Zeeland to IJmuiden

[pawelg]

I will be planning to go from Zeeland to IJmuiden and have a question to guys who knows the region. The boat is 19.4m high, draft 2.05m
What I see there are two possible routes:
A. via Goereesesluis
B. via Roompotsluis

Route A has a few locks and bridges: Grevelingensluis, Krammersluizen, Volkeraksluizen, Haringvlietbrug and finally Goereesesluis. Due to size of the boat both Krammersluizen and Volkeraksluizen would require commercial route not yachts passage (is it a problem?).
Route B sounds easier, but Roompotsluis has a fix bridge with 18.2 (HW) up to 21m (LW), which would require precise timing to pass (approx 2hour window during high water). On top what I read there is strong tidal streams.

Which route would you go? ... or should I consider a round via Rotterdam -> Amsterdam with countless number of locks and bridges

 

[Plum]

I will be planning to go from Zeeland to IJmuiden and have a question to guys who knows the region. The boat is 19.4m high, draft 2.05m
What I see there are two possible routes:
A. via Goereesesluis
B. via Roompotsluis

Route A has a few locks and bridges: Grevelingensluis, Krammersluizen, Volkeraksluizen, Haringvlietbrug and finally Goereesesluis. Due to size of the boat both Krammersluizen and Volkeraksluizen would require commercial route not yachts passage (is it a problem?).
Route B sounds easier, but Roompotsluis has a fix bridge with 18.2 (HW) up to 21m (LW), which would require precise timing to pass (approx 2hour window during high water). On top what I read there is strong tidal streams.

Which route would you go? ... or should I consider a round via Rotterdam -> Amsterdam with countless number of locks and bridges

Suggest you get the Water Map Live app for the Netherlands in which you enter your boat dimensions and airdraft then use the route planner. It's very good. Water Map Live - Routes, AIS - Apps on Google Play

 

[johnalison]

I have gone in company with boats of about your size, though my 10m boat could do the yacht routes. Roompot, as you say, has draft restrictions and although you can do it at LW (not HW), this doesn't usually fit well with passage plans outside. The currents are strong at times, up to about 4kn, but not a problem if normal care is used. My friends, in two boats on various occasions have done the other locks you mention and gone through the 'ship channels' and apart from some delays didn't seem to have any problem, as, with so many larger boats now, these passages are becoming well-used. Your route might need to take into account the EU bureaucracy reporting needs, but I don't know about these.

 

[pawelg]

Suggest you get the Water Map Live app for the Netherlands in which you enter your boat dimensions and airdraft then use the route planner. It's very good. Water Map Live - Routes, AIS - Apps on Google Play

I have Navionics, OpenCPN charts and checked as well waterkaart.net, which I found very detailed.
I don't think another chart brings much value.

 

[michael_w]

Where are you starting from? If southern Zeeland, why not go outside? It would be an easy day sail for a boat of your size. Just have to pay attention off the Maas.

 

[Plum]

I have Navionics, OpenCPN charts and checked as well waterkaart.net, which I found very detailed.
I don't think another chart brings much value.

your waterkaart.net and Water Map Live are the same thing so you are well prepared.

 

[pawelg]

Where are you starting from? If southern Zeeland, why not go outside? It would be an easy day sail for a boat of your size. Just have to pay attention off the Maas.

I should be more precise. I'm starting from the Marina Port Zélande. What do you mean by Maas?

your waterkaart.net and Water Map Live are the same thing so you are well prepared.

Thanks! I'm actually positively surprised about those charts. They are more accurate and present more valuable information than Navionics (at least for that region).

 

[johnalison]

From the Grevelingen to Ijmuiden will take two or three days, depending on how much sightseeing you do on the way. Negotiating the various locks and bridges is quite a task and either great fun or tiresome according to taste and weather. If you want to make this part of the holiday and enjoy places like Gouda and Haarlem, then do it. Otherwise, the outside route will be quicker, and would be my chosen route if on the way to my cruising destination, whether the Ijselmeer or beyond, reserving the sightseeing for my return trip if that is the plan and time allows.

 

[MikeBz]

… Otherwise, the outside route will be quicker, and would be my chosen route if on the way to my cruising destination, whether the Ijselmeer or beyond, reserving the sightseeing for my return trip if that is the plan and time allows.

Funnily enough we are thinking of doing pretty much that this summer. Brightlingsea->Ostend, then round the outside to Den Helder (in easy day sails, any advice on best places to stop or places to avoid gratefully received), then IJsselmeer/Markemeer and work our way back via inland route. Perhaps I’ll start another thread when we are closer to planning. Going that way round makes a lot of sense if prevailing winds are SW.

 

[johnalison]

Funnily enough we are thinking of doing pretty much that this summer. Brightlingsea->Ostend, then round the outside to Den Helder (in easy day sails, any advice on best places to stop or places to avoid gratefully received), then IJsselmeer/Markemeer and work our way back via inland route. Perhaps I’ll start another thread when we are closer to planning. Going that way round makes a lot of sense if prevailing winds are SW.

It depends how much time you have. In theory, you will be going the ‘wrong’ way in both directions if the prevailing easterlies-before-westerlies pattern occurs, which it might, or might not. Therefore, you just have to be flexible. For the north of Holland my preference, from Walton, was to go via Lowestoft to Ijmuiden which is a fairly easy route which we could do in day-trips. This will get you to Ijmuiden in two days if the weather allows, and then you have the rest of your time to go Dutch, and could even visit the Frisians in a three-week cruise. Westerlies on the return were almost always a problem for us, meaning going via inland Holland and usually Blankenberg, which we preferred to Ostend.

 

[pawelg]

From the Grevelingen to Ijmuiden will take two or three days, depending on how much sightseeing you do on the way. Negotiating the various locks and bridges is quite a task and either great fun or tiresome according to taste and weather. I

So I guess it's the same as in different parts of the world. Recently in Italy lock master said that it's busy traffic ( I must have a different definition as I saw almost no cars on the bridge that day) and he will open a bridge tomorrow morning (it was 2pm that time).
I guess I should expect something similar to that when going in-land route, or they are not as lazy as that Italian bastard? Still, I might consider that round in case of bad weather conditions (better to have fun with lock masters and move forward than sit in marina for a few days hiding from a storm).

It depends how much time you have. In theory, you will be going the ‘wrong’ way in both directions if the prevailing easterlies-before-westerlies pattern occurs, which it might, or might not. Therefore, you just have to be flexible. For the north of Holland my preference, from Walton, was to go via Lowestoft to Ijmuiden which is a fairly easy route which we could do in day-trips. This will get you to Ijmuiden in two days if the weather allows, and then you have the rest of your time to go Dutch, and could even visit the Frisians in a three-week cruise. Westerlies on the return were almost always a problem for us, meaning going via inland Holland and usually Blankenberg, which we preferred to Ostend.

Unfortunately I won't have much time for sightseeing and if weather allows I would like to reach Cuxhaven in a couple of days. Why are you saying it's a "wrong" one? I will be going in May and what I see the dominant wind is SSW Ijmuiden | Tall Tower Dataset which makes it perfect.

 

[johnalison]

So I guess it's the same as in different parts of the world. Recently in Italy lock master said that it's busy traffic ( I must have a different definition as I saw almost no cars on the bridge that day) and he will open a bridge tomorrow morning (it was 2pm that time).
I guess I should expect something similar to that when going in-land route, or they are not as lazy as that Italian bastard? Still, I might consider that round in case of bad weather conditions (better to have fun with lock masters and move forward than sit in marina for a few days hiding from a storm).

Unfortunately I won't have much time for sightseeing and if weather allows I would like to reach Cuxhaven in a couple of days. Why are you saying it's a "wrong" one? I will be going in May and what I see the dominant wind is SSW Ijmuiden | Tall Tower Dataset which makes it perfect.

Traditionally, we expected easterlies in May/June and westerlies thereafter, but this doesn't seem to have been the case in recent years, so you may well be lucky. We have made it from Essex to Cuxhaven or Brunsbuttel in just over two days a few times, in May, so the odds are on your side, though more recently we were forced to do the inland route via Delfzijl or Lauersoog a couple of times, so you need to keep both options open and keep various bolt-holes in mind, such as Den Helder and Norderney. I used to enjoy Cuxhaven and in later years we would aim for there, moving on the next day to Rendsberg, thus spreading the canal out over two days, ending up at Laboe or Moltenort.

Dutch canals and bridges usually work efficiently but you need to familiarise yourself with the systems and lights. Opening times tend to be restricted on Sundays, and there is the occasional mishap such as a broken-down bridge. You will usually be going through with other boats but locks and bridges will operate for single craft.

 

[pawelg]

It sounds like you have done in land route several times. Is it the one you followed? The mast up route – Google My Maps

 

[johnalison]

It sounds like you have done in land route several times. Is it the one you followed? The mast up route – Google My Maps

Yes, I've done all those, though I've not been to Leiden. The route via Amsterdam to the east is the red-eye route since the railway bridge at the city only opens around 2 in the morning. It is something everyone should do once in their lifetime, but we mostly went via Haarlem. Dordrecht, Gouda and Haarlem are all fine towns worth spending a day or two in, and in Friesland Harlingen, Leeuwarden and Groningen are the main towns, each interesting too but something we always reserved for the return journey. There are numerous smaller places to stop as well, including free moorings on the canal banks.

Although there are pilots and guides to the routes, there are things you need to work out or pick up, such as - don't even think about exiting the Ijsselmeer to the north in the holidays on a weekend. We managed it in a hour but friends an hour later took four hours.

 

[Skipper Felice]

I have Navionics, OpenCPN charts and checked as well waterkaart.net, which I found very detailed.
I don't think another chart brings much value.

You have ALL you need - waterkaart.net is the best and has all actual information and data. We have sailed around all places with this and never had any problem.

 

[pawelg]

Although there are pilots and guides to the routes, there are things you need to work out or pick up, such as - don't even think about exiting the Ijsselmeer to the north in the holidays on a weekend. We managed it in a hour but friends an hour later took four hours.

I have just bought CA Standing Mast Guide. I hope that should be enough in case I take that route. But more you're telling about it and I see some photos, the more I consider that as a primary option rather than "see route"


Regarding Ijsselmeer, is it so busy on the Lorentzsluis?

 

[johnalison]

I have just bought CA Standing Mast Guide. I hope that should be enough in case I take that route. But more you're telling about it and I see some photos, the more I consider that as a primary option rather than "see route"


Regarding Ijsselmeer, is it so busy on the Lorentzsluis?

Not usually. There is a large lock and a smaller one. there trouble is that at weekends a whole armada of chartered barges makes for the Frisian isles with crowds of holidaymakers and if you are unlucky, as happened to my friends, they will push all the yachts into the small lock. My friends ended up on the inside of the waiting raft, and every time the green light came on they were left pinned to the wall and unable to move. This sort of thing is very uncommon but just something you need to be aware of in the season. In one year we returned from the Baltic in early September and did almost the whole route on our own. There is something very satisfying about watching a line of motorway traffic come to a halt just to let a solitary English yacht pass through.

 

[MK101]

Lorentzsluis can be busy and a bit of a free-for-all but you'll get through eventually. There have been traffic restrictions there recently because of work strengthening the Afsluitdijk etc. That also applies to the lock at Den Oever. The Waterkaart live app will give you latest info. You can also get it from here: Fairway Information Services It's worth checking each bridge/lock you need as you plan your route. Any planned blockages or delays will be published there. For an overview of all the special notices, but not the regular opening hours, you can go to here EuRIS - Start

If you decide ultimately to go outside, then perhaps you could consider going from Poort Zeelande to the Maas. Through the Haringvlietbrug as though you were going to Goereesesluis, then up the Spui. You come to the Old Maas. There's a couple of bridges you have to negotiate (with specific or limited openings) but then you get to the Maas, and down you go past Hoek van Holland etc. It brings you out a bit further north, and avoids having to wind your way through the shallows outside Stellendam, and of course you are already on the north side of the Maasmond, so no need to play dodgems. It's a very interesting trip down through the heart of Europe's biggest port! There's also no lock to negotiate.

 

[westhinder]

Lots of good advice already, Johnalisson has covered most of it, but there is an important restriction: with your draught of 2.05 m the part of the Staande Mast route through Friesland is out of bounds because too shallow.
Mk101’s suggestion of going via the Spui and the vast harbour of Rotterdam is a good and interesting one. You have to be aware though that your passage through the port of Rotterdam will see extremely busy traffic and that you will have to monitor and react to the instructions of the traffic controllers who expect yachts to blend in with the traffic. Having a native speaker on the comms would be a good idea.
Seeing that you’re heading to the Baltic, my advice would always be to go outside as it is much faster, except of course if the wind is E or NE. The dominant wind is indeed SW, but in May and June you will always have periods of high pressure and Easterlies that can easily last a week or ten days.
A word of warning if you exit via the Goereesesluis, SW or W force 5 and over kick up an unpleasant and even dangerous sea on a falling tide in the Slijkgat channel.

 

[pawelg]

Lots of good advice already, Johnalisson has covered most of it, but there is an important restriction: with your draught of 2.05 m the part of the Staande Mast route through Friesland is out of bounds because too shallow.
Mk101’s suggestion of going via the Spui and the vast harbour of Rotterdam is a good and interesting one. You have to be aware though that your passage through the port of Rotterdam will see extremely busy traffic and that you will have to monitor and react to the instructions of the traffic controllers who expect yachts to blend in with the traffic. Having a native speaker on the comms would be a good idea.
Seeing that you’re heading to the Baltic, my advice would always be to go outside as it is much faster, except of course if the wind is E or NE. The dominant wind is indeed SW, but in May and June you will always have periods of high pressure and Easterlies that can easily last a week or ten days.
A word of warning if you exit via the Goereesesluis, SW or W force 5 and over kick up an unpleasant and even dangerous sea on a falling tide in the Slijkgat channel.

Indeed, a lot of very valuable advices. Thank all of you guys!

I haven't had a chance to study the in-land route "Staande Mast" yet, but can you help me to understand where is the limitation? What I see channels in both Markermeer and IJseelmeer are around 5-6m deep, so it should be perfectly fine.

Any advice for the Slijkgat channel .. or maybe as MK101 suggested the best way would be to avoid it and simply go via Rotterdam (even without a native speaker).