Sunday 16th May 2004 Langebrug to Sellingersluis.

A female golden oriole - photo by wildxplorer

Overcast, chilly wind. 8.4° C overnight. We set off at 9.00 a.m. Surprised when a man in an open speed boat went past just as we turned left on to the winding course of the Veendiep. The sign at the entrance said it was 1m deep. We needed water, so we called in at the yacht haven at Bellingwolde. A round, off line basin (2m deep) was edged with wooden landing staging and posts for mooring bows/stern towards the bank. It was completely empty, devoid of boats. Mike went to search for a tap. The toilet block was locked and the press button tap would have taken all day to fill our tank. We dropped rubbish in their bins and set off again. A poster on the wall said the tariff was 6,20€ per night for boats longer than 15m. The navigation beyond the basin became very narrow and bordered by tree covered banks. In the distance, in the woods, we could hear a golden oriole’s distinctive song. I turned the key in the slot on the wooden fendering approach to Groensluis. The lock emptied and we went into the sloping turf sided lock with wooden posts and pressed the green button. The lock filled (by about 25mm) and the top end clapper gate opened and we turned right on the B.L.Tijdens kanaal. Another oriole was singing in the woods. 

Aerial view of Bourtange - photo by Amaurai Brandalize

There were several small cruisers moored (which looked permanent) along the banks of the long straight to the first lock, which was deserted except for a few cyclists and fishermen. Vriescheloostersluis was the first lock on the Ruiten-Aa. I inserted the key in the slot in a box on the bank below the lock and turned it. The lock lights changed to red/green, the chamber emptied, the gate opened and we went into the 6m wide chamber, which was only 20m long. We put fore and aft ropes on bollards as we knew (we’d been here before) that there was a strong surge that pulled the boats forward when the single gate paddle opened. It hadn’t changed, the ropes creaked and strained as the lock filled, just 1.5m rise, blowing the boat sideways off the wall too. Just beyond the lock was an electrically powered DIY liftbridge. I got off to work it. Simple. 

Jipsinghuizersluis - photo by FaceMePLS

All it took to operate it was a turn of the key and two presses on the button marked brug open. The first press lowered the barriers across the road and the second lifted the deck. Once the boats were through, I lowered the bridge, the barriers were automatically lifted which released my key. The men had tied up at the staging in Veelerveen and were sorting out the drinking water. As I walked along the road to the mooring a lady was walking towards me with a dog and cat following her. The dog took no notice of me at all, but the cat wanted to say hello except it was a little shy and just stood in the middle of the road looking at me. A car came and the cat wouldn’t move until I crossed the road, then it followed me until it finally heard its boss calling it and went home. The mooring place at Veelerveen was a very useful stop as it had bins, as well as a tap and hosepipe inside a box (opened by the key) which were free - as was the mooring for two days. We filled our tanks. I made some sandwiches and then we moved on. The next bridge was a fixed one at 2.5m high, then I operated Veelerveensterbrug and Bill went on to get the next lock ready, while Mike waited to pick me up after I’d closed the bridge. 

Star of Bethlehem - photo by Leslie J Mehrhoff 

When we arrived, Rosy was below Vlagtweddersluis and Bill was chatting to a man off a cruiser (called Papillon) which was moored above the lock. There was a vicious pull forward in the lock as it filled. The next lock, Bourtangersluis, was shallower and had a completely automatic bridge which lifted before the paddle opened and lowered itself once we’d cleared the lock (the gates stay open). Above the lock was the short arm down to the walled fortress town of Bourtange. We didn’t stop (we'd been before to visit this unique village/musuem). A short distance brought us to Wollinghuizersluis. The lock emptied, but only one gate opened. Bill tried giving it a gentle shove with Rosy’s bow fender, but nothing happened, so we both went into the chamber and Mike called the lock breakdown service’s phone number. A van arrived, complete with an array of kebs (for anyone who doesn’t know what a keb is – it’s long handled rake for getting rubbish off lock cills, etc) on the roof rack, and the keeper operated the lock from a control box and also lifted the bridge for us. The next lock, Jipsinghuizersluis, also refused to work and we had to call him out again. This time the lock was stubborn and it took ages for him to sort it out and get it working. People came to chat as we rose in the lock. The lock filled and the gate started opening, so our keeper left us to it. Mike got off to open the lift bridge (key operated electric, but the road barriers had to be lowered and locked manually). Then Bill helped Mike with the barriers before he went off first with Rosy. I followed him out of the lock, cleared the bridge and waited for Mike to lower the bridge and reopen the barriers before picking him up. Once he was back on board and we followed Rosy up the long straight to the next lock. We moored on the quay below Sellingersluis at 5.30 p.m. There was a small clump of unusual white flowers, called star of Bethlehem, by our bows.  Mike went off on the moped to get the car from Hoogerzand. I sewed a large patch on the moped’s cover, as the fabric had worn through, in an attempt to keep the bike dry until we can find a new cover for it. Then I prepared the ingredients for a stir-fry for dinner ready to cook when Mike returned. 

Friday 14th May & Saturday 15th May 2004 Hoogezand to Langerbrug.

Friday 14th May 2004  Day off at Hoogezand.

The arm at Hoogezand  (picture from 2005)

7.5 ° C overnight. Grey clouds, sunny spells, milder. We took the day off to get groceries etc. First Mike and Bill went to try to get a new capacitor for the Markon. On our way down the Winschoterdiep Mike had spied a ship generator makers, which backed on to the canal nearer to Groningen. They drove there and were pleasantly surprised when the guy had got two capacitors that he could sell Mike, one with a 50 mF capacitance the other 45mF, ideal. 20 Euros each, ouch! Markon had said that 49mF caps were no longer made and that they had changed the configuration of their generators they now produce to use a 40mF cap, which wouldn’t work in our old generator. 

Hoogezand  (picture from 2005)

Mike had thought that as a last resort he would try two caps at 100mF connected in series, or one at 20mF and one at 30mF connected in parallel. Apparently, so we found out later, 20mF and 30mF are used in washing machines and are relatively easy to acquire. When they returned we went grocery shopping at a very new and extensive shopping centre in Hoogezand. Mike even managed to get some clear plastic to make a new map wallet (for use on the moped) from a very useful craft shop, which was selling fabrics, wool, zips, etc, etc. Back at the boat, I packed all the stuff away and we had lunch. Mike went to get a gas bottle refilled, then he went back to the craft shop again to get a zip and some binding tape with which to make his new map bag. Mike installed the new capacitor in the Markon, which worked – Hooray, I can catch up with the washing! I made a pork and smoked sausage stew for dinner.   

Saturday 15th May 2004 Hoogezand to Langerbrug.

Hobbies - photo by Bruce Stokes

Milder 8.6° C overnight. Sunny spells with a chilly wind. Mike went to move the car on to the town car park at the end of the arm and spotted that our route out of the arm was blocked by double parked ships! An 80m boat was being loaded with ship’s hatch covers by crane from lorries on the roadside. The low loaders were bringing them past our boat two at a time. Mike spoke to the crane driver who said they should be finished by midday. That’s us stuck until lunchtime. Mike put the pins in and I did some washing and ironing while he and Bill went by car to the yacht haven in Winschoten to pick up two keys for the DIY little canals we shall be travelling on. 

Sandpiper - photo by ecologyweb

They also went across the border into Germany for Bill to get a German ‘phone chip so that he could change his phone number with his callback service before he leaves the Netherlands. They were back at midday. The boat hadn’t finished loading up. We had lunch. When the loaded boat set off we winded and followed Rosy down the arm and turned right on the Winschoterdiep. The boat, Di-Jo from Werkendam, had turned left and was waiting for the keeper to come back on duty at 1 p.m. and lift Rengersbrug. We waited by the next bridge towards Winschoten, the Zwedenbrug. Mike gave the keeper a call on VHF and he lifted the rest of the bridges as we approached them, which was very useful as we’d still got the Markon drive linked up doing more washing. We came to the end of the remotely worked bridges and had to wait (and pause the washing) at Zuidbroeksterbrug for the keeper to lift the bridge. We got under the next bridge as there was sufficient headroom and motored on past a long line of wind generators, which were turning fast in the strong northwesterly wind. We could see two small cruisers in the distance, which looked as if they were going in the same direction as us - we saw no more of them, so they must have gone into one of the offline yacht havens. 

A lovely photo of an oystercatcher by Deans family

A bird of prey was sat on a fence post alongside the canal and stayed long enough to be identified as a hobby. Into Scheemda. I pressed the button on the end of the old Eexeter stop lock, which summoned a bridge keeper to work the lift bridge. The lights wouldn’t change to green and we hovered until the man in the cabin waved us on. (There was a bend just beyond the bridge which meant we couldn’t see if anything was coming in the opposite direction - and they do get some very big boats along the canal sometimes - so we decided discretion was the best action and waited!) He got into his car and drove off to lift the next three bridges, Graaf Adolfbrug, Kloosterbrug and Beertsterbrug, for us before waving ‘bye ’bye and driving back to Scheemda. 

Scheemda - photo by Michielverbeek

It was very windy at the junction with the canal which lead to the yacht haven at Winschoten, as a consequence the boat was blown all over the place while we waited for the railway swingbridge. Mike decided it would be best to get close to the wooden fendering by the swingbridge and throw a rope around a bollard. Bill remained in the wide with Rosy’s bows into the wind. I made us a cup of soup (new Dutch variety of curry soup - not as rich as the French version, but still very tasty) while we waited. Eventually a train went by and then the blokes in the cabin came out and swung the bridge for us. We passed the junction with the Pekel Aa navigation and followed the motorway northeastwards past windswept fields, then dropped down the DIY Bulsterverlaat automatic lock. Below the lock we did a sharp right turn under a low (2.5m) fixed bridge on to the Westerwoldse Aa navigation. Low flood dykes on each bank were covered with grazing ewes and lambs. Startled sandpipers flew off in front at our approach and oystercatchers flew over complaining loudly, as always. At 6.15 p.m. we moored at Langebrug, a deserted ancient quay, near another low road bridge, surrounded by meadows full of grazing sheep. Mike left the car stay where it was. For our dinner I heated up the remains of the previous day’s stew.

Thursday 13th May 2004 Komerzijl to Hoogezand.

Female & male marsh harriers - photo by Mark Kilner

9.5 ° C almost double figures again. Overcast with a chilly north wind to start off with, but a few sunny spells later. Bill said he’d liked the start of the little channel up to Kommerzijl and wanted to continue on it rather than trekking back to the busy, straight and dull Van Starkenborgh kanaal. We winded and headed north joining the Reitdiep, a former tidal river, winding its way eastwards. Mike called the central control post at Lauwersoog for them to remotely operate the swingbridge at Roodhaan for us. We were soon on our way again. 

Fighting coots - beautiful photo by Olivier French

A male marsh harrier glided past over the reeds, hunting alongside the boat for a short while. Further on we passed his darker feathered female, also hunting over the water meadows. An immature male, with darkly patterned feathers, was patrolling the banks a few kilometres further on. Just before we reached the next liftbridge we spotted a fight. Three coots were kickboxing and so intent on knocking seven bells out of each other they totally ignored the passing boats. The bridge at Garnwerd opened to let two masted sailboats pass through, a klipper and a yacht coming towards us, then closed again behind them. 

Oostersluis - photo by Phil Stafford 2010 (thanks Phil!)

Mike had to call the control again. Don’t they use the cameras! They lifted the bridge again once the road traffic had cleared. A bloke building a wooden houseboat alongside the other moored boats by the bridge had suggested that we should press the button on the steigers to call the control. VHF radio was quicker. A small cruiser went past us. We got under Wetsingersluis swingbridge with the mast off, the air draught was much more than the 2.8m stated in Deel 2 Almanac. Lunch. We did the same thing at Wierumerschouw bridge and the last bridge on the canal was a high one. 

Shipbuilders at Hoogezand in 1997

At the junction we turned left on the Van Starkenborgh heading for Groningen. Small black insects were swarming and covering the roof of the boat, falling off and ending up as fish food. We had a short wait for Paddepoelsterbrug to swing. A German cruiser heading towards us went through the bridge at the same time as we did although we’d got the green light - cheeky! The far light changed and a new Dutch sailing botter went through. Another German cruiser had overtaken us as we went through the bridge. We caught him up when he was waiting for the next bridge. Under the new railway bridge, Walfridusbrug, complete with cycle paths and on into the city of Groningen. More new flats on the left hand bank. Another new loaded 3,000 tonner, called Ortygia, was moored by Korrebrug. We had a red/green light just as Mike was about to take the mast off and go under the deck. The German cruiser, who had had to wait for us before they swung the bridge for him, pulled out from the mooring by the bridge and went through the open bridge span with us. Then he did a strange thing and turned and went back the way he’d come! 

Shipbuilders at Hoogezand in 1997

He went back to the bridge and winded again to follow on behind us. Weird? We hovered below Oostersluis. We were sure the lock had started emptying then stopped. A loaded boat, Kerizel, came down the lock then another loaded boat caught us up, Seolto, and we followed him into the lock, with Rosy behind us and the three cruisers (another one had been following the commercial) squeezed into the space (only just enough) that the German cruiser had left behind him when he moored opposite Bill! We rose 1.5m (and didn’t get nose bleeds!) and went straight on across the crossroad junction with the Eemskanaal on to the Winschoterdiep. The commercial in front of us had turned into the city off to the right, the German had followed him, while the other two cruisers had gone into the Groningen Yacht Club (where we moored last time we were in Groningen). A small cruiser out of the Eemskanaal followed us. 

Shipbuilders at Hoogezand in 1997

An empty commercial, called Bever, went through Duinkerkenbrug first - coming towards us, then we went through with the cruiser and a sailboat which had appeared behind us. A tug and pan went past. The cruiser turned off down the Deutschediep after we’d gone through Waterhuizerbrug. A large cruiser went past. We had a short wait for Westerbroeksterbrug and noted there were four old small tugs rusting away in the basin before the bridge, tied next to an equally old crane boat. A brand new ship (for the sea), called Kinne of Delfzijl, was swinging a huge, half-submerged, variable pitched prop at the builders yard of Ferus Smit. Another boat was under construction in their shed on the bank. More were being built at the Maas yard, a small tankership called Orinoco and the five-storey bridges for three new sea-going ships stood ready to be craned aboard (the hulls were not there) with a 250 tonne floating crane nearby at Volharding shipyard. It was 4 p.m. as we went under the last bridge, Rengersbrug and turned right into the arm leading to the passantenhaven at Hoogezand. Along the little channel more ships were under construction. One on the bank was having its bow section welded in place and a fully finished one was in the water in the arm. We squeezed past it and found only just enough room to get our bows on the wooden edged quay - the rest of the moorings had been taken over by permanent moorers. Bill brought Rosy alongside us after trying the space between us and a moored converted tug and finding the gap was less than half a metre too short. It was 4.30 p.m. Bill gave us a hand to heave the moped ashore and Mike went off to get the car - a two hour jaunt. 

Sorry no photos from 2004 -mine from 1997 and some I've found via Bing - credits to their owners as above.

Wednesday 12th May 2004 Opeinde to Komerzijl.

Bar-headed goose -
 image by dracobotanicus

8.8° C Grey and overcast with a very chilly wind. Mike went to the local bakery for a loaf before we set off at 9.25 a.m. Coats on again once we were out of the shelter of the houses at Opeinde. I made tea as we crossed the small round lake called De Leijen. We paid 1 Euro toll for the liftbridge at Eastermar. The tractors were out in force in the meadows along the De Lits channel, turning great piles of hay before transporting it to the pellet making plant. The Bergumermeer was choppy in the strong north wind. We carefully cut the corner and turned right and ran on to the Prinses Margriet Kanaal once more. A large loaded commercial called Tyro caught us up as we waited for the swing bridge at Skûlen Boarch (that’s its Friesian name, in Dutch it’s called Schuilenburg). I made us a cup of soup to warm us up. The Tille shipyard, where they were building big ships last time we were here, was devoid of boats or workmen - we wondered if they were closing down. A tug was backing out of the empty arm into the yard. At KP 34 we met Janja a loaded 67m boat, Madame was steering. She waved. A little further on a bar headed goose was sitting among a group of ducks on the lawn of a canalside house. Between KP32 to KP31, a group of three large cruisers overtook us as we passed two crane boats busily dredging the middle of the canal with two tugs and pans in attendance. 

Zuidhorn church
image by achterzijde

At a small boatbuilding yard they were just about to crane a beautifully crafted wooden replica sailing botter into the canal. It was a shame to get it wet it was so smart. Shalimar, another loaded boat, went by as we went through Blauverlaat bridge. Barkmeijer Stroboos shipyard were building a big ship on the bank. We waited for Prinsengracht, an empty tanker ship, to clear the bridge at Stroboos before we went through. The canal changed its name to the Van Starkenborgh. Lunch on the move. I went inside and lit the central heating. The outside temperature had not risen much above 10 ° C and the cabin was down to a chilly 16° C. A new  boat, a loaded 3,000 tonner called Deo Gratias (110m long) went past very slowly, having just come up Gaarkeuken lock. An empty 73m boat called Tamara was moored above the lock. 

Oude gemeentehuis at Zuidhorn
image by achterzijde

The lights were green, so we went in and ran almost to the front end of the chamber. Two commercials followed us in, Cosmopoliet, a loaded 67m 850 tonner and Patrona an empty 80m. We dropped down a paltry 30cm and left the chamber. Below there were three cruisers waiting to go uphill. Just before the town of Zuidhorn we turned left into the Niezijlsterdiep, under a road bridge, sweeping sharp left then right under a railway bridge. These were the sharpest turns we’d done in a long, long time. The channel wound between fields into the village of Niezijl, where lots of new houses had sprung up since we were there last and a brand new quay. We motored on up the Kommerzijlsterdiep, equally bendy, past the site of construction of a new footbridge by a large orchard and moored next to more new houses next to new wooden landings. 

Kommerzijl Oudenbosch
image by achterzijde

The previous time we’d moored next to the town quay and I’d noted in the log that there was another nice mooring next to a big grassy meadow, which was where the new houses were located. The distant gas fields had tall chimneys with flames. It was 3.30 p.m. The edge was shallow, the boat was on the bottom but it was soft mud and, as the only passing traffic - a large cruiser hireboat - went past, the boat settled in the mud and got closer to the bank. A lady passing by on her bike recognised the boat from our last visit and even remembered it had been five years earlier. Mike went off to get the car at 4.15 pm and I started on the chores. Mike and I reassembled the back plate on the Markon, which was a four handed job. He had come to the conclusion that the big capacitor was at fault causing the low voltage. He reinstalled the Markon and Rediline in the engine room. No heating on overnight as the temperature had climbed a little.

Note: We took no photos of this area in 2004, so these are downloaded free picutures - credits as above.

Tuesday 11th May 2004 Jentje Meer to Opeinde

Chart of Friesland lakes (from sailchartersneek website)

9.7° C overnight. Overcast, cold and windy. It was a chilly 14° C in the cabin first thing. We needed to do some washing, so Mike put the pins in, but the Markon was misbehaving and not putting out its correct voltage. First we tried plugging in the ceramic heater to put extra load on. When the little heater’s thermostat switched off the washer refused to work, the relays buzzed or chattered because the voltage was too low for them. I found my hairdryer out and plugged that in (which worked well as it ran continuously) and managed to finish the washing. We headed north through the the two little lakes, Jentje meer and Langstaarten poel, then crossed the almost deserted Sneekermeer to join the Prinses Margriet Kanaal as far as Grouw, before turning off on to the Pikmeer, heading south for a while, then looping back eastwards on the Wijde of Peanster Ee and then took the southern, narrower route to the Kromme Ee, the Wijde Ee and then the Smalle Ee towards Drachten. 

Sailing tjalks on Sneeker Meer - pic from Groot Sneek website

The route around a large island of sand had changed yet again and Mike noted on the echo sounder that the newly formed lake was over 20m deep. We headed north on the Opeinder Vaart, a very narrow canal after all the lakes and moored at 2 p.m. at the passantenhaven in Opeinde. The old brick quay was just long enough for our two boats. It fronted several large buildings now housing a garage’s repair shops, but it used to be a dairy according to the ever-useful Deel 2 almanak. Nearby a factory chimney spewed a continuous column of steam into the air. Tractors were delivering loads of newly mown grass to be converted into cattle pellets. Mike fetched the car while I got on with the chores and cooked chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce for dinner. Watched “Corrie” then Mike dismantled the Markon and discovered that the 47 µF capacitor that is instrumental in producing the field current (420/470V -  physical size 95mm long x 50mm dia and not something that he keeps as a spare) had failed, its innards were spilling out. Now where to source a replacement?

Monday 10th May 2004 S of Ossenzijl to Jentje Meer.

A stalking stork

11° C overnight. Grey, overcast and chilly until late afternoon when the sun came out. We set off just before nine, through the liftbridge at Ossenzijl, and went past the moorings where we had intended to be the day before. The moorings were empty except for one little sailing botter. We turned left on to the Linde and suddenly there were birds galore. I took photos of a white stork hunting his breakfast in the meadow and quite unconcerned at such trivialities as passing boats. Then we were treated to an aerial display by several black tailed godwits, arguing between themselves as they flew across the adjacent meadows. A newly mown field of grass had been occupied by a very large flock of greylag geese. The lock with the longest name in Holland, Mr H.P. Linthorst Homansluis, was empty and ready for us. A cruiser entered the lock with us and we rose 20 cms. I took our rubbish and Bill’s across the bridge to the bin and dashed back to the boat just as the keeper was ready to lift the bridge to let us out of the chamber. Now we were on another navigation with an equally long name, the Jonkers of Helomavaart. The first liftbridge, Oldetrijnster, had double red lights showing. One cruiser on the far side was waiting for the bridge to lift. Mike dropped our mast and ensign and we went under the side fixed span. The cruiser that had come up the lock with us was unable to follow. Three cruisers from the opposite direction (one with navvie lights on! is this another “new” thing - like the Dutch cars driving about in daylight with their headlights on?) joined the queue on the other side. A woman on the first cruiser said they had been waiting half an hour. There were three men in the control cabin, it looked like there must have been some sort of breakdown but they had it fixed within the next ten minutes and traffic was soon back to normal. A whimbrel flying low over us was calling as he went by (which made him easier to identify). At the next bridge, Oldelamer, the keeper kept two cruisers on the far side waiting until we arrived, then he let them through first while we stooged around, which was not too easy in a strong wind. The wind was turning very cold, so it was a case of jackets on again and a cup of soup to warm us up. We turned left on the Tjonger, then right, into the Pier Christiaansloot. It must have been turn-round day at the hire base in Echterbrug, as there were cleaning women polishing the already immaculate cruisers for hire. 

Mr H. P. Linthorst Homansluis

We paid 1,40 Eu for the liftbridge and motored out on to the Tjeukermeer. At midday Mike called Bill and asked if he fancied stopping for lunch in the middle of the lake, he said yes, why not, so we hauled out a small anchor (and a mud weight when the wind kept blowing us broadside) and paused for lunch. The boats were only rocking gently in the slight swell and there was very little other traffic about and what traffic there was followed the buoyed route round the edges. We set off again at 1 p.m. fetching peaty soil (and I thought the bottom would be sandy!) off the anchor as Mike heaved it back on board. At the edge of the lake we passed pochard and tufted ducks by the entrance to the Scharster of Nieuwe Rijn. More noisy black tailed godwits. Under the motorway liftbridge, which had been lifted only a few minutes earlier, stopping the road traffic to allow through passage to a small masted yacht. Then a cruiser followed us through the right hand lifting span when there was acres of space to the left under the fixed span where he could have easily passed us. He overtook us a few minutes later. The bridge at Scharster lifted for boats coming towards us first. We crossed the Langweerder Wielen heading north west, then into the Kaai channel off to the north east and into a long narrow lake called Fammens-rakken, then under three low fixed bridges to moor at the wooden landing stages south of Jentje Meer. It was 3.30 p.m. We found a portable mooring ring, which someone must have forgotten, it was designed to fit through the slots in a wooden decked staging and twist. (Later we found it was wedged fast, which was why it had been left behind - Mike of course un-wedged it!) The godwits were still arguing, several were using the fence posts along the hay meadow opposite the moorings for sentinel posts. The birds we saw were all males, so the females must have been sitting on nests somewhere in the grass and the males were bravely fending off seagulls and shouting at one another too. Mike collected the car. I did the chores. Peter sent an SMS to say his HF set was at the menders, it had no audio. He wanted info to be able to power up an old FT101E he’d been given. He hadn’t got a power lead. Mike sent him details of the connections in the power supply socket on the rear panel. 

Sunday 9th May 2004 Arembergersgracht to South of Ossenzijl.

Reed boats at Beulakerwijde in 1997

Sunny and warm start to the morning after 7.7° C overnight. The sky had clouded over by 10.30 a.m. We set off at 8.30 a.m. to get to the first liftbridge for opening time at 9.00 a.m. Bill paused by the bridge in Beltschutsloot to empty his Eslan in a proper chemical toilet disposal place (was this a first in Euroland??). The lake was beautiful, flat calm, hardly a ripple, reflecting the pale blue sky. One lone sailboat was hardly moving as we crossed Belterwijde and found the lady bridge keeper busily feeding the ducks until she spotted us and went into her cabin to lift the bridge to let us through into Beulakerwijde. 

Reed boats at Beulakerwijde in 1997

Again the meer was flat calm and deserted and we exited the lake into the nature reserve of the Walengracht, where only two sailboats and a new tjalk had occupied the moorings. It was still quiet as we headed north through the Giethornsemeer and into the narrower channel of the Wetering. Through the first liftbridge at Muggenbeet, without having it lifted as we could get underneath its 5m high span. The second liftbridge was not much further along the canal at Scheerwold, it was remotely operated and free of charge. We were first through the bridge and two hotel sailing boats, a tjalk and a klipper, had to wait for us to clear before they could pass through the bridge from the opposite direction. By the bridge, we noticed a coot had seven little red headed chicks, the first we’d seen this year. 

Reed boats at Beulakerwijde in 1997

We passed our first hireboat, a huge cruiser from Herenveen, heading for Giethorn. It was to be the first of many, even this early in the season. Two cruisers were fast catching us up. The speed limit was 6 kph and we were doing 7! Speed limit? What’s a speed limit! We met a large cruiser on the bend as we swung left into the Heuvengracht and headed out into the wilds again after passing many beautifully neat and tidy Dutch canalside houses all along the Wetering. This was short lived as we turned right into the Kalenbergergracht, which was bordered by the houses of the village of Kalenberg. A little further on we found a spot to moor where there were no houses and a wide grassy area and some woods for Bill’s dog Fanny to enjoy. It was 11.50 a.m. Mike went to get the car and I did some chores and made lunch. After lunch Mike watched the Formula One racing from Spain. Schumacher won, Ferrari came first and second. When the racing finished Mike got the welder out and welded Bill’s engine mountings, making them completely solid. I stripped the polish off our chestnut parquet floor using diluted ammonia and then repolished it. Two large trip boats spent the afternoon going past us down the Kalenbergergracht, turning round and returning to Ossenzijl. Made a beef chow mein for dinner. 

Please note the photos are from 1997 this time!