From deep in the heart of Friesland we set off early on a twenty hour journey to the tiny town of Weesp on the River Vecht. There we are joined by nephews for a legacy tour starting in Weesp, to Utrech, Rotterdam, den Haag, Haarlem and Amsterdam.
We stayed one night on the Eems River. Arriving around 6 p.m. meant that we would have a hard time finding a mooring at all. The first set of moorings were full, but as usual if the boaters eliminated unnecessary gaps we could have easily fit. We had to go 6 kilometers up the river before we found a mooring in a small park on a curve- that ook more than 30 minutes. Curves are harder to moor to since your bow is farther from the land, making it harder to tie to a bollard. The sailboat’s bowsprit stuck far out, giving us an extra obstacle. Fortunately there were posts to moor to – you never know until you get there. Sometimes there are just rings, meaning you have to get off the boat to attach to the shore. This can be difficult if the wind is pushing you away from the land Here we were able to lasso both the front and aft posts. With posts you have to go around twice, or the lines ride up and off.
There were several locks along the way, filled end to end with boats. It’s summer so the Dutch hit the waterways, even in the less than ideal weather on offer. The lock meister packs them in! You always wonder if some new boater, or a rental boats, will lose control of their vessel. All the experienced boats are on alert.
Looking ahead we could not be certain if the weather would hold. Already we had a problem getting off a mooring with strong winds pinning us to the dock, our bow thruster not there to give us a lateral boost. From the Eems we headed early in the morning into wind and rain, but fortunately everything calmed down once we entered the canal leading to the lock. This made entering the lock much easier, so we were able to gaze upon the beautiful old Muiden Castle.
Our next uncertainty is the availability moorings in Wessp. Just past the second bridged we found the only one available. Lady Luck overruled Sir Bad Luck us once again. The next morning everyone left so we moved farther from the bridge to avoid the fumes of the boats waiting for the bridge to open as they say just a meter away.
If you’ve not had the pleasure, include Weesp on a tour of small Dutch towns. It’s not far from Amsterdam and can be visited in just a few hours. There are restaurants along the river and a brewery located in a de-consecrated church, with lots of very Dutch architecture. In summer there are flowers galore.
