Standing mast route Holland depth? (Lemmer to Delfzijl)

[Posse]

Do any of you know for sure what the safe maximum draught is for this route? I am about to sail a boat home with a draught of 2,0 meters, and I hear very different opinons on the safe depth here in Holland. Some say there is a passage near Dokkum with only 1,7 meters depth.

 

[Chris B]

You need to get a copy of Brian Navin's cruising guide to the Netherlands, Far too much detail in there to put it all on the forum, but in summary I would say 2m is pushing it for this route, certainly a lot of harbours you would struggle to get into and not sure all of the channels would be passable. We did a lot around the Ijsselmeer 10 years ago with 1.5m draft but didn't get as far North as the route you are proposing, spent a lot of time with the depth alarm sounding as it wouldn't turn down far enough to be off. Just a quick taste of advice: cruising guide quotes, 2.1 in main channels Lemmer to Leewaurden, but only 1.65 in some of harbours and care needed by walls and banks. You really need the book it has masses of info and plenty of alternative routes, but 2m is quite deep for a lot of Netherlands.

Good luck Steve.

 

[ANDY_W]

I did this route twice last year ( there and back ) with 1.5m draft. The stretch from Leeuwarden to Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen ( the lock south of Lauwersoog ) is
very shallow, in places no more than 1.7m. I actually grounded twice when attempting to use the free mooring places! All the rest of the stand mast route in
Friesland and Groningen is used by commercial traffic so much deeper.

I'm sorry to say that going "outside" is your main option. I don't know where you are starting, but assuming it will include Cuxhaven, distance from there to
Den Helder is about 175 miles, so you would only need a 2 day window of fair winds with a full crew.

An option is to put in at Vlieland and then take the flood tide up to Kornwerderzand locks and thence into the Ijsselmeer. That reduces the open sea mileage to
about 135 miles.

If you already know this area, you will be aware that channels between the islands leading to harbours are subject to strong tidal flows, shallow depths and can
be hazardous in winds over F4. Excepting depth, this includes the channel past Cuxhaven.

Hope this helps,

Andy

 

[Posse]

Thank you for your advice. Actually we are going from Lelystad to Brunsbüttel (and then Copenhagen).
I looked into the data for the boat, and the manual states a maximum draft of 1,96 m, and I assume that this is absolutely fully loaded, so if we empty the water tanks, we are more likely 1,8-1,9 m draft. Still maybe pushing it, but maybe worth a try? I have a Dutch guide to the mast route with maps and all, but will try to get the cruising guide as well. Sounds very useful.

 

[vyv_cox]

I agree with the others, although my experience is ten years old. Although there is plenty of depth in the south where there is commercial traffic, once in the north it is considerably more shallow. We only draw 1.4 metres but I remember stretches where there was very little beneath us.

 

[johnalison]

I believe the depth is changed between summer and winter, when it is lower. I have done it a number of times with 1.5 or maybe 1.6m and, like Andy above, have found some stretches to be quite shallow. The shallower bits seem to be between Lauersoog and Delfzjl. One the other hand, I have often seem some remarkably large Dutch yachts doing the passage, which must have at least 1.9m keels. My guess is that you could probably get to Lauersoog, and the next bit is rather dull anyway.

 

[AliM]

We have also done the route frequently, but with a draft of 1.2 m have no difficulties. (and can use the even shallower passages behind the islands as well) However on the stretch just mentioned, the depth shown is often only 1.7m. I am sure you could force your way through, because the canal bottom is mud, generally. We met a british boat at Lauwersoog with a draft of 1.9 m who complained of going aground frequently, but he had made it through OK. 2.0m may be a bit optimistic.

Consider emerging into the German Bight for the Harlingen to Lauwersoog shallow section, and if the weather is poor, duck back in to the canals to get to Delfzijl. However, how ever you do it, you will have to come outside for the German part (unless you take your mast down) so you might as well bite the bullet and do the whole Harlingen (or Den Helder) to Cuxhaven stretch outside. You can probably do it in day sails if you are happy going into, say, Vlieland, Lauwersoog, Borkum, Nordeney, Which are quite reasonable long day sails.

 

[sailorman]

http://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/images/Staande Mast Route 2014_tcm174-340973.pdf

 

[bobgarrett]

We avoided Delfzijl to Lauwersoog last September as we had heard it was too shallow for us. We did Lauwersoog southwards with a draft of 1.9m and touched but got through in one shallow (and narrow) place just south of Diepsterbos. We also had a problem tying up in Leeuwarden as we could not get close to the canal bank even where the bank looked like a vertical wall. Eventually a kind Dutchman suggested we rafted alongside him.
So with 2m draft I'd say you are pushing it but you might be able to motor through lumps as long as you don't have a bulb at the bottom like us.
Note also that when we passed through last September we had to go out to Harlingen and into the IJsselmeer as some roadworks just south of Lemmer were restricting mast height in the StandeMaste Route.