Netherlands Trip - Enkhuizen      23rd June:

Happy Bunny

Tall Ship Racing us on the Ijsselmeer

Top of St Pancraskerk

    The harbour master was good at giving us a one-night refund in the morning, and by 09:30 we were in the main harbour of Harlingen and heading out into the Waddenzee.
    A delightful trip down the Frisian coast, jostling with a barge, several tall ships and a flotilla of yachts, and we were soon entering the outer harbour of the Kornwerderzand Sluis.
    A collection of yachts, us included, tied up to a waiting pontoon, with a tall ship and tug berthed further down. Then we all sat and waited until the lock keeper decided to halt the traffic passing over the bridge, allowing the bridge to be swung open. Then, the usual race past the bridge ensued, revealing one of the two locks already open for us. A German chap kindly waved us through, and Rex superbly navigated Duonita through to the front of the lock, managing to pass a wide Belgian vessel that seemed determined not to let anyone pass.
    After an age in the lock, we passed through into the sunny Ijsselmeer, and once out of the channel we set course for Enkhuizen, approximately four hours away. It was a glorious, sunny day with not much wind. An enormous windfarm lay to our right. Numerous yachts and motorboats seemed to be following the same well "trodden" track as us.
    Exactly four hours later we were entering the channel that led down to the lock at Enkhuizen. To our port side, a yacht under sail and a very large motor cruiser entered the channel at the same time. For some inexplicable reason they were not aware of each other, despite being almost side by side. The result was a shunt between the two vessels, followed by shouting. They then carried on to the lock.
    We left them to it as we turned off into the Compagnieshaven in Enkhuizen again, booked a berth, filled up with fuel and water, and settled into our berth. In smug comfort, we watched a variety of craft enter the marina, tie up to the Meldsteiger, untie themselves and raft up to other vessels. A couple of German yachts decided to tie up to the fuelling quay. Oh, what chaos.

Our Last Dutch Meal at Dubbel & Dwars

    As we headed into town, we observed it was heaving with people - Friday evening of course. However, we struck lucky and secured a table at Dubbel & Dwars. We had discovered this restaurant in 2019, and it never let us down. As well as serving good ale and food, it is an excellent place to observe life. We were fascinated by some of the sights we saw both in the restaurant and on the street. The waitress even gave Rex the opportunity to polish up his Dutch language again.
    On the way back to Duonita we took the opportunity to look at the large collection of smart looking boats in the Oude Haven, and the yacht and pleasure craft in the Buitenhaven. It was heartwarming to see a couple of British craft in the latter. It was sad to note that this year we saw no other British vessels north of Enkhuizen.

A Stroll around Oude Haven

    A further short walk brought us to the Oosterhaven, where we sauntered along, examining the assorted vessels moored in this harbour, most likely all belonging to locals.
    Back on board Duonita, we examined the latest weather forecasts for the North Sea. We rapidly arrived at the conclusion that we needed to head down to Ijmuiden early the following morning, get our passports stamped, and head immediately across the North Sea.

Oosterhaven