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.

 

 

Day 29 - Makkum

Wednesday 1^st July 2015 – Makkum – Day 29

It is a very bright, warm and sunny morning and before leaving I went along to the chandlers  and bought the book which had been recommended, for navigating in the Waddenzee, namely, ‘HP33 Dutch Coast Tidal Streams’.

We left the marina at 10.30 and headed up the eastern side of the Ijsselmeer, close into the Friesland shore.  With the speed log unit removed from its tube, my speed instrument in the cockpit was showing zero and I had no indication of how far we had travelled.  Luckily, I had remembered to bring along my hand-held GPS, with power to it from the cigar-lighter socket, I at least knew what speed we were doing.

Old Harbour

Six mile along the coast and we entered the old harbour of Hindelopen, asking the harbour master, no problems to stay for two hours on the harbour wall.

This is a very picturesque town with its narrow streets and canal; it is immaculately clean.  It does not take long to walk around it and were delighted to see some very unusual works of art.

Happy Face

 

Sad but colourful

  

These wood carvings, one on a house wall facing the streets, while these colourful characters, overlooking the harbour.

Church

The local church with its tilting tower, the graveyard contains a section looked after by the war graves commission, of which there were six members of a crashed plane, five Canadian and one British airmen are buried here.

Main Street

Wee canal

  

Not far from the little canal, we stopped at a restaurant for a ham and eggs lunch, while watching others yachts manoeuvring in the harbour.

We had to be moving on and left at 13.30, continued north up the coast to our next port, Makkum.  Only a two hour run and we were alongside in this very large marina.  Booking in at the reception was hilarious, with this girl in fits of laughter, trying to explain the joys of Makkum.

This new marina complex has a supermarket, shops, bar, restaurant, swimming pool, children’s play area and on this very hot afternoon, the first stop was the small café and a large ice cream, sitting under an umbrella, it was a treat.

   

The ice cream was not sufficient to cool us down, it was into the open-air swimming pool.  Though it was 30 degrees, the water in comparison was very cold and just what we needed.

Shower block entrance

The shower block facilities are the best I have seen and I really enjoyed the experience.

The walk into town took longer than we were told, the half-hour stroll took us up the river past large  sheds belonging to ‘De Vries’, who look after the super-rich, building their super yachts.

In the town centre, we sat outside in the bar/restaurant ‘De Zwann’ and tucked into a large bowl of mussels with bread, roast potatoes and salad, this was delightful.

A taxi back to the marina bar, ‘Beaufort’ for ould genever night caps.

It had been an eventful, three ports, an excellent sail in very good conditions and the sun shone all day.

Day 28 - Stavoren

Tuesday 30^th June – Stavoren – Day 28

I was at the harbour master’s office as it opened at 09.00 and told him of the situation.  He contacted the local technical services who would come and see how they could help.

At 10.15 a representative from ‘Skips Maritem’ arrived on board, I showed him a drawing of how I thought a repair maybe achieved, but he came up with another idea of fitting another bronze tube with a blank, as he had seen this failure before.  He told us to make our way to the crane and he would send in the boys.

65 tonne gantry crane

  

Lift out

The lifting dock was at the entrance to the marina and we were safely tied up there at 11.00 and lifted out at 12.45.

Keel rock contact

The damage to the antifoul coating on the keel can be seen after hitting the rock off Urk, six days ago.

Failure

The removed plastic speed log tube shows the sealant failure while the securing ring rubber has disintegrated, allowing the ingress of water.

Prefer metal to plastic

  

New tube in place

The new bronze tube was fitted with sikaflex sealant to the hull and sealing ring, blank secured with threadlock and ptfe tape. 

Working with the shore personnel the job was completed in an hour and a quarter.

Clean bottom

   

Lift back-in

 

The underwater hull was remarkably clean and put it down to, being in fresh water for the past three weeks along with a good antifoul paint.

The lift back in was very successful with no leaks and in our allotted box at 15.00.

A big thank you goes to the harbour master, technical representative and technician for a job very well done.  A couple of hours later when I went to the office to pay the bill, I was astounded, it came to 205 euros (£155), they really looked after me.  If this had happened in the UK, it is a license to print money and would have cost an arm and a leg.

It is 30 degrees today and time for some relaxation, ashore in the evening, outside the marina you pass a pumping station with four very large Archimedes screw pumps which when needed, control the levels within the Ijsselmeer and the surrounding rivers.  A walk along the canals with the many boats at their moorings brings you to the old harbour.

Syd's enjoyment

t'Havenhoofd

Here we went into a restaurant I knew ‘t’Havenhoofd’, we had crispy seafood starter followed by a very large pork schnitzel, salad with chips

We were well satisfied after consuming this lot, needed a walk afterwards around the harbour to aid the digestion.

Some of the other harbour side bars and restaurants were closed and this was appearing to be the norm, as after the weekend activities, they would close for the Monday and Tuesday.

Wandering back we found ‘Schots Restaurant’ which in the corner had a whiskey bar with a fine selection of Scottish whiskeys.  It was a little strange being in Holland with a big Dutchman dressed in a white shirt and kilt, ladies in long tartan skirts serving meals and drinks, but you have to enjoy the moment.

It has been a very eventful and successful day, at last a peaceful night.

Day 27 - Stavoren

Monday 29^th June – Stavoren – Day 27

The morning was spent walking round the town and shopping.

Station and Church

The railway station appears to be run by enthusiasts with information on steam train excursions, we saws none at the time and for a Monday morning it all appeared unusually quiet.

Syd the Shopper

After collecting stores in the Spar supermarket, along the high street numerous stores were being set up and we could not resist this wonderful selection of fruit and veg.

In the café next to the drawbridge, a late bacon omelette breakfast was enjoyed with an iced tea to quench the thirst, on this very warm morning.

We left the marina and cleared the harbour entrance at 12.30 and had a wonderful sail across the Ijsselmeer on a port tack arriving in Stavoren at 15.00.

I made my introductions to the harbour master while Syd went off to explore the town.

On returning to the yacht after kicking my shoes off on this very warm afternoon, entering the cabin the starboard side section of the carpet was wet and on investigation, there was two inches of water in the centre bilge and water in the starboard side provision and under the cooker lockers.  The centre bilge was pumped out using the built-in bilge pump and the lockers mopped out.

Where is the water coming from?

All lockers were inspected within the cabin and nothing found.  All items from the very large cockpit locker were removed onto the deck and the side panel removed from the engine compartment.

Speed log leaking tube

The water ingress was from the speed log tube, an attempt to tighten up the securing nut, although it did move was not sufficient to stop the leak. 

The speed log unit was removed and blank fitted to the tube, but it was still leaking.

Now suspected the tube was cracked and wrapped it with self-amalgamating tape and secured with two jubilee clips but still the water is weeping in.  The boat is sinking!

By this time Syd had returned from ashore and over a few drinks we discussed our options.

On the positive side, we had at last established where the water was coming in, and more importantly, knew how to get rid of it with the bilge pump.

 

A watch system of checking and pumping out every two hours, if necessary, was agreed.

It was not a peaceful night.

Day 26 - Medemblik

Sunday 28^th June 2015 – Medemblik – Day 26

In the morning, I took Syd for a walk around Enkhuizen, to show him this wonderful place and why I always like coming back.  He was enchanted by the different places to moor your boat, either in the large and small marinas, or on the canal banks, along with their many welcoming bars and restaurants.

We left the marina box at lunchtime and near to the Zuiderzee museum, we hoisted the mainsail after watching a Dutch yacht, whose lady crew member had the mainsail up in no time.  A round of applause from us for her effort, we waited until they were away, before our hoist which went unnoticed.

Being a Sunday and a fine day there were a variety of vessels on the Ijsselmeer, all taking advantage of a flat sea and fair breeze.

Dutch barge with its day trippers.

On our short journey we passed a man-made island called ‘De Kruepel’, one mile long by half a mile wide, which has been turned into a nature reserve and water-sports facilities.

Marina

We were inside our marina box in Medemblik by 16.30.  The harbour master was most helpful with his local information and maps of the area.

Draw bridge

Syd went off into town while I struggled on with the computer, later to meet up in the ‘De Zeepaardje’ bar, a short distance from the marina once you crossed over the drawbridge.

The barman told us to eat at the ‘Local’ just down the street, here we dined on very nice rib-eye steaks.

I had been in Medemblik previously and went off seeking one of the harbour bars ‘De Boerberke’.

Apart from chatting with the locals, the couple on the next yacht to us in the marina ‘Scirroco’ were also there.  He gave me lots of information on the Waddenzee, the website to follow for the area, tide tables which should be carried.

While the bar owner, when we told him our next destination, Stavoren, on the other side of Ijsselmeer.  He informed he has swum across eight times in his younger days, a distance of twelve miles.  Seemingly, this is annual event held in August and he has become one of the organisers.

Back on board for midnight after a lovely night ashore and a pleasant day on the water.