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- Category: Friesland 2016
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Friday 17th June Ref: 2016/16
Fine day after a wet start for our cruise from Makkum to Bolsward along the Van Panhuyskanaal and Warkumer Trekvaart to pass by water under the big Kruiswaterbrug, spanning the A7 dual carriageway to enter Bolsward basin and then mooring up at the shady lime-tree lined staithe on a hot afternoon for a brief look around the town.
The night was marked by the huge amount of rain that fell but fortunately it cleared up by around 9am when I woke up Kathleen with her morning tea and then went out to walk Max. I did not take him very far in Makkum but he was relieved and exercised so that I could make the call for the preparations to be made for moving on.
Luckily, all of the showers that had been forecast had already happened for the rest of the day was warm and dry. I had timed our departure some fifteen minutes early as so we had to wait at our first bridge, Ophaalbrug, until the lunchtime closure finished but the time soon lapsed as we tied up and enjoyed our coffee and cake. A very small and interesting section of the Van Panhuyskanaal then greeted us and we were flanked by old moorings for retired cargo vessels, now being lived upon, on one side and by fields of dairy cattle on the other.
We cruised on via several bridges that opened until we turned left on to the Warkumer Trekvaart and on past the small settlement of Tjerkwerd and on towards Bolsward. I was impressed that the large A7 dual carriageway trunk road traffic was stopped immediately for both bridges to be raised so that we could cruise through to the Bolsward basin, where there were lots of boats moored and additional mooring spaces available. We stopped first at the 15m free zone usable for taking on water and so filled out tanks before moving further down and tying up under the impressive row of lime trees that lined the sides of the canal.
There was unrestricted 6amp electricity and I also managed to immediately connect to Wifi via my KPN-fon arrangement. Max was a bit restless and so we took him with us to the centre of Bolsward to look at the shops and complete a few chores. We were further impressed with the size of the high street, the big City Hall; both bearing witness to the past importance of this Hanseatic Town.
26-30 degC, 45-29%RH, 1004/5 mb pressure steady, good viz, sunny intervals but warm, F2, with a 2-8kn WSWly light breeze
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Sunday 19th June Ref: 2016/17
This was a fine day after a wet night for our trip on from Bolsward, intending to go to Sneek but stopping instead on the way to the friendly and intimate old town of IJlst where we walked around with Max and took him on our tender around the waterway for a better view later. No internet or power tonight and therefore no news to report
We continued our plan of cruising inland through Friesland today, leaving Bolsward and fully intending to go to Sneek but we were taken with the little historic town of IJlst and found a friendly local to come aboard and so stopped there for the rest of the day and night.
The cruise began in a bit of an unsettled way as we had prepared Lady Martina and had just made some toast and honey with a mug of tea, when I saw two boats leaving and thought that perhaps I should get going to catch the same bridge. This thought was wrong as the first vessel went straight under Kruiswaterbrug without need to lift and the second hung around just off the water berth; reminding me that we should top up our water too! I stayed there for a while, eventually noticing that the boat moored at the water staithe had only just started to fill and we had to wait for that to complete, and the next one to fill, before we could go alongside ourselves. There seemed to be little wrong with the water flow (once Kathleen had turned it on fully!) and so we did not know what delayed the other boats and so we were soon underway, the bridge lifting to order and letting us cruise into the main navigation and turn left, or south-east, heading towards IJlst.
We found ourselves in a convoy and so I adjusted our speed to keep it together as I lead them through three lifting bridges to approach IJlst. There was then the railway bridge at which we pressed the button and then called the bridge-keeper on the quoted mobile and learnt that they would swing in 6mins. They were true to their word and we went through this bridge, turned left into a wider section and then got the Ophaalbrug into IJlst to swing and then proceeded through.
I spotted a central mooring free and so stopped immediately, causing some congestion, until we were safely moored and could relax. An old lady was at the moorings and I chatted to her when mooring and then she tried to get us a sticker for IJlst and arranged for her brother, the duty harbourmaster, to come by with one later, as he collected our berthing fee. We had invited her on board when we moored and given her tea and biscuits as we chatted together.
This done, Kathleen and I took Max for a look around on foot until we got to the edge of it and could let him run. Later on, after lunch and a rest for us both, we launched the tender, loaded Max aboard and took a magical ride around the edge of the old town on the canal that borders it. We stopped and let Max run and relieve himself again. Once back, we cleared up the dinghy lifted it up with the davits and then I loaded everything back aboard and let Max rest for a while as we did some chores
18-26 degC, 65-34%RH, 1022/3 mb pressure steady, good viz, sunny intervals but warm, F3, with a 4-11kn Wly breeze
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Monday 20th June Ref: 2016/18
A wet trip from IJlst to Sneek and, although the day had started wet and windy, (and then ended up very wet), we managed to keep the ‘porch’ extension canopy in place as we cruised and so kept reasonably dry. It was a very short trip from IJlst to Sneek, just 3nm and much less than an hour, but we had to pass through three bridges that all lifted easily and so it was an easy trip
The most startling part of the cruise was passing over a new aqueduct when twelve years ago my track showed us passing over what is now filled in land! Once we arrived at Sneek, I just about circumnavigated the town, found a place to top up with water for €0.50c and then we moored in a part of the Simmerrak that was right close to the town and had un-metered electricity as a key benefit.
The rain then poured and poured and still I could find no Internet connection and my phone was still not working properly and so I was quite frustrated. Fortunately, upon leaving Max in the boat and shopping in the town in the pouring rain, we managed to find a Vodafone shop and get my phone packages reconnected, also find an electrical components shop to find what I needed to be able to use my Pure Evoke radio and then a pet shop where we could buy a bag of dog food for Max. This was therefore quite a refitting stayover..
We also bought a new low-wattage kettle but later on I excelled myself and took the old kettle apart, found the problem and fixed it! I was able to get my internet radio working too later; which will be great to receive Uk broadcasts. The best thing of all was that I was opposite a marine engineer who specialised in cables and I was able to find what I needed in order to renovate my davit wires and was even introduced to an engineer who will come the next day to fit them!
After another nice meal made by Kathleen, I changed and went off in a search of a sport pub that would have the England football match on and I duly found one and watched them fight out a draw to progress to the next round of Euro 2016
18-24 degC, 78-68%RH, 1014-1017 mb pressure rising, good viz, wet and windy, F3/4, with a 4-15kn SWly breeze
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Thursday 23rd June Ref: 2016/19
Both Kathleen and I slept until quite late this morning as we had been disturbed by last night’s very heavy rain and were still catching up after our disrupted evenings of late. We drank our morning teas and then I took Max for a walk as Kathleen cleared up and prepared the boat. We had some long and emotional farewells with our new Aussie friends, Cathy and Craig, who followed us along the quay as we left and even to the water-point in the nearby facilities where it took us ages to fill up.
The rain had just about stopped by this time, but resumed as we cruised on past the numerous havens and marine businesses that lined the Simmerrak and then the river banks opened out for us to experience the splendid expanse of the Sneekermer and then closed in again as we cruised through the open doors of the massive Schutsluis; only closed during periods of floods and water control.
We were still on the Stadmaast route and so the remaining bridges would have opened but their clearance closed was over 7.1m and our greatest aerial height was 6.6m and so we could just cruise underneath. Soon we steamed into the open Pikmar of Grou and then spent some time cruising up and down to choose our most comfortable mooring before choosing a hammerhead in the Gemeente Boarnsterhim. This had very good WiFi but just delivered some 1.1Kw/$.50c which gobbled up quite a lot of our coins, given that it was by now a heatwave and I needed the air conditioning on to work!
We made a good tour of the town on foot, which was close by these moorings, enjoying niuwe haring and ice creams before buying some fine fish for dinner. The evening cooled and turned into a fine and sunny one, which made the Pikmar a splendid place upon which to be moored 2016
25 degC, 78-68%RH, 1017 mb pressure steady, good viz, rain showers, F2, with a light 4-7kn NNWly breeze
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Friday 24th June Ref: 2016/20
A full cruising day as we left Grou, stopped for lunch at Akkrum and then completed our cruise to Joure where we find an IWN fan wanting a signature for the book and could then settle for the night. We had quickly got up and ready, enjoyed some porridge, and then prepared Lady Martina for today’s cruise to make that plan possible
Today we first cruised across the Pik Meer and Wijde Ee and then along the Graft and Birstumerrak until navigating anti-clockwise around the Akkrum Zijlroede until we found the concrete moorings just past the Akkrum railway bridge. This gave us the chance to stretch our legs, and those of our dog Max, as we walked around Akkrum shopping centre where we bought some kibbling to share, and then some vegetables and groceries from local stores.
It would be my advice to others who read my book, that Akkrum is just considered as a stopping off place rather than a principal venue for any sort of stay. The visitor moorings in the town are restricted to 10 metre boats only but have coin operated electricity and water. It has an excellent shopping centre and a fruit and veg stall that visits on Tuesdays and Fridays.
After an hour and a half there, we boarded Lady Martina again and set off through the lifting bridge towards the Terkaplesterplassan, where the open mere was very impressive until the next bridge lifted for us to cruise across the even more impressive Goingarijpster which opened up to fill the horizon. This, after which we took the Noorder Odeweg until we could turn through the Jourstersluis (which stood open) and along the Zijlroede dyke and into Joure itself.
Once we arrived, I prospected all of the moorings and chose an alongside berth close to the town and found the harbourmaster’s office to pay our dues and get a Sep card topped up for some electricity. Sep cards have replaced the old Sep keys and €.50c meters at many marinas and it transpires that each of these cards (and I bought mine at Enkhuizen) can be used at up to ten different venues, with each account being preserved whilst doing so.
By now, it was really quite hot and so we rested until the cool of the evening encouraged us to tour the town with Max on his lead. Joure has a wonderful shopping street with late opening on Fridays and the moated mound in the nearby park makes an excellent informal walk with its lily pads and bridges rivalling those of Monet's garden in France!
22-32 degC, 77-44%RH, 1015-1017 mb pressure rising slowly, good viz, overcast with the odd showers , F2/3, with a 4-11kn WSWly breeze
