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- Category: Friesland 2016
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Sunday 26th June Ref: 2016/21
Moving from Joure via Heeg to the Sloten Slotergat dyke on a sunny, but windy day, during which time we completed our washing and recharged our batteries . This was a well-organised day that brought us along several canals and across four meers, to firstly stop off at Heeg to take advantage of free water and electricity with which to use our washing machine and recharge Lady Martina with both, before cruising on to approach Sloten and moor up in its Slotergat dyke for the evening.
We had exhausted our €5 card with electricity demands and the red light was on my inverter when I finally started the engines and the batteries gained some charge at last. We were also low on water and so were looking out for a supply when we set off from our Joure Passentenhaven, but they were all requiring a Sep card with funds to operate.
It was windy this morning, but that did not worry us as we completed the trip along the Jouster Sylroede, turned left after passing through the open Joustersluis and headed in a south-westerly direction across the Langwader meer. It was wide open, with white horses breaking the surface in the fresh breese, as we made our turn near the end and headed Northwest towards the Langwarder Feart, but then turned south-west again before we got there, to leave the meer and clear the Ophaalbrug opening bridge.
This let us enter the Jaan Sleat, which took us into the northern extremity of the Koevordermeer, where we were then able to overtake a string of slower sailing boats that had been hampering our progress. As soon as we crossed the Princes Margriet Kanaal, we turned north on it briefly, before finding the Johan Frisokanaal to port for the long westerly slog towards Heeg.
On the previous occasion we had tried to moor in Heeg, there was no space but, it being earlier in the day, I pulled in alongside and, resisting the ministrations of the young seasonal harbourmaster, got us moored against a strong off-shore breeze. Once secure, we then explained our plan to just stop for water, rather than overnight, and we were then left to our own devices and I then spotted that the electricity pods and one water point were permanently on rather than requiring 50c pieces! This then allowed us to complete showers and hairwashes for ourselves and two full cycles of our washing machine for our clothes and still end up with full water tanks and fully-charged batteries free!
As Kathleen was organising the washing and cleaning the inside of the boat, I took a walk to the centre of Heeg, which is well-served with restaurants and bars, but the shops were mostly closed, it being Sunday, and so I could find no bread to buy. Once back, a further half hour cleaning the hull, as I could reach the starboard side for once, and then we left for the second half of the day’s cruise. This involved cruising south across the Hegermeer and Slotermeer in that fresh breeze and passing through the little village of Woudsend in between before cruising into the sheltered Slotergat, where we found grassy moorings just out of the town of Sloten with 10A electricity and WiFi to make us comfortable for the evening.
By now the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was dropping for the night and so we celebrated a fantastic cruising day with beers and enjoyed the open landscape and the peaceful scenic nature of the place.
25-23 degC, 62-52%RH, 1013-1014 mb pressure steady, good viz, sunny and dry , F2/3, with a 10-17kn mainly Wly breeze
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- Category: Friesland 2016
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Monday 27th to 28th June Ref: 2016/22
A day that started and continued wet and windy until the fair and sunny weather came later in time for us to cruise back from Sloten to Sneek after Sieb had called me and we had diagnosed the problem as needing attention.
It was raining again and, when the worst of it had passed, I was walking Max when the Sneek engineer Sieb called me and we discussed the water pump problem again and I said that I could not rule out his very plausible explanation that the water tank pressure valve was to blame and so I would remove the floorboards and take a very good look at it.
We brought Lady Martina in from the rural mooring on the outskirts of Sloten into the town centre and that was quite a cold and stressful experience for Kathleen as there was a strong breeze and her arm was hurting again. I took her into the town centre for some warming soup and a drink after the stress and we found a shop for our supplies before coming back with the weather still dull and damp.
I decided to take the boat apart again and with Kathleen’s help, I got up all of the boat floorboards, mopped up such moisture as I could find and then was just about to give up, having found nothing, when I shone the torch under the water tank and saw some ripples. When I used a mirror n and took a good look, I could see water dripping and so the diagnosis was made; the tank enclosure had a leak somewhere.
I called Sieb and we concluded that we should only use the pressurised water when really needed, and to leave the pump off at other times, and he wanted me to bring the boat back to Sneek, which I said that I could do in a couple of days. After this call, we put Lady Martina back together again and I decided to start making our way back from Sloten to Sneek today after all.
We dropped off first at the field mooring (where we had stayed at the night before) and gave Max a good walk and then turned back, through the lifting bridge in Sloten and headed east to join the Princes Margariet Kanaal. This fast through route, linking Friesland with Germany, had 7m high bridges and so there were no more obstructive structured between us and Sneek as even our VHF aerials only need 6.6m.
The skies cleared, the sun came out and we actually enjoyed the cruise which took us around two and a half hours until we arrived in the centre to seek space in our former moorings. To our surprise, our newly-made Aussie friends, Craig and Cathy were there and helped organise other boats to move to give us space. We were so glad to be back and they came on board and spent the whole evening with us; Craig joining me for a trip to the pub for football and Cathy staying on board drinking and chatting with Kathleen.
The weather started sunny the following morning and was much better than the day before and so we resolved to wash our bed linen which had been used for a month! The weather soon changed with the rain returning but it cleared up later and the job was done, the bed mattress was turned and we then received Sieb on board to learn of his opinion about our water leak.
After some time looking with a torch, we agreed that the leak was originating from the tank itself and that it would need replacing but unfortunately this would be a major project for which Sieb would not have the time, we also agreed that the leak was slight and so it would be best to carry on using Lady Martina and its hot water tank for the time being and just turn the pump off when not in use to save water and any further deterioration.
This agreed, we went and did some food shopping in the nearby Jumbo superstore and then moved Lady Martina around to the other side of Sneek for a change of view and chance of some internet coverage. We navigated the three lifting bridges without problem and then moored up just within sight of the Waterport where we saw the very large trip boat navigating the nearby bridge with great care.
21-25 degC, 63-51%RH, 1015-1013 mb pressure falling slowly, good viz, rain, showers and sunny intervals , F2/3, with a 7-13kn mainly Wly breeze
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- Category: Friesland 2016
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Wednesday 29th June Ref: 2016/23
the windy cruise from Sneek to Lemmer and there to find a good mooring with all services such that we could unload the bikes and see the town.
The rain was pouring down overnight but, thankfully, it had stopped this morning and it was brighter as I woke up and put the kettle on. I tried unsuccessfully to log into the WiFi this morning and this, plus us already being a day behind our publicised schedule, convinced me that we should cast off today and leave for Lemmer.
Before we did that I walked Max, of course, and gave him a good run and then spotted that the ‘antique shop’ by the Waterport moorings was open early enough for us to take a look today and so I invited Kathleen to do so once I got back. It is a fascinating place that has ‘bays’ that people hire for €22.50 per week, rather like a perpetual ‘car boot’ sale and then they get all of the revenue accordingly. We saw lots of interesting things but managed to constrain ourselves to just having a bunch of wooden coat hangers for €1 and no tenant is going to get rich on that!
Once back, we quickly set off, waiting for the Lemmerbrug, in the shadow of the Waterport, to open and firstly let a stream of boats through from the other way. I was trying to keep out of their way, whilst controlling Lady Martina in a strong breeze and most of the other boats were in control, but I had to go sharply astern for a motor boat that could not make the turn closely enough! Then the Van Harinxmabrug and the Oppenhuizenbrug opened in turn and we were out in the open, cruising east along the Hokesleat until we turned south along the wide and open Princes Margriet Kanaal when the 9-12knot wind was behind us.
It was always going to be a blustery day and the breeze topped 20 knots at one point on the open meers of De Kufurd and the Grutte Brekkan, but I had lashed down our canopy porch in anticipation and all was secure and well with the cruise. This wide arterial waterway is not the prettiest, but it was very efficient way of driving south to Lemmer and the 14nm took less than three hours despite our initial three bridges that needed navigating. The main canal bridges are over 7m and so we could cruise straight under them again, aerials and everything raised. It was familiar territory for me to cruise to port along the Stroomkanaal, once we got to the vicinity of Lemmer, and then to find the Binnenhaven where we could have an alongside berth with unlimited 10A electricity, water and the internet. The latter connection was chargeable at €0.50/day per device but Lady Martina’s Red Box router counts as one and so radiates to all of our devices free, which was quite a coup.
Some time mooring in the strong breeze, our fill of water and log notes and then off to the town on our bikes
21-26 degC, 69-34%RH, 1008-1009 mb pressure rising slowly, good viz, sun and the odd shower, shower, F4, with a strong 8-19kn mainly SWly breeze
