Day 31 Harlingen to Enkhuizen, 30nm
Saturday, 3 August
We left around 8:30am – as the boat inside us wanted to catch the bridge before it’s going to be shut for a couple of hours.
David reversed out very well. It’s packed full in here!
We motored down the channel to get to the next bridge and lock to cross from the Waddenzee into the IJsselmeer. There’s water everywhere but most is only a meter deep, so you really want to stay inside the buoys where it’s over 5 meters.
We waved goodbye to our good friends and fellow travellers, Quattordici who are now parting ways with us. Thanks for all the friendship, knowledge and welcome help and advice!
The lock was busy and we dropped 1.5 meters.
Fin has his fender badge complete as he can do clove hitches now and fends off all comers excellently.
It was a misty morning but the blue sky won out and there was a good wind around 8-12 knots letting us reach all the way across the Ijselmeer towards Enkhuizen.
Some gusts got up to 17 knots and it was fun on the helm and trimming the main sheet for Greta who is now working perfectly.
We overtook everyone as we stormed along at 8+ knots.
There are lots of yachts and barges enjoying the super sailing.
In Enkhuizen, David may have slightly misunderstood what Marc said about which bit to park in,
but the Harbourmaster opened the bridge and we found a nice pontoon mooring.
We gave La Bamba a good wash as she is looking a bit lived in these days!
The unmistakeable sounds of Holland:
Enkhuizen is a beautiful port, and home port to Quattordici. It started out as a little fishing village that grew into a rich town during the Golden Age of the Netherlands when it became a major port for the VOC, the Netherland’s East India Company in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Later the harbour silted up and Amsterdam took all of Enkhuizen’s trade.
They have a statue of Paulus Potter here looking towards some goats to sketch – I think they should have been cows as that’s what he was best at:
We went to a ship in a bottle museum
It’s a lot windier now, so we are glad we got here early. We had a delicious meal (I had fresh turbot!) and we are going to enjoy a quiet night in good shelter.
Very full of memories, the silvery bells and lovely buildings, even the parking beside and over the water and of course the best views from the water.