NL Official waterway regulations almanac?

solar

solar

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Hi guys,
Anyone knows if there is an English version?
Why should I keep it on board if Dutch is Chinesee to me?
Also,what is the best sailing guide for the NL waters in English?
Please advise.
 
Agree on all points, though if you're quick you could argue that the 2007/2008 copy is no longer valid and the 2009 edition hasn't been published yet!
 
I think Inland Waterways of the Netherlands by Louise Busby & David Broad is better than the Navin book(I have both).You have to have Vol 1 because the Dutch regs say so.Vol 2 is more informative & has bridge & lock opening times.Although in Dutch not difficult to understand.The up to date Dutch charts are a must.They tend to renumber buoys quite often.Each of the chart packs cover a large area.I updated mine last year 27euros a pack in Holland.
 
The Dutch have to carry it, think how you would feel if foreigners were given special privileges that you weren't.
You may "get away" without it but if involved in any incident they'll want to see it and it's comforting to know that you aren't breaking that rule at least.
It is cheap enough if bought in Netherlands and a small contribution to all the free locks and bridge openings you will enjoy.
Even though it's in Dutch it's fairly easy to understand with a little bit of thought.
Brian Navin's book is quite handy but always seems a few years out of date, don't rely on it explicitly.
 
We are an English flagged boat currently in the NL and have been asked on several occasions to produce it.
Vol 1 is totally impenetrable except you can extract info on some lock opening times - but...
Vol 2 is actually useful for harbour info, even if you do not speak Dutch - a simple dictionary helps.

Didn't find Navin that much help after the initial scan - you could buy mine off me [2007 edition] we are moving on this Summer.

We have also been asked to produce a current chart

Keep a crew manifest - pm me and I'll email you a pdf of the form, you should, we are told, keep it in triplicate - one for you, one for the harbour master and one for some branch or another of the immigration police. Never have done, but always made sure we have one current copy on board

Keep Red Diesel receipts and note the date and engine hours in the log - trust me on this one! We had a protracted and expensive debate with the authorities on this one. A fine of €4,33 per litre of diesel tank capacity on the boat!!

We were stopped in the Schelte and approached by two police on jet skis checking our papers, especially the crew details

Serious note - since Jan 1 2009 it has been illegal to discharge black water from any boat into any navigable waters in the Netherlands - this restriction extends to the 12 mile limit!
 
Agree with Sailorman.

You will see loads of urgings to hustle out and buy the Dutch almanac on pain of your boat being shoved in the crusher....the Dutch are sensible people and clearly their legislation does not allow for the fact that no one reads Dutch, so it's not enforced. There never was an English translation.

Having said that there is a lot of useful guff in there about opening times for locks, bridges, and it's not hard to follow. But, despite many miles of travelling the Dutch waterways, there's no real need to have the almanac - in the high season most facilites are open all day, on demand or on the hour, sometimes with a lunch break. Out of season is a different picture and you would need the almanac and a lot of patience!

There are key bridges that only open 2-3 times a day - the motorway bridge north of Haarlem, the Sassenheim railway bridge en route to Haarlem, the railway bridge at Gouda etc. These are all covered in the Navin guide.

PWG
 
[ QUOTE ]
Agree on all points, though if you're quick you could argue that the 2007/2008 copy is no longer valid and the 2009 edition hasn't been published yet!

[/ QUOTE ]

It has been published just now:
web page

Although the Almanak part II is very useful, if you only want to comply with regulations, you can download the newest "Binnenvaartpolitiereglement" HERE
(No English version) . You do not need to actually print all the pages, you can have it on a laptop or PDA as a file, and show it to the authorities.

Belgium has also a colourful new "reglement", which you can download
HERE
 
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