Hoorn, Amsterdam, The Night Convoy, Gouda and Dordrecht

After 2 nights at Leeuwarden we set off towards Lemmer on the banks of the IJsselmeer, the inland sea created by the construction of a dam that separated it from the Waddenzee and North Sea.

Canal side views are not all pretty, you know!

But mostly they are

Floating over a road

It got busy when we joined the Prinses Margriet Kanaal...

... and busier still in the Sneekermeer

Well, it is Holland!

Ruude (the chap we’d met in Leeuwarden) had recommended we visit Hindeloopen and it sounded like a really nice place. However, we’re in “heading for home” mode now and decided against it as it would have required a bit of a diversion. We took Ruude’s advice and avoided Lelystad in favour of Hoorn later though (see below)!

As we closed on Lemmer, we checked out an opportunity for a free night against a pontoon a little way up another canal. We got within 6 feet of the bank before going aground... I tried again a little further along, but with the same result. Ho hum…

So it was back out into the main canal and a little exploration out of the main channel into Grutte Brekken, which I suppose was just a lake before the canal was routed through it. By sounding around we managed to find a suitable spot to anchor and dropped the hook. Needless to say, “our” spot was soon invaded by another yacht which anchored about 50m from us. The lake must have been at least 2 miles long by a mile wide. Why do yachts always crowd together?!!

Our anchorage

Obligatory sunset photo from anchorage

After a decent night’s kip it was up with the anchor (which took a bit of lifting as it was well dug into the black, gloopy mud!), through a lock and out into the IJsselmeer. 

Naturally the wind was blowing from our chosen destination, but we sailed most of the way in any case. Then it was past Enkhuizen, which we’d visited in 2015, though another lock into the Markermeer and round the corner to Hoorn.

Out into the IJsselmeer

Enkhuizen

Enkhuizen again

Hoorn has been around for a while – city rights were granted in 1357 for a fee of 1550 gold ecus (no idea how much that is!).  It’s a very attractive place as I hope the pictures below show. If you’re reading this Ruude, thanks for the recommendation! 

The museum ship Halve Maen

Hoorn harbourside street

Hoorn 

2CV on board!

Hoorn harbourside again.

Oosterpoort, Hoorn...

... and from the other side!

We thought this was a great idea. No Burts allowed!

One of many attractive buildings in Hoorn

What's he doing up there?!

I know how he feels...

Hoorn shopping street

Spot the family resemblance. Uncanny!

Maritime Antiquities Foundation Dutch Cape Horn sailors

Such an attractive place

After Hoorn, it was on to Amsterdam and the Sixhaven Marina.

Crossing the Markermeer towards Amsterdam

We’d visited Sixhaven in September 2015 when it had proved a comfortable stopover; ideal for exploring Amsterdam (there’s a free ferry across the canal to Amsterdam’s centre about a 5 minute walk away). A stay in August is a bit different though!

We were lucky, arriving just as another boat was leaving what proved to be a prime alongside spot. Having tied up, we were well placed to watch the organised chaos that ensued. Basically, the marina was full, but this didn’t stop boats coming in or the harbour master squeezing them into every available nook and cranny!

We’ve never seen anything like it! All the finger pontoons were occupied and so the harbour master directed boats to moor to the ends of the pontoons – i.e. across them, blocking the moored boats in. Not satisfied with that he then rafted other boats to these so that, by the time he’d finished, the access channels to the finger berths were all stuffed full with rafted boats. Then it was the turn of the main access channels. Boats were rafted in these too and, by the end of play, very few boats were actually able to leave!

Surprisingly it all seemed to work well enough and, in the morning, people just accepted that they would have to wait their turn to leave. The first boats started to leave soon after 0900 and then (most) people just filed out in an orderly fashion!

Huh?!

Boats rafted 3 abreast to the end of pontoons!

Chaos!

This was the main access channel!

We’d intended to stay a second night and went for a wander around Amsterdam. As we'd taken plenty of photos back in 2015, I've only added a few here: 

Cruise ship in Amsterdam

Jo and friends. Can you spot which one is Jo?

Amsterdam backstreet

Er.... Red Indian!

That's Darth Vader high fiving a kid. Must have mellowed in his old age!

Really? A museum of hemp?!

It appears that our Australian friends, the Roos, have a bit of a sideline!

Another Amsterdam scene...

... and another

Which brings us to the Amsterdam Night Convoy.

Three things you should know about the Amsterdam Night Convoy. It takes place in Amsterdam, at night, and yachts travel in convoy!

Like most capital cities, Amsterdam’s a busy place and commuters wouldn’t take kindly to yachtie types snarling up their streets and delaying their trains by having bridges opened for them to pass. 

The solution to this is to allow yachts to pass only at one specific time each night (well, one time for those heading North to South and another for those going the other way). This time is not published in advance (that would be too easy!) as it varies according to the vagaries of the railways.

To take the Night Convoy it is necessary to pass through the Singelgrachtbrug bridge from the Oude Houthaven to the Westerkanaal beyond. There you can moor up (from as early in the day as you like it seems) to wait for the Convoy to depart. You are supposed to advise the bridge keeper of your wish to participate in the night convoy and so, having failed to raise him by VHF, I strolled back to the bridge to do this. As it happened this wasn't necessary as he'd noted Cyclone's name as we'd passed through.

The bridge keeper confirmed that there were no tolls to pay and told me to listen to VHF channel 69 from 2300 to hear the time of departure.

Cyclone waiting for the Night Convoy to depart

We'd got to the departure point at about 1430. Between then and midnight (yes, you're supposed to report by 2300 but there are always those who bend the rules. Tusk!!) the number of participating boats swelled to 19. This may have been a higher than usual number as there had been no convoy the previous night (the railways had refused to agree a time that their bridge could be opened).

We heard something in Dutch on the radio soon after 2300, but there was no response when I asked if this could be repeated in English so I strolled down the line of boats until I found someone I could ask about it. He told me it related only to the South to North convoy and that I should just watch the lights on the bridge. As the convoy normally departs between 0000 and 0200, this could be for up to 3 hours!

Anyway, soon after 0030 I became aware of boat engines starting and a quick look around confirmed that people were getting ready to leave. I asked the man on the boat behind and he said that a departure time of 0045 had been announced very quickly on the VHF. I hadn't even noticed it!

So we got Cyclone ready to depart and, sure enough, at 0055 the railway bridge opened. Hurrah!

There was a bit of elbowing and shoulder-barging to establish a place in the line, after which it all got very civilised as participants held their places in the queue.

And they're off!

It was dark...

... what with it being night!

The Convoy took a couple of hours or so to pass under all the bridges and reach the lock before the final one. There is just one bridge keeper who opens a bridge, waits for everyone to pass through, closes it and then cycles to the next one to repeat the process. As a result there's a fair bit of hanging around, but fortunately there was no wind so it was relatively easy to keep the boats in place.

All 19 boats managed to squeeze into the Nieuwe Meersluis, after which the Convoy split into two. Some elected to moor up just after the lock for a kip whilst the remainder, including us, continued to the Schipol-basculebrug which was scheduled to open at around 0500.

The Nieuw Meersluis

After passing through the Schipol bridges and the Bosrandbrug our priority was to find somewhere to stop for the "night" (it was by now getting on for 0600!). We were lucky and managed to squeeze onto the last bit of pontoon opposite Schipol Airport - albeit dragging our keel ever so slightly through the mud in the process!

Our berth for the "night"...

... and our neighbours opposite!

Rising at about 1130 we decided to get moving again and head for Gouda (pronounced Houda, except you have to precede the "H" sound with a noise that suggests you're about to spit!).

Not so busy around here

Someone stuck that label in the wrong place, surely?!

Yachts waiting to pass through a bridge at Alphen a/d Rijn - the site of the crane disaster 2 years ago that closed the canal and prevented us travelling home this way from the Baltic

A different type of lifting bridge to those seen previously

It took us longer than expected to reach the railway bridge at Gouda and we missed its 1630 opening. The next one was scheduled to be 2030 so we tied up in the waiting area and considered our options. Having chatted with some Dutch people there, we decided to bend the rules slightly and spend the night where we were. Leaving at 2030 and then having to find a berth somewhere else didn't really appeal.

Having settled down for the night, our new Dutch friends alerted us to the fact that the sign on the bridge had changed. It now announced an opening at 1830 - just 10 minutes time! The additional opening was required by 2 large commercial vessels heading towards it from the opposite direction. They come in handy sometimes! We quickly changed our minds about staying the night and got Cyclone ready to depart. We'd make Gouda that night after all!

The railway bridge outside of Gouda. Good old container ship!

As it was now around 1900 we thought our chances of finding a berth in Gouda's town centre would be slim and headed for the marina just out of town. The 3 yachts in front of us did the same and it soon became apparent that the marina was packed, with rafting the only option.

We thought it couldn't be any worse in the town canals and so decided to give them a try. A lifting bridge, a lock and another lifting bridge saw us in the Turfsingel canal, Gouda. We'd expected to raft and were looking for a suitable candidate (nobody will meet your eyes when you're doing this...) when the lights on the next lifting bridge changed from 2 x red (closed for some considerable time) to red + green (getting ready to open). We were delighted as we could see there was plenty of available alongside berthing on the other side of this bridge. We just had to avoid the overhanging trees!

Once tied up securely we took a moment to survey our surroundings. This part of the canal is also known as Museum Harbour as it has a number of traditional craft moored in it, making an interesting sight. Behind Cyclone was the bridge we'd just come through. On the opposite side of the canal was a converted barge. In front of us was a windmill. How Dutch is that!!

Windmill near Cyclone's berth. This one worked too

Cyclone with the bridge behind and the barge opposite

The next day we decided to make a rest day. Well, except for raiding the local Lidl, that is. We're getting nearer home and so need to start to stock up on wine boxes! Even with the £ in its current weak state against the euro, 3 litre wine boxes at 8.99 euros are still half the price they are at home.

The following day, Sunday 13th August, we decided to have a stroll around the place and paid 2.99 euros (that's a litre of wine!) for a self guided walking tour. It was worth it as the booklet was one of the best we've come across; easy to follow and interesting too.

"Guillotine" lock at the other end of "our" canal. We couldn't get out that way!

Toll house at the entrance to Gouda's harbour. Part of it dates from 1623

Looking back at the toll house. It's a bit green!

Oh no! We preferred the other sign!

Gouda's Waag. Weigh house

Cheese was weighed and taxed accordingly. A mark then proved it was legit

Town hall built around 1450.  

And again

The platform is for the public hanging of naughty types

 The balcony is for lesser baddies to stand on while people threw stuff at them!

Gerard Leeu. Important Gouda printer

The Lazarus Gate. Originally this stood out of town where it was the entrance to the leper house

1308 lock that all shipping used to have to pass through. Waiting times were up to 3 days, which was great for Gouda's shops, pubs and brothels!

Fish market stalls on the Lage Gouwe, dating from 1676

Stolpersteine in the pavement. Small brass tablets that commemorate the fate of people - mostly Jews - arrested by the Nazis and deported. 

Looierspoort. An alley with houses either side

Not far apart, are they? 

Trappenbrug in Turfmarkt - the place where peat was sold until the middle of the 16th century

Museum harbour

Mill on the site of a former castle - demolished in 1577 for fear that the Spanish would use it

Pillar commemorating Cornelis and Frederic de Houtman - founders of the bond between Holland and the East Indies

Westhaven and Oosthaven each side of the canal. St. John's Church in the distance

Entrance to the orphanage

Gouda street with cheeses!

More cheese. Don't tell the Dutch, but we much prefer a mature cheddar...

Huh? Why?!

Monday 14th August saw us heading for Dordrecht, where we were to visit Marjolein and Alfred who we'd met on our 2015 trip to the Baltic. This was a passage of only 19 miles, but proved to be one of the most frustrating we've done!

That's not a real fisherman!

Er.. Noah's Ark? Haven't seen any mountains hereabouts! 

Why was it so frustrating? Well, it started OK with us retracing our steps from the centre of Gouda efficiently. We even arrived at the first lock on the Gouwe Kanaal - the one that would put us back into tidal waters - just as it was opening. There was plenty of distance between bridges too, so it looked like it should be a reasonably quick passage.

Except...

Except that the bridges that were there didn't open very often.

We thought that a 40 minute wait for the Algerasluis bridge was bad enough, but little did we know...

The bridge below is the Alblasserdam bridge. We arrived with another boat just in time to see it closing. No problem, thought I. It opens every 20 minutes so we'll just wait a little while. That was when the skipper of the other boat informed us that the next opening would be at 1415 - nearly 2 hours time! To make matters worse there was absolutely nowhere to tie up, meaning we had to motor around in circles for nearly 2 hours!! Arghhh!!

Note to self. Use up to date information!!

The damn (Alblasserdam that is) bridge

Dordrecht was a little over 2 miles beyond this bridge. So near and yet so far!

Dordrecht's waterfront - at last!

The 19 miles from Gouda to Dordrecht took us 7.5 hours, which must be something of a record - of the wrong sort!

Since arriving in Dordrecht we've spent some very enjoyable time with Marjolein and Alfred. I'll cover this in the next post.

Thanks for reading.