With a trip to the Frisian islands planned for later in the week, today's passage was designed to position us at the north west corner of the IJsselmeer. Just inside the Afsluitdijk, the jachthaven at Den Oever is ideally placed to await good weather for the tidal trip to Den Helder or Texel. The coast of Noord Holland between Medemblik and Den Oever is completely straight, being reclaimed polder land, drained in 1930. The land was reclaimed before the barrier dyke was built, making it the only IJsselmeer polder to have been reclaimed from sea water.

We took a direct route north, staying close inshore despite the wind turbines which stand just off the coast - a foretaste of what we can expect at Great Yarmouth. The Den Oever harbour is a popular place to keep a boat, having easy access both to the IJsselmeer and the Waddenzee. However, for visiting yachts the facilities are minimal, being 3km from the small town, isolated on the southern side of a large basin.

We had planned a sightseeing cycle ride for the afternoon, around the former island of Wieringen, described as the most accessible but the least known of the Frisian islands. Unfortunately, persistent rain accompanied our trip and the windswept shores of the north coast of Holland offered little protection. We made it as far as the octagonal thatched mill and the former parsonage where German Crown Prince Wilhelm sought refuge after the first world war, but had to forego the museum farm and the site of the 15th century chapel. The wreckage of crashed planes, presumably found during the draining of the polder did not feature in our guide.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 10 nm

Total to date: 1105 nm

Avg Speed: 5 knots

Duration: 2:00 hours

Diesel: 33 litres

Wind: SW 5

Mooring: €17

Electricity: €0,50 meter

Bridges

Kwikkels (lift)

Charts

1810.4