The Journey -
Submarining on Rosy
Sunday 4th September 2005
The Journey -
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ROSY HAS!! READ ON … We have spent the past few weeks dodging about all over the place, as Mike and June want to visit as many waterways as possible "because they are there". I'm not really into this - for me, canals are an extremely pleasant way of getting to places of interest. Hence, I don't intend to continue giving a turn by turn account of our peregrinations through the Netherlands. Instead, I will stick to the highlights - or, rather, those things that I consider to be the highlights. I know that there some folk who are trying to follow our journey on a map, so I'll try to mention the larger towns. However, as in UK, important waterway villages and junctions often do not appear on road maps. From Dokkum, we headed for Leeuwarden, skirting its eastern and southern flank - the southern flank being the very commercial Van Harinxma Kanal. We soon turned left (southish) off this busy canal onto the tiny Klieroute. We checked the maps carefully to ensure that we could get under all of the fixed bridges, and we could. By chance we even came across a small supermarket, with a car park beside the canal, and some moorings. So we shopped for supplies. In the evening we stopped in the village of Berlikum. The next day we had a bit more of the Harinxma Kanal, before turning onto the Arumer Vaart and mooring in Witmarsum for the weekend. This pretty, friendly little village was still in shock following the death of a mother of two who, a month or so previously, had fallen off her bike in the middle of the village and had her head crushed by a passing tractor. Wilting flowers still marked the place of the tragedy. We went out for a drink in the evening, and one of the people at the bar immediately told everyone that we were from the strange boats moored in the village. However, the language that he used - even to our untutored ears - sounded strange. We were in the province of Friesland (we knew this from the many black and white cows in the fields), where the dialect is still very strong. Indeed, it is difficult for a Dutch speaker to understand it. On the Monday we had (for me) a long day - seven hours' cruising. We cruised through Bolsward, where I tried to make contact with some Dutch boaty folk that I met in France - but the phone number they gave me wouldn't work. We then started really dodging about, through lakes with buoyed channels, which are interconnected by short cuts. We eventually arrived near Jentje Meer, where we also moored last year, and which we christened 'The Godwit Moorings' - on account of the fact that in the field opposite there were several bar tailed godwits whose song is a mere squawk, but they kept squawking at each other all night long. Fortunately, either some sleep deprived boater had shot them all, or they had finished doing whatever they were doing there, and had moved on to annoy other people. There we had then a meander down towards Zwartesluis, where we had problems last year with a lock keeper, who refused to believe that two boats, each 2.10 metres wide could get into her five-metre wide lock side by side. She started closing the gates on the second boat, which could still get through the open one - much to her chagrin. However, she saw the funny side of it in the end - we think. This time, a different lock-keeper understood basic maths. We moored about a kilometre beyond the lock, and filled with water at a friendly marina. 50 Eurocents per 100 litres is the general going rate for drinking water, though more often it is free. On Sunday 28th July we were joined by Patricia and her number two son Storm, who joined us for a day. A couple of years ago, I had a long exchange of e-mails with Patricia. She is a Dutch lady who spent some time in the UK down Devon way, involved with the Schumacher College. We had not met face to face before, so it was all very interesting. She is very much into the heart, and if you are too, go to www.my-happy-heart.com to find out more. It was very good to have other people on Rosy, and it made the interesting cruise even more enjoyable. We had to go back up through the lock at Zwartesluis, and then head over to join the River Ijssel at Kampen, where there are some lovely old two- and three-masted sailing boats. One of the things that is so noticeable here is the large number of old boats around. The lovely old sea-going ships at Kampen are still used, and there are many other such magnificent vessels elsewhere. Similarly, there are a great many old barges around, some sailing barges and some motorised, mainly, I think, in private hands. Furthermore, many vessels being built today copy the lines of these old barges, both in full sized boats, and in smaller copies. In particular, lee-boards are very commonly seen. Other than narrow boats, I can't say that I have seen many old style boats on British waters. I don't think anyone is making 'forgeries' of (for example) the Thames spritsail barges, which everyone agrees were very handy vessels, and would look good even if built half size. Anyway, from Kampen we headed downstream to Ketelmeer, and in, through the lock at Ketelhaven, to Flevoland and a comfortable mooring.. Flevoland is a newish piece of The Netherlands, having been reclaimed form the sea in recent times. The original dyke was completed just before WW2, but final drainage etc. had to wait until the end of hostilities. Most buildings are less than 30 years old. The unique feature of Flevoland from a boaty point of view is that one can 'go boating' on water that is five metres BELOW sea level. There are several extensive and populous towns in Flevoland, though it has to be said that the boating is a touch tedious, if only because all the canals run in, pretty much, straight lines. The next two days were spent traversing Flevoland. Tomorrow we will be out on a BIG bit of water - the Gooimeer, and through to the Markermeer and thence back to proper canal boat waters - namely the very pretty River Vecht. AND ALL THINGS DUTCH … A few comments on The Netherlands and the Dutch. The British are about the only folk who call The Netherlands 'Holland'. The Dutch people call their country 'The Netherlands', as do their neighbours - the French, Germans and Belgians. The most obvious national characteristic of the Dutch people that I have noticed is their preferred method of waving. We all wave at each other on the water, and most people have their own, individual wave. Mine is a couple of waves with the open palm towards the wavee, which then transmutes into the thumbs-up sign (except that smalls get a very much more vigorous wave, which is even MORE vigorous if I get a return wave). Anyway, 97% of male Dutch waves are a clenched fist with the fore-finger pointing up to the sky. The rebellious 3% point the fore-finger up, but with the thumb sticking out at the side. I guess they must all be taught this at school. The Dutch countryside has a melancholy beauty about it. Hills turn out not be hills, but either areas of woodland or dykes. The canals are, in the main, straight - like the Telford canals in UK. The somewhat haunting beauty of the countryside is somewhat spoiled by the stink. If you can get upwind of the stink, all is well, but downwind it is pretty stomach-churning. I believe it is rotting manure, waiting to be fed onto the agricultural land. SECRETS Recently, mention was made on the news of a 'Top Secret' research establishment. Why are all such research establishments referred to as 'Top Secret'? And what would be the difference between a merely 'Secret' establishment, and a 'Top Secret' one? In my murky past, I dealt with classified documents, in which there was a well defined hierarchy. Which went roughly like this:
THINGS TO DO IN THE NETHERLANDS THE most important thing to do is to buy a hat there. Then, in other countries, you can create conversational opening gambits by announcing that you are wearing your Dutch cap. Friend Richard cheated by buying his wife a hat there, and later, at a cocktail party, announced - loudly - that his wife was wearing her new Dutch cap. Ho! Ho! Ho! Toodle pip!! Bill |
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