Tag: Markermeer

Back through the canals

Passing through the Oranjesluis back into the canals

During the rally, we enjoyed an extended period of warm, sunny weather but the remnants of hurricane Ernesto upset this fair spell. Several members of the fleet had made a rapid departure down the North Sea canal to Ijmuiden and a sea crossing before the bad weather arrived, but they were all heading for the English East coast. With strong SW winds expected along the Dutch North Sea coast, this route was not an option for Molly, so a group of us elected to reverse our outbound path along the standing mast route.

With limited time available, we made longer hops each day and missed out several stops, but also took the opportunity to overnight at some different places.

The first day, I sailed Molly from Enkhuizen to Durgerdam, whilst Niki and Alice took the train to visit Amsterdam for the day. My trip started with “bin bags”, motoring across a glassy sea. As I rounded the island of Marken though, a lovely breeze filled in and I enjoyed a welcome sail all the way into Durgerdam. We stayed at the very welcome Het Y sailing club again and enjoyed beers on the veranda before pizza aboard Molly.

The next morning we made an early start and passed through Amsterdam and onto the Zijkanaal south towards Haarlem. We spent another night against the wall in the city and entertained Dirk and Linda of Anemone aboard for a dinner of vegetable curry, prepared in the thermal cooker at lunchtime, whilst waiting for the Spaarndam bridges.

The third day was shorter, with a later start and the first of two “bridge marathons”. After twelve bridges (and one lock), we passed Kaag, pausing only to refuel and moved on to an overnight stop at a lovely spot at the southern end of the Braasemermeer at Gr Hem, a sort of hollow island surrounded by the lake. The facilities were simple but it was a glorious spot, though we were not really able to appreciate it as it rained heavily most of the afternoon and evening (though this was only the third rainy day in a month!)

An early departure from the Brassemermeer

Our fourth day, the last with Niki and Alice aboard, was to be a second “bridge marathon” to pass through Alphen and Gouda. The bridge before Gouda had been closed for maintenance during the previous week and that day was the first opening. As a result, there was a lot of other southbound traffic, in contrast to previous days. Nevertheless we made fantastic progress and were past the bridges at Alphen and the lock at Gouda before 11.30. That’s 15 bridges before lunchtime! Unfortunately, in the heavy traffic, our fleet became divided with only Avola and Molly in the vanguard.

Avola and Molly reached the Wijnhaven Marina in Dordrecht in late afternoon and found there was only just space for us. Niki, Alice and I went out for a valedictory meal, as the girls were due to fly home the next day and I was to bring Molly home from solo from that point.

An ending at Enkhuizen

At Hoorn, we were joined by Alice and her friend Leah, who had been inter-railing together since finishing their exams in June.

We enjoyed two nights in Hoorn, and on the second hosted an exchange meal aboard Molly. Each English crew was paired at random with a Netherlands crew, in order to further foster Anglo-Dutch friendship. Our guests were Maud and Freek, of Bluebird, a beautiful wooden 1912 Bermudan racing boat. We were treated to wonderful platter of local smoked fish for a starter and team Molly reciprocated with coq au vin from the thermal cooker. The gin and tonic aperitifs, followed by some lovely red wine ensured a convivial evening.

The crews of Molly and Bluebird sharing an exchange meal aboard Molly

The next morning was A-level results day for the girls, an entirely electronic affair conducted with the traditional IT struggles but both girls were delighted to gain the grades they needed for their chosen university.

After the very light airs for most of the passage to Hoorn, we were treated to a marvellous sail, off the wind for the final outward leg of the rally from Hoorn to Enkuisen. The fleet made a terrific sight spread out across the bay and we soon arrived at the sluis which transferred us from one body of fresh water to another, the Markermeer into the IJsselmeer.

Oeral Thùs (name means “at home everywhere “) powering along. She is a sailing barge dating from the end of the 19th Century

The first skirmish of the Battle of the Zuiderzee was fought during this passage. We towed clogs again but had also been set the task to pass a capsule containing the sailing instructions from boat to boat whilst we were underway. We saw the heaving line cast from Stardust to Clytie and then to Bonita. Bonita passed it to us during a slightly hairy close pass.

As usual, the fleet made a fine sight at the new port, Enkhuizen, rafted to the town quay. We celebrated the girls’ success with a harbourside meal not twenty yards from our berth. The next day began wet and grey, but undaunted we went to the Zuiderzee museum.

This was a very interesting place, comprised of buildings, boats and other artefacts showing the life of the folk who lived and fished around the former Zuiderzee before it was shut off from the sea in the early part of the 20th Century. Land was recovered, the water became fresh and a way of life faded from existence; the purpose of the museum is to record these customs.

After dinner aboard, we shared drinks with our raft-mates Dirk and Linda on Anemone (“the enemy”) and we found we had much in common, particularly enjoyment of good beer and whisky.

I had visited a slijterij (off licence) to procure a bottle of Dutch gin and having chatted to the proprietor had been persuaded to also buy a bottle of Dutch whisky (that wasn’t hard!). I did not even know such a thing existed (there are several, this was Millstone from Rotterdam) and whilst it’s not “scotch”, it’s a pleasant drink.

We bowed out of the second skirmish of the battle of the Zuiderzee and chose instead to provision the boat, ready for the long passage home. With some stiff south westerlies forecast for mid-week, thoughts of the quicker sea route were discarded and we set to devising the quickest way to reverse our outward journey.

The end of the rally was marked with a most enjoyable party, each boat being awarded a small individual gift to mark their participation in the event. Alice was much more pleased to be taught to play the “bones” and then gifted with a pair to take away and practice on! With many new social bonds formed during the rally it was a lively affair and many fond farewells made before the final dispersal of the fleet the next morning.

Niki and I shared a nightcap with Jelle and crew aboard his lovely Cornish Crabber pilot cutter. Much whisky was drunk and sea tales exchanged.

Markermeer

After two weeks cruising the canals and lakes of Holland along the standing mast route, Molly is now back to more open water.

From Haarlem, we passed under the Spaarnespoor railway bridge and through the Rijnlsndsluis onto the North Sea canal, passing through the centre of Amsterdam and out of the Oranjesluis onto the Markermeer.

The Markermeer is part of a former inland sea, the Zuiderzee, which has been gradually reclaimed under the Zuiderzee Works. The Markermeer is a body of fresh water, separated by a dyke from the IJsselmeer to the north.

It was incredibly hot as we approached Durgerdam, so chose to anchor in the bay outside the harbour for a swim. Lots of other boats had the same idea and vessels of all sorts were scattered across the bay.

Refreshed, we entered the Het Y sailing club for the NL OGA 20 party. With formalities and many beers exchanged between the Dutch and English fleets, the rules of engagement for the following day’s Battle of the Zuiderzee were exchanged.

Each boat had been decorating a clog, which was to be towed astern on the passage to Hoorn. The object was to capture the opposing team’s clogs, whilst avoiding losing one’s own.

There was very little wind as we made our way out and it was a case of “death in slow motion” as one boat drew up to another, those with the biggest sails at the advantage. Molly scored an early victory, capturing a Dutch clog early on. She was raided twice, on the first occasion the raiders (Bluebird), having snagged our clog with their boat hook, dropped it and I dived in to retrieve it. On the second raid, our clog was captured by Persis.

Jan Blank was not above sculling up to relieve a victim of her clog

Pilot cutter Persis bearing down to capture our clog

The air was hot and still, so after we lost our clog, we started the engine to create a breeze of our own, but before long the true breeze filled in and we had a lovely sail for the last few miles into Hoorn.

During this leg, we encountered the dreaded weed. The Markermeer is an almost uniform 4m deep in this area and there are large patches of water plant in places. This has long fronds which can entangle boats. We could hear the fronds brushing Molly’s underside at times and several times under engine we could hear the revs drop. Clearly we had passed over weed beds and some had caught around the stern. I found that a big burst of astern cleared it, but our centre plate makes us vulnerable. We seem to have escaped unscathed but next time we anchor, I’ll don my mask and take a look for myself.