Fleur of Pendle: Late May 2015 – Willemstad, Dordrecht and Gouda

20th May – Willemstad

We managed to park between the ‘box’ posts successfully here. I climbed across to the boat next door and attached the bow lines from the jetty.

Willemstad to another very pretty town, which is set in a star shaped moat and city wall. The windmill is picture perfect and on our first morning it started working. I could not have been more pleased if Windy Miller himself had walked out, as we could watch it from the boat. Less romantically you can pay 55 Euros for lunch and a tour, which is why, I suspect, it was working.

The town harbour is effectively a different marina to the one we stayed in, which is located behind the windmill.

Info: Marina was 19 Euros per night with free electricity, wifi, water and facilities (which were in a floating barge and of a high standard). There is a ‘Jumbo’ supermarket on the road leading from the windmill and a bakery at the end of the same road. The chandlers on the harbour-side was very high quality with everything you could possibly require. The garage on the main street was accommodating to boaters with trolleys and diesel cans as there is no diesel pump in the marina. 2 euro coin is required for a trolley.

22nd May – To Dordrecht

Bifurcation Buoy.

We really like these red and green horizontal striped spherical buoys, used when two buoyed channels intersect.

11:00 am start for the 14 mile journey. Timed for the railway bridge at Dordrecht ‘Spoorhelbrug’.

View from the waiting pontoon before the Railway bridge.

The railway bridge has very strict timed openings which were 12 minutes past the hour and it closes at 20 minutes past. So all the small vessels wishing to pass through wait on a pontoon located up a small channel on the right of the main channel, where industrial barges also moor up opposite.

On the hour the charge for the bridge started and two very large barges arrived to go through too. The railway section rises to the top of the structure and we all went through, big guys first.

Dordrecht church from the canal.

We had to dodge between two large barges to gain access through the Boombrug bridge into the marina. The first two marinas we tried were full so this was third time lucky. Arrived at 15.30 and paid the lady quickly, as she was off home.

Info: No info to provide regarding the marina in Dordrecht as the only facility was electricity. On the positive side it only cost 14 euros for the night. It is more a small inner city canal than a marina, but there were security gates to access the pontoons. Local people burned the midnight oil in the houses nearby as it was Friday night. There is an Albert Heijn supermarket in the new shopping plaza, which is behind the V&D store from the first square you find from the marina. It took some finding.

The pontoon we were allocated was meant for a much larger boat. The very large posts were 5 metres further out into the canal than the end of the boat. Fortunately there were pontoons also. With a little help from our neighbours we managed to hook on the bow line and then reverse the boat to the large posts in order to be able to get a rope on them.

Dordrecht is billed as one of the oldest towns in Holland. The big church in the picture was closed. The streets where alive with interesting characters, who gave the city an edgy feel. There are some really interesting antiques shops, and they were using many of the old empty church meeting halls as vintage outlets too. The market was near the new precinct, Market day must be Friday as they were packing up when we found it. We had a really good look around whilst trying to find the supermarket so did not feel the need to stay another day.

23rd May – Saturday – To Gouda

We left Dordrecht at 09.30 after calling the operator to open the BoomBrug bridge. We both did a double take, as just after we joined the main channel we saw an Ark.

Dordrecht Ark. Apparently the second and larger of two built by a Dutch millionaire after having a flood dream. It’s worth a google, as my picture does not do it justice.

Road Bridge 1 mile after Dordrecht, ‘Verkeersbrug’ at the 10.15 opening.

Located just after the road bridge Oceanco yacht builders with super-yacht ‘Vibrant Curiosity’ in for a refit.

The weather was cloudy and misty and later in the morning we were drenched and needed full wet weather gear. Two coats, two tops and large wet weather trousers, and soaked.

We did not fancy another night in Dordrecht and this is the price you pay.

18 miles to Gouda arrived at 14.45. The first canal from Dordrecht was quite commercial, industrial units lined the canal banks.

Rotterdam in the distance.

However the second half of the journey was along a smaller section of canal with houses on either side, most of which had a mooring attached (as below).

Some of the houses had davits or slipways to lower their vessels into the water from the gardens. This section was more like the canal journey we were expecting after the wide busy channels.

The next lock ‘Stormvloedkering’ is a storm defence sluis, which opens approx every 20 minutes if there are boats requiring entry. Again an impressive piece of engineering for the flood defences of the country.

The final obstacle of the day was a small lock prior to entering Gouda. Then a short trip to the Gouda Marina which is located in a very small canal just outside town between a car wash and a B&Q (Praxis) and retail park. People tend of avoid the town centre marina as there are 3 bridges to negotiate and this marina is only 20 minutes walk into the town centre.

Info: Gouda Marina costs 14.20 euros per night. Free water and electricity and 0.50 cent for a shower, which is housed in the floating club house. (The mirror is located behind the club house door with the plug socket in the corridor between the loos). Basic but very clean. Market day is Saturday, the famous Gouda Cheese markets are on a Thursday, but not every Thursday.

The marina is a members club and is a little reminiscent of Steptoe’s Yard, and the club members have sheds with tools, deck chairs and all the necessary items to keep the club running. The members take turns to be Harbour Master and everyone is very friendly and welcoming. We received a tourist pack in English and a map of the town. Lidl is on the map supplied only 10 minutes walk away. There is an Albert Heijn in the town square (well hidden).

Gouda has an impressive town centre, with many beautiful buildings. A circular canal system surrounds the town centre and there are numerous small canals and alleyways to explore.

Town Hall in the main square. Available for weddings. At 2 minutes past the hour and half hour small characters appear on the right of the building as the clock chimes.