bridge at Giekerk on 11 towns race circuit. Ouddeel Murk

Menaldumervaart, where all the bridges were fixed (except one) and the maximum possible height above the water was 2.4m, which eliminates all the tall cruisers and hireboats and is only 1.25m deep, which gets rid of the keeled yachts, even with their masts stepped. The bends were very interesting, some more than ninety degrees and the little bridges were often arched ones, so care had to be taken to get the right line through the bridge. In Menaldum we went through a narrow section with a roof high quay all along the left hand side and were faced with a

Railway swing bridge on the Van Harixmakanaal

very low arched bridge, which had a notice saying apply at 4, Lyste Dijk for service. Mike got off and went to find the keeper, who appeared and came to lift the bridge – a modern press button affair. Mike asked him about the water levels as we’d noticed that the level looked down by about 20 cms and he confirmed our suspicions that they run water out into the sea at low tide, then the land drains into the canal and fills it up again, etc, etc. Round the next bend we spotted a supermarket right alongside the canal and Bill had been saying earlier that

Dock cranes at Leeuwarden Van Harixmakanaal

he could do with some groceries. We tied to the posts provided and Mike went off to get a few things too, while I made a salad for lunch. It was very useful for Bill as he could get the supermarket trolley very close to his boat and stock up with crates of beer without having to carry them any distance. Set off again eating lunch on the stern as the sun came out. Round the next bend we met a little black hulled botter with its masts lowered. Mike called Bill on VHF to tell him that there was a boat coming towards him and they would meet on the bend, but

Railway swing bridge on the Van Harixmakanaal

the botter slowed right down when its crew saw us. The couple on board looked very sullen and miserable – they didn’t say hello or wave. As we came into Berlikum, where we had decided to stay overnight, two cruisers pulled away from a quay where lots of other small boats were moored in front of a row of houses. That was fortunate, it gave us a place to tie up. Mike unloaded the moped, easily as the quay was almost roof height, and went off to collect the car from Oudekerk. I trimmed off the mossie netting on the new door

Church tower at Deinum. Van Harixmakanaal

curtain and a man passing by stopped to chat. He’d wanted to know how long the boat was and did we have any trouble with the bends! He’d been kayaking in Poland 30 years ago with kayakers from all over the world, around Posnan and Bydgoszcz! Small world. Put the PC on and did the log. When Mike returned, (he came back with a box of Merci chocolates for me from the fisherlady we saw yesterday! Wasn’t that a nice surprise – that’s the first time I’ve ever had a box of chocolates from complete strangers) and we’d stowed the

Tight bend on the Menaldumervaart

moped back on board, we went for a look around the Market Hall located about 50m behind the boats. In a large factory unit someone had set up a shop selling all sorts of odds and ends, from clothes and clogs to food and tools. Bill had bought a pack of two mousetraps – he gave us one, which Mike installed under the bonnet of the car as a rodent (resident?) had continued to chew away at the insulation under the

Moored on the quay in Berlikum

bonnet.