Netherlands - Vlissingen to Amsterdam Inland Route

[st599]

Does anyone have any good guides to the inland route?

What are the options on routes, how long does it take, what's the maximum draft etc.?

TIA

 

[Angele]

I've got this one: http://www.bookharbour.com/baltic-north-sea-pilots/cruising-guide-to-the-netherlands/

It is a bit difficult to navigate (the book that is, not the route - haha!) until you get used to the layout. Not many options, from memory. And the key decision is whether you are happy to join the night convoy or not.

It is only the inland route East of the Ijsselmeer where draft is an issue, unless you are exceptionally deep.

Try this for starters: http://www.inlandwaterwaysofthenetherlands.com/route-planner/mast-up-route

 

[EdWingfield]

Night convoy is a bucket list job. It will not disappoint.

 

[STATUE]

No doubt you're ahead of me, don't forget the two compulsory books you must have with you, can't remember the names, one is only available in Dutch the other can be obtained in English.

 

[davidej]

No doubt you're ahead of me, don't forget the two compulsory books you must have with you, can't remember the names, one is only available in Dutch the other can be obtained in English.

I think you can now download these and it is a legal alternative to the physical book.

The Dutch Water Board (VWF ?? or similar) publish a proper guide to the standing mast route, complete to the last buoy. Mine is on board so I cant check the name.

 

[johnalison]

You can go overboard with buying books if you are not careful. We do this trip regularly and mostly use an ancient Brian Navin guide that nowadays consists mostly of our annotations.

I'm not sure why I have done the night trip twice; it was bad enough the first time, however, if you like that sort of thing it could be fun. We normally take our time about it and go via Haarlem. If you want to get a move on, it is usually much better to go outside, which will be quicker and give the option of some sailing.

As well as small places to see, the main towns on the way are Dordrecht, Gouda and Haarlem. As a city, I find Dordrecht a bit gloomy, but it has its points. We got a friendly reception at the smaller marina/club in Maartensgat this year. Gouda is a handsome place with much to see. We usually stay at the small club on the way in on the right and cycle to town, but we have stayed in town happily as well. Haarlem doesn't have much in the way of good stopping-places, but in the canal by the town is busy and fun. We also found a spot just past there with a pontoon and electricity. The town is good for shopping if you like that sort of thing, but the cathedral, Frans Hals museum and the Teylers museum are superb.

You are never going to lose your way, and there are some basic maps which do the job, but much of the art of navigating is getting the timings right for the bridges. Many of them have lunchtime closures, and Sundays can mean hold-ups in places. When in doubt, some of the Dutch speak English.

 

[PaulR]

did that route this summer and bought at the first good chandlery in the floating barge at middelburg the dutch guide to the standing mast route which is soft back book with the charts included which we found ideal - had bought the navin guide before we left and were very disappointed with it but very keen on the dutch guide - so many super places to stop on the way through - will do it again - ps we didn't do the night route as given relaxed pace didn't see the appeal of motoring in convoy in the night

 

[neil1967]

When in doubt, some of the Dutch speak English.

Somewhat of an understatement! We live in the Netherlands, and the Dutch are probably amongst the best English speakers outside of England, and are exceptionally friendly and helpful

 

[johnalison]

Somewhat of an understatement! We live in the Netherlands, and the Dutch are probably amongst the best English speakers outside of England, and are exceptionally friendly and helpful

Just my bit of whimsy. I think that the Swedes may be better, but I couldn't be sure. There is a rule in the Netherlands that if you speak English you are not permitted to own or travel by a traditional craft, and that you must wear a beard. This may include the ladies, but I haven't checked this point.

 

[Fossil]

We did this route many times when I lived in Belgium and it was always different and always fun. Can get a bit stressy if you are doing it to a timetable, though.

From memory, the bridges with rather restrictive opening times are at Dordrecht and Gouda on the way up. The overnight convoy through Amsterdam needs to be done once as a test of your boat-handling skills and patience and, once you arrive at the southern end going north, your creativity in finding bits of tree to moor up to while you wait for things to get underway. For the rest of the time, I prefer to go through Haarlem, although here too, you need to be patient yet assertive when fitting your boat through narrow bridge openings while under pressure from mobos and locals following closely.

On this route there is also a restrictive bridge (the main motorway to Amsterdam) with twice-daily openings at unsocial hours. Fortunately, on either side of it there are good stopping places to wait it out. It can be done in around 2 days of hard motoring if you work the bridges carefully, we usually allowed three and took our time. After all, there's a lot to be said for sitting in the sunshine with a beer in hand and nothing at all to do for a couple of hours until the bridge opens. Which, by the way, will happen. The bridges are as reliable as clockwork in terms of timing. But problems can arise if there is a lot of pleasure traffic - you always have to defer to the working barges and they will assert their priority - but some of the leisure boats tend to try it on a bit and get up close to you.

 

[EdWingfield]

The bridges are as reliable as clockwork in terms of timing. .

Not quite. The convoy route will not begin until the last train has crossed the railbridge. If that service is delayed, then the convoy must wait. A guy on a moped will eventually arrive and shake you from your drunken stupor and tell you to cast off and make ready. Great fun. Much camaraderie - especially if you are single-handed. If you need crew, ask a skipper with spare crew if you can borrow one.

 

[johnalison]

As I have mentioned before, there is a single-handed flag, the numeral 1 pennant. This was in widespread use this year over there and appeared to be very useful.

You have to pay for transit in some towns such as Haarlem, and also further north in Leeuwarden and Dokkum. In Haarlem payment is by machine at the north end, requiring tying up at the harbour office. The catch is that the machine only accepts Maestro cards and the office is often shut. We have managed to get friendly locals to pay for us on occasion, though this is not necessary if staying in the town as the overnight fee covers this.

The Braassememmer is also a handy place to stop and the YC very welcoming, in fact, you get a gift of a bottle of gherkins on arrival.

 

[Angele]

I've got this one: http://www.bookharbour.com/baltic-north-sea-pilots/cruising-guide-to-the-netherlands/

It is a bit difficult to navigate (the book that is, not the route - haha!) until you get used to the layout. Not many options, from memory. And the key decision is whether you are happy to join the night convoy or not.

Last night I checked through my nautical library and realise I have misled. I have Brian Navin's book, but I also have this one:

http://www.bookharbour.com/europe/inland-waterways-of-the-netherlands/

This gives must more detailed info on the places along the various routes on the inland waterways, but it is also this one where it is difficult to find where the places are without a chart alongside. (So not great for reading on a daily train commute in my case).

My apologies (especially to the author) for the adverse comments about Brian Navin's book. I find it is quite clear in that one to understand where the places are.

 

[JumbleDuck]

The catch is that the machine only accepts Maestro cards and the office is often shut.

The Netherlands as a whole is curiously intent on making it as hard as possible for foreigners to pay for things. Until recently only two ticket machines on the entire railway network (at Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal) accepted credit cards, all the others accepting coins (not notes) and Dutch bank cards only. Online tickets are iDEAL (Dutch account) only. Luckily I have a German account with a Maestro card which worked everywhere I tried it there, though one French petrol station wouldn't take it. Maybe they are still sensitive in Elsaß ...

 

[Dan Tribe]

As I have mentioned before, there is a single-handed flag, the numeral 1 pennant. This was in widespread use this year over there and appeared to be very useful.

You have to pay for transit in some towns such as Haarlem, and also further north in Leeuwarden and Dokkum. In Haarlem payment is by machine at the north end, requiring tying up at the harbour office. The catch is that the machine only accepts Maestro cards and the office is often shut. We have managed to get friendly locals to pay for us on occasion, though this is not necessary if staying in the town as the overnight fee covers this.

The Braassememmer is also a handy place to stop and the YC very welcoming, in fact, you get a gift of a bottle of gherkins on arrival.

We have been caught with the Maestro problem in Haarlem in the past, but this year the machines accepted Visa. I only found this out after we tied up and waited for someone to come and collect fees. A very "streng " lady eventually came and took our fees but explained that it was up to me to pay at the machine. I felt I had a slapped wrist! [BTW, pay for 2 nights and 3rd one is free].
Agree about Brassemermeer Haven and the pickled cucumbers, strange but charming tradition. We also discovered De Hem harbour on the South side, limited facilities, but perfect for a quiet retreat if the locals are not on holiday.
For us the magic of Holland is stumbling across the unexpected gems.

 

[johnalison]

It is no longer considered good form to sound one's horn at bridge-keepers, by the way, though a VHF call (with ATIS) is very occasionally needed. Some waiting areas have a call button nearby, and on one occasion this acted in reverse, with the lady bridge-keeper buzzing to talk to me to test her equipment. My reward for answering was an extra opening just for me. Many bridges are operated remotely nowadays, but a wave to the person in the box when passing is always appreciated.

 

[davidej]

Lat time I did this, I was in a convoy of about a dozen boats. We seemed to have to tie up and wait at each bridge/ lock waiting for it to open.

We each set of at speeds varying from boat to boat and the convoy would spread out. Last was a little cruiser with an outboard, who always seemed to arrive about 10 minutes after the rest. As he arrived, the bridge would miraculously open and he would be first through. The rest of us would untie, go through and then pass him - until it happened again at the next bridge.

A proper tale of the hare and tortoise!

 

[johnalison]

Lat time I did this, I was in a convoy of about a dozen boats. We seemed to have to tie up and wait at each bridge/ lock waiting for it to open.

We each set of at speeds varying from boat to boat and the convoy would spread out. Last was a little cruiser with an outboard, who always seemed to arrive about 10 minutes after the rest. As he arrived, the bridge would miraculously open and he would be first through. The rest of us would untie, go through and then pass him - until it happened again at the next bridge.

A proper tale of the hare and tortoise!

There is something of an art in getting the timing right. I'm fairly aggressive about getting to the front, so that I can motor at my own speed rather than one that the engine is not happy about. You then have to work out if there is enough distance to the next bridge to 'lose' the slower boat or boats. This is easier in the quieter parts of Friesland where the winding canals mean that the bridge-keeper can't see the boat behind. There is an art in timing one's assuage through the bridge too. Nowadays, it is usual for the leading boat to pass while the lights are still showing red and green, but I don't have the nerve to do this on the gantry-style bridges that are now fashionable.

Waving at passing boats is normal, but it is common practice to use the Aussie lorry-drivers' wave, ie as little movement as possible, even a single digit.

 

[Fossil]

The OP's original question related to the whole of the route, not just the Amsterdam convoy. It also asked the question about depth, which no-one seems to have answered yet - since very large commercial barges use the route all the time, unless you have a very big yacht or a racing fin and bulb deep keel, I don't think you'll have a problem.

The thing that determines how easy it is - is the bridges. NOT just on the Amsterdam bit, there are many, many bridges up and down the route and if you have a mast, you are stuck with them. Some (possibly, most) open on demand (but not at night), others work to a published timetable. You can usually assume that the timetable WILL be respected, but it is usually the railway bridges that have restricted openings and they are, of course subject to railway operations.

Some other useful tips are to travel with your mooring warps and fenders attached, you will need them frequently. And remember, these are canals, so it's a good idea to have a rope cutter on the prop to deal with floating rubbish. And make sure you get filled up with fuel before you start, as filling stations are few and far between.

Of course, if you are in a hurry to get north, the outside route is best, unless the weather closes you down. But we quite often did the inside route as a part of the holiday, just for the interest and variety of the sights you see and the people you meet.

 

[Angele]

The OP's original question related to the whole of the route, not just the Amsterdam convoy. It also asked the question about depth, which no-one seems to have answered yet - since very large commercial barges use the route all the time, unless you have a very big yacht or a racing fin and bulb deep keel, I don't think you'll have a problem.

I did. Way back in post #2 !!!

Since looked it up and Navin's book gives a draft limit of 2.4m, but it does say that some of the smaller harbours along the way are less than 2m.