Return to Pirramimma and Friesland. Oh, Island in the Wind! (with apologies to Harry Belafonte)

We were excited to be heading back to Pirramimma and Friesland. We always leave too early for the ferry to Hoek van Holland and we always tell ourselves that we will leave a little later 'next time'. This time we took a little tour around the Harwich waterfront to try to avoid the queue at the port. It didn't work though and cars were still lining up by the time we arrived. Boarding had yet to start. We would be late departing again. 

Happily, it was a flat calm sea so the ferry Captain was able to make good the time lost before departure. We drove off the ferry at Hoek van Holland and found it was raining in this part of the world. But the time through customs and security was efficient and speedy, made all the better by the fact that the rain stopped just as we drove away from the port. We had an easy trip to Lemmer again, and it was precisely two hours after arriving at Hoek van Holland that we stepped onboard Pirramimma again. The relief! It's like being home once more after a long time away. The whole journey from the time we left home to being onboard was just 12 hours: probably our best time to date. 

Coming 'home'. 

And it's always a relief when we've looked Pirramimma over and see that she is perfectly safe and secure. There wasn't a vast amount of kit to unload; the usual suspects of clothing, sheets and towels, some basic food supplies plus bits and pieces various. Fridge on, water taken on, bed made up and kit put away into its rightful place. At the end of it, we were tired so snacked on some yummy cheeses and crispbreads. A glass of beer for Richard and a glass of Champagne for me. Lights out. 

We were pretty slow off the mark next day, pottering around the boat and enjoying our coffee on the aft deck. It was nearly midday before we headed into Lemmer for the necessary shopping. The town was delightfully quiet which was a relief after the summer madness of the last trip. A good look at the boat in the light of day showed how filthy she was! I think the spiders had been taking some kind of growth hormone as they were at least four times the size they were when we left. The boat was rimmed with dust, spider and bird poop. And cobwebs were everywhere. I think I hate the cobwebs the most. 

We had some pretty bizarre weather for the remainder of the day with rain and strong sunshine alternating until a heavy storm arrived with thunder and lightning blasting around the harbour. Then more strong, hot sunshine before the wind really kicked in with non-stop rain taking the temperature down several notches.

That evening, the galley slave prepared fresh mussels, and we sat on the aft deck to eat them. Chillies, fresh herbs, onions, garlic and white wine went into the mix. The mussels were sweet, plump and utterly delicious. 2kg of mussels cost just €7.89. 

They're cooked! And smell delicious.

How lovely it was to be able to eat our meal on the aft deck again! And how we've missed being able to do so.

They tasted fantastic.

Next day, we jumped into the car and drove down to Elburg. There'd been some very sad and shocking news just before we left home and we wanted to offer our condolences to our friends there. It was good to see them again, but I wish it hadn't been under such circumstances. May you Rest In Peace, Rob; you were one of the special ones.

Afterwards, we headed to Kampen to have lunch at our favourite restaurant there and, happily, the sun shone once again. d'Olde Vismark serves delicious food and, as a bonus for us, has an excellent view of the bridge and all the watery goings-on. We are always made so welcome, the service is professional yet relaxed and friendly. 

We finalise a couple of purchases for the ship's galley and head back to Lemmer. Margaret, one of the lovely Women on Barges (the Facebook group I'm a member of), contacts me and we make arrangements to catch up on Friday morning before we each head our separate ways. We've been trying to meet up since April, but due to our separate cruising plans, always manage to miss each other by a day or so!

The weather's pretty awful these first few days so the time is spent catching up with more friends, checking weather forecasts, putting a cruising plan together plus putting Pottle back together and back in the water once more. There's no rush to 'get' somewhere; a major part of the experience is relaxing and enjoying the process of being onboard Pirramimma. However, Windfinder tells us the weather pattern is clearing so the decision is made to leave Lemmer on Friday morning at 1100 hours. 

Thursday afternoon and the weather has indeed cleared. Richard had spent the morning changing the impeller on the Perkins and had also put new Speedseals on the Perkins. Then he puts the new Speedseal onto the generator - and finds the 'new' impeller which he replaced in August is nearly broken and so replaces that again. After a late lunch, we drove to the jachthaven where Pirramimma will be berthed next summer. And we're glad we did so as we had a chance to meet the Havenmeester and introduce ourselves to him. It was the first time we've met him and we chatted for some time before wandering over to 'our' berth to check it out again. Then into Lemmer to buy some spare impellers. Again. 

We are delighted when Friesland puts on a fantastic sunset display that evening - the first since we arrived.

Friday dawned bright and sunny. For the first time this trip, it's warm enough to sit on the aft deck for breakfast. We made our usual departure preparations of taking on more water, readying all the lines etc etc. Shorts and polo shirts are the order of the day - Hurrah! And, happily, the planned meeting with Margaret goes ahead and it was lovely to finally meet her. 


Richard eased Pirramimma out of her berth and we moved away from the jachthaven. Our cruising plan is to head to the Sneekermeer and to see if we can find space on the little Marrekrite island known as 'Adam'. We first visited this island for a very brief time in June, when we met up with Petra and Klaus there. Calm conditions prevailed until just past the aqueduct which carries the A7 under the Prinses Margriet Kanal. At this point, the wind kicked in and kicked the previously flat calm conditions into choppy waves. 

We motored over to 'Adam' to find no-one else there, allowing us the choice for the best pontoon with regard to being in the lee of the wind. Even so, with 25 knots of wind over the deck and against us, the conditions were a little challenging. However, Team Pirramimma managed it very well thanks to ace manoeuvring skills by the Skipper. The Crew even managed to throw the lines successfully into the wind and it wasn't long before we were secured with a cat's cradle of 6 x lines/springs whilst the wind did its best to push us off the pontoon. We settled down, engine off and took a short walk around the island. A very, very short walk around the island. The wind was forecast to drop that afternoon and although it didn't really let up very much at all, the sun came out and it turned into a pleasant afternoon.

We sat on deck for the remainder of the day; reading, chatting and enjoying the scenery. It was warm enough to enjoy our evening meal on deck. Galley slave hot smoked a couple of salmon fillets for our evening meal, serving them with roast potatoes and sweet potatoes, avocado and a simple salad of tomatoes and cucumber in vinaigrette. 

Mother Nature treated us to some dramatic cloud formations and scenery during our time at the island.  The first three photos below were taken at two separate sunrises, looking towards Terhorne and the last one taken at sunset, looking towards Sneek. 

Next day, Saturday, the wind began to increase soon after breakfast. Windfinder predicted windy conditions for pretty much the entire day, dropping late afternoon. We spent the day relaxing on deck and watching the hundreds and hundreds of boats, large and small and of all descriptions, sailing by (whizzing by) on the Sneekermeer. How wonderful to see them all and to see everyone having such a great time. Plans to use the Cobb for a BBQ that evening are abandoned - it's just too windy forcing the galley slave to fall back on sautéed pork steaks, serving them with roasted vegetables cooked in the Remoska. 

Sunday night is to be the last on the island for us. Marrekrite moorings allow for  a 3 x 24 hour stay and although no-one seems to come around to check, as visitors to this beautiful country, we have no wish to abuse any privileges. The fact that no-one else was stupid enough to stay out for so long in this wind is an entirely different matter! We have friends, Sheila and Paul, meeting us on the island today as they're joining us onboard for a meal tonight. It was lovely to catch up with them again, and we chatted and chatted, hearing all their news about their cruising adventures since last we saw them in Dokkum. Thanks to them both for making the journey to visit us!

Next morning, we made our farewells to Sheila and Paul before casting off our lines. The wind is still quite strong and gently pushes Pirramimma off the pontoon, the Skipper circles the boat around and we wave to our friends before cruising slowly away towards Sneek.