August 2021 – Part 2
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When it was time to leave Hoorn we found ourselves buried on the inner side of a pack of boats which meant that we had to arrange for two of the yachts to get up early and move so that we could leave before it got too windy. It all worked out well, and we were able to get off to a good start.
The trip was nice and easy because it was flat calm with only light winds, and we were followed out by three cruisers although as we are not particularly speedy, after a while they passed us and we carried on to the town of Edam.
Arriving in Edam we probably went too far, passing the majority of the vacant moorings, but once at the end of the channel we happily found a very nice secluded mooring – the only catch turned out to be that it was priority mooring for trip or large historic boats, not tiddlers like us. The harbour master did ask us to move up to one end of the quay, just in case a trip boat turned up and sure enough on our first evening one did turn up late and there was just enough room for her to slide in behind us. By early evening the next day, it was all change – a small cruiser had rafted alongside us, a different historic ship was behind us and then another one turned up later and rafted up to that one. It was definitely interesting watching these beautiful older ships manoeuvre around the relatively small space available, and we had some interesting conversations with the skippers, one of whom could only have been in his thirties and has only picked up his ship a few days earlier but seemed to be manoeuvring it like a pro.
Edam wasn’t a particularly interesting place however, just one serious restaurant and cafe and that was pretty much it. We did pick up a self-guided tour sheet and followed that around for a while, but really the weather was against us and our hearts weren’t in it so we didn’t manage to complete it. The church was supposed to be pretty good, having the largest nave in Europe, but it was closed when we visited.
After a couple of days we left Edam and struck out for Weesp but on the way we came across the fort of Pampus, an artificial island with a sea fort, built in the late 19th-century, and made a quick stop to look around. It was a bit confusing finding our way through the corridors but we did manage a simulated balloon ride which explained more about the history and purpose of these fortified islands.
The Royal Barge 
Continuing on, we sailed into the pretty town of Muiden, passing the royal barge as we took in the view of the Muiderslot, a castle at the mouth of the Vecht, and from there we cruised on and into Weesp. As before, the bridges in Weesp were dutifully opened up for us, and despite being busy on the water we found a reasonable spot outside the town where we spent a pleasant evening.
Next morning we travelled the short distance of an hour’s cruise to Diemen (located on the outskirts of Amsterdam) a small town that we have visited a few times previously. Once again this was just a one-night stop, but we were able to get in some food supplies and take in a short walk around the area. We hadn’t intended on leaving too late the next morning, but an early morning wake-up call from council workers putting fallen branches through a wood chipper right next to our boat meant that we were up and ready to set off just after nine.
Now on the Amstel and heading south, we had to be constantly alert for all the many rowers out and about, and then as we approached Ouderkerk, the bridge keeper came on the radio to advise us that there was work on a new bridge a little further along which meant that the channel was closed for a couple of days. (Unfortunately this hadn’t been flagged by Navigo). We asked if there was anywhere we could moor up nearby but didn’t get a response, but then a commercial contacted us to say he was on his way to the bridge and we could raft up to him if we needed to – what a nice gesture. However, not far from the bridge we luckily spotted a vacant mooring space that was just about able to accommodate our length, although without any bollards we had to put pins into the bank and attach to a nearby signpost.
We passed a lovely few days moored here – just over the roadway was a nice walking route through fields, perfect for Casper, and the riverside walk into the little town was very pleasant. Each day there were regular party boats passing throughout the day, each filled with lots of young people enjoying drinks and music and having fun, which was lovely to see.
Eventually, with the bridge in Ouderkerk scheduled to re-open on the following Monday, we were able to move on once more, travelling for about three hours until we came across yet another mooring point which necessitated securing with pins – these past few days we’ve used those pins more than ever before – at the tiny village of De Hoef. During this layover I managed a quick fender repair (the damage being the result of sliding into a quay whilst taking a sharp bend – yet another one of my not-so-proud moments).
One night of rest later, we left De Hoef to follow a sometimes windy, sometimes very narrow and at the same time blustery waterway, such that at times, more than ever, we had to be extremely careful and none more so than when we got to Woerdense Verlaat. Here, after a tight bridge there was a short waterway, quite cramped and heavily overgrown on the starboard side and I couldn’t quite figure out where the waterway was going until we found we had a tight left turn to enter a very small lock. However, with the help of the lock keeper, we made the turn and entered the lock without any bumps which I was very pleased about.
And then there was yet another really tight bridge with a T junction immediately after it. Still, we finally made it to Woerden, although once there we struggled to find a decent mooring, until eventually we ended up in a vacant residential mooring as directed by the harbour master.
It seemed that we were lucky to get the mooring in the town as they do not cater for larger ships. Despite this being a residential mooring, there was no power available, but the weather was good enough to keep the batteries topped up. Plenty of shops, bars and the market were on our doorstep so other than dog walks there was a good deal of shopping involved.
After three days in Woerden we travelled to Alphen a/d Rijn, a town we had visited before and was special to us for its amazing iced coffees. Although only staying here for one night we took the opportunity to visit the cinema, and left Casper to ‘guard’ our home – he’s quite happy as he gets to roll his snack ball around for ages and eat.
And so, onto Gouda. The journey wasn’t too bad, although at the last bridge into the town we were stymied by it being out of action, so instead we bypassed the town and moored on its outskirts for one night.
From Gouda we continued on and into Ijsselstein, which despite our first impressions, turned out to be quite a pretty little town.
Vaste Brug in Utrecht with just one inch clearance.
From Ijsselstein we made our way to Utrecht, our first visit to this major city in the Netherlands. Our intention had been to pass through the city canals and stay in a haven for a couple of days but unfortunately because of the low bridges we ended up mooring slightly outside of the town and walk in from there. We did attempt to go through the bridges just getting through the first one with an inch to spare, and then realised that due to work on the canal we would not be able to progress any further. During our walk into town it became clear that we would have been really pushing it so we were happy with our decision to stop when we did.
A few hours of wandering around the town was enough for us on this occasion, and we made our way back to the boat and set off for our next mooring next to Noordersluis on the Amsterdam-Rijn canal. In the morning we joined the main canal to continue our very choppy journey along this commercial route, making a quick stop next to an IKEA store which was really convenient to pop in and get a new rug. Whoopee. Then a little further along this waterway we stopped at a fuel barge to refill one of our tanks; some 900+ litres and 1,330 euros later, we were on our way again via a narrow exit/entrance into the river Vecht – a complete contrast to the commercial highway, the river Vecht is very peaceful and pretty.
