Amsterdam Canals

vette

Member
Joined
1 Aug 2016
Messages
58
Visit site
Hi all,
Is it possible to set off from somewhere like Dover, head over to somewhere like Dunkirk, then head north, skirting the coastline (on our right) and arrive at IJmuiden,
Where would be ideal places to set off from ?
Probably something between a 25 foot and 30 foot cuddy cabin

vette
 

Momac

Well-known member
Joined
7 Feb 2008
Messages
6,625
Location
UK
Visit site
Presumable such a boat would require relatively calm conditions.
If it runs on petrol fuel availability and range may be limiting factor .
You would be crossing the worlds busiest shipping area .
 

EricJ

Active member
Joined
17 Apr 2016
Messages
207
Location
Amsterdam
Visit site
I agree with Tradewinds that going onto more sheltered water as soon as you reach NL is the best thing to do. Vlissingen is an option and otherwise Stellendam further north. From there the trip is easy but takes some time to go via Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Gouda and Aalsmeer to Amsterdam.
 

LittleSister

Well-known member
Joined
12 Nov 2007
Messages
17,547
Location
Me Norfolk/Suffolk border - Boat Deben & Southwold
Visit site
I'm not entirely clear what you are asking, or why, Vette.

If you wanted to get into the canal/inland waterways system as soon as possible, to limit the open sea cruising, then that can be done at Calais or Dunkirk, and travel up to Amsterdam inland. Slower than by sea, but probably generally more scenic and relaxing.

Coastal trip up to Ijmuiden also very doable if the boat and skipper are suitably capable. These are not waters to be trifled with, though.
 

vette

Member
Joined
1 Aug 2016
Messages
58
Visit site
So much kind replies, Many thanks.

I could consider another option, to trailer the boat by DFDS to Dunkirk, then trailer up to save some engine hours and fuel.
Probably dropping into the water about a days motorboating away from Amsterdam ?

Vette
 

simonfraser

Well-known member
Joined
13 Mar 2004
Messages
7,373
Visit site
You just need to be inland and have plenty of spare time in order to enjoy the trip
trailering over 2.55m wide is tricky
 

rlw

Member
Joined
21 Jun 2001
Messages
479
Location
Belgium
Visit site
I do my boating in Holland. I agree cross over and then along the Belgian coast and onto the inland waterway system / lakes at vlissingen where a canal takes you to the Veerse meer and you can go anywhere from there. Do download the speed limit chart from rijkswaterstaat. Snel varen? Bekijk de overzichtskaart snelvaargebieden. Don't be mistaken. If it blows the inland lakes can still be interesting. Many years ago I was wave surfing a Portofino 31 on the Oosterschelde after a couple of days of an F7. The advantage is that you can choose between sheltered waters and open waters depending on the conditions. Took my Targa 52 up to Amsterdam and beyond last summer. Stayed inland the whole route.

Zeeland is prime boating country especially in a fast cuddy with plenty of places to go fast between the locks. Anchor out or stay on the islands if sunny or moor in one of the many medieval tows if the weather turns. Feel free to PM me if you need local info.
 

vette

Member
Joined
1 Aug 2016
Messages
58
Visit site
I do my boating in Holland. I agree cross over and then along the Belgian coast and onto the inland waterway system / lakes at vlissingen where a canal takes you to the Veerse meer and you can go anywhere from there. Do download the speed limit chart from rijkswaterstaat. Snel varen? Bekijk de overzichtskaart snelvaargebieden. Don't be mistaken. If it blows the inland lakes can still be interesting. Many years ago I was wave surfing a Portofino 31 on the Oosterschelde after a couple of days of an F7. The advantage is that you can choose between sheltered waters and open waters depending on the conditions. Took my Targa 52 up to Amsterdam and beyond last summer. Stayed inland the whole route.

Zeeland is prime boating country especially in a fast cuddy with plenty of places to go fast between the locks. Anchor out or stay on the islands if sunny or moor in one of the many medieval tows if the weather turns. Feel free to PM me if you need local info.
Thanks for such a good reply.
I will pm this evening.
Vette
 

mainshiptom

Active member
Joined
15 Jul 2002
Messages
3,386
Location
Faversham kent uk
Visit site
I usually cross to niewpoort in Belgium and enter the canal system there, no height restriction since all bridges lift.
The marina staff are really helpful and the canals are a joy, I have stayed in Gent Brugge Willemstad and Kuddelstart Rotterdamall great places. in Beleguim you have to pay one off to enter the canals but that allows you for moorings and some time Water and electricity too. In Brugge the public moorings are 8Euro a night and private marinas are a bit more expensive but nothing like ours.

let me know if you want more info
 

vette

Member
Joined
1 Aug 2016
Messages
58
Visit site
I usually cross to niewpoort in Belgium and enter the canal system there, no height restriction since all bridges lift.
The marina staff are really helpful and the canals are a joy, I have stayed in Gent Brugge Willemstad and Kuddelstart Rotterdamall great places. in Beleguim you have to pay one off to enter the canals but that allows you for moorings and some time Water and electricity too. In Brugge the public moorings are 8Euro a night and private marinas are a bit more expensive but nothing like ours.

let me know if you want more info
HGi mainshiptom,

That is a wonderful snipit of information.
Entering at Nieuwpoort looks quite convenient.
Definitely some thing I should look for more information on.

vette
 

longjohnsilver

Well-known member
Joined
30 May 2001
Messages
18,841
Visit site
I usually cross to niewpoort in Belgium and enter the canal system there, no height restriction since all bridges lift.
The marina staff are really helpful and the canals are a joy, I have stayed in Gent Brugge Willemstad and Kuddelstart Rotterdamall great places. in Beleguim you have to pay one off to enter the canals but that allows you for moorings and some time Water and electricity too. In Brugge the public moorings are 8Euro a night and private marinas are a bit more expensive but nothing like ours.

let me know if you want more info

Tom have you had any problems with red diesel in your tanks? And will the canals accommodate a 48’ (14.5m) boat with a beam of 4.6m and draft of 1.6m?

we have Dutch friends who are always trying to persuade us to take our boat over there , something we would like to do, but have been put off reading of the potential issues others have experienced.
 
Last edited:

mainshiptom

Active member
Joined
15 Jul 2002
Messages
3,386
Location
Faversham kent uk
Visit site
Tom have you had any problems with red diesel in your tanks? And will the canals accommodate a 48’ (14.5m) boat with a beam of 4.6m and draft of 1.6m?

we have Dutch friends who are always trying to persuade us to take our boat over there , something we would like to do, but have been put off reading of the potential issues others have experienced.
I never had any problems in Holland or Belgium since it is also used by small commercial traffic, you can get some really good maps sorry charts of the area. if you are worried you could enter via zeebrugge which is a massive port and all canals are used by commercial boats, my boat only draws a 1 meter and 4.5 meter high so no problems.

we planned one yer to enter through Flushing but the sea was so rough that we used Nieupoort.
 

Alicatt

Well-known member
Joined
6 Nov 2017
Messages
4,349
Location
Eating in Eksel or Ice Cold in Alex
Visit site
Tom have you had any problems with red diesel in your tanks? And will the canals accommodate a 48’ (14.5m) boat with a beam of 4.6m and draft of 1.6m?

we have Dutch friends who are always trying to persuade us to take our boat over there , something we would like to do, but have been put off reading of the potential issues others have experienced.
On the smaller canals they are usually dredged to 2m but out of the channel it can be quite shallow, the little 6.5m sloop we had last year would touch bottom if there were two people in the stern when we were in the side canals, it was not a large boat!
_DSC3398sm.JPG
Tied up in Hindeloopen

As for bigger boats, plenty of them in the main canals
Lemmer town centre:
_DSC3289sm.JPG
 

Laminar Flow

Well-known member
Joined
14 Jan 2020
Messages
1,843
Location
West Coast
Visit site
We spent 5 years in NL. Mast up, with a draft of 4' 4" and a beam of 11'. Never really had any problems with either depth or beam. Entered the system at Vlissingen and traveled the entirety of the standing mast route all the way to Delfzeil. Compared to the UK, moorage is at bargain basement prices: downtown Amsterdam at Sixhaven, with a free shuttle ferry connecting you to the centre was 10.50 E for 31'. A lot of the tie-ups in the lakes and smaller canals are free. The Dutch require you to have a couple of inland almanacs on board; both are in Dutch and (hence) of limited use, but there is a hefty fine if caught without (no one ever wanted to see them). You also need a holding tank (of sorts) or a Portapotti; minimum legal requirement is a plastic bag in your toilet to catch the waste (bon appetit).

The standard beam for secondary canal locks in France and Belgium is 5.20m. I have been through France with 4.85m - it teaches you a lot about boat handling and how to relax about your paint job. The locks are not the problem, but such interesting features as tunnels, aqueducts and the sections under the bridges where it narrows down to the 5.20m from full canal width to allow the horses to pass in the good old days.

We met a French family in Yarmouth that had come over from Cherbourg in a 28' MoBo and they seemed perfectly relaxed about crossing the channel.
As long as your engine is reliable, I cannot see why you would need to worry about making the hop from Dover to anywhere on the continent, just pick your weather. The chances of the weather suddenly turning are pretty much nil and least you should be able to predict your arrival to the minute. I would also not worry about crossing the shipping lanes either, other than in restricted visibility; you are after all perfectly maneuverable and have none of the restrictions of a sailing vessel.
Recently, I watched a vid of a Norwegian crossing the North Sea in a bog standard 30' MoBo, some 165 miles from Norway to the Shetlands, I believe. Other than potential death by boredom, I didn't notice anything particularly dangerous about it.
 
Top