Day 36 - Den Helder

Wednesday 8^th July – Den Helder – Day 36

It is warm but there is a strong breeze blowing from the northwest.

The joys of boating, the heads (toilet) pump has now decided to give up the ghost and is badly leaking.

A word with the harbour master informed me of where to find the chandlers and I was given permission to use the dockyard workshop to carry out the repairs.

  

On the way to the chandlers, you pass this fine example of an old wooden minesweeper, not yet open to the public but a wonderful addition to the museum.

The first chandler proved to be more of a supplier to the offshore industry while the second was also unable to help.  The third was most helpful, with the aid of his computer, the necessary parts were identified and ordered up, to be collected the next day.

Returning to the boat, I removed the offending pump and took it to the workshop, stripped it down and cleaned everything but could not find anything obviously wrong.  Here, I met some of the maintenance people looking after the marina/dockyard.  They all seemed to be of certain age and this kept them busy during retirement.

It started raining in the evening becoming heavy and persistent accompanied by very strong winds.  I went ashore at 23.00 and went off to the train station and met Jack coming off the 23.40 train from Amsterdam.

We came straight back to the boat and sipping night caps, Jack told of his journey. He had set off 24 hours earlier on the bus from Newcastle to London. Onto another bus, they were held up at the Channel Tunnel, by immigrants trying to come the other way from Calais, eventually arriving in Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam.

Now we can turn our thoughts to leaving Den Helder and moving on.

Day 35 - Den Helder

Tuesday 7^th July 2015 – Den Helder – Day 35

It is another fine and clear day, in the morning; I wandered off to the far end of the dockyard to visit the lifeboat museum. 

Although, there were older lifeboats floating outside, the building itself was being refurbished and therefore closed.  I was later to find out it would be re-opening at the end of August.

Bonaire

   

Every time you walked ashore up the ramp off the pontoons, you passed this dock and an old wooden ship.  The work being done is to turn her into a restaurant but all the time I was there, I never saw anyone doing any work on her.

Cinema complex in background

Alongside the dock was a newer building which housed the eight theatre cinema complex with adjoining large kiddies play area.

In the afternoon, went up to the main shopping area, here there were lots of market stalls lining the streets, many people around, with the stall-holders very much in demand.

Back in the docks, I managed to track down the harbour master and obtained the keys for the laundry.  After sorting the intricate operations of the drier, managed to complete the task, in between going back and forth to the boat and doing things on the computer.

With the wind increasing, and the yacht rolling on the pontoon, I decided to stay the evening on board.  Extra fenders and lines were put out to try and ease the motion, while I once more caught up with some reading.

Day 34 - Den Helder

Monday 6^th July 2015 – Den Helder – Day 34

It is a clear sunny day with a noticeable breeze coming from the south west.

Ordnance Building Displays

Today is time to visit the many exhibits within the marine museum, starting in what used to be the ordnance repair shop.  Here you find the history of the old Royal dockyard, with hands on exhibits of how radar, sonar, communications and gunnery work.

Somali pirate boat

Within this building there is a section on the Somali pirates, the Dutch navy today is still taking part in the International task force off the Yemen coast, dealing with this menace.

There are exhibits of some of the boats and weapons, they must have confiscated from the pirates, a reminder of how we keep open one of the world’s trade routes.

Frigate Bridge

Next the bridge and radar dome of the guided missile frigate ‘De Ruyter’, neatly placed within what would have been the parade ground and now a car park.

Inside Bridge Wheelhouse

  

Inside Radar Dome

On the bridge, the display when looking at the windows, gives a picture of the ship at sea with the sound and movement of the waves, giving a very good impression of how it would be in this environment.

Inside the radar dome it is fascinating, amazing the amount of equipment in here, and the nerve centre of the ship.

Turret Building Displays

Cross the parade ground and you come to the Turret Building, which houses the collection of 500 years of naval history and features ship models, paintings, uniforms, weapons and medals.

It shows the period after the Second World War with an intriguing exhibition on the cold war when events on the world stage were dictated by the tension between East and West.

Submarine 'Tonjin'

This leads you on to the submarine ‘Tonjin’ and speaking to the guides on board, who sailed on the sub.  They spent most of their time shadowing other Russian submarines.

She is 80 metres long, weighs 1,000 tonnes and built in 1966.  Due to her unique design of being built as a combination of three tubes, she could dive deeper, than other subs of her age.

Control Room

  

View through periscope

With this type of design, everything was more cramped than other subs I have visited, but even more fascinating, in how it all worked together.

Propulsion Control Station

The propulsion control room was separate from the actual engines and batteries.  The crew are a special bred, who go to sea in these types of vessels. The only time they return to port is when they are running out of food or fuel.

Abraham Crijnssen

Not far away is the minesweeper ‘Abraham Crijnssen’ built in 1937, during the second world war, she managed to escape from the Japanese invaders in the Dutch East Indies by camouflaging herself as a tropical island and managed to sail to Freemantle in Australia.

Triple Expansion Engine

   

Aft Deck

She still has her triple expansion main engine and for a one euro coin, you can start the engine and be amazed by its action.

The sleek lines of this vessel show in her time, she was very fast but would have been cramped and very hot while in tropical waters.

Schorioen

While behind the minesweeper, alongside the quay is the ironclad ram ship ‘Schorpioen’ built in 1868.

Between 1951 and 1971 it accommodated the women’s branch of the Dutch navy. At that time, it was surrounded by hundreds of metres of barbed wire to ward off male intruders.

Captain's Cabin

   

Gun Turret

This is another wonderfully preserved ship with all of its history very well documented, with the on board displays.  The captain’s quarters are better than some of today’s ships, while I would not like to be in the gun turret when the guns were fired.

I ended my visit to the museum, on the deck of the ironclad in the sunshine, with a toasted sandwich and iced tea, obtained from the ship’s bar/café, surveying what a wonderful place this is to visit.

In the evening with the sky clouding over, I walked up to the railway station and in the hotel opposite had a meal of steak, salad and chips, then walked along to the dyke.  Passing through a large travelling fair fun, with the usual rides and amusements, lit up by the numerous multi-coloured lights.

Walking along the top of the dyke, you can see across to the island of Texel and further along you arrive at the port, where the ferries operate from.

It had been a grand day, plenty to see and think about, how this small nation in her day, became a maritime superpower.

Day 33 - Den Helder

Sunday 5^th July 2015 – Den Helder – Day 33

It is another warm sunny day in this amazing setting of Willemsoord dock.

Wiliemsoord

I spent the morning sorting out mooring lines and flags on board while Syd went off once more into the museum, as today is also a Navy day and all of the exhibits were free.

I went back to the computer attempting to sort out emails and continue with this blogsite, after three hours, I managed to achieve nothing, as somehow pressing the wrong keys, I lost everything.  The joys of being illiterate; when it comes to computers.

To calm down, I wandered off around the dockyard and ended up in the ‘Kade 60’ for lunch.  In its heyday this building used to be the mechanical workshop and the overhead runway tracks can still be seen, as they are part of the distinct features of this bar/restaurant.

 'DeRuyter'  Bridge & Guns

I went into the museum information centre and watched the introductory video on the dockyard before having a quick look around in the outside car park of the ship’s bridge and radar dome of the guided missile frigate ‘De Ruyter’.

By the time I got back to ‘Selene’, Syd had completed his packing and we wandered off to the railway station.  He boarded the 17.04 train for Schipol airport to fly back to Exeter, then a drive home to Penzance in Cornwall.  Thank you Syd, for all of your good company and assistance in overcoming our wee problems, while importantly bringing with you fine weather.

I stopped off at the supermarket on the way back, stocked up with stores and for a change made myself a meal on board.  Unusually, read a book and early to bed.

Day 32 - Den Helder

Saturday 4^th July 2015 – Den Helder – Day 32

It is a clear, warm and sunny day; we left the pontoon at 12.30 making our way through the harbour and back into the Waddenzee taking advantage of the strong tide in the Texelstroom.

Inter-island Ferries

Passing the large ferries which run between the port of ‘t Horntje’ on the island of Texel and Den Helder on the Noord Holland mainland.

Dutch Navy

On the VHF called up the Den Helder harbour master for permission to enter, as this is the main naval base for the Dutch navy. 

Making our way through the harbour; passing many working offshore supply ships alongside the quays, as we headed for the large locks which once serviced the old Williamsord naval dockyard.

Williamsord Lock

The marina pontoons are situated in the middle of this large dock area with all kinds of historical naval ships on the surrounding quays.

Today being the 4^th July and American Independence Day, all of the ships are dressed overall with flags flying from every vantage point.  It was also the Dutch Navy weekend, so there were many visitors milling around the docks.

Naval helicopter

While sat in the small café at the end of the pontoon, we enjoyed a cool beer while watching a Naval helicopter doing its tricks. 

Syd being and ex-navy man set off to explore the museum within the dock area, while I wandered back to the yacht.

In the evening, we went off to explore the town and a twenty minute walk brought us to the centre and the railway station.  The main shopping street was not too far away and into the ‘Café Romantica’ where the owner looked after us before going to the ‘Sphinx’ restaurant.  Here we dined on onion soup, followed by a delightful steak with chips and salad.

Going back to the marina, we could still hear the very loud band playing on the open air stage within the dock area.  We headed for ‘Kade 60’ a building within the complex which is an ‘Eaten & Drinken’ restaurant.  Here we enjoyed oude genever night caps before heading back and on board for midnight.

It has been another amazing day, arriving on the mainland, not expecting Den Helder to be having its Navy Day, alongside in the old dockyard, surrounded by its history with the old buildings now turned into a museums, cinemas, bars and restaurants.

Day 31 - Oudeschild, Texel

Friday 3^rd July 2015 – Oudeschild, Texel – Day 31

It is another fine warm day, in the morning Syd went off to the supermarket, while I busied myself getting the boat ready for leaving.

Noorderhaven Prins Hendrikbrug

At 10.15 we left our berth and waited along with others for the Prins Hendrik bridge to open at its designated time of 25 minutes past the hour.

Once through, we did not have to wait in the basin as the Sasbrug was already opening and into the main harbour.

Outside in the Waddenzee, we waited for the tide to turn, while  hoisting the mainsail and pulling out the genoa, then it was back down the Boontjes Channel.

Dutch Sailing Barge

We were not the only ones sailing down this route, staying within this narrow channel.  We even saw one seal, popping up to take a look at this convoy of various craft, making their way along in his backyard.

Kornwerderzand sluices

After one and a half hours in the channel, we were passing the entrance to the Kornwerderzand locks with sluices on the Afsluitdijk, which help to control the water levels within the Ijsselmeer.

When we reached an area off the Frisian Island of Texel, with light airs and a flat sea, this is where the tide runs strongest within the channel, the effect being of a train running underneath us, we were racing along in the Texel Stroom.

Effect of tide on buoy

This is why you have to be very precise in the tidal calculations to take advantage of this phenomenon, get it wrong and you are going nowhere.

Etrance to Oudeschild

   

Beam Trawlers

At 15.45, we were off the entrance to Oudeschild and made our way into the harbour, one side of the dock there was a line of Dutch beam trawlers.  For fishing boats, they were immaculate and their normal fishing grounds are off the German and Danish coast.

Marina

Arriving in our marina berth, we were very happy to see ‘Dart’ on the next pontoon with Dennis the skipper, whom we had met in the Sixhaven marina, Amsterdam.  We invited him across for a cold beer on this very hot afternoon (our fridge had been running since leaving Harlingen).  Telling tales of what been had been up to in the past couple of weeks, helped to put us into relax mode.

Havenhotel

Ashore for the evening, we walked past the line of well-kept trawlers back to the harbour entrance.

Sitting outside in the ‘Havenhotel; we dined on a bucket full of mussels, cooked in the local beer ‘Skuumkoppe’, with salad and chips, it was delicious.  Inside the bar there are wonderful photographs of this harbour being flooded by the winter storms.

We ended up in marina bar ‘Compagnie’ with its fine views over the harbour, drinking the lovely Texel beer, before heading back.

It had been a grand day, the warm sunshine, fine sailing conditions, reaching the Frisian Islands and meeting up with old friends.

Day 30 - Harlingen

Thursday 2^nd July 2015 – Harlingen – Day 30

This morning, an early start, we have to negotiate the sea lock, before catching the incoming tide to help us on our way.

We left the marina at 08.00 and back into the Ijsselmeer which is the largest fresh water area in Europe.  Between 1927 and 1932 the 30 kilometre, 90 metre wide Afsluitdyke between Wieringen and Friesland was built. Work began on an artificial island halfway along the route, on the sluices and shipping locks at each corner near Wieringen and the Frisian coast, moving to build the dam at six locations in shallow water and later progressively deeper water.  The controlling sluices have gradually changed the lake from salt to fresh water by progressive outward drainage.  On top of the 30 km dyke there is a motorway and a restaurant on it from which the gigantic scale of the project can be sensed in looking to the far horizon along a pencil straight wall.

Lorentzsluizen

  

Waiting basin

At 08.45 we were in the Lorentzsluizen sea lock for only a short time before moving out into the waiting basin.  Here you manoeuvre around until they open the twin swing bridges, taking traffic across the top of the dam linking Friesland and North Holland. 

Once clear, you are into the sea, here the navigator has to redouble his vigilance in the Waddenzee channels where the streams run fast and the edges dry out, but fortunately the area is extremely well buoyed.

Waddenzee Beam Trawler

We headed north at 09.15, in a convoy of nine yachts passing various other craft on the way with the fishermen working the sandbanks just outside the channels.

We followed the buoys and beacons and were sailing on a rising tide, as at one particular spot for about 4 km it is only 2 mtr deep at low water.

On this warm pleasant day, it was very enjoyable meeting this challenge and we arrived off the port of Harlingen at 10.30. 

As it was my first time here, I called the harbour master, who told me to go into Noorderhaven.  This is a large port with ferries running out to the Frisian Islands with plenty of commercial traffic and of course the fishermen.

Sasbrug

Prins Hendrik Brug

   

We had to wait for the first small swing Sasbrug before entering the basin to wait for the Prins Hendrikbrug to open. 

The Noordhaven, harbour master directed us into our box and we were tied up for noon.

Noordhaven

We rigged our canvas yawning over the boom sheltering the cockpit as it was once more 30 degrees and with no breeze in the marina, it was going to be very hot.

Main street

The next street to the marina was the main shopping area, an afternoon stroll around this wonderful picturesque town was inspiring with lots of holidaymakers.

At night things quietened down, as the sightseers had moved on. 

We dined in the ‘Hotel Zeezicht ‘, which overlooked the basin, where we had waited for the bridge earlier in the day.  We ate a celery/nut soup, followed by pork satay, salad and chips.  With a backdrop of dark clouds, the forerunner of thunder and lightning while watching, barges, cruisers and yachts manoeuvring in the basin.

For nightcaps ended up in the ‘Café de Pijpenia’, a bar opposite our berth, here we met up with the crew off the yacht ’Scirroco’, whom we had met in Membedlik.  They were staying here longer, as they were changing crews in a few days.

We retired at midnight; it had been an eventual day, back into a sea influenced by tides and arriving in a new very amicable port.