Amersfoort-Veurne

Though my last posting is only 4 weeks ago, a lot has happened since.

Our planning so far has been a bit much, not so practical but there you are.

Dry dock – repairs in the yard – marriage on board – Oostende-at-Anchor – DBA-rally in Paris (without our barge) – Rebecca going to Amsterdam for a few days – the one after the other and in between barging from one place to the other.

All of it was nice or useful or fun or special, but not exactly the laidback living we have been saying praise off.

Oh well, this is part of life as well and we will take things veèèèèry slowly for the remainder of this years cruising season.

My previous entry was about the marriage on board and I was reluctant to show this photo then, but now I will.

A few days before the wedding, pictures of another bride were taken on board. First they were on the quay-side, but on board was nicer.

Her dress was in honour of her Henna-celebration, the civil ceremony had taken place already and the really big party will take place in Turkey – and we thought two happenings was a lot!

completely different from Malka but she looked just as happy

After departing from Amersfoort we went along the Randmeren, the river Amstel, the Aarcanal and the river Gouwe to Gouda and then to Dordrecht.

De Gouwe knew a lot of commercial traffic so we were cruising convoy-stile because the commercials don’t go very fast and the bridges were only operated for all ships together.

keep the fingers crossed this one won't com down

One of the lifting bridges – the one that crashed down last year, just missing a yacht that was passing underneath - was replaced by a ferry.

Apparently they are building a new one, but the whole looked like one of Cristo’s works of art.

Cristo on the Gouwe

Just like it is when driving your car, other peoples behaviour is more threatening and dangerous than what you do yourself.

Especially smaller craft take lots of risk, thus causing problems to others; often they have no notion of the limited manoeuvrability or breaking speed of a big, heavy barge and they certainly don’t take it into account.

Our ship weighs some 70 tonnes, hard to break or get around a corner, not mentioning the length that makes it hard to get bow and stern going in the same direction at the same time. So imagine what it is like for the commercials, being even bigger than we are.

This picture shows the perfect stupidity of the sailing boat and the positive outcome was no thanks to them.

passing just before him, don't think of what could happen

People who had been sailing behind the big barge told us afterwards that they were covered with soot, because the barge had to go full-rev’s to stop, only because the sailing boat slipped in, in front of him.

In Dordrecht we were accompanied by friends on their own barge and from there we had to sail up speed so as to reach Oostende in time.

Being experienced sailors by now – ho-ho – we were not nearly as impressed by Antwerp’s enormous harbour as had been the case last year. Not so for our friends, theirs was the first time.

 

We even found time to fiddle around with our new camera, showing below how tiny we are compared to the real biggies.

we are on the left foto taken from the Twister, our friends barge

In Antwerp we went through the lock to the Scheldt river, first awaiting the right tide together with all other ships that were also waiting for the tide; and we all had to go through the Royerssluis, not really too big.

You have to announce yourself and are given a number they use to call you. Not necessarily in that sequence  because the lock keeper puzzles a lot to get as many ships in as possible at each turn.

Entering the Scheldt at low tide and having the flow behind you towards Ghent really works wonders for your speed, over 16,5 k/h at moderate rev’s, speedboat-like J.

We – that is Rebecca – had been a bit frightened by the prospect of cruising the Scheldt, but in practice it went smoothly.

Things went well, easy cruising, thanks to the skipper and even time to spare for looking at the surroundings and discovering some-one had a plane in his garden ….

I prefer plant and flowers

Cruising from Brugge we were joined by other boats going to Oostend, all using the only waterway to get there. Convoy-stile again, going through locks and bridges together.

All happy people on their way to a party, all in a good mood.

convoi on the canal circling Brugges

they really know how to pack a lock

In the canal circling Brugges there are quite a few artefacts (denoting locks and bridges), bridges opening in a fashion we had not seen before. They are lifting bridges, so no room for masts there. All sailing boats have to lower their masts or go via the sea.

the whole road goes up but turned a quarter circle as to used

swinging from left to right like one of those things on the fairy

In order to enter Oostend you have to go from the canal through a lock to sea, that is the harbour front open to sea, and then another lock so as to get to the inner harbour.

For 't Majeur it was her first salt water experience and we could pretend setting out for sea, but not really so as she is not sea-worthy.

straight on and we are on open sea

Oostend-at-Anchor is a yearly ships festival in the last weekend of May.

All sailing boats that are normally moored in the inner harbour have to leave for the occasion and the pontoons are dismantled, only the ones parallel to the quay remain.

in the centre of Oostende with view on the beautiful station building

The inner harbour is filled up completely with little tjalks, sloops, small and big barges, powerboats (some nice looking) and all kinds of ships worth looking at.

Four, five abreast.

In the outer harbour – open to sea – all tall ships (at least 5 with three masts) steam ships, kotters and Navy ships are moored.

the harbour is full as can be and very lively

The town of Oostende is pampering skippers and crew and the public (each year a quarter of a million) saunters through town and quays, looking at ships and sometimes boarding.

There are stands with all kinds of things and there is live music all over.

This year it lasted for three days because of Pentecost and the weather was beautiful every day.

We were third ship from the jetty and had the advantage that most people didn’t bother climbing over, although …

We quickly rigged up – copying from others who had been there before – a notice board with information on ‘t Majeur. Pictures and a bit of text explaining the ship and her history looked very well and were well read.

there is lots to tell about 't Majeur

As soon as Oostende was at an end we sailed to Veurne where we could moor after consulting the harbourmaster whilst we went to Paris leaving poor Panache in a kennel.

Paris was host to a DBA-rally (Dutch Barge Association), a UK-based society of people with boats like ours or narrow boats.

In order to celebrate their twentieth anniversary this rally was set up, next to a party in the UK.

Over thirty barges – anywhere between 15 to 30 meters – belonging to people who cruise the continental inland waters – had gathered in the Bassin de la Vilette in Paris.

all the barges in the Bassin

The Bassin de la Villette is just a huge rectangular pond in the North of Paris where the Canal St Martin, cutting off a huge bend in the Seine river, is connected.

Five years ago a special arrangement between the DBA and the town council has been made, allowing  mooring in the Bassin, which was appreciated enormously by the Parisiens.

Until then the big pond, where ships had been unloading meat for the slaughterhouses on the one side and wood on the other side, had been bare since 1974 when all activities ceased.

Now, five years afterwards, slowly activities are re-appearing in the Bassin and the DBA was allowed to organise a rally again.

lunch on the quay for about 100 people, everybody contributed something

The days were just packed; we stayed on board with friends and we have met lots of new (to us) people.

We took part in the barge handling competition and The Big Lunch on the quay, but also found time to sniff at the real Paris.

breakfast in the café with coffe and croissant, that's Paris

On the last day we cruised – onboard our friends barge – the Canal St Martin to the Seine and disembarked there, going back to our own barge again.

The canal is a beautiful stretch of old Paris with cast-iron foot bridges.

The last part is a long tunnel underneath the boulevard Richard Lenoir ending in the Arsenal, the Paris harbour on the Seine, a special outing.

the canal St Martin, worth a visit and to stroll along

Now a week of DIY for Michel and a week away to Amsterdam for Rebecca and then we are off to discover more of Belgium.

The weddingday

After lots of preparations like: baking trial cakes (and not eating to much of them), making the real cake with all the trimmings, cleaning and decorating the ship and, really important, making the aft deck wind and rain proof (the weather threatened to be grim), at last the big day arrived.

René in his uniform and you can see how the deck is closed off

Malka wanted, very traditionally, to spend her last night as unmarried woman in her parental house. Although she never lived on board, our barge is just that and so, for old times sake, Steven came to stay as well. So, all of a sudden, we were sleeping as a family under one roof (deck, that is) again.

On the big day everyone had to dress up and be groomed. Michel had bought a new suit, a suit that Steven fancied!

Steven assists Michel in getting dressed

 Malka was beautiful and radiant. And, though Michel had said earlier “What a pity I have to give you away” he performed his duty well and handed her over to the very distinguished looking groom.

father and daughter

René is in the army and was wearing – a special for this occasion – the dress uniform of his regiment, sabre inclusive which was used to cut the bridal cake.
 

The official ceremony took place on board ‘t Majeur. For two hours she was a public place, being an extension to Town Hall.

The civil servant who married the couple came on board in full regalia and thought it was a nice change.

the civil servant in offial gown

Although the weather was bleak in the morning, it didn’t rain and we had a patch of sunshine during the wedding ceremony.

than they say I DO

So, then they were married; time for champagne and cake. Good for me, everyone liked the cake and thought it beautiful. It had been quite a job …..

3 layers and on top the bride and groom with 2 cats

The cake was cut with René’s sabre, all according to the official ritual. That is to say, the sabre followed the cut, previously made with a kitchen knife, the sabre being to blunt in any case.

cutting the cake

And this time I cannot pass up the opportunity to post a picture of the brides parents and brother.

Whilst everyone was sipping champagne rain came pouring down, drops were clattering in the water and on the sun roof, making quite a racket. Had that happened during the ceremony we could not have heard the official text.

Now there was no problem, everybody stayed dry.

it didn't rain it poured

As said before, the weather was really fine and when the champagne had been downed the sun started to shine again, so we could make a trip after all.

Waved at by the bridge-keepers and some passers-by we left the harbour, returning after about an hour.

the weather turned again, so we could go sailing

We stayed in Amersfoort for a few more days and we were addressed a few times by passers-by who had seen the marriage, or the boat or the married couple and they all agreed that it was very romantic.

One women – living near by – had even told her boy-friend that she would consider a proposal, provided the wedding would take place like this.

And the newly-weds were very happy, which is most important.

Mr. and Mrs. Lelieveld-de Lange

 

Now we have left Amersfoort and we are on our way to Oostend (in Belgium) were there will be a festival for tall-ships and barges.

More about that in my next blog.

Groningen - Amersfoort

When planning the work on the barge – moored at the quay at Willem’s – we planned a weeks time, leaving again on Saturday.

Off course we knew it would take longer, which it did; as it turned out we left on Thursday, but by that time a lot of work was done (most of it and in any case the expensive bits now invisible).

back on well known territory

It was very familiar to be back, we had been there for almost two years when being converted and we actually lived aboard for the last year.

Although it was fun meeting up again and the work was useful we were glad to be happily cruising again after a short period!

Via the Noord-Willemskanaal and the Drentsche Hoofdvaart we headed South, it is a nice route but it takes time.

I do love it every time the bridge keeper opens the smaller pivot bridges by walking the half moon shaped pontoon.

the hand operated bridge in the Drentsche Hoofdvaart

 Again we spent the weekend in Dieverbrug and this time we did make the bicycle tour to the Hunebedden.

Although a Hunebed looks like nothing but a pile of rocks (2 – 20 thousand kilo’s each) it is an impressive sight when realising they’ve been there for a long time (5000 years), what they were for (burying mounds) and how they got here (rolled over and pulled by hand).

Compared to the Egypt pyramids a mere trifle, but still impressive.

het Hunebed bij Diever

this construction lies on both sides of the water

On our way up we had already spotted a kind of metal armadillo laying on its side on both sides of the Ramsdiep; in Dutch called a "balgstuw", a kind of dam.

It is an inflatable dam made of rubber which fills automatically with air and water when the water level rises with 50 cm or more within an hour.

The 10 meter high dam offers protection against the rising waters of the Ketelmeer. 

behind the rubber lies the inflatable dam

  

It is the biggest balgstuw in the world and the only one meant as a dam against rising floods.

 The idea was that the stuw (dam) would be used at least once a year, but the 2012 occasion was the first since 2007.

 balgstuw instruction movie

 balgstuw in operation

This leg we didn’t do the polder again but went via the Randmeren and the river Eem to Amersfoort.

Luckily the weather got better so we could paint a bit; we have to look our best for the party aboard.

At long last the hatches are painted after a 3 year stretch in primer and all scratches and damaged spots have been painted.

We enjoyed the wind breaker we had made in Groningen; just a few hooks and we have it hanging on the windy side offering protection.

behind the wind breaker painting is much more comfortable

Now we are moored till May 14^th in the harbour of Amersfoort with a nice view of the Koppelpoort (an ancient walled gate).

These days are all to be spent on the marriage of our daughter and our son in law that will take place next week on board: cleaning, scrubbing, baking cakes, brushing up our clothes, dressing up the boat and so on, and so on...

In my next blog I will be violating my own rule and so it will contain text and pictures of our social life and not of us barging.

It will be about the festivities.

Drydock

After a week in dry-dock we are afloat again and the result of a week's hard work is great.

It was tough on Michel because he has worked as helping foreman and for me because I couldn’t get off the ship for a few days (did not dare) and therefore had to stay inside. After all it wasn’t too hard as I had time for useful things and also for serving the coffee, rolls etc.

There were three boys to help and they stripped the whole ship from just below the waterline to the ‘berghout’.

 

fully protected all-over, it was hard and dirty labour

That part of the ship had not been treated yet (that is to say, in our time) and the many layers of tar were cracking and the hull was getting rusty underneath.

 

this is what it looked like and this is not the worst spot

Each year we had to choose between applying a new layer or do the right thing and strip.
We decided to go for the second option and to our delight now you can see the original depth marks next to the rudder and on the bow.

depth marks next to the rudder

now well discernable where previous invisible

 We hebben besloten tot kaal halen en tot ons genoegen werden nu ook de oorspronkelijke diepte merken naast het roer en op de boeg weer zichtbaar.

It was heavy and dirty work, but after 2 days it was completely bare and smooth and the first layer of primer was on, giving the ship a silver shine, which looks very strange; we finished with two layers of paint.

a pinkish-silver coating of primer

and than the black, for security we went for anchor so nobody could steal this beautiful boat

Now we are back on the quay where the conversion took place and this coming week we’ll do a bit of painting on the outside and some repairs.

But first all the black dust and grit has to be washed off, ‘t Majeur was really dirty.

I’m happy that I have the run of the ship again and can work alongside (vertigo is impractical).

In the middle of April we can go back to pleasure cruising.

On our way to Groningen we passed a curious barge. 

At the time we decided that the pilot house on our barge was too small, so we had it removed in order to get a more spacious one.

Now, when you think your cramped for space you can also get an extension by putting a second one on top. Practical???