After the obligatory three days in Gouda, made necessary by the unfeasibly cheap three day discount, we set off this morning for Dordrecht. As the Gouda town centre bridges do not operate on Sundays except in July and August we expected a mass exodus and started an early rush for the solitary (free) water hose. We finally got underway promptly at 9(.30)am after a comprehensive mopping up operation in the cockpit. The hot, sultry weather had come to a sudden end during the night with a heavy, thundery storm which had caught the fleet in varying degrees of sun canopy which were less than waterproof.

The bridges do not operate to a specific schedule at the weekend and the bridge-keepers seemed particularly sluggish in operating them. We eventually completed the passage of the one kilometre long Nieuwe Gouwe taking 45 minutes to achieve 5 minutes of actual cruising. We radioed the Julianasluis well in advance and were rewarded with the north bridge already raised for our arrival and a swift locking operation whilst a barge waited downstream.

The rest of our passage passed more smoothly with only the open Algerabrug storm barrier to pass below with an ample 8 metres of clearance before we turned into the choppier waters of the Nieuwe Maas. Continuing south on the R. Noord we opted for the narrow backwater of the Rietbaan, marked on the chart as a Scheepssloperijen. As well as being a slightly shorter channel this avoided some of the adverse tide which we had been battling on this stretch. True to its name this channel is home to a scrapyard for old boats and even the advertised ferry was lying derelict on the bottom. Nevertheless some Dutch boats had chosen it as a cheap place to moor, although we felt the ambience was a little lacking.

We were headed for the more auspicious surroundings of the Royal Dordrecht Rowing and Sailing Club, housed in the Nieuwe Haven basin. This is accessed by the half hourly opening of the Engelenburger bridge, and when we arrived here we found stiff competition from a flotilla of Dutch motor boats. We sent an advance party to the Harbour Office to secure the best moorings and when the bridge opened could make straight for our allocated berths. In the afternoon there was just time to catch the VVV office before its closure at 4pm until Monday afternoon, and then on to the Saturday market in the Statenplein which was still buzzing with fresh fish and vegetable stalls until 5pm.

For our lay day in Dordrecht we went on a cycle ride to the Hollandse Biesbosch, a freshwater tidal area, nicknamed the Dutch "jungle". Formerly farmland, it was wiped out by severe flooding in 1421 and then gradually recolonised as an area for eel and salmon fishing, reed cutting and osier beds. It is now a National Park complete with boat trips, visitors centre and the "Biestro" bistro, and a popular spot for a Sunday outing. We returned to the Merwekade via the cheap and efficient waterbus service and, as it was the last Sunday in the month, were still in time for the last hour of Koopzondag.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 19 nm

Total to date: 1406 nm

Avg Speed: 6 knots

Duration: 4:30 hours

Diesel: 42 litres

Mooring: €16/night

Electricity: Included

Water: Included

Locks

Ir.de Kock van Leeuwen

Julianasluis

Bridges

Potters (lift)

Rabat (lift)

Steve Biko (lift)

Julianasluis noord (lift)

Julianasluis zuid (lift)

Algerabrug (8.4m)

Alblasserdam (12m)

Engelenburger (lift)

Charts

ANWB J

1809.8

1809.5