During the previous two years, Rex, Meryl and I have really enjoyed exploring two different regions of the Netherlands, which can be broadly defined as the northern and southern provinces.
The country held a certain charm for us; a beautiful land full of lovely, friendly people endowed with a good sense of humour. We had not tired of it yet, and felt we had more to discover still.
Rex had studied the standing mast routes through the country well, routes that contained bridges that opened to allow masted vessels to pass through. One such route travelled down the spine of the western part of the country. After some deliberation, we decided to explore this territory all the way up to the Frisian Islands, then while Meryl made a brief return to the UK, Rex and I would sail around the Ijsselmeer and Markermeer, putting in at new ports of call.
While Duonita was being borrowed by Barry and Yvonne, a couple from the saltings, for five days, the three of us intended to spend that time in Berlin, where my son Dan would join us for a time.
As usual, time scales were determined by external events. I could not leave Ipswich until my duty as a juror on a lengthy court case wound up. Rex and Meryl had an important engagement in mid-August. Tides and weather then defined the fine tuning.
We all greatly looked forward to exploring yet another fascinating facet on this land we loved, and to immersing ourselves in its history, food and culture once again.
The actual route taken can be examined on the route link. How the story unfolded can be revealed by following the diary link.
Read and enjoy!
