Postcard from Houtrib

Islanders on leave - Houtrib 2015 

We arrived at the boat in the shed at Heerenveen in the second week of May, reducing travel fatigue by stopping over in Hong Kong and Amsterdam on the way. Sheds are important in Holland for working on boats – they are heated (to 15 deg) and they are dry. This late spring the weather was both wet and cold – it would have been impossible to work outside and paint would never dry.

A second reason for the shed is the requirement to contain waste, such as paint scrapings and sanding dust . We heard of one case where a local was fined 1200 euros for allowing the paint scrapings from his topsides to fall into the canal where his boat was moored. Advice we received was that it is most unwise to use a power sander or angle grinder in the open. So, maintenance provides a few more challenges than at home.

We were made most welcome by the other folk at the boat club – an orchid which we had left on the tea room table when we left last year had just begun flowering again and everyone was delighted. A Dutch custom is to have a growing plant on the saloon table of the boat and we buy the boat an orchid each year. We also have planter boxes of herbs and even tomatoes on the deck of our little boat.

This year's plan was to repaint the coach and deck houses, about 10 sq m, with a number of windows to work around. Our first three days were spent getting no where. The low speed heavy duty sander I had brought from home made only very slow progress at grinding off the crazed old twopack paint work, but it did reveal the reason for the crazing -a layer of soft one pack enamel three coats below the surface. We scaled back the scope of work to just the horizontal surfaces and brought in heavy artillery – a belt sander from the local equivalent of Bunnings and an angle grinder with a sanding disk. We were very fortunate that our local friend, Ken , pitched in and helped us remove the paint down to the primer.

Once again, we were well looked after by the boat club. The haven master and his son run a small fleet of small hire boats and we had rented one for static accommodation while we worked on Houtrib (saved a lot of travel time and we could cook for ourselves). He also helped by providing two pack epoxy undercoat from his hireboat supplies – we hadn't expected to need it and things like this can be hard to find in a hurry if you are not a local. So we put on three coats, followed by two coats of the polyurethane two pack we had bought for the job last year. The finish was not perfect, a bit orangepeely (we were short on time in the shed for sanding the undercoat) but it is strong and tough. We can always buff it up next year. A few scrapes on the hull were also painted, and the underwater area was given patches and a promise.

In all this time, and in the week which followed, there was only one good day of sunshine, and it rained two days in three.We then spent a couple of days on a jetty at the club, recovering and cleaning. The dust was everywhere through the boat and after every sweep through, there would be another layer settled the next day. Terry came close to despair, but we persisted.

Our next appointment was at Grou, half a day's cruising away, through a few bridges to get us back in practice. Houtrib was to have a new cockpit tent fitted. In the Dutch climate, the tent is vital, and the old tent had weeps, opaque windows and faulty zippers. It was at least 15 years old and the Dutch reckon on a good quality tent lasting 10 years. Our new tent was to be made by the the same firm as had made the present one and we had to book the previous year to have it done -Dijkstra's tents are known for their quality. We tied up on their jetty and the template was made in situ on the existing frame, taped together out of heavy polythene and carefully marked for fastenings. Rain interrupted the process and we had to move into a shed – most clubs in Holland have water sheds where the pontoons are under cover.

While this was in progress, Dijkstra's sailmakers were repairing the old tent so we cold continue to use it while we waited three to four weeks for the new one. The old tent will continue to play a role as the winter tent we leave on the boat when we return to Australia (covered by a tarpaulin as well).

We then moved to the passantahaven (equivalent of a caravan park for boats) at Grou for a few wet days. Fortunately, the new toilets, showers (and washing machines) had just been opened (the old ones were dreadful) and we were as comfortable as we could be. Grou is an old fishing port with lots of history in the buildings and the boats. The Princess Margrait Kanaal, which carries barges up to 3000 tonne NE and SW through North Holland, runs right by the marina and it was wonderful to watch the variety of traffic passing our door. Each evening, a fleet of about twenty 7m open sharpies (with 40% ballast) sailed from the neighboring jetty to race the other side of the canal on the meer (lake). They are beautiful hard chine Valk (Falcon) dinghies, designed just after the war by van der Stadt, carrying an elegant gaff rig and sailed all through Friesland.

Terry relaxing in her 'garden' with orchid and herbarium on the deck outside.

Because of the weather, we were virtually alone in the marina, and it was a good opportunity to slow down after the intensive ten days in the shed at Heerenveen. We had an adjustment to be made to the VHF so we moved onto Sneek, where the electronic expert informed us that what we wanted done was illegal. Europe has a system called ATIS where every VHF transmission is identified and all VHF units must be so equipped. Catch 22 is that Australia knows nothing about it and Houtrib is Australian registered. A simple solution used by non EU boats passing through is to use the MMSI with a 9 prefix. But Holland apparently insists that any boat kept within the country must have a Dutch ATIS number. We are waiting further advice from the local regulator and we are told it may take a while to get an answer.

We have come back to the same boat club marina in Sneek a few times over the years. Frank, the havenmaster is very good to us and now hoists the Australian flag when we float in. The moorings are on grassy banks and the whole operation, a half kilometre or so outside the town centre is low key and comfortable. The weather on the way here was bad, and we had water sloshing over the windscreen on our way across the Sneekermeer. The car type GPS, which we use as a speedometer, was invaluable in picking the canal entry on the far side of the meer. The bad weather persisted for the last four days through to today, when the sun has at last come out. Perhaps summer is finally here.

The time here has been spent wandering the historic port, talking to fellow travellers and catching up on detail -the mast is being varnished and the horn has been refitted.

Tomorrow we head for Bolsward, where there are more grassy banks on which we might enjoy the sunshine. Then on to Harlingen, a wonderful fishing port on the Waddensee, full of old sailing barges

and not many people (because of the weather. Last night we had the best fish dinner ever at a restaurant here. Terry had sea bass and I had turbot (looks like flounder). Perfectly cooked with great care and attention to detail - a wonderful night out. Tomorrow, we catch the ferry to Vrieland, one of the Fresian islands. A 1.5 hour trip and we have arranged to hire bikes for the day on the island. Forecast is good, so we look forward to a great day. We are still waiting for our new tent so are taking our time exploring the local towns before we head south.

Trust all goes well for you.
Andrew and Terry