The changing of the guard !

 For the past three northern winters, Antiope has slept peacefully in a big shed (hall) in the company of approx 199 other craft of varying size, shape and age. For us 12,000 miles away in NZ it means that we have been able to sleep at night, knowing that she is secure and unlikely to sink.

Early days, 1980s mid winter Hogenberg boat storage

The big lift gantry gets installed.

Today. Undercover storage for 200 ish boats

Back in the 1980s an enterprising young Dutchman, Jan Hogenberg, acquired a remote piece of waterside land and with a mobile crane, offered onshore winter boat storage. The location was at the sleepy, shopless settlement of Scheerwolde and about 9 kms from the nearest town of Steenwijk.

 These old pics were on display at the farewell party.

A transformation has taken place since then! It was fellow Kiwi boaters, Max and Robyn, who introduced us to Jan and his wife Roelie three years ago when we brought Antiope up from France to explore the Netherlands post Covid. Those adventures feature in preceeding blogs. 

Antiope loses her skirt, but all in a good cause

The same shed (hall) while still under construction some years ago.

Luxury to be able to work inside a big shed !

It is now 10 years since we have been able to repaint the topsides of Antiope, and once some of the tightly stored craft are out of the shed, we are given space to work around the hull. 

Meanwhile in the shed next door !

This year, Jan and Roelie are retiring and handing over the boatyard to new owners. An occasion worthy of a party, and we get invited.

Roelie and Jan, in front of their own motor launch 

Party time in the warm hall

 ( This shed is maintained above freezing in winter )

Topsides now shiny, 'tis time to re-dress the lady

Lots of strings, a very heavy skirt!

A little bit at a time, and mind the new paint!

Something not quite right with this picture ?

Ah that's better, and ready now for the re-launch.

                                              The skipper gets spoiled after another day's work.

It has been two weeks since we arrived back aboard Antiope, and living in the shed has been useful time and out of the fickle weather, but we now really want to be back afloat.

Cheers, Charles and Annie  

 

Victory in Europe Day 80 years on

2025 is turning out to be a significant year!  To my astonishment in February of this year, I clocked up 80 years of survival on this planet. The occasion was marked with a party or two. One of which was held at the Ponsonby Cruising Club in Auckland. I joined this club soon after emigrating to New Zealand from the 'Old Country' as it fitted with the type of boating that I was familiar with, and it still does!

At the Pons party, I was presented with this framed and signed 3D image of Princess by her current owner Jon Nash. I had sailed Princess for many years under the Ponsonby flag.

Once the hoopla was dipensed with, Annie and I rented out our house and packed our bags for another Northern Summer. Annie managed to persuade Emirates airlines that we were worthy of Business Class seats for the long haul flight to Dubai.  From there, we flew into London for a catch up with old friends in the 'Old Country'

 

English Bluebells in Wanstead park, close to where I grew up.

The 8th of May is 'Victory in Europe' day and this year marked 80 years on from the day hostilities ceased. Inevitably, we found ourselves caught up in the street party celebrations. It occured to me that I would have been a mere 3 months old on the day when my mother's friends were probably jumping into the Trafalgar Square fountains.

A hand knitted guardsman perches on a bollard, untouched by vandals.

Friends, old enough to remember VE day

 "Traitors' Gate" adorned with ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, just a few of the thousands placed around the tower, representing those who did not return.

The portcullis entrance to the Tower of London, from the Thames river, has seen many pass for the last time on their way to the axe.   

This ship's figurehead washed ashore among wreckage in Sole Bay, Suffolk after the sea battle in 1672 between Dutch and English fleets. It has since adorned this pub in Martlesham. 

On a trip to the coast, we called in at some old familiar pubs, and I enjoyed the occasional warm flat beer. While in London, Annie and I took time out in sunny springtime weather to explore. 

Stunning views from the 'Rooftop Gardens' in the heart of the 'City of London'

From the rooftop, the landmark 'Gherkin' in the background once dominated the London skyline.

Looking down on a city building site. 

This medieval tower is being carefully preserved in its original location. 

Looking down on Tower Bridge, 130 years old and still opens for any vessel on request. 

I was delighted to watch as Tower Bridge halted the traffic and effortlessly lifted to allow a traditional sailing barge to pass. A simple footbridge in Auckland failed after 10 years and took over a year to fix.

Just around the corner we found  'Leadenhall Market', a market place since the 12th century, and a welcome quiet spot to enjoy another draft beer.

We spent a full day at Kew Gardens, uniquely English and worth every hour spent there.

   

The exotic lily pond house at Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens and the Victorian Palm House, like a tropical 'Tardis' inside.

I remembered the iconic Kew 'Pagoda' from a long ago visit with my mum. 

The time came to head back to Antiope, a 40 min flight to Amsterdam from the London City airport which is in the old docklands and close to where we first stepped aboard Antiope sixteen years ago.

We find Antiope tucked neatly away after her winter sleep

Next step, a bit of maintenance, painting and relaunching.

  

It's a Wrap

 The daylight hours are shortening. BBQs on deck less frequent.

It is time to head back home and try to behave like grown ups.

 Autumn evening, alongside at our winter base in Scheerwolde 

A historic map of the Netherlands shows that the settlement of Muggebeet (now Muggenbeet, which translates as Mosquito bite)  Muggenbeet is close to our winter base and was once close to the sea coast. The nearby fortified seaport of 'Blokzyl' is now more than 100km from the open sea. 

  

On a cool and rare sunny day, we walked the 10 kms round trip to the remote settlement of 'Nederland' The signpost is a tourist attraction and the old spelling for the 'Low Countries'. It has a population of 15.   

On a cold, wet morning, Antiope is hauled out for her winter sleep.

We decided to head over to England for our final couple of weeks in the Northern hemisphere, to visit friends. 

 

The 'Andelucia' in St Katherine's dock, London.

While in London we visited St Katherine's dock close by Tower Bridge. Alongside was the replica of the 17th century galleon 'Andelucia' on the final leg of a world voyage. Thiss ship has sailed over 70,000 miles.    

St Katherine's is also home to these Thames sailing barges.

The wooden barge 'Gladys' in the foreground has been completely rebuilt for private owners and no expense has been spared. On deck, she looks as she was in her working days; below, a comfortable home.   

Also alongside was the royal barge 'Gloriana' 

The rowbarge Gloriana, built for Queen Elizabeth's jubilee, was the first royal barge to be built in England for 250 years 

The Butt and Oyster, at Pin Mill, Suffolk

One of my boating destinations as a young lad was this little known pub. I am pleased to report that the bar area itself has changed little. The addition of a dining area has enabled its survival. It was a cool autumn Sunday when we rolled up for our final English Fish and Chip lunch.

 

Cheers until the Spring, Charles and Annie 

 

Not only Heineken !

 

Possibly the only Dutch beer I previously could have named!

While you might think that the green bottle or can bearing the trademark red star and brand name "Heineken since 1873" is the genuine article, the reality is that unless you are in the Netherlands, it has probably been brewed "to the original recipe" just down the road!  It is a ubiquitous and perfectly drinkable beer, however on our cruise through the Netherlands, I have endevoured to seek out the truly local brews, of which there are many! 

Family and craft breweries are alive and well in the Netherlands. 

each with their own name on unique glasses, here are just a few.

I have found a very palatable brew which turns up in some supermarkets from the offshore island of Texel, named Skuumkoppe. Possibly I was attracted by the lighthouse on the label or being told that the name means white cresting waves.  The family brewery was founded in 1999.  

 In Haarlem I was introduced to 'Jopen', a genuinely local craft beer from a 1501 recipe which was re-discovered in the city archives and is being brewed once again in Haarlem, which at one time boasted more breweries than Amsterdam.

Haarlem in 1800, the waterfront today is little changed.  

Enough about beer. This post is a bit of a round up of pics through August and our 2024 round trip 

A delightfully quiet island mooring on Alkmaardermeer.

The North sea on a calm day. Zandvoort is only a few minutes train ride from Haarlem.  

Just behind the sand dunes is the Formula 1 race track.  

Ex Warehouses, now smart apartments at Zaandijk, 

on our way North to Alkmaar 

 'Windmill land', a working mill museum on route to Alkmaar

The Harbourmaster's office Alkmaar. Not a bad place to work!

With family guests now aboard we managed to break free from Haarlem and head north to Alkmaar. There we turned right onto the quiet, less travelled Alkmaar-Kolhorn waterway where there were several low bridges, requiring our canopy and mast to be lowered, reviving a routine which we had not used since leaving France. Kolhorn was once a thriving fishing port on the shores of the tidal Zuiderzee but now lies far inland like a time capsule. From here, we had the uncanny experience of locking down a further 5 meters to the original sea bed and navigating the long straight cuts across reclaimed land to the new coastline at Medemblik. 

    

Atop the deep lock at Medemblik, we wait for the vintage train to pass.

There is something about steam trains: the whistles, puffing and clanking, the smell of coal smoke, steam, and hot oil, that I cannot resist. At Medemblik I got a brief fix. 

This vintage chuff-chuff runs from Medemblik to Hoorn in the summer months

There is also a steam tram which pulls a string of vintage carriages,

lovingly restored, with lots of shiny brass bits.

 In the yacht harbour at Medemblik, just across the pontoon from us and tucked in between two long term moored boats, there was a floating grebe nest. We were able to watch as two chicks hatched and quickly climbed up onto one of the parent's backs, to be promptly fed with live fish. 

Across the Netherlands we find memorials to the aircraft and crews that did not make it home from wartime raids into Germany. This one is on the shoreline near Medemblik.

Just one of many similar memorials.

This one marking three aircraft that never made it home.  

 Choosing a calm day, we crossed the IJsselmeer to Friesland and familiar waters once more, our round trip cruise almost complete.  

  

September already ! The evenings are getting shorter. 

To finish with one of our favourite quiet mooring spots, Vijfhuizen,

 just a bus ride from Schiphol airport.