Skutsje Sailing - Langweer

Skutsje Sailing on Langweer
From Lemmer we came back up the Groote Brekken heading for Joure stopping on a mooring close to the lake called Langweer. We moored for the night on a Marrekrite pontoon where we met a lovely German couple on a sailing holiday with their two children. It is wonderful when we meet people who speak english as they always want to practice and being Australian we are quite an attraction.
Yachting is very popular in Holland and there are many yacht charter companies close to all lakes. The lakes here come in all sizes, Tjeukemeer is about 5k by 8k with two islands. The lakes have very rough water in windy conditions as they are not very deep and when the weather is fine they are very tranquil.
Tjeukemeer


In Friesland, mooring spots can be found around the lakesides or on islands in the larger lakes. An organisation similar to Rotary run a system where you buy a Marrakrite flag and a map for 8 euro and this gives you access to all free Marrakrite moorings which are looked after by the organisation.

This map shows how many lakes there are in this area along with the free mooring sites.

Some moorings are small overnighters for 5 or 6 boats on lakesides where you can’t get onto land. This one had a warning about sinking into the peat bog. Check the hands, very scary.

and others large with lovely grassed areas.
While on the overnight mooring a dutch couple asked us if we knew the Skutsjes were sailing on Langweer the next afternoon and gave us a newspaper and a poster about the race. What good luck for us as we would have passed through Langweer early the next morning on our way to Joure.

The Skutsje is a traditional sailing ship now about 100 years old and originally made to carry cargo on the shallow lakes. They are about 20 metres long, have almost flat bottoms and large boards on each side which drop down and act like a keel.
There were 14 Skutsje from 12 towns racing over 11 days on various lakes.




We arrived on the lake about 10 am and anchored in the first designated area we came to. There were a few boats already there soon to be followed by hundreds, all shapes and sizes. It rained heavily until about 1pm, fined up for a while then rained for half the race.

It was good fun just watching the crowds on different boats while we waited for the boats to come our way. As you will see by the number of people standing out in the rain, they take Skutsje racing very seriously



The local farmer drove his tractor with trailers full of spectators.

The race started and still it rained.



We were beginning to wonder what it was all about when the rain stopped, the sun came out, umbrellas went down and the action started.



Working up the lake


Rounding the bouy


A close finish

After the race we cruised to the other end of the lake for our overnight stop before heading for Joure.

Lemmer - The DF Woudagemaal Steam Pumping Station.

From Sloten we took the Langesloot canal into the Prinses Margriet Canal and down to Lemmer on the coast of the Ijsselmeer. We came here to see the largest steam powered water pumping station in Freisland situated at the end of the Groote Brekken.
It is a very impressive building both inside and out. Built in 1920 it prevents a large part of Friesland from flooding in times of extreme rainfall. It was selected by UNESCO and placed on the World Heritage List as a symbol of Dutch water management and Steam Power. The building is from the Amsterdam School of Architecture in design and the majestic steam hall has lovely oak doors and beautifully tiled walls. The 4 huge black steam machines and flywheels drive 8 centrifugal pumps that can move 6 million m3 water per day from the polder drainage area to the Ijselmeer.





The NAP in this part of Friesland is 40 cm lower than the Ijsselmeer. Which means the water outside of the land is 40cm higher.

Ossenzijl - Overijssel, Kuinre – Flevoland, Sloten – Friesland

Weeibben Wilderness Park - Ossenzijl
After leaving Steenwijk we stayed 2 days on a free canal mooring alongside the wilderness park. The water wilderness parks in Holland are mostly areas where peat or turf as the dutch called it was dug out and the land was then inundated by water. They are very popular camping areas. We saw a notice where they have had success reintroducing otters to the wild here. We are now finding more free moorings on a canal side or lake side than we have found elsewhere. It helps with the budget as the town moorings average out at 11 euro per night plus electricity and water.

The park has some lovely cycle tracks and guided walks.


We had been wondering about the little piles of soil we see in grassed areas. One was on the side of the canal next to our boat and I sank a little when I stood on it. The sign said they were made by Moles digging under the ground. I will have to be careful or I might end up meeting Alice.

We passed a roped walk to show what the ground is like if you go off the track in the marsh.

We found one of the old water wheels for draining the polders.

And some more thatch waiting to be collected. We hope to come across a thatcher building a roof one day.

Leaving Ossenzijl we went under a 2.6 M bridge and cruised down the Linde, a small canal through farming area. There were a lot of fishing nets set out on this canal so we had to be careful.


Kuinre - Flevoland
When we were passing through Kuinre, Kevin noticed a small private canal where a man was working on restoring work boats so we pulled in to have a look. He had six boats dating back to 1910 and was very happy to show Kevin around. I guess this is the Dutch equivalent to restoring vintage cars.




Sloten - Friesland

We crossed the lower part of Tjeukemeer and the next town we visited was Sloten, one of the towns in the Eleven - city ice skating marathon along canals and lakes around Friesland. Although the race has not been held since 1997 due to the lack of ice, the circuit is very popular by bicycle on paths following the waterways and by canoe. The day before we arrived 200 canoes visited here on their way around the circuit.

We moored just outside the city wall.

Sloten is an old fortified town with beautiful step gabled houses lining the small canal running through the centre.


Just inside the wall was a pair of stocks which was a great source of fun. No one could pass them by without trying.


We took this picture about 10.30pm as we strolled around the town.

This was early in the morning. We thought the blankets on the back of the chairs were a nice touch for the early morning paper readers as they sipped their coffee.

The bridge in or out of Sloten collects a Bruggeld (toll) of 2 euro. Check out the blue clog which is lowered from a fishing pole by the bridge operator for every boat which passes through.

As boats waited to go through the bridge our Australian flag and our flag with the Kangaroo got everyone’s attention. Ellen who was born in Australia and came back with her family to Holland noticed it and asked us for a drink and a chat with her and husband Jan while they were waiting for the lunchtime closure of the bridge to finish. It is great that almost everyone speaks some English here and we have some really interesting chats.

The bridge leads out of town to Slotermeer passing Sloten’s traditional Skutsje fleet, large flat bottomed cargo boats which are about 100 years old.


During July and August the Skutsjesilen races take place on the lakes around this part of Friesland with entrants from 11 towns racing in heats11 times in the 3 weeks. We hope to see one of the heats in the next week or so.