Dutch rivers and canals

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rolf.nielsen

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Hi,

We are planning to cruise around the Netherlands rivers and canals, starting by going from Ijmuiden to Rotterdam via the canals. We're a 36' motorboat drawing only 1.2m but with airdraft ~4.5m. Where do I start in terms of getting the right maps/charts, tips and guides and how do I find out where I'm allowed to go and what permissions I may need? Next year, we'll expand our range to include France, Germany and Belgium too, so I'm looking for some comprehensive sources of information, in print or online.

Regards.
 
The main route from the n e top of holland to flushing is the standing mast route
This is covered in the dutch publication starting about willemstad going north
It is written in dutch but one can soon pick up the details
Being a mobo you will not need to worry so much about some bridges but be aware that quite a few only open 3 times a day. The book does give times as well as a map page by page
Use it in tandem with the imray pilot for the noddylands
I have had many happy weeks cruising the canals by yacht & these 2 books do most of what you will need
However for south of willemstad the Dutch do excellent charts in packs
You need the 1805 set to cover south down to the walcheren canal the 1801 set covers the coast
I also use the 1803 set
If you want to leave the main canal route then you will probably need more of the 1800 series
 
I forgot to add that it is a legal requirement to have up to date books 1 & 2 of the dutch wateralmanak on board
Useless if you cannot read dutch but you could get nicked if stopped - & people do get inspected
All the above can be purchased at the chandlery at Ijmuiden or of you do what i do & go in at breskens you can get everything there
 
Daydream believer said:
I forgot to add that it is a legal requirement to have up to date books 1 & 2 of the dutch wateralmanak on board
Useless if you cannot read dutch but you could get nicked if stopped - & people do get inspected
All the above can be purchased at the chandlery at Ijmuiden or of you do what i do & go in at breskens you can get everything there
Click to expand...

Sailorman will be along very soon with the link. I believe you can take it as a download
 
For a comprehensive view of formal requirements for the inland waterways of Netherlands,Germany,Belgium,France etc . look at the cruising site 'Noonsite'.
Amongst requirements to consider: You will need a CEVNI (ICC) qualification,although not for NL unless your craft can exceed 11kts.there (or was >15M.).Certainly if going on to the other countries you will need a radio capable of ATIS transmission.Later models have this capability built in.Some may need returning for reprogramming to achieve this.Use of a VHF/DSC is technically illegal.Similarly use of an ATIS set is illegal in UK.
If you use or download the free OPEN CPN software,or another suitable programme you can download the current ENC charts free for the dutch inland waters from :
http://www.vaarweginformatie.nl/fdd/main/infra/enc
You will find that the dutch publications are cheaper in the Netherlands than in the UK,so fill out your coverage when you arrive.
 
I,ve got 90% of the inland charts for Holland, ,Belgium, Rivers Seine and Rhone,altho they are about 12 years old they are in perfect condition.There must be about £200/300 of books. Interested PM me.
 
bluerm166 said:
you will need a radio capable of ATIS transmission.Later models have this capability built in.Some may need returning for reprogramming to achieve this.Use of a VHF/DSC is technically illegal.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true.
If you contact OFCOM in uk they will send you a notice of variation of licence for purpose of installing ATIS along with a letter explaining the situation etc etc This means you prefix the MMSI no with a 9 ( in my case) when in RAINWAT states. They go on to explain that this may not solve all issues but is an official agreement. It all gets very detailled so you need to speak to OFCOM
Trouble is that i cannot change my MMSI at will so have never done it
 
Thanks for all the tips. There are many sites on the Standing Mast routes and a lot of information but I have not found one consolidated guide that properly explains bridges, locks and convoys, and many of the sites that are referred to seem to be in Dutch only.

Basically, my boat is in Amsterdam and on Saturday 30/8 I have to take her to Rotterdam with latest arrival in Rotterdam at 11.00 on Sunday 31/8 - so I have about 24 hrs to do it. I can collapse the little mast on my Grand Banks such that my height doesn't exceed 5m. What is the best route for me to take, and can it be done safely without risk of delay? I don't want to risk getting stuck somewhere behind a bridge with clearance less than 5m that only opens once a day only to miss my arrival deadline (which is firm, I'll have flights to catch).

My fallback is to just go to Rotterdam along the coast but that'll make me more exposed to the weather + it would be less fun! :)

I hope to get some advice here so that I can start my planning. Thanks in advance!
 
we first came south from Amstedam with a mast up route shown on a dotted line on an AWNB pamphlet from Mr Harri`s emporium.
You will not be alone on the trip ( especially the overnighter south) so its follow my leader
the only hold ups are generally
Schiphol motorway bridge & Gouda rail bridge
 
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Yeah, I'm starting to think it's better to just take the boring route on the outside and then try the canals when I have more time.

However... A bit further research and some questionable google translates of dutch websites seems to suggest that the route via Harlem to Rotterdam might just work if I can catch the southbound convoy through Harlem. Does anyone know what times the convoys leave and how many there are? The railway bridge in Gouda apparently opens every two hours or so (at least according to this recent article: http://bonitayawl.blogspot.dk/2014/07/canals-and-bridges.html), so that should be manageable. Can anyone who has actually done this share some advice on whether it is too risky (ie. too great a risk that I'll get stuck somewhere), or if it is manageable?


* EDIT: https://www.haarlemmarketing.nl/bezoeken/sport_recreatie/op-en-aan-het-water/ suggests there are regular convoys, with the first one going south at 09.00. Is this correctly understood, and how frequent are the convoys during the day then? If they are frequent enough (say, every 2 hours) and the Gouda railway bridge opens every 2 hours, then it should be possible to get through from Amsterdam to Rotterdam in a day?
 
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vyv_cox said:
Just did a bit of Googling on 'Gouda railway bridge' and it does look like my experience of around 10 years ago has been superseded. Several blogs talk about more frequent opening now.
Click to expand...
That is correct.

On the link below are the official opening times, which start at 6:00 on weekdays and saturdays, and on 10:27 on sundays and holidays. At 8:30, 16:27 and 18:27 on weekdays the bridge will only open for commercial vessels but recreational craft can join.

http://www.zuid-holland.nl/overzicht_alle_themas/c_e_thema_verkeer-vervoer/content_verkeer_over_water/c_vaarweg_alphen_aan_den_rijn_-_gouda/c_spoorbrug_gouwe_dubbelsporig.htm

Convoys through Haarlem start at 9:00 Southbound, and will alternate between Northbound and Southbound from then until 19:45 when the last Southbound convoy starts. There are no fixed times.

Here is the official Staande Mast Route 2014 brochure in English:

http://www.varendoejesamen.nl/sites/default/files/folders/Staande-Mast-Route-2014-EN.pdf

And here is the Dutch version which contains a bit more information:
http://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/images/Staande%20Mast%20Route%202014_tcm174-340973.pdf"]http://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/images/Staande%20Mast%20Route%202014_tcm174-340973.pdf

Good luck, and enjoy your stay!

Jeroen.
 
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My PC-Navigo says you can do the canals from Sixhaven (Amsterdam) to Ligplaats Rotterdam based on a length of 11m, beam 4m, draft 1.8m, airdraft 5m. It is a 97.5km trip and will take 10:08 hours at an average 10kms per hour but you will be lucky to average that. Maybe invest in PC-Navigo seeing as you will be doing quite a few of the European waterways.
 
We went through Gouda last week, the times of the bridges are on the boat, the bridges open at least three times a day. Timings for the bridges at the weekend are slightly tight for a trip from Amsterdam to Rotterdam in one day on a Saturday as I think that some of the bridges only open from 9am until 6pm.

It took us a couple of days to get down by Rotterdam from Amsterdam, despite being at the first morning bridge opening through Haarlem as there were delays on two of the bridges due to technical faults. One hold up was an hour and the other 90 minutes which threw the schedule.
 
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