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NOTES ON SAILING
TO AND AROUND THE NETHERLANDS
 

These notes are not intended to be a pilotage guide or complete cruising notes.  For these, I have included references at the end.  They are just a compendium of the experiences that Mary and I have had in our own cruises over the last few years.

Starting: we have always started from the Solent, usually from Portsmouth Harbour.  Make the start before low water, around 3 to 4 hours after HW Portsmouth, so that the rising, east going tide can be taken for most of the journey.  We have always taken the Looe Channel off Selsey Bill, through the gap of Street and Boulder buoys, but would not attempt this passage when the wind is over force 4 to 5. The water is nearly always “disturbed” particularly at the western end, between the two buoys – often there is a standing wave in this region, but do not worry too much as you will soon be through it.  If the wind is stronger, then we take the outside route around the Owers buoy.

Our first stop of choice is Sovereign Harbour at Eastbourne.  Rounding Beachy Head can be fun as it is possible to close get in. We prefer Eastbourne to Brighton because it is not so far off the direct passage up Channel, and we feel the facilities are better, with good shopping right on the doorstep.  It is also the first chance to try out a lock; something to get used to in Holland.  This lock is relatively easy with bollards to hook onto that go up and down with the water.  In Holland most of the locks have fixed mooring points, or ladders, where the warps have to be let out or taken in as the water level changes.  Not too much of a problem as the change in water levels is small, and everyone is very helpful.

Next day, we again time departure for just before low water, to carry the east going tide for the journey to Dover.  Rounding Dungeness can seem to take forever with what initially looks like and island in the distance, slowly getting joined to the land.  Leaving it behind takes just as long.  For us, this is the worst part of the journey both going and returning.

We nearly always go into Dover.  Sometimes we stay overnight; sometimes we just fuel up and carry on.  Diesel is more expensive in France and Holland, but is cheaper in Belgium where they sell “red” diesel as in UK.  The best places for diesel are Dover and Blankenberge, with Dover being easier to fill up at.

From Dover, we cross toward Calais, going nearly to the South Goodwin Buoy before crossing the shipping lanes.  This is because we can stay to the east of the cross channel ferries, and because we choose a tide that will take us to the east, we will not drift into their path.  For much more information on crossing this part of the Channel see Practical Boat Owner, for April this year.

Whilst it is possible to go into Calais, it is not an easy port.  Entry into the marina is limited to near high water, and there is a road bridge to be lifted.  The waiting area outside the bridge can be uncomfortable, and there are so many ferries that waiting for the harbour entrance lights to say go can take a long time.  Instead we tend to head for Dunkerque.  There are not so many ferries, and entry to the marina can be at all states of the tide.  Be careful however as the services are only open during daylight hours.  The town is a good walk from the marina as are restaurants.  Fuel is available, but again only between certain times.

To get this far takes two or three quite long days, the next leg is relatively short, as we always stop at Oostende.  Entry is at all states of the tide, but can be held up with ferry traffic, and beware the fast cat.  We always go to the North Sea Yacht Club marina, in the Montgomery Harbour, just next to the fast cat terminal.  It is possible to carry on up to the Mercator Marina in the middle of town, but this involves locking through.  It is much quieter up there, and does not suffer from occasional big swells.  It does not however have the shear character or liveliness of the NSYC with its world-renowned harbour master, who can speak, and joke, in more languages that I know of.  It may seem full, but he will always find room for you.

To us this is the real start of the holiday, and we always spend several days here.  There is plenty to see, and the eating out is second to none.  We stay away from the sea front, and tend to use the restaurants around the town square. There are often serious racing events being organised from the harbour.  Duty free drinks can be obtained through the NSYC for delivery to the boat.

This year we will have to remember the new “Schengen” Rules, and have obtained our forms from the RYA so that on arrival in Belgium we can either deposit them or have them stamped.  This will be the first year of using these, so I am not sure of how it works.  The same forms are needed for the Netherlands, but if you have one stamped in Belgium, I understand that this will work for both countries.

Fuel is difficult to obtain in Oostende, requiring a visit to a filling station that is near to the water some way up the canal. It is better to wait until passing or visiting Blankenburge.  Here the fuelling station can be as much as 15m above water level and there are often large motorboats needing to fill up with what seems like tanker loads of diesel.

The trip from Oostende to the first entry to Holland, the Westerschelde is a short hop of around 4 hours, providing the tide is under you.  We generally make our way straight across to Vlissingen, but Breskens can be worth a visit, particularly if boat repairs are needed, as there is a very large marina here.

When crossing the Westerschelde, we head for the collection of modern wind turbines that indicate the entry to Koopmans haven. There are two marinas in Vlissingen, of which the Visserhaven at Koopmans Haven is to be preferred.  Entry is under a lifting bridge through a very narrow channel, but once inside it is cosy and near to the town for interesting walks and eateries.  The other marina, the Michiel de Ruyter Haven, is inside the first lock of the Walkeran canal, and some way from the town.

Entry to the Walkeran canal is through a lock.  In the Netherlands the locks for yachts are marked as “Spoort”.  Commercial traffic often has its own lock to use. Sometimes both leisure and commercial use the same, and then commercial traffic has priority.  Once in the canal, there is no need to motor too quickly; keeping at around 4 to 5 knots is more than adequate as there are several bridges on the way that open when there are sufficient boats to warrant it.  We always end up in a small convoy, which can be fun, but beware Germans.  We have had some problems in the past with their desire to push in and generally be a nuisance.

Half way along the canal is Middelburg.  Entry to the marina is through a small lifting bridge.  This only opens at certain times, but it is easy to moor up just outside the bridge against a pontoon or the wall. The harbour office is just by the bridge so it is best to visit it straight away to reserve a berth and enquire as to the opening time for the bridge. Facilities are good, and now is the time to get used to Dutch mooring prices – they are much less that we are used to in the Solent.  The harbour is close to the middle of town and a gentle tour on foot or bike is well worth it. We have sometimes gone straight to Middelburg from the sea, as it is such a nice town.

Now is also the time to get used to mooring between piles, bow to the quay. The piles are in pairs, often, but not always with a rope from the top of the pile to the land.  We line up our berth, with the bow pointing to the shore, and the boat will be kept perpendicular to the shore.  Make sure the gap between the piles is wide enough for your boat and then head between them.  We have Mary on one side and me, driving, on the other.  She slips a warp over the pile on her side, and I do the same on mine.  When we approach the quay, she goes over the bow, or hands the bow warp to someone ashore, and we adjust the warps on the piles to hold us just off the quay.  The bow ropes then hold us in.  It sounds complicated, but soon becomes second nature.  We have the fenders attached, but often have them inboard in order to pass through the gap between the piles. It is worth noting that tidal rise and fall does not happen, or is very small.

After Middelburg, we continue up the canal to Veere.  Here we lock through to the Veerse Meer.  This is a lovely lake type environment, with campsites on the banks and there are islands where it is possible to moor up for the night (free!).  There are also man made pontoons in the lake with bar-b-que facilities where again it is possible to moor overnight for nothing.  Veere itself is worth a visit with good meals in the sailing club house.

At the east end of the Veerse Meer is a lock into the Ooosterschelde.  This is a large delta area whose seaward end has had a barrier put in place.  Choose which way to go in this area according to the wind at the time.  Waves are small to non-existent, as are the tides.  To the east is Goes (pronounced Hoos) at the end of a long canal.  The marina is in the middle of the town and is small.  The pub is alongside the marina and the facilities are adequate.

To the west is the Roompotsluis where there is an exhibition on how the dams were built. This is also a possible entry point from the North Sea if you wish to miss the Walkeran Canal.

There are so many little harbours and places to visit that I cannot possibly mention them all.  We meander up toward Rotterdam via the Grevelingmeer.  Oude Tonge, at the end of a very narrow canal, on the north side of the meer is another lovely, but tiny, place to visit.

Into the Haringvliet, where it is possible to pass to the North Sea at the western end.  This requires a passage under the Haringulietbrug (bridge).  Be very prompt when negotiating bridges as they open on time and close on time with NO give or take.  For information on opening times, visit the ANWB who publish these early in the year.  To go into the middle of Rotterdam without lowering the mast, you can go in from the west by taking the canal out of the Haringvliet at the western end on the north side. Otherwise, proceed to the east, as far as a pair of bridges that you cannot go under with a mast and turn north through the canal to Dordrecht.  The yacht marina in Dordrecht is directly opposite the end of this canal, between some houses.  Once in the entrance, there is a button to press so that the small road bridge can be lifted for entry into the marina.

There are three possible routes to get from here to Amsterdam and the Markermeer and Ijsselmeer through canals and lakes without the need to take down the mast.  For information on the routes, see the pilot books.  One of the routes uses the small canals that pass right through the city of Amsterdam. Because of disruption to traffic by raising bridges, it is only possible to use this section in the middle of the night. The “midnight run” through Amsterdam is a great occasion.  Boats wait just to the south of the city until around midnight.  The little bridges through the city are opened one at a time by a bridge keeper who cycles between the bridges along the roads. The final bridge is the mainline railway bridge for which there is quite a long wait.  On passing through, most people are relieved it is over, but on the other side of the bridge, the canal becomes one of the busiest in the Netherlands so watch out for barges.  There is a quick dash across the waterway to the Sixhaven marina, which is always full, but somehow room is found until the morning when boats are “re-arranged”. It is not necessary to take this route, as it is possible to go other ways that do not involve moving at night, but try it once just for the occasion.

As can be seen it is possible to pass through the Netherlands in a sailing boat, without taking down the mast.  There are many bridges and locks to negotiate, and these can hold you up.  However do not be put off.  In the locks, people are very friendly and helpful, and the rise and fall are very small.  Just have a lot of fenders, and be prepared to hang on.

For those in more of a hurry, it is possible to sail along the coast and enter at several places north of Vlissingen.  To get directly to Amsterdam, enter by the Noordzee Kanal at Ijmuiden.

For bridge and lock opening times, there is information published by ANWB, the equivalent of our AA, usually in March or April for the coming year. They also publish a useful chart with this information on it – Vaarkaart Nederland with Openingstijden spoorbruggen (bridge and lock opening times) and Staande mastroute door Nederland (standing mast routes through the Netherlands). These publications are available from their shops based in most main towns – see below.

Essential documentation:

Ship’s documents:        

                        Registration certificate for the boat – SSR is OK.

VAT receipt(s) for proof of payment of VAT on purchase of boat and kit.

International Certificate of Competence; if your boat is over 12m you will need proof of passing the CEVNI rules (inland navigation for Europe)

Boat insurance

VHF certificate

VHF licence

Additional for Belgium and Netherlands:

                        Schengen Plezierhavens Crew List, obtainable from RYA.

ANWB VVV Watersport Almanak 1 – Watertoerisme – Reglementen en vaartips.  This is a book of over 400 pages, all in Dutch, that all pleasure boats are meant to carry on board.  We have never been asked for it, and carry a very old version given to us by Dutch friends.  It is not much use unless you understand the language.

The Almanak is obtainable in this country from Kelvin Hughes, www.bookharbour.com, or Compass Marine, www.compass24.co.uk or from ANWB in the Netherlands at one of their shops.  In Middelburg this is at Nieuwe Burg 40, 431 AH Middelburg, Tel: 018659900

Pilot Guide:        Cruising Guide to the Netherlands by Brian Navin, published by Imray – we have found this useful, but the Vaarkaart Nederland mentioned above gives much of the basic information.

Charts:              For getting to Belgium, the Admiralty Leisure charts are the ones we use.

                        For The Netherlands, we use the official Hydrografische Kaart voor Kust – en Binnenwateren (Coast and inland waters). These are in folio form, A2 size, and are available in this country; sometimes they have to be ordered.

                        Having just fitted a Raytheon C80 system, one reason for choosing it is the very good coverage, by Navionics Gold, of the area, showing  great detail on them.

Robin & Mary Wren

Legend 33, “Wombat”

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