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The World Cruise of Veleda IV |
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Dutch Canals #3 Written at Aalborg, Denmark 57 03.4 N, 009 54.2 E May 21, 2000 We finally got through the Gouda bridge at 1313, April 25, continuing on up the Gouwe Canal towards Amsterdam. There are two main routes. One goes up, directly through Amsterdam and all its bridges, but can only be transited after midnight in convoy with other yachts to minimize bridge openings. The other swings westerly and goes through some shallow lakes and canals and up the Ringvaart van de Haarlemmermeerpolder through Haarlem up to the Noord Zee Canal, the main shipping canal from the North Sea at Ijmuiden to Amsterdam (and on through to the Markermeer and the Ijsselmeer). We wanted to take the slightly longer but more scenic route through Haarlem. This area north of Dordrecht and Gouda took us out of the Delta area of Holland. We still had several locks and bridges to negotiate through this area of polders. A polder is land that has been created by draining the waters from lakes and inundated land. The Haarlem polder was an extensive shallow lake, drained to produce marshy land which is still draining and lush fields of colourful tulips. It was quite impressive to motor along and look down on the fields below the level of the canal. They were large tracts of red, yellow and white tulips just starting to bloom. We passed several traditional windmills that were still pumping off the extra water, through sluices that cut some of the landscape. The flat pastoral scenery created a sense of calm, as the colourful fields extended out to the horizon, flanked by green stretches defined by the ditches still draining, and interrupted by the intersecting roads, culverts, farm buildings and occasional windmills. However, we had another bridge, Saasenheimerbrug, that we were trying to make before it closed for the night. If we could get through it tonight, we would have an easy day of it tomorrow going through Haarlem and arriving in Amsterdam in the early afternoon. Its last opening was at 1930. No problem! -- Until we were held up for over two hours at Swaenswijkbrug in Alphen aan de Rijn (the old Rhine River). There was a Dutch sailboat on the waiting wall just ahead of us. They were going the direct route on the midnight transit to Amsterdam, and would be in there by 0400 next day. Our route, if we were able to make the 1930 bridge at Saasenheimerbrug, would get us in at about 1500 next day (with a good night’s sleep in the meantime). However, we had to wait for the Alphen bridge. There was also a large canal barge astern of us. It must be frustrating for the bargemen to have to waste valuable time waiting so long for the bridges. Finally, we got the red and green standby lights indicating the bridge was about to open. It was then that we realized the waiting wall we were on was beneath some tall trees, and that our mast head was brushing the upper branches, and our wind vane was getting caught in them. Lots of fun! Twigs, leaves and branches came falling down to our deck as we tried to pull away with minimal damage (the vane arms were bent, but were later repaired at the masthead without difficulty). Then we still had to wait another ten minutes as the traffic from the opposite direction came through first. There were a minimum of six large canal barges and several small boats and yachts from that side. Our side had only the one large barge and four yachts. Finally we got through at 1715 (a two hour delay) but had 10 miles to go to that final bridge for the day’s plan, which closed at 1930. Now the big decision was whether to try to make that bridge, or change our route to take the midnight run to Amsterdam. Our usual speed was 5 knots. We could increase to 6.5 with higher revs on the engine. We should be able to make the 1930 bridge IF there were no other undue waits for other bridges. Off we went, up the Woudwettering canal, across the Braassemermeer to a T - junction at the Ringvarart van de Haarlemmermeerpolder. There we had to decide, starboard for the midnight run, port for the 1930 bridge. Port we went. Our time so far was good. However as we were going through built up areas we were seeing speed limit signs of 3 and 4 knots yet we had to do at least 5 to make the bridge. I rationalized and said the limits applied to the barges as they would make too much wake a faster speeds, but not us. So on we pressed at 5 to 6 knots, slowing down a bit when passing occupied boats, but opening up on uninhabited stretches. The few bridges opened up without too much waiting. In fact we had our first bridge in the Netherlands which opened up before we got to it, and we didn’t have to slow down for it. THANK YOU! However, as we were within two miles of our 1930 bridge, we came to a ferry crossing the canal, for which we duly slowed down to let it clear the channel. It was a cable ferry, not with an underwater cable that sinks behind the ferry, but a surface cable stretched across the canal that the ferry pulled itself along, and the cable stayed fixed; the farmer using it was talking on his mobile phone as he casually went about the process of opening the gate of the ferry and puttering around the control mechanism for what felt like several minutes while we were blocked; until he finally disengaged the cable, allowing it to sink to the bottom of the canal so we could proceed. It was going to be close. The last bridge before our 1930 bridge opened in reasonable time without much waiting and we speeded up to 6.5 knots for the last 1.5 miles, hoping we weren’t creating too much of a wake in the restricted waters. Very few people or boats were around, so we made full speed for the bridge, arriving at 1927! We waited. At 1930 we did not get the green and red standby signal. We waited. At 1933 I was ready to explode! Why did they not open it? Did they not see us? We tried to contact the bridge on VHF radio. No response. I gave a blast on our fog horn, disturbing the quiet of the countryside. No response. By 1935 I was very frustrated after having rushed to make that last opening only to have them close early. I was about to turn around to find a place to moor for the night when they finally gave us the standby lights at 1938. I didn’t know whether I should thank them for opening, or curse them for putting us through the tension of waiting. We did neither and just went through to moor on the far side, at some posts overlooking the polders for the night. At least we were through and it would be easy motoring the next day through Haarlem up to the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam. It was still light after we moored and we watched a lovely sunset over the fields and marshes drained by the sluices cutting through the landscape. A great relief after the tension of trying to make that final bridge. Next Log |
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