Netherlands Trip - Hoorn      27th June:

Innovative Building near Amsterdam

    We sat in the cockpit eating breakfast under leaden skies, and marvelled at a very tall portable crane a short distance from us. It was lifting off the long arm of a construction crane and lowering it to ground level.
    Showered up, paid up and provisions bought, we departed from the marina and headed down the very busy section of the canal past the Amsterdam Centraal. We continued on to the Oranjesluizen, and once through that and the accompanying bridge, we slipped past Durgerdam and the tiny island of Vuurtoreneiland just south of Hoek van't Ij. It is a beautiful private island at the south western end of the Markermeer. The original lighthouse on the island was built three centuries ago and is the only lighthouse in Amsterdam. The island is set up as a nature preserve and there are plans to restore the fort there so that visitors can experience it. It is possible to take a boat from the city to the island to enjoy a meal at the restaurant there. Then we were out into the Markermeer. Before us lay four hours of cruising up the Markermeer towards our route through the Markerwaarddijk into the Ijsselmeer at Enkhuizen. There wasn't a breath of wind, so unfortunately sailing was not an option.

Vuurtoreneiland

    During my watch we passed that well know landmark, Het Paard van Marken (The Horse Of Marken) Lighthouse. Built in 1839 by J. Valk, it lay on the Dutch peninsula, Marken, on the Markermeer of course. A primitive lighthouse had been on the location since the early 18th century. The current lighthouse has been a Rijksmonument since 1970.

Het Paard van Marken

Beers at d'Oude Waegh

    At 14:00 I went off watch and retired below for a nap; what could go wrong on a windless day and a flat calm sea? An indeterminate time later I was awoken by a terrible din, and my body was bouncing between my bunk and the ceiling. I staggered up to the lurching cockpit. Torrential rain was lashing the water, and white spume was flying off angry waves. Rex declared we were in a Force 5 storm. It was horrible and totally unexpected. Plans were immediately altered and we changed course to seek shelter at the port of Hoorn, hoping to gain a little respite from the lee of the land.
    We limped into Grashaven marina in Hoorn and secured a berth for the night. A very well spoken Belgian chap helped us with our bow lines. He owned a large motor boat/small ship berthed on a hammer head a dozen metres from us. We had a chat and learned that he kept his boat either here at Hoorn or at Eastbourne. Why Eastbourne? I'll never know. He informed us the weather cell we had experienced passing through was quite vicious, indeed it had devastated Zeeland and one person had perished. However, he promised us fine weather and sunshine for the rest of the week. We thanked the man, and he left us saying, "If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, just let me know." The kindness of strangers.
    Once sorted, we headed into town for a well-earned beer and food. We soon discovered a lot of the time was closed on Monday evenings. But a couple of beers in d'Oude Waegh helped us to relax. Finding a restaurant that was open but not packed out posed a problem., but we discovered a delightful Italian restaurant, La Sfida, run by an Italian and his wife, and a Dutch girl as waitress. We had a choice of a la carte, or a menu with a large collection of dishes from which we could choose any five for a fixed price. We chose the latter. The dishes were freshly prepared, delicious and of the right quantity.
    We settled down for the night totally chilled.