Along the Randmeren

The rain and wind stopped during the night so we decided to go. First we had to wait until 9am for the two bridges out of town to open and after paying our 3 euro Brugeld to the man lowering the clog down we set off for Muiden. Another 3 euro passed hands to go through the sea lock and then it was down past the yacht clubs and out of the safety of the harbour. The wind was blowing about 20kph the first part of the 14 k was behind small islands then we were on the open water with the wind and waves coming from behind.

RANDMEREN
We crossed into the start of the Randmeren which are a series of lakes about 80k long. The run between the East and South Flevoland Polder which was reclaimed from the sea in the late 1950’s and 60's and the original Zuider Zee coast. Each section is given its own name and have buoyed channels to make wonderful cruising, yachting or wind surfing areas depending on the water depth.

GOOIMEER - AMERSFOORT
We travelled down the Gooimeer which has a width of about 3K length 12K in very windy conditions keeping to a channel on the Flevoland side then through the channel into the Eemmeer. After 3 K we crossed over into the Eem river away from the wind and waves and travelled about 20K down to Amersfoort.

Amersfoort was granted city status in the 13th century and has a small canal system and a walled old city with the entrance through the old koppelpoort which protected the road and river into the city. The harbour is a short walk through the old city gates.

Here in the harbour we came across one of the problems of foreigners boating in Holland in that we do not have a Netherlands credit card. The mooring and facilities are gained by using the credit card in a machine to receive a SEP-key card which operates the water and electricity. Of course this did not mean a free night as the harbourmaster still came around to collect the 10 euro and did not know how to get around the problem of getting a SEP-key.

We had an interesting walk around the old town and like many of the larger historical towns we have been to in Holland, modern shops are in all the old buildings such as this lovely step gable house and streets have lost the historical atmosphere found in the smaller towns and villages.


While here Holland played Russia in the Europe Cup and we had a good night out watching the football in a small bar. Every bar around the town square was full of orange clad spectators.


Holland lost so I suppose that will be the end of the cheery orange we see everywhere.

Opposite the harbour were units for student accommodation for the University constructed of fibre glass modules. Of course space is saved here by providing bike parks instead of car parks as we do with accommodation.


EEMEER - SPAKENBURG
On Saturday we caught a local bus to Spakenburg about 10 K away instead of going there in the boat as we didn’t have time to get there for the festival day. Spakenburg was a fishing village from 1400’s but when the Zuideer Zee was closed by the dike, the fish became more difficult to find and like other villages along the coast they lost there way of life. We have been told there are about 85 Botters left from the old days and about 25 Botters are in this harbour.

Today the Botters are celebrating the annual eel race. The wooden fishing boats are about 100 years old with characteristic red brown sails and have been beautifully restored. Kevin had a good time talking to the owners as they like to show there boats off. They make some money for restoration taking people out on the Eemmeer and today was a special day when corporations who sponsor the boats were going out for the race.

100 year old botters with modern wind turbines as the background

Many of the older women in the village retain the distinctive culture as they still wear the traditional dress. We took some photos as they wandered around doing their shopping at the market.



NIJERKERNAUW - WOLDERWIJD - HARDERWIJK

No, I dont know how to pronounce all of these place names! I find the language here very hard to speak, the writen word usually sounds nothing like the spoken. For instance we wanted to go to Nijerk and no one could understand us as they pronounce it nigh kereck.

We have learned the usual polite words like good morning - goedemorgan, thankyou- dankuwel, goodbye - tot ziens , have a nice day - finer dag

and those to do with boating, mooring place - ligplaats, opening times ( for bridges) - bediening, bridge - brug, opening bridge - beweegbare brug BB, headroom /air draught- doorvaarthoogte(very important if you dont want to lose the roof under a bridge), gesloten - closed, stroom - electricity, verboden afmeren- no mooring. The small dictionary we have doesn't help much especially when we need nautical terms.

The only universal language is when some money needs to be handed over. But to be fair many people speak english and are always ready to help.

We went back out to the lakes and travelled keeping very closely to the channel through the narrow Nijerkernauw for about 17K until it widened out into the Wolderwijd just as the sky became very dark and the wind came up.

We weren’t sure if we should head for cover but the boats in front of us suddenly slowed right down and we realised they were slowing to let the wind take the storm ahead of us. Handy to have local knowledge, the big black cloud went somewhere else to cause havoc. We continued on to Harderwijk passing hundreds of windsurfers and kite surfers quite a different sight to the yachts on the other lakes.

It was Sunday and instead of the usual dead town Hardewijk was crowded with holiday makers visiting the Dolphinarium and the restaurants and stalls along the water outside the city walls. We went for a walk through the traditional village just behind the town wall, it was like chalk and cheese, with the loud noisy seaside village on one side and 16th century houses on the other.

VELUWEMEER - ELBURG
Next it was back to the buoyed channel of the Veluwemeer to Elburg which was built as a fortress town in the 14th century with a moat and ramparts. On the harbour is the coast light used when Elburg was a fishing town on the Zuiderzee. The harbour is just outside the city gates and we moored alongside the Botters right in town, what a wonderful atmosphere.

There are about 9 Botters in the harbour owned by the town community which are used daily to take school and university students out on the Veluwemeer for a history lesson.

One evening while we were here a van came and set up speakers almost alongside our boat. We thought we were in for a noisy night but when the crowd started arriving it did not look like it was going to be a rock concert.

Sure enough we were entertained by the Elburg Seamens Choir singing sea shanties. We recognised many of the tunes especially ‘The Drunken Sailor’ complete with drunken captain.


Oliver was travelling with us along the Randmeren and Elburg was his favourite town also. He really enjoyed sitting in the main street and taking in the sights.


Even shopping takes on a fun time when you amble through scenery like this to get the groceries.

One of our bike rides took us past the weekly market where we stopped to buy lunch, the bike park was full with only a few cars around.

Coming from a car society it was interesting to see this older woman with a grandchild on the carrier talking to her smartly dressed friend both riding their bicycles to the shops. We take our car 1 k down to Eric St to get a few things. Now I have no excuses, I have decided I must ride my bike to the shops when I get back. Having heard about the petrol prices back home I guess I might save a lot of money doing this.

We also rode out to the Alfred Vogel Herb Farm where they grow medicinal herbs for Homeopathic remedies. It was really interesting looking at the different herbs growing.

While walking around Kevin saw a tractor moving very slowly along the rows ahead of us and went to look at what was going on. The young people being towed along were weeding around the plants


I think this is a job only for the young.


We left Elburg cruised through the Drontermeer into the Ketelmeer and down to Lelystad on the Flevoland Polder.