Sunday 7th July Ref: 2019/16
A good cruise firstly from IJlst to Heeg, mooring up at Eendracht Yacht Haven for a couple of hours, filling up with metered water and topping up with free electricity whilst we took our bikes to investigate the town. Then we cruised on across the wide open meer of Hegermer Mar until its intersection with its De Fluezen neighbour where we turned to starboard across It Piel and along the Yntemasleat and across the Grutte Gaastmar and Sanmar lakes. Then to approach Workum via the Koarte and Lange Fliets until we bridged through the Sudergoabrege and turned left past the Noarderbrege to find our planned and familar mooring at Kuperus on the right
We had enjoyed our time in IJlst and were relaxing in bed this morning with our morning tea when Chris from Ikon knocked on the window, having used the shower in the building adjacent to Lady Martina and asked what time we were due to leave today. It was around 9:30am by this time and I suggested 10 o’clock in view of their enthusiasm to get going.
This gave us a bit of a challenge but we got up and ready as agreed and after Chris had turned Ikon round in the meer behind us, we prepared to go through the Ophalbrug together. After this bridge, we cruised across the pretty Draai lake just west of it and then south along the Wide Wimerts waterway until we came to the De Skoubrig bridge on the outskirts of Heeg which lifted efficiently for us.
After this, we soon turned into the western part of The Johan Frisokanaal until it joined the north-eastern part of the Hegemer Mar where we could approach Heeg through a forest of personal watercraft sailed and paddled by children from the nearby holiday camp resorts. We moored up at Eendracht Yacht Haven and stayed there for a couple of hours as we filled up with metered water and free electricity and then took our bikes to investigate the town.
Once we got to the centre of town, we found a few shops were open, it being Sunday, but there was a Chandlers for the others look round whilst I investigated some day-time moorings were being used in the very central location close to nearby restaurants and just south of the Draaibrug to Heeg (ref 286a). I took some photographs and later on, with the aid of my charts and computer navigation application, I determined that it was easily accessible without need to pass through a bridge and so I did a new sketch for the book.
Once back at the boat, we loaded our bicycles aboard and set off. Getting out of Heeg was quite tricky as, in addition to the children using the personal watercraft, there was now a great deal of boat traffic crossing The Hegermer Mar which acts as a junction for destinations in all directions. We turned south-west in the direction towards Stavoren to the middle intersection with its De Fluezen neighbour where we turned to starboard acress It Piel and along the Yntemasleat and across the Grutte Gaastmar and Sanmar lakes.
We then approached Workun via the Koarte and Lange Fliets until we bridged through the Sudergoabrege and left past the Noarderbrege to find our planned mooring at the Kuperus boatyard on the right. It was a familiar place to me as I had moored there at least twice before but it was deserted on this occasion, it being Sunday, and so I chose two moorings on the river front for us for the night and then invited our friends for teas and coffees on board Lady Martina.
It had been a cooler day than of late as the weather was changing with clouds in the sky. We then took our bikes to investigate Workum. The main street was quite close to our moorings but it is a very long one, taking us eventually to the town square and to two museums. We were just in time to visit one in the old weigh bridge building, which had video presentations and static exhibits about the history of Workum which showed just how much it had changed in the last hundred years or so. We heard how the square is full of Friesian Cattle on the 4th Saturday of September for a show. By this time, it started spitting with rain and the square had emptied of the hundreds of people who had been out drinking and chatting and so we made our way back to the Kuperus boatyard on our bikes and then we prepared Lady Martina for drinks and nibbles.
Hearing of my family news concerning the arrival of my latest grandson, Thomas Frederick Mantle, my friends insisted that we open a bottle of sparkling wine in celebration and they converted it cork into a memento. By this time the breeze was getting up and it was then to rain overnight as we had our pasta and got to bed before midnight.
