This Week in Wijnjewoude 2018: Week 27 Dry as a...

A pleasant Tuesday afternoon to bring the boat back to Heerenveen... 22km in 3.5 hours - we had to get out of the Turf Route before the bridges closed at 1630hrs - we made it easily

Driest June in almost 50 years...

One of the consequences of the dry weather is that the dykes can dry out and develop cracks. 15 -20 men have been put to work as "crack inspectors" along the dykes. In Friesland- more than 3000 km of dykes, banks and walls. The water level in Friesland is also being raised by 5cm to keep the dykes wet.
In Harlingen, one of the locks has to be opened fewer times during the day - to preserve water and prevent excessive silting - resulting in delays for pleasure craft.

All over the Netherlands, bridges are having to be kept cool by pumping water over some of the metal parts - they can expand and jam - resulting in traffic delays - and inconveniencing the "boaties".

Not totally unrelated to the warm weather we are having - there was just a fairly long TV News item about "fontein kruid" (fountain weed?) in the Markermeer (and Ijsselmeer). It is a problem at any time but it grows even more quickly in the warm weather - about 20cm per week. It is a problem for boats and is threatening the pleasure craft industry as a whole - it clogs up rudders and keels - and water intakes of open system motors. A number of yachthavens are paying for it to be mowed using a converted fishing vessel. The National Government is not helping with the cost - about €50,000 per week. The Government does pay to keep the commercial shipping lanes clear.

Fonteinkruid neemt af

Boating "Reflections"

I did have a bit of time this week to think about the wonderful times we have had with the boat.

We used to have a much bigger boat but one year we literally had 2 weekends "free" and so we parted ways and opted to "build the business" as it had seemed to develop a life of its own.

"Between Boats..."

In 2008, Ivan, Louise and I hired a boat - from the same "family" as the boat we now have.

Antares

...and one of my all-time favourite photos comes from that trip. The bridgekeeper at Aldeboarn (his wife does it now).

In 2009, friends of Ivan & Louise were "looking to buy a boat" and we arranged to meet to see if we could help out.

"Friends of friends" Andrew & Terry have since become friends in their own right and we have kept in touch and followed their adventures with snippets now and then. They have a "system" of coming to pick up their boat and using it for 3 months every year - including a trip into France (2012) and a return trip to the Netherlands, the following year.

Anyway, it was whilst looking for their boat that I stumbled upon "Jacoba"...

So that's about 16 years now and I also remember that even before that we used to go out "looking at boats" by visiting yacht havens all over the place. It was a good way of discovering Friesland and nurturing the boat dream.

Jacoba was a bit more "us" and so much easier for a two-man crew to handle - with an assist from the bow thruster!

Then came the Small Boat Licence - needed "to go to France" - and the boat registration finally organised in 2018.

Sometimes I think I'd like to have more time to go boating, but then I remember how lucky we are to have had so much pleasure from "her" over the years, and it all seems "just about right".