Sojourn in sea, flat...
Kieran O’Dwyer charters a traditional Dutch flat-bottomed boat for a 10-day sail around the IJsselmeer and Waddenzee
After a pleasant cruise from the Netherlands to Cowes and back last summer, the entire crew of Suana (J-P, S and myself) agreed that some sun – and comfort – would be nice, and how about a week’s charter in Greece or Turkey? How this transformed into sailing a traditional Dutch flat-bottomed boat in Friesland, I cannot begin to explain. Some things in life are impossible to fathom, and it is best just to accept them and get on with it.
And so it was that I found myself driving north to Heeg with J-P, looking anxiously at the weather and with the car heater turned up. It was early May, and summer had not bothered to arrive in Benelux. S would not be joining us, but instead our partners would arrive, with the sun, for the last four days of our 10-day charter.
Our 9.5m Lemsteraak was waiting for us at Heech by de Mar, and from the look of her we were the first to charter her this year: she was in pristine condition. The boats from Heech are well equipped (even if some instruments are a little dated) and have all the charts you may need, but no plotter. Also, bring your own lifejackets if you have them as these cost extra.
We had a short briefing, but as J-P had sailed these boats before we were quickly off. I had expected a turning circle similar to the QE2, but with the leeboard down and the headsail backed she tacked reliably, and even pointed within about 10° of a modern boat. She needed a moderate breeze to make headway but I was surprised at her turn of speed, and we were not too embarrassed by the cruisers around us. We sailed in Force 4 with full canvas (a mixture of laziness, not reefing and exhilaration with spray over the deck), but as the wind crept towards Force 5 the first reef definitely had to be taken in.
Harbour manoeuvres needed care, but using a burst of power over the large rudder would usually swing the stern in the required direction. Even so, due to the weight and associated momentum it was best to plan well ahead, reduce speed… and have the fenders well positioned.
With such boats it is best to let the wind decide the destination, so we zig-zagged around the IJsselmeer visiting Lemmer, Medemblik, Stavoren, Hindeloopen and Harlingen out on the Waddenzee. All of these are well worth a visit, with quaint old towns, good restaurants and secure moorings. The facilities are generally adequate rather than luxurious, especially when you’re moored against the town quay, but costs are very reasonable.
When out on the Waddenzee our plan was to anchor on one of the mud banks for a couple of hours before low tide, let the water ebb away until we settled,