Vincent was here.

 In the closing weeks of the season, we have followed in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh, cruising the 'Turfroute' from Friesland into Drenthe province. This historic, and often narrow, waterway was originally dug to carry the many tons of peat to heat the homes in the cities further south.

In 1873 Vincent Van Gogh arrived in Assen, 

to paint the 'working people of Drenthe'

'The peat barge' by Vincent van Gogh hangs in the Drenthe Museum.

We soak up some of the atmospheric landscape that inspired Van Gogh along the way. At Sudergemaal we are able to visit a restored pumping station, one of many pumping stations that were needed to drain the land once the peat had been dug. The century old pumps can still shift 160 cubic meters of water per minute, and we were given a noisy demonstration. An automatic pumphouse close by manages the job now. 

The century old pumping station at Sudergemaal.

Sudergemaal was the first electric pumping station in Friesland.

It can still pump 160 cubic litres per minute. 

Windmills did the job before the electric pumphouses.

The lock at Donkerbroek on the 'Turfroute'

Turfroute near Oosterwolde

The Turfroute at Aldeboarn, and yes, the tower is leaning 

At Akkrum there was a 'Tug festival'. Over one weekend, over 70 vintage tugs of all sizes steam into town from all over the region. They are invariably privately owned and lovingly maintained.  

The Akkrum bi-annual tug festival

Every tug has its own ship's dog

A perfect day, back on the larger 'Noord Willemskanaal' heading to Groningen.

We carve a track through a carpet of duckweed.

Our days are getting shorter, but the colours just now are stunning. It is hard to accept that we will be putting Antiope to bed for the winter in just a few weeks time.  

An autumn misty morning.

A country mooring along the 'Turfroute'

These Palomino horses were grazing close by our country mooring

                                                                      Two ducks

Sunset in Drenthe, not quite Van Gogh, but you get the idea.

                                         Cheers from Charles and Annie aboard Antiope. 20 Sept 2023

How fortunate we are.

 For the past few weeks we have been exploring a little bit of Friesland. This northern region of the Netherlands is a magical water world. The Friesian people remain very proud of their province. They preserve their own language and dialect, are unreservedly friendly and love their boating. 

Our current position, amid the lakes and channels of Friesland

Or, as our local area shows on our plotter screen, a maze of waterways

There are literally hundreds of tranquil and free mooring places like this.

A quiet evening on Pikmeer 

'Sate chicken', work in progress

Another still morning, moored just outside Heerenveen

Spot the hopeful heron!

Stork nesting sites are encouraged in Friesland

Looking for frogs!

We have to replenish stores from time to time, so a sortie into Leeuwarden (Ljouwert) is no hardship. It is the provincial centre and we are able to moor midtown, in park-like surroundings. 

 

Our park-like mooring in Leeuwarden

Our arrival in Leeuwarden is by way of a number of lift bridges, from complete sections of roadway lifting to the sky to the more sedate mid city bascule type, all of which open with minimal delay or fuss. A very prominent feature when approaching the town is the unfortunate leaning 'Oldehove' tower which was started in 1529 and was originally planned to be over twice the height. However, after 4 years into the project, it started leaning and was never completed.  

This strange sight greets us as we arrive. The Oldehove tower, Leeuwarden  

The city bridges, a tight fit for some craft, big and small!

Popular boat tours circle the inner city waterways

                     

At the other extreme, this bit of roadway lifts to the sky!

Amid all this tranquil scenery, it is hard to imagine that here was a theatre of war still within a lifetime. 

In the heart of the Alde Feanan national park is this poigant memorial to the crew of a crippled British Lancaster bomber R5682 that crashed here on the night of 5th September 1942 narrowly missing the village of Warten. Of the seven crew only four survived the parachute jump. The pilot and rear gunner went down with with the plane. This memorial was inaurgurated in 2018 on the anniversary of the liberation of Friesland and after the last remains of the aircraft were salvaged from the waterway, including the body of the rear gunner.  

Rembrant and more

 Last month we took Antiope into Amsterdam. Annie and I took time out to expand our cultural knowledge with a visit to the Rijksmuseum. On my must see list, there among the art classics, was Rembrandt's masterpiece 'The Night Watch'. However, it is in the midst of a six year restoration programme, with the process continuing in full public view. A full digital scan is just part of the process. 

'The Night Watch' measures 3.6m x 4.4m

                                    

                                                  This copy is on display alongside 
 

I spent a long time in the museum's boat room where these minutely detailed models of Dutch vessels through the centuries were displayed.

This is just one small section of the model boat room in the museum.

Under way once more, we had family aboard for a few days, as we head North via Muiden and Enkhuizen to Lelystad and a convenient rail station.

Muiden lock, Toby and Becks on deck.

Departing for the long haul back to New Zealand

From Lelystad with a high winds and rain forecast, we headed inland via the Southern Polder navigation to Zwolle, dropping down below sea level once more. With us this time we had another couple of guests aboard, Jack Nazer and his sister Carol. Despite the weather, cruising is still possible with care through the sheltered inland waters of the Netherlands.

Navigating with care.

We did find a delightful waterway off the busy commercial route and cruised the Overijsselse Vecht river all the way to Ommen, the practical head of navigation for Antiope.

A quiet backwater and off the commercial waterway.

Vechterweerd lock, much like an English Thames setting 

One of the fully automated ferries that cross the river

A break in the rain, on the Overijsselse Vecht river

An enterprising Zwolle flower shop advert.

The 'Zespri' stall on Zwolle market day.

The old Zwolle city walls remain partly preserved.

 

Twilight at 9.50 The days are beginning to draw in! Zwartsluis August 10th

 
 

Jan Haring regatta 2023

 As the story goes, 450 years ago a brave young Dutch sailor, Jan Haring, started the end of Spanish rule in the Netherlands. 

In the midst of a sea battle in the Zuiderzee, between a small Dutch rebel fleet that was quite at home in the shallow seas and the much superior Spanish fleet, Jan boarded the Spanish flagship, climbed the mast and struck her colours. In the confusion that followed, the rest of the Spanish fleet thought that the battle was lost. Within weeks Amsterdam fell into the hands of the rebels, the Spanish fled and within a few years, the Dutch republic was born.

GT 13, the 125 year old Botter on which I crewed for the regatta.

Our Spanish competition !!

That momentous event is celebrated each year with a Botter sailing regatta, a sea shanty festival and an eel smoking competition in the little town of Monnikendam. The locals go to great lengths to dress in traditional costume. The eel smoking competition took all day Sunday with over 100 competitors, with Harry, one of our Saturday race crew, being one of them. Post race on Sunday we enjoyed some of his prized smoked eel. 

Heading out to race, your author at the mast.

Racing tactics take a bit of long term planning

Our hardy crew, beer in hand on the run home, leeboards up

Skipper Roy, me,\and veteran eel smoker Harry, with some of his day's work.  

Harry checking out the next door competitor.

Period costume, the order of the day.

Having somehow earned a crew position aboard botter CT13 in the Urk regatta, I had been invited to sail again. The two day regatta was held in light winds which did not favour us, but we managed to be placed 3rd in the traditional ( boats over 100 years old) Botter division for which we earned a ceramic bottle of local rum. 

Among the fleet was 'Bona' a vintage Leigh bawley from England. 

She had sailed across the North Sea just for the regatta

To recover, we escaped to a quiet island mooring spot for a few days. These mooring sites throughout the waterways are marked as 1 to 3 days stay, are often free and are marked on the charts. We have found them very well looked after and respected.

We found this quiet mooring spot to share with locals, 

 just a few miles from Amsterdam.

Next, we spend some cultural time in Amsterdam,