The cruise continues: Leeuwarden - Jirnsum; Jirnsum - Lemmer. Surprise meetings mid-channel.18th - 23rd June, 2015.

This time, traffic and the gods-of-all-bridges were on our side so we were out of Leeuwarden quite quickly.  We decided to take a slightly different route back to the Prinses Margriet Kanal and turned eastwards to motor along the Lange Meer. In the distance, we saw a WOBs burgee. This is a Facebook group I belong to. For women only, and for those of us who live on/sail/cruise on barges/boats of any type, anywhere in the world. Vicki and Max, from Perth in Western Australia, have been cruising their barge "Yavanna" on the European waterways for quite a few summers now.  Vicki and I enjoyed a brief, mid-channel chat then we cruised away in opposite directions. It was quite exciting! 

We re-joined the Prinses Margriet and headed south. Richard, suddenly decided to take a detour. On a whim. We spun around 180 and turned down another little channel. What a shock to see another WOB burgee in the distance. They'd seen us too and were moving over towards us. This time it was Jean and Phil on their beautiful boat, Sojourn. They also, amazingly, are from Perth Western Australia. Small world, huh! Jean and I were able to enjoy a much longer chat as Richard and Phil manoeuvred the boats so we could do so. As chance would have it, Jean and Phil are friends with Vicki and Max. Jean told me they were meeting up in Leeuwarden, then both boats would be cruising down to Lemmer in a few days time. We arranged to keep in touch and to meet up in Lemmer for a meal before we all went our separate ways. 

We continued on our way, and turned back onto the Prinses Margriet Kanal a little further on. We passed Grou once again and took the next channel to starboard, heading for Jirnsum and the De Boarnstream jachthaven.  This is the yard which built Pirramimma and we were keen to visit and introduce ourselves to them. It was pretty windy again, so we moved slowly past the passentenplaats; firstly to see if one was available, and secondly to be able to head into the wind for berthing. Engine off at 1450. Sorted all our lines out, and made our way to the havenkantoor to register and pay our dues for two nights. We were warmly welcomed and had quite a long chat with a couple of the folk in the office. As you can see, the weather had turned again and it was much cooler. 

Here we are, snug in our berth at De Boarnstream Jachthaven…

It's a lovely location. So peaceful and the facilities are excellent: electricity, wi-fi and water included, plus shower/washing/drying facilities, fuel berth, foul water pump-out. We were surprised, and pleased, when the yard owner knocked on our hull to introduce himself. We invited him onboard and to join us for a drink. Happily, he accepted and we spent a very enjoyable 30 minutes or so chatting with him. And between you and me, I was very, very glad to have spent time cleaning Pirramimma just before we'd left Leeuwarden. It wouldn't do to present an untidy/unkempt boat to the man who built it! 

We were in two minds whether to stay on for a third night, but all the power had been tripped by a boat that had come into the jachthaven sometime during the course of the second night. Perhaps tripped is too kind a word… short-circuited the power supply is far more accurate. We decided to leave and headed back to Lemmer but not before the kind folk at De Boarnstream had made some coffee for us as we couldn't given the power situation. Engine on at 1015, and we reluctantly left Pirramimma's birthplace. We arrived back at Lemmer at 1325 after a delightful and gentle cruise back via the Sneekermeer. Happily, the wind was dropping and the weather was becoming sunny and warmer.

The next day, we headed off in the car to do a bit of land-based sightseeing and to replenish food supplies. As we were walking back to Pirramimma from our jachthaven's car park we were delighted to see two friends, Diederick and Angela, walking towards us. They'd called in to say hello whilst we were away. We all returned to Pirramimma and spent an enjoyable hour or so chatting, drinking coffee and munching on stroopwafels. 

The following evening, we caught up with Vicki and Max, Jean and Phil and their friends, Janine and Neil. It was a fun evening and we had an excellent meal at the Bistro Âld Lemmer. Thanks to Janine for taking the photos on Vicki's camera. 

Pre-dinner drinks at the Eetcafé

Cheers! Dinner at Bistro Âld Lemmer.

Two days later, we were back on the ferry to Harwich. Pirramimma had been thoroughly cleaned and put into 'sleep mode' to wait for our return. 

14th - 18th June: Reason to carry spare parts. Princely Prinsentuin. Leeuwarden.

The picture says it all. Now to fill you in on the background info. We'd enjoyed a relaxing, if cool, early evening at our mooring on the outskirts of Wergea and at about 2000, I figured it was probably time to start cooking some food. Two chicken legs bathing in a spicy marinade of chilli, lime and a few other goodies were ready to cook…

On went the generator. Two minutes later, the generator auto-stopped. So, we tried it again, double checking the water output; seemed fine. Then the generator did exactly the same thing. Richard heads into the engine room to investigate the generator's internal gubbins. Our Fischer Panda generator has a Kubota engine and the somewhat sad-looking impeller in the first photo came from the Kubota. Thankfully, we carry spares. And so the poor man spent the next hour fitting the new impeller and cleaning up the aftermath from the event. 2100 hours and the generator is switched on again. It fires up and runs sweetly. We check water output again and that's OK too. We let it run a while longer just to be sure. Then I cook something entirely different to what I'd planned. Good old spaghetti bolognese in the pressure cooker. Super fast, super delicious, super filling for two hungry people. The chicken, now in the fridge, will live to tell the tale another day. 

Whilst the skipper/mechanic/engineer/hero was replacing the impeller, the farmer who owns the moorings called by to say "Goedenavond" and also to request our mooring fees for the night. He and I enjoyed a long chat about various things - Australia (he wasn't sure if our ensign was Aussie or Kiwi - it's neither!), sailing in the UK, Australia and NL, places to see in Leeuwarden, to apologise for the fact it was raining (bless him!) and to give us a little 'Welcome to Wergea' gift bag of goodies. Such a charming man! 

Our mooring place for the night at Wergea…

And looking in the direction we will take next day…

The next morning, we took a walk into town and walked along the canal which bisects the town. We were also looking for some shops to buy bread from the artisan baker, vegetables and maybe some meat as we wanted to spend some money in a town which welcomes visitors with open arms. Sadly, it being Monday, all the shops were shut, bar the Spar supermarket. We bought a big bag of delicious nectarines, fruit loaf and some fresh rolls for lunch later on. Back at the boat, we had a cup of coffee on deck, then engine on and we left the mooring. As usual, we cruised at a gentle pace into Leeuwarden which gave us plenty of time to appreciate the city outskirts. We had four bridges to go through before we reached the main waterway that skirts the old city itself. Three of the bridges were merely a case of cruising underneath but the other bridge had serious work being carried out, so we had to wait our turn along with everyone else. Which was no hardship at all. Then around a sharp-ish bend to the right to be greeted by this impressive swing bridge.

Slauerbrug, with Hermesbrug in the distance.

Closer…

Three more very low bridges with clearance heights of between 1 - 2m only, and a substantial increase in traffic in both directions, meant we made quite slow progress through to our proposed mooring at the Prinsentuin. We waited at the Hermesbrug for 25 minutes and had about a 45 minute wait at the Verlaatsbrug. The Verlaatsbrug also carries a €7 bruggeld which covers all the bridges through this, the principal city of Friesland. Road traffic over the Verlaatsbrug was heavy this day and water traffic leaving the town was given precedence to traffic coming into town. Which was us and about a dozen or so other boats behind us. We were third in the queue. Happily, whilst I was sitting on the foredeck, clutching €7 in my paw, the sun came out and from the grey skies you see above, it was suddenly time for sunglasses and a couple of layers less. Perfect welcome to Leeuwarden! Petra and Klaus had told us how lovely the Prinsentuin was, I'd seen images on Google StreetView, but I don't think we were quite prepared for what we saw on arrival. Here's our view forward from our mooring. It's difficult to not fall in love with a city that allows you to moor in such a magical location for €15 per night (12 - 15m boat) with a minimal fee for on-demand electricity and water if required. Plus, there are rubbish facilities and foul water pump out also available. Free wi-fi too.

And if you want another view of the Prinsentuin, just take a look at the header photo on my blog - that's also the Prinsentuin. The park is immaculately maintained and it's always busy. Folk out jogging, walking their dogs, riding bikes, groups of friends sitting on the benches or the grass, chatting or picnicking. There are concerts in summer, and during the day, there is the endless and constantly changing array of boats arriving and leaving.

I think Richard likes it too!

We visited the havenkantoor to pay our fees. The charming havenmeester directed us to the brilliantly efficient automated gizmo which accepts credit cards too… Hurrah! We paid for three nights; it's easy to pay for more if you change your mind and want to stay longer. Then we walked to the big Jumbo supermarket on the northern side of town for fresh vegetables and other necessities. Back on board, we settled down to watch the passing parade of boats. This waterway is a part of the Standing Mast Route, so yachts with fixed masts can follow this route without having to unstep their masts between the Ijsselmeer in the south and the Lauwersmeer in the north. In other words, all the bridges lift or swing so the yachts can pass. From the Ijsselmeer, they can head to Amsterdam or Rotterdam or further, and from the Lauwersmeer, they can head further east to Delfzijl and into German waters. To name a few options.

For dinner, we ate the chicken we should have had the night before at Wergea. Cooked in the Remoska, served with sweet potatoes and a cherry, rucola and lambs lettuce salad, dressed with lemon olive oil and balsamic.

The next day, we walked into town and visited the VVV (Tourist Office) to inquire about the location of a chandlery we'd seen advertised but the advertisement failed to give the address. We also tried really hard to find a collar with the Friesland lillies on it for our lovely dog back home. None, which is a shame because I think dog owners would buy them. (hint, hint Friesland VVV!!) The charming woman at the VVV gave us a map with directions to the chandlery, but sadly the chandlery was a bit on the 'trendy' side and had few of the practical items we wanted/needed. Next, we went on a walking tour of the town and somehow managed to find the Boomsma distillery. They advertise a 'tour' of the distillery but in fact, it's a very good audio video that takes you through their history and how the drink is made. Interesting and to the point, it's a bit of fun, too. Afterwards, we made a few purchases from the shop. We found an excellent cheese shop. No surprise to learn we came away with lots of yummy cheeses, tapenades and spreads. 

Boomsma goodies.

We staggered back to Pirramimma, laden with all our purchases. And enjoyed some of the cheeses with our lunch. The Boomsma will have to wait for a suitable time and occasion. We decided to eat at Paddy O'Ryans Irish Bar that night and enjoyed a very pleasant meal. 

Dinner at Paddy O'Ryans, Leeuwarden.

Back into Leeuwarden the next day for more sightseeing and some shopping. Firstly, we visited the Friesland Musuem and spent the entire morning there. Excellent. Do visit it if you're in town as it's very well laid out with lots to see and learn. A big plus is there's no stinting on the information available in English and other languages. Did you know Mata Hari was from Friesland? No? Yes? Well, there's a display about her, and her life, in the museum too.  

After lunch onboard Pirramimma, we walked in a different direction and took in more sights and sounds of the town, before indulging in a bit of retail therapy. It was hot day and we needed a restorative drink, so headed to the Bierkade for a cup of coffee for me and a beer for Richard. There's a pretty little canal that runs through the centre of town. If you have one, it's possible to take a dinghy to explore this little waterway, or, you can purchase a ticket on one of the guided tour boats which will take you around the waterways. Good value, too.

The Bierkade is an extremely popular spot. Mind you, so are all the good eating and drinking places in Leeuwarden. 

Looking one way from our table…

and the other way…

That night, we walked back into town to dine at Le Sandre, a predominately fish/seafood restaurant, about which I'd read very good reports. I have to tell you that if you ever get the chance to dine at Le Sandre, then grab that chance with both hands. It was an excellent meal with equally excellent service and ambience. We both enjoyed a delicious main course of two different cuts of beef with eel and potatoes in a citrus mustard dressing. The balance of flavours and textures was very well judged by the Chef. This restaurant has been voted as second best in Friesland. Number one spot goes to the restaurant owned by the Chef's parents. Clearly, excellent food runs in the family.

We left Leeuwarden the following morning: engine on at 1010, then we reversed our route to head south again through the town.  We'd had a great stay. Thank you, Leeuwarden: we'll be back.

Vxx

9th June - 14th June. Back in the Netherlands. Lemmer towards Leeuwarden.

We had a good trip over to Hoek van Holland and an easy journey to Lemmer via car, arriving at Pirramimma at about 2015 on Sunday evening. Travelling on a Sunday gives the added bonus of avoiding the peak hour traffic around Amsterdam. We'd been away from Pirramimma for about 9 weeks and the spiders and other creatures had a field day during that time. Some serious cleaning will be required over the course of the next couple of days before we take her out on the water again. The aft deck area was pretty clean though, thanks to the full canopy. After we'd brought all our kit onboard, we sat on deck with our feet up and a glass of something cold, fizzy and restorative. This photo was taken after 2200 hours so it was a little cool. 

Feet up and a glass of Champagne. We're back onboard Pirramimma!

I won't bore you with the cleaning details but suffice it so say that two full days with both of us working hard was needed till we were happy. As a reward for effort, we decided to visit the Beach Club Lemmer and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a slice of apple tart each. Blue skies and bright sunshine was the order of the day!  We were entertained by some very cheeky sparrows who seemed to believe that the cake really was for them. Very sweet really. 

Had to be done! 

After our.. ahem.. little treat, we wandered down to the water's edge and enjoyed a walk along the sand, watching all the boats sailing on the Ijsselmeer.  I think I mentioned we weren't particularly happy with our berth at our current marina due to the size and extremely limited space for manoeuvring? Now that summer's here and the road traffic is increased, we also find how noisy the marina is. It's located adjacent to a very busy road with lots of large and heavy vehicles travelling at speed. However, I didn't tell you that we'd inquired at another haven/marina for space in 2016. At the time, it wasn't looking as though there would be anywhere for us. We'd been given a quote and our names were put onto a waiting list. During these last few weeks we've been back in the UK, we received an email to say there'd been a cancellation so if we wanted it, we could have a berth. Hence the courtesy visit to say Hi! and to say we were looking forward to being there next year. Still no formal details as to which space we'll be in, but it's a step forward as it were. 

New haven/marina for Pirramimma in 2016.

Again it was warm enough to sit out on deck to enjoy our evening meal that night. A rather luscious chicken and mango salad accompanied by a chilled glass or two of Sauvignon Blanc. Perfect.

The next day, we motored out of our berth and headed to the fuel berth. We took on 560l of diesel, pumped out our holding tank, and motored north along the Prinses Margriet Kanal. It was a beautifully sunny day and the waterways were busy with folk enjoying an early start to the weekend. A turn to starboard and we headed east along the Follegeasleat into the Tjeukemeer where we turned to port to head north up into the Skarster Rein towards Langweer where we'd considered spending the night. Then we decided to keep moving and veered away to the north east to the Alde Wei. Time for our first wild/nature mooring at one of the wonderful Marrekrite nature moorings. These moorings don't have power or water. They're very quiet as everyone respects their neighbours and the natural environment they've chosen to enjoy. To stay at these moorings, all you have to do is buy, on an annual basis, one of the Marrekrite 'wimpels' (flag/pennant) and fly it on your boat. It's a brilliant system and we have grown to love these moorings and the times we spend at them.

The Follegeasleat, looking towards the Prinses Margriet Kanal…

Travelling along the Skarster Rien…

The little village at Skarsterbrug…

Our Marrekrite mooring on the Alde Wei. And it was hot!

And the view aft. In the distance, the Sneekermeer and Terhorne…

The Alde Wei weaves its way towards the Sneekermeer…

Time for a cooling G & T…

And also time to get the Cobb BBQ going…

The perfect evening and we sat out on the aft deck watching the sun go down…
#nofilter

The next day dawned, wet and very windy. We had wind gusts of over 30 knots and so we decided to stay put. Friends who were on their boat at Terhorne cancelled a visit to us as the Sneekermeer was too rough for their dinghy. That was a good call on their part. As the afternoon wore on, the weather deteriorated even further. Earlier in the morning, a swallow decided to rest for a few minutes on the port railing of Pirramimma where it had some shelter from the wind…

It was far too wet, windy and cold to BBQ, so that night we ate 'indoors'…

Sometime during the night, the storm abated and the next morning, though overcast, was quite calm. We left the mooring at 0920 and motored slowly along the remainder of the Alde Wei and entered the Sneekermeer. We knew where our friends were moored at Terhorne, so on the off-chance, motored over to see if they were still there. And hurrah; they were. We had a lovely time onboard their gorgeous barge, Harmonie. Petra and Klaus live onboard Harmonie, a 1927 luxe-motor barge which is 30m in length. What a fabulous place to live! Their son, Pim, kindly took this photo of us all at the end of our little get together. And don't you just love Klaus's T-shirt!! 

We left them at 1215 and motored a short distance down to the Heerenzijlbrug where we moored up as the brug was closed for the lunchtime break. Once we were through the brug, we motored towards Akkrum where we had a bruggeld  of €2. It's a narrow brug with a sharp left turn afterwards to take us back to the Prinses Margriet Kanal and the town of Grou. Another very picturesque village though it was also busy on this Sunday afternoon. Again, sorry no photos as I was on the helm and Richard was busy with other boat-type stuff. Turned to starboard onto the Prinses Margriet and joined the flow of boats towards the railway bridge just before Grou. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait for it to open as it's about 10m high, so we cruised straight under it. Immediately past Grou, we turned to port off the Prinses Margriet and slowly wove our way north towards the village of Wergea. Petra and Klaus had told us about a lovely nature mooring on the outskirts of the village and we were keen to visit. We had two more brugs to get through. Both were remote controlled using camera sensors to notify 'someone' a boat was approaching/waiting. Such a brilliant system! We arrived at the mooring place which is owned by a local farmer, at about 1550. Engines off at 1600.

Vxx

2nd April - 9th April. Collecting the car from Elburg. Chandlery at Bakhuizen. Cruise to Sneek.

Thursday was all about getting ourselves back to Elburg via public transport and collecting our car which we'd left in Elburg. Quite a long, and very windy, walk to the bus station on the opposite side of Lemmer. Then a bus to Heerenveen, train to Zwolle and finally another bus to Elburg centrum. Another decent walk to Elburg Yachting from the bus station and we trudged through a hail storm for the final half mile of that walk. What the good folk at the office thought when these two bedraggled people fell walked through their door, they very kindly kept to themselves!  At this point, I want to point out how efficient, comfortable and generally all-over excellent the public transport system in the Netherlands is. 

Back in the car again, we detoured via good old Jumbo (supermarket) in Lemmer and realised we were at the beginning of the Easter weekend so Lemmer, particularly Jumbo, was crowded with folk stocking up for their holiday. It was manic and we escaped as fast as we could.  Back onboard, we relaxed over a cup of coffee and considered some plans. 

The Skipper and Fizz, the Moose, consider plans for the weekend.

The Skipper has discovered a rather ace little chandlery in the town of Bakhuizen, which is not too far from us. It seems rather incredible, but we still have a long list of kit various we need for Pirramimma.  The chandlery has an 'open weekend' over the Easter break, so we duly head off on Friday morning, clutching our list in our hot little paws. What a great chandlery! It's like an aladdin's cave of kit. Excellent, knowledgeable and friendly staff too. They have a thriving, international mail order business. Extra bonus points for taking credit cards too. If you want the business name, it's the NauticShop in Bakhuizen. (editors note: they've recently opened another store in Lemmer though it's not as big or comprehensive as the other one).

Back to Pirramimma where we gloat over our purchases.  Meanwhile, the weather is changing for the better and it's warm enough to be able to sit on the aft deck for a while. Which we do.  

Aft deck view from our berth in Lemmer.

A little later, the galley slave puts together a rather delicious Thai red curry of beef.  We're still quite tired from both the journey here from Blokzijl and our nearly 7 hour journey to collect the car yesterday.  

Home made aubergine and lime pickles in the background.

Guess where we went the next morning… yup, the chandlery superstore! The rest of the day was 'house work' onboard Pirramimma, including external cleaning as she was pretty mucky from all the rain we'd had, plus water marking from the waves on our journey here. There are some birthday celebrations to be enjoyed over the course of the weekend and we also start to plan a mini cruise as it looks as though the wind might will drop. At last.

Based on the rather vague possibility that friends from France might visit, we jump in the car on Monday morning, and head off to Hindeloopen for a nose around the town. Hindeloopen and a couple of other places are on an equally vague plan for a cruise should said visit take place. Cool and grey, with a slight breeze, we enjoyed a long walk around the haven, poked our noses through all the quaint streets, and walked along the top of the dyke that protects the land from the Ijsselmeer.  

A weather snapshot via instaweather. Happily, the afternoon was sunny.

Back into the car and we continue south along the coast towards Stavoren where the sun is shining and we walk out to the headland for a good look at the Ijsselmeer. Lovely town with lots of possibilities for moorings when we do visit with Pirramimma. It's turned into a gloriously sunny afternoon and we continued our journey in the car along the 'scenic route' which really was lovely. Sorry, but we were enjoying the drive so much I completely failed to take any more photos. 

On Wednesday morning, we head out on a cruise for a couple of days. Engine on but our neighbours in the berth a couple down are about to leave, so we wait for them to move past before we do the same. We have about 1 metre more space than the length of Pirramimma to perform this manoeuvre so we ease gently back and Richard carefully swings the stern around, the bow around in the opposite direction and we cruise gently out of the marina. We have the distinct feeling that we, the 'quart pot', have been forced into a berth for a 'pint pot'.  Especially given the restricted dimensions of the berth itself and which don't quite match up to what we'd been told we had.  Something for us to consider as the season progresses but not something to worry about now. 

The weather is cool, cloudy and there's a slight breeze as we head north up the Prinses Margriet Kanal, then turn to port into Lange Sleat and our first brug (€2 bruggeld). Already we are learning how every canal and the surrounding landscape constantly changes in the Netherlands.  Such a delight. We move along at a nice, gentle pace towards Sloten.  The day brightening slightly too. Just south of Lemsterpoort haven, there are two long pontoons with access to land.  We choose the one closest to the marina and by the time we'd secured our lines, the sun was shining. Engine off.  And the peace and quiet kicked in.  Bliss. An extra bonus: a grebe was sitting on her nest just next to the access way to land. She had three eggs to guard and care for. I hope they all hatch.  Later in the afternoon, Richard grabbed the camera and managed to get some shots of the nest. 

We walked into the havenkantoor and introduced ourselves and paid our harbour dues.  Then we walked into town for a look around. Well. What an utterly charming little town! Even though the sun had been replaced by cloud cover, we were entranced by Sloten.  There's a windmill near the entrance to the town, and a small canal runs through the centre of town. It's possible to take a dinghy or small boat up through the town, so that's maybe something we'll do in the summer.  Pretty much deserted at this time of the year, but three restaurants were open and were doing a light trade in coffee and cake, plus late lunches. We checked out the brug which has €2 fee - I'll be ready tomorrow!  After a couple of hours investigating the backstreets thoroughly, we walked back into the haven and had a good look around there too.   

You'll need a bit of imagination with the shot above and the one below: add lots of green foliage to the trees, blue sky and sunshine, the water is blue and there's a throng of folk enjoying a coffee or a meal at the outdoor restaurants, the sound of laughter…

At 1025 the next morning, the engine was on and at 1030 we left our mooring. Through the brug, north west through the town outskirts, then turned to port into the Slotermeer (Sleattermer Mar) and headed towards Balk for a 'look-see'.  As we cruised our way south, the sun came out.  

Leaving Balk, we turned north east and headed back towards Woudsend. It was flat calm and we passed a couple of small keelboats making about a 1/4kt - they had paddles out in an attempt to make headway!  We cruised over the Woudsend aqueduct, through the brug (no fee) and found a space on the outside wall of Jachthaven De Rakken. This is a charming stop and we were made very welcome when we stopped by the havenkantoor to pay our dues.  Electricity, water, free wi-fi and pump-out facilities are all available.

Woudsend outskirts.

Woudsend's windmill is rather impressive, I think…

And it was warm enough to enjoy a lunch time glass of wine on the aft deck…

After lunch, we explored the town which, again, we like very much.  There was a lot of road maintenance and general refurbishing going on in the town to make it picture-perfect in time for all the summer visitors. Folk were taking advantage of the sunshine and painting their houses and tidying up their gardens.  The town has a lovely atmosphere and I imagine that in summer, it's a very popular place to stop. There's a new Spar supermarket which was well stocked, a good choice of restaurants, a fuel berth for boats, foul water emptying point/s.  Jachthaven De Rakken also has a lovely camping/caravan park which was equally well maintained and welcoming. Plus, like many towns in the Netherlands, there is free wi-fi throughout. The evening continued warm and we were able to eat on deck.  

The next day, we left Woudsend at 0945 and made our way northwest via the Hegemer Mar/Heegermeer. An absolute millpond! We didn't go into Heeg but turned to starboard on the Johan FrisoKanal.  By this stage, it was clear that today is 'return to base day' for charter boats and holiday crews as they rushed to get to base on time at the end of their holidays.  We let them go ahead of us as we have the luxury of being able to relax and enjoy the sights.  Through the town of Ijlst with a sharp dog-leg to pass through the brug. Another lovely town on our list to visit again. 

That's a chair you see floating in the water ahead of us…watch out, skipper!

Before we knew it, we were in Sneek and we had a small queue in front of us to get through the first brug.  The lead skipper made a bit of hash of things which meant he had to spin around, causing the two yachts behind him to have to spin around so we slipped under the bridge whilst they all sorted themselves out.  The photo below is of Sneek's famous Waterpoort (water gate). We've driven past in the car before, but this was our first view of it from the water.

We didn't stop this time; just slowly continued our way through the town and out past all the jachthavens and yards on the eastern side of town.  Then we turned to starboard, back into the Prinses Margriet Kanal and made our way south again to our home port in Lemmer.  

Vxx

1st April 2015. Blokzijl to Lemmer. The wind ups its game again.

Wednesday and it's the first day of the 'season' which means all the brug and sluis are open for business. The wind is less and the sun is shining. We are leaving for Lemmer today.

Engine on at 0930 and we enter the Blokzijl sluis. A small drop of probably a metre, the exit gates open and we have a green light to proceed. The bridge lifts and we're through. A few final photos as we cruise the outskirts of town.

In the Blokzijl sluis.

And a view back towards the haven from the sluis…

… slightly different view…

… and the skipper's view of the lock and the crew waiting for the green light…

…  as we leave the town…

… the brug closes behind us…

… and finally, this little cutie!

As we move along the canal toward the village of Wetering, my mobile phone rings and I find that our dog is not well.  She is already booked in to see the vet and Katie and I discuss options and thoughts. It's not serious, I hasten to add. Katie calls back having spoken to our vet again to let me know he's prescribed a course of antibiotics. By the time I hang up, I'm feeling far less worried about our lovely girl. 

We catch our breath as we start to move through the first village - it's lovely! But it's perishing cold out there, despite the sunshine. Skipper and crew add more layers under their coats. The journey past Muggenbeet, Wetering, Scheerwolde and Kalenberger villages was a fabulous experience. A narrow and twisting canal through each of these pretty villages - just gorgeous! Our very first bruggeld experience was fun (this means a fee is charged for the bridge to be opened.) - strong wind, freezing cold and bright sunshine. We were clearly the first customers for the season (no one else would be so mad in this weather!) and the man who was going to swing the clog looked worried; I was worried - but it all worked out brilliantly. Smiles, laughter and thanks, and we were on our way. 

Can you see the stork on its nest in the photo above?

Approaching the brug at Kalenberg…

… the brug is opening and I'm ready with the money…

… the clog is ready to be swung for me to catch and place the money into it…

Some more photos of our journey along the Kalenbergergracht…

… lovely, isn't it!…

… last one…

My phone rings again and it's Katie to tell me our girl has been to the vet's for a thorough check up and she's fine. But has clearly eaten something she shouldn't. Well. She's a Labrador. They do that kind of thing.  But I'm relieved, as is Richard. And Katie.

Onwards through Ossenzijl and the Driewegsluis and brug with the wind picking up all the time. Coming into the Driewegsluis, we have a sudden and almost katabatic blast of wind which does its best to slam the boat sideways as we move into the lock. The skipper calmly adjusts the boat and moves us starboard side to the lock wall for the crew to make us secure. Crew hastily stows the port side lines she had ready, and scuttles to starboard side to deal with those lines instead. 

Left or right? But so helpful, especially all the info about facilities available...

Ossenzijl brug ahead.

Don't worry, we head to starboard here…

… and a little further along, obligatory pic of a windmill…

We are finally seeing more boats on the water.  See! it's not just us!!  After we turned into the Pier Christiansloten, the wind strengthened yet again and there was/is nothing nice to say about the remainder of the journey.  Though we were able to refuel at Echtenerbrug, so that was nice!  Across the Tjeukemeer and a really rubbish, long wait for the next brug to open - soooo windy.  Turned to port into the Prinses Margriet Kanal and headed south towards Lemmer. Wind still increasing.

The wind was howling past us as we approached our marina - and tried to find our berth! Eventually worked out where it was and Richard swung us into the marina channel using all his skills to turn Pirramimma through the wind. We eased into our berth and two very kind folk jumped off the charter boat close by, ran over to us and took our lines. Bless them!

Engine off at 1600.  Cold. Freezing. Knackered. Tired. But safe and sound in our new berth. Hurrah!  We doubled up all our lines, put all our fenders out and snugged down for the night.  A lovely hot meal followed by an early night. 


Vxx