Turning point

June 24, 2007

Zoutkamp-Eernewoude: 6 hrs

We are close to our "turning point" now, a week done, another week to go. Need to go south again. But first we follow the Reitdiep eastwards. The curving river is nice, but unfortunately on some place the dikes are high, so no view on the Groninger land with its large, typical farm yards. Not many places to moor here, and most of the few places are occupied, maybe by long-stays.

One could follow the Reitdiep all the way into the city of Groningen, which seems to be very nice. Groningen, the largest northern city, is a "student town" with a nice market place and lots of little restaurants and pubs. Besides a well know museum with a typical architecture. So if one wishes to sniff some culture for a day, this is recommendable. http://www.groningermuseum.nl/?lan=Engels

We are not going that way, but instead we are entering the Van Starckenborghkanaal going west first. This canal, once crossing the province border to Friesland, later on becomes the Prinses Margrietkanaal. Before we need to take the lock Gaarkeuken, and witness a close encounter, which almost becomes a "turning point" for a fellow yacht skipper. It reminds me again that a skipper always needs to make his or her own judgment and decision, whatever even officials tell to do.

We are fourth in a row, waiting a large commercial barge coming out from the other side. On our side two commercial vessels - which of course have the first right to enter the lock. However, the lock keeper decides to be efficient. First the #1 barge to enter going port side of the lock, and than he orders the yachts to enter. When this goes to slow to his opinion, he urges via the loudspeaker to hurry. First and second yacht ok, mooring at starboard quay, besides the barge. But at the moment that second yacht tries do to the same, the stern of the barge floats to starboard side, nearly crushing the first yacht. The barge is not fixed yet, and the only thing its skipper can do is giving full power with the rudder starboard, to get its stern on the port side quay. Poor yacht-skipper that just tries to pass. His is completely turned around, and with force pushed to the quay with its nose. Some damage, and it could have considerably worse! Lesson: never enter the lock - let alone pass a commercial barge in a lock, before it is fixed! Whatever the lock keeper shouts!

Both skippers angry and in shock, no wonder. Once I think it is safe to enter, I moor besides the commercial barge and have a chat with him, to calm the skipper. He appreciates, he had really been frightened to have crushed the yachts already besides him, and he could not have done anything else, for sure. The barge is on its way to Amsterdam, and the skipper's family working this Sunday, because they want to have passed the IJsselmeer before an unusual forecasted summerstorm hits the Netherlands. So this is going to be serious as even such a large barge skipper taking his precautions.

As during the day forecast for next days is getting worse by the hour - even forecasting force 8 to 9 for the day after tomorrow, we decide we should be in a sheltered and familiar harbour where we can spend a day looking around in a town. Our stop tonight will be Eernewoude, and tomorrow we wish to find a good place in the Joure-harbour, which we already had seen on our way up.