Dutch migration

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Spuddy

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Planning for the longer trips next season. A few times I've been caught out with very busy marinas because of the major moves north and south by Dutch sailors. I like the cloggies but it's just one factor and would like to avoid over large rafts and consequent tying up and casting off.
Trouble is I can't remember the dates they favour - memory failure and written log doesn't help.
I'm guessing at mid June but might be later; can anyone help me out with peak periods to avoid?
 
We've never found the Dutch to be a problem - always friendly and good sailors. Like most people - boats start to move when the schools are out - which I think is earlier in continental Europe than here in the UK. Your mid June guess sounds about right to me. Personally I'd go at a time that suits you and just accept that if you travel in peak summer - there will be congestion!
 
Roger is right about there being fewer British & Dutch boats end of May.
Trouble with the end of May, is that the towns look a bit like Southend in the winter. They have not actually got the "festive " air.
Later in the year, with more touristy people about, the high streets etc look so much more jolly.
For our 2020 cruise in company I have arranged it to start 22 Aug for 2 weeks, gathering at Breskens.
I always go to Ostend from the beginning of August & the sudden drop in Dutch yacht numbers 3rd week in August is really noticeable as they all head home.
 
Dutchland in late July and August can be very busy, but not necessarily unmanageably so. Some time in late August they all scarper and the waterways are empty. If you want or need to be there in the season, it is simply best to arrange your passages to avoid peak times, especially weekends. We were returning in company with a larger boat from the East and passed through the locks into the Ijselmeer on a Sunday morning, which was busy and took about an hour. Our friends were an hour behind us and their passage through took four hours, so beware. Some of these places get full of large charter barges which bung up the facilities. Another problem with Sunday is that many of the bridges have long closing times, so it is necessary to plan ahead with the readily available information.

A little bit of planning can save a lot of hassle. There are many small harbours that are not much used, but they can make good jumping-off places so that you get to a popular place in the morning, when good berths should be available. The Sixhaven or Aeolus in Amsterdam are examples of places than can be visited in this way more easily.
 
johnalison said:
A little bit of planning can save a lot of hassle. There are many small harbours that are not much used, but they can make good jumping-off places so that you get to a popular place in the morning, when good berths should be available. The Sixhaven or Aeolus in Amsterdam are examples of places than can be visited in this way more easily.
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I might have dreamt it but I think Sixhaven don’t like you arriving before midday nowadays. Can anyone confirm this?

BTW typing this on my iPad - no problem encountered (see website feedback forum).
 
Tradewinds said:
I might have dreamt it but I think Sixhaven don’t like you arriving before midday nowadays. Can anyone confirm this?

BTW typing this on my iPad - no problem encountered (see website feedback forum).
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I think you may be right, but it does no harm to be hanging about nearby at the time. There is a small club near the Oranjesluis that we used to use when approaching from the east.

As I said, the main thing is to avoid popular bottlenecks. In the north they are the locks out of the Ijselmeer to the Waddensee. Further south there are the locks at Willemstad and Bruinisse, also the rotten little Krammersluis nearby. Zandkreeksluis at the Veersemeer can be busy but I've not done it for many years.
 
Thanks for the informed opinions....much appreciated.
I didn't spell it out that I'd be heading down French coast so not touching Netherlands at all. Even so, insights will be no less useful.
 
Spuddy said:
Thanks for the informed opinions....much appreciated.
I didn't spell it out that I'd be heading down French coast so not touching Netherlands at all. Even so, insights will be no less useful.
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I leave Bradwell for the CIs 2nd 3rd week in May & take 10 days along French coast to get to St PP. early June. I find no problem heading west that time of year. St PP starts to get busy 2nd week in June so I go inside for 7-10 days whilst the wife comes over for a few days to stay with me. St helier involves a lot of waiting to get in if arriving from St PP & that involves rafting for a while but they normally find a space once there is water over the cill. I tend to avoid the place.
Then I carry on west to Camaret. I find that Lezardrieux, Treguier are OK earlier on, Roscoff is always Ok, but L aber wrach can be hit or miss. By the end of June, Cameret starts to get a bit crowded. Then I head home and stop at same places inc Cherbourg, Le havre, Dieppe & Boulogne. Dieppe can be awkward coming home if there is a regatta on, as can Le Havre if it is a big one. But one can always check first & they ony last a few days.
So I think that 3rd week in june to 22 august is the busy period to avoid.
So in the last 15 years I have only had most agro in Boulogne ( but go 4-6 times a year) and Ostende ( spend a lot of time in August) & in Dieppe ( when the Figaro 3s turned up)
So you should be OK in the major ones if you can avoid the time I have said. I cannot speak for those ports in between such as Fecamp, Honfleur, Ouistram, Granville St Malo,etc as only been a few times
 
The trouble is that the best weather tends to be July/Aug. We have done East Coast to CIs/ Brittany a number of times, either via Brighton or Normandy and the summer period is always hit or miss. St Vaast, Dives, Deauville, Honfleur, St Valery en Caux are all much the same with regard to crowding but providing one avoids regattas and festivals you should be OK anywhere except Boulogne during the Dutch stampede. Our policy is to arrive as early as the tide will allow, in the hope of getting a finger berth.
 
The summer holidays are from the 4th of july until the 23th of august. Most people have 3 weeks. To spread evenly, the north, middle and south start and end at different days. Most people usually bugger of to France so sailing should be fairly easy if it wasn't for loads of Germans sailing their Bavaria's on the IJsselmeer.
A a rule of thumb, most sailing is done in the north. Here is the link, I'd be more than happy to translate but Google does that too.
Zomervakantie 2020
 
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