Spakenburg to Harderwijk (via Zeewolde and De Dode Hond) – 4 to 9 October
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4th October – Departing Spakenburg at 9.30am we were on our way further along the Ijsselmeer to spend a night in Zeewolde – a huge contrast between the old and the new! Spakenburg seemed very traditional, with an abundance of old and very old ships in the old harbour in the centre of town, and most of the newer ships in another nearby marina. Zeewolde however is a relatively new town, everything quite ‘blocky’ and precise, but still an interesting place for a short visit.
5th October – This morning we made the short trip over to the small island of De Dode Hond (the Dead Dog) which is an artificial island in the Eemmeer, and we were lucky enough to find only one other ship already moored, and even that left later in the day! So we were on our very own private island for the night, which was pretty nice, and Bob was able to explore his own domain for the evening.
6th October – After a pleasant night, our travels took us on a half an hour’s journey across to Harderwijk (another of the nine Hanseatic cities), a fantastic location with lots of character and interest.
On arrival I walked over to the harbour masters office to check in (we had been thinking that we’d only stay in Harderwijk for one night, but ended up staying for three, in part due to the horrible weather). Anyway, who should I find moored up outside the office but Vriebuiter (Gaelle & Russell’s lovely barge). That was a surprise, but sadly it seemed Gaelle and Russell and the girls weren’t there.
However, on our first morning Nicki took Casper out first thing, and on walking past Vriebuiter she realised that in fact the family were on board – they had arrived back later the previous evening – and stopped for coffee and a chat, catching up on all their news.
She and Gaelle arranged for us all to meet up later in a local bar, and in talking with them we realised that wintering in Harderwijk might possibly be a much better option for us. So next morning we popped into the Harbour Master’s office to have a chat, which ended in us booking and paying for a mooring till the end of March. (We emailed Deventer to let them know of the change, so hopefully they’ll be ok with that.)
