Wednesday 22nd May 2013 Oud-Zuilen to Breukelen 9.3 kms no locks

Maarssen

Grey skies, sunny spells later. Dry! Set off at 9.25 a.m. Waited for the Hoekbrug bridge at Oud-Zuilen and Mike hooted – then I spotted the cameras, it was remotely operated! The barriers dropped, lights changed and the bridge lifted. The next bridge was a new bascule bridge with two lifting sections (like Tower bridge) and we could get under it with the mast down and the Ensign staff off. Oll waited, and then, as he started to take his mast down, the bridge opened! 

Bascule bridge at Breukelen

The bridge was in a brand new housing development between Oud-Zuilen and Maarssen, just before the next access on to the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal. All through Maarssen there were lots of moorings with wooden stumps to tie to and there were either signs that said mooring charges apply or no mooring allowed. Mum looked through the windows at all the lovely houses. Had a short wait for Termeerbrug to lift, then the keeper came out from Vechtbrug to say hello, as he did all the other bridges from his comfy cabin. The low brick quay went all through the town with houses a mere fifteen feet from the river and cars parked all along the edge, signs said it was all private, no mooring allowed. 

Mooring at Breukelen

Beyond the town they were in process of dredging and we passed a tug and pan moving, then two diggers on pontoons with pans alongside, neither were actually dredging. Took photos of Nijenrode castle on the left before Breukelen. Past another route on to the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal and through a lift bridge where they used to charge 2,50 Florins according to what we’d written on our old chart but it was free today. Dropped into a slot between cruisers on the quay and tied up at 11.15 am. The skipper of the cruiser in front of told us that the mooring was free.

Tuesday 21st May 2013 Jutphaas to Oud-Zuilen. 11.7 kms 3 locks.

Mooring at Jutphaas

Pouring with rain all of the day. Intended just to go into Utrecht, so we had a late start at ten. The cruiser moored behind us winded and headed back towards Nieuwegein, another untied and followed us. We waited for the remotely-operated Nieuwe Rijnhuizerbrug to lift and the red and green lights to change to green. The cruiser behind us started hooting at us because we didn’t start moving when the lights were on red and green. He got a few words back from Oll. 

Blauwebrug Jutphaas

The next bridge, Blauwebrug (a new one and not on our old ANWB chart, also remotely operated) lifted and the cruiser roared past, then had to wait while Zuidersluis refilled as another boat had just gone down. When the lock was ready we followed him into the chamber and I held the rope while Mike went on our fore end and had a few words with the skipper. He maintained that in the Netherlands they always go on red/green so as not to hinder the road traffic any longer than necessary. Mike pointed out that some of the bridges don’t safely “latch” in the upright position until the deck is vertical and THEN the green light comes on; so should there be an hydraulic failure and the bridge comes down on your boat your insurance wouldn’t pay out if you “jumped” the lights.

Amsterdam-Rijn kanaal

(If the lights are “jumped” in France the automatics will sometimes fail to work correctly, in Belgium and Germany the skipper could be liable to a fine.) The lady lock keeper left the top end controls and as she passed us Mike asked her the rules and she said you must wait for a green light. Then she had words with the skipper off the cruiser, but in Dutch so Mike didn’t understand it all. When the lock emptied, the cruiser shot off and turned left heading up the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal; we went carefully to the junction to make sure nothing was coming and nipped across to the Nordersluizen where the smaller chamber on the left was empty, ready for us. 

Lock keeper's shelter. Noordersluizen

The keeper was very pleasant, even though the rain continued to bucket down and after swilling about a bit from the wash of passing traffic on the big canal behind us everything calmed down once he’d closed the bottom end gates behind us. We were soon leaving the lock and on our way again. Down the arm to the left of the two locks there were now moored houseboats. A short wait for the new remotely operated vertical liftbridge to operate and then we were on our way into Utrecht. A 5 kms stretch of the Merwede Kanal went off to our left, past industrial quays on its way to rejoin the Amesterdam-Rijn Kanaal as we headed into the city. 

Vertical liftbridge above Noorder sluis

There was a keeper to operate Zuiderbrug, as usual (we thought the three liftbridges into the town may have been automated) and I told him we would stay on the left beyond his bridge – he said we couldn’t stay there, it wasn’t allowed and we must carry on into the town. Mike decided to stop and go back to have a word with him. Before our ropes were round the bollards the keeper arrived on a motor scooter to insist we moved on into the (pay) Passantenhaven, as we hadn’t got a mooring permit so we couldn’t stay even though there was plenty of space. 

Tangling with hired canoes in Utrecht's tiny canal

Mike offered him beer to let us stay overnight, but he said he wasn’t allowed to drink and refused. He reached for his mobile phone and we suspect he would have called the police. Nothing for it, we continued. Followed the Snail into the city under two more liftbridges, Oranjebrug and Vondelbrug then through the narrow winding canal between the shops and cafés in the city centre, passing the cathedral and getting tangled up with hired canoes and plastic motor boats, then two trip boats and hire boats before we arrived at the Weerdsluis. Closed for lunch as it had just gone midday, until 1 pm. I made some lunch. 

Leaving Weerdsluis. Utrecht

We had to wait after one o’clock for about another half an hour while the keeper and his assistants worked the big, manually-operated lock and brought three cruisers up, one of which was a Le Boat hireboat. I asked the keeper if the lock was originally two chambers side by side - he said no and he would tell me more about it later (he didn’t so the odd shape still remains a mystery). Two more keepers went off on motor scooters to work the electrically operated liftbridges. The last one wished us a good trip on the beautiful river Vecht. I said we’d been before but had trouble finding moorings. He said three miles and there was a good mooring for us. 

Utrecht's red light district. R. Vecht

We pushed on in the pouring rain, past the floating wooden sheds that were Utrect’s red light district (twice the number that we saw the previous time), then more houseboats and moored boats. We spotted a three-day mooring on some steigers (wooden posts) with a gap to the bank that would need a very long plank. The Snail had a look at that and we went to have a look at some posts we could see in the distance before the next liftbridge in Oud-Zuilen. The latter was a better mooring but we were on the bottom and not close to the bank. The Snail came to join us and was also on the bottom, we kept our fingers crossed that no one would come to collect money (they didn’t and we were still amazed that the Werdsluis was now free). We were soaked.

Monday 20th May 2013 Meerkerk to Jutphaas. 16.4kms 2 locks

Windmill by Meerkerksebrug liftbridge.

Grey and drizzling when we set off at 10.15 am following Snail up to the Meerkersebrug liftbridge. The DB that had been moored alongside the Snail now had the mooring to itself. Lots of cruisers were coming past in the opposite direction and a loaded 55m barge called Spes-Nostra. Had a short wait at Zwannskuikenbrug and a cruiser, called Avontuur, that was also on the moorings at Meerkerk caught us up. We went through first, then a little cruiser that was waiting on the other side. Another short delay at Bolgerijensebrug swingbridge (still remotely operated). When the bridge opened we followed Avontuur through the right hand side and a whole armada of little boats came through the right hand side, heading in the opposite direction. As we went through Helsdingen, just before Vianen, we passed two loaded commercials, Amice and Veere, who were heading towards Gorichem. 

Bolgerijensebrug swingbridge

Paused in Vianen on the end of the moorings in the old arm to fill up our water tanks. Snail had the landing staging, we went alongside and Oll got his hosepipe out. Anne was still washing so we filled up first. A man came along with four small containers and Oll let him fill up. A cruiser came and tied alongside us waiting for the tap. I made sandwiches for lunch while we waited for the Snail to fill up. Set off again at 12.50 pm and turned at the end of the arm into the lock approach and followed one small cruiser into the waiting area for the Grote sluis. 

Useless bollard Grote sluis Vianen

There were five large empty commercials moored before the lock (on holiday?). A German cruiser was also in the waiting area for the lock. We went under the Julianabrug (with mast down), tied on the left bank and found that where they’d added safety fences at the bottom of the concrete steps leading the canal edge they’d added the fence right next to a bollard, so close that it made the bollard unusable. The lock emptied and we went in with the two cruisers and the lock filled, rising 20cms to river level. One of the cruisers turned left and went behind the waiting area steigers for boats wanting to use the lock and moored next to Avontuur. The Lek crossing was calm, two large boats had just gone past heading upriver, we turned left heading downriver and almost immediately turned right into the approach for the Koningennen sluis back on the Merwede kanaal. We waited in the lower chamber of what used to be a staircase, hanging on a suspended rope along the wall while five small cruisers came up the lock. The young lock keeper came down on the lockside to chat as he’d never seen a narrowboat before. 

As we went through Nieuwegein Mum was enthralled with the line of houseboats on the right hand side. On the left was a long line of big empty commercials. It started to pour down with rain as we continued up the Merwede kanaal. Turned sharp right an

Koningennen sluis

d found two liftbridges with double red lights. Expecting that to be the end of our day’s travels due to the working hours being shorter for the holiday, we moored on a quay at Jutphaas between lots of moored cruisers. No sooner had we tied our ropes to the bollards than the bridge lights changed to single reds and several cruisers came through! Decided we’d had enough, it was 3 pm and still pouring down.

Friday 17th May 2013 Arkel to Meerkerk. 7.65 kms no locks

Tug moving pontoon out of bridge hole to let us through

Grey and overcast, heavy rain set in after lunch. We set off at 9.15 am. Mike called on VHF to get the light changed from red to green on the flood lock leading from the R. Linge to the Verbindingskanaal, which would take us back on to the Merwede Kanaal. The lights changed and we passed through the big flood lock. We came to a stop behind a big cruiser called Spes, who was tied to the waiting area for the Schotdeurenbrug liftbridge as there was a piling gang with a big machine on a pontoon, in the bridge hole, fixing the anchoring bolts through the new piling. 

Railway swingbridge open

Nothing for it but to moor behind the cruiser and wait. Snail came alongside. It was almost an hour before the tug - there was one at each end - pushed the pontoon out of the bridge and allowed us through, plus the single cruiser that was waiting on the other side of the bridge. On to the Merwede kanaal and almost immediately came to another stop. The railway swingbridge was closed. The skipper on Spes said it would only be five minutes. No sooner had he said that than a little two-car unit crossed the bridge and the lights changed to red and green. 

Moored at Meerkerk

Green and on our way again, at last, back on a wide, deep (4m) canal again. Open fields and farmhouses on both sides and a line of trees along the right bank. Not long before there was no sign of the cruiser in front, he’d long gone when we reached Bazelbrug, the next liftbridge, which opened for us as we approached it, remotely operated. It was 11.30 am when we lashed to the bank in a gap among the cruisers at Meerkerk. We stayed at Meerkerk for a few days while Mike did a quick dash back to the UK to pick up his Mum so she could have a holiday on the boat with us.

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Den Bosch to Arkel. 40.5 kms 4 locks.

In lock 0 Den Bosch

Grey overcast to start but dry, it rained several times before we tied up, often heavy and it was windy. Oll spoke to the lock keeper who said follow the two commercials in that were heading for Lock 0, otherwise it will be about an hour before any more traffic arrives. We untied sharpish at 8.45 a.m. and followed on into the lock once they’d lifted the bridge again. We went on the left hand wall of the ancient oval lock and Snail came alongside us.

In lock 0 Den Bosch

 Below the lock the canal is narrow - therefore it is one way working and is in a cutting with roads and houses up above on either bank. Henmar (the boat we locked with the day before) had unloaded and was below the lock waiting to go up it. The two empty commercials, that we’d come down lock 0 with, went slowly, waiting for the first bridge, Kasterenbrug, to open, then we all filed through while road traffic backed up on both banks. 

Queue for Orthenbrug. Den Bosch

Not far before there was a repeat as we waited for Orthenbrug to open. We followed the big boys out of the narrow channel to where a couple of cruisers were waiting to head up to the lock. We passed the moorings in the Binnenhaven, then next to it the moorings of De Waterpoort WSV. The river Aa joins from the right and the river Drommel from the left and the river becomes the Dieze all the way to the Maas. Under a smart new railway bridge, past a lake, Plas Ertveld, with houseboats around the edge on our right and access to industrial havens to the left and within a couple of kilometres we arrived at Sluis Engelen. 

Following the big boys out of Engelen sluis

Three commercials were already in the chamber side by side, Cala Jondal, Corma and Flora, filling the chamber, but the keeper called us in and so did the skipper off one of the boats. I told them how long we were and they said OK. Snail went in behind the shortest boat (Flora) on the right hand wall and we tied alongside, then both boats slewed diagonally across the chamber under the liftbridge when Olly spotted he was over the cill marker – the keeper said there was at least two metres under us so we were OK. An empty pan and tug were waiting below to go up the lock and two small cruisers. 

Windmills at Heusden

We followed the three commercials out of the lock and on to the wide Bergse Maas with its stone groynes and sandy beaches, one commercial went upstream and two went downstream, but all were soon out of sight. Dodged the cable ferry at Bern, then turned right at Heusden on to the Heusden’s Kanaal, which becomes the Andelse Maas. Boats of all shapes, sizes and descriptions were moored in every nook and cranny of the navigation. 

Flood gates at Heusdens Kanaal

We passed another cable ferry and then waited a short while for Wilhelmina Sluis’s gates to open. An unusual lock with sloping stone sides and vertical and horizontal timber baulks with bollards for boats to moor against as the lock fills and empties. Will we lock up or down? Depends on the state of the river Rhine. We actually went up by just a few cms. Oll shouted across to Mike that he could see the bottom of the lock chamber, Mike checked the echo-sounder – it was 4m deep and yes we could see all the little shells on the bottom as the water was so clear. 

In Wilhelmina sluis

The lock was worked from a control room in one (or both) of the two lock houses and there were four cameras at each end of the lock, but the keeper came out to speak as we left. On to the Afgedamed Maas. At the shipbuilders there were three new boats that were afloat but still being worked on as they had no windows or wheelhouses. Followed the Snail out on to the Rhine, which at this point is called the Boven Merwede, and straight across the river as there was nothing coming! How about that for timing.

Sand dredger Gerrit-B

The Gorichem ferry was just turning into the Maas to unload at Woudrichem. A sand dredger, Gerrit-B, was chugging its way slowly upriver filling itself with sand, then a passenger boat disguised as a Mississippi paddle steamer, De Majesteit, overtook us with a loud hoot, which Mike replied to with a blast from our hooter, nearly deafening me as I was standing on the front deck taking photos! Mike checked our speed, 11.5 kph, and calculated the river was running at 4.5 kph. 

Paddle steamer De Majesteit

Straight into the Voorhaven at Gorichem, passing a moored gravel barge called Deo-Gratias which was split into two, we couldn’t see the details of the rear end but the fore end moored on the outside was 84m long x 11.45m wide carrying 2662 tonnes of gravel. After a short wait we went into the Grote Merwede Sluis, a lovely brick built lock with liftbridges at each end so road traffic isn’t interrupted. We dropped down a few cms. The keeper asked where we were going. Arkel, know the way? Yes, thanks! 

Two halves of Deo-Gratias

Out of the lock on to the Merwede Kanaal. 

Grote Merwede sluis Gorinchem

Turned right off the main channel and on to the river Linge, under a hefbrug (vertical lift bridge) which didn’t need opening although the keeper was in his cabin to check. Then Anne and Oll paused to give Woody a quick “comfort break” and caught us up a little later. 

Mooring at Arkel. River Linge.

It started to pour with rain. There were more boats at the moorings in Arkel than I’d expected, but there was a gap big enough for the two of us, so we tied up at 4.25 pm (the rest of the gaps filled up later). Half the previous mooring space now had “No Mooring” signs.

Monday 13th May 2013 N. Helmond to Den Bosch. 30.8 kms 4 locks

Beeksebrug at Beek en Donk

Overcast and drizzling lightly when we set off at 9.20 a.m. Anne and Oll untied the Snail and we set off still tied together back to the junction where Oll could wind the Snail as it wasn’t wide enough by the moorings. No waiting for the Beeksebrug liftbridge at Beek en Donk and we sailed through side by side. We had a short wait above lock 6 while a loaded commercial called Christina and a cruiser locked through. 

Leaving lock 6

While we were waiting, a Belgian cruiser called Sirius arrived and came in the lock with us and we dropped down 2.20m, the cruiser zut-zutting continually with bow and stern thrusters to keep his boat against the wall even though he had ropes round bollards. Couldn’t decide if these new locks and bridges were also worked from the new deep Helmond lock or from the new deep lock at Den Bosch. Once through the liftbridge at lock 6, the cruiser disappeared into the murky distance and we thought we’d seen the last of him. Rain poured down and Mike had to get the brolly out and put on a jacket as the wind was cold. Uphill traffic was quite busy with a mix of commercials and pleasure boats all of which were cruisers. 

Leaving lock 5

Due to uphill traffic the Belgian had been kept waiting and was in lock 5 when we arrived. Again we dropped down another couple of metres. The liftbridge below had gone completely; it used to be operated by the keeper from lock 5 who rode down the towpath on his motor scooter to work it from the cabin alongside it. 

The arm into Veghel

Not far to lock 4 at the busy little town of Veghel (pronounced Feckle, like freckle without an R) and this time we all three had to wait for an empty spitz (péniche-sized craft outside France are called spitz 38m x 5.5m) called Jaël from Terneuzen to come down the lock with us. Lots of work was ongoing around Veghel, widening the canal and making new bridges. A cruiser coming the opposite way got very impatient at one liftbridge and was trying to force his way through before the lights changed to green for him, even with Olly hooting at him. Mike tried to call the next lock on VHF and addressed it as lock 3, as it used to be called, he got an indignant reply in Dutch Sluis Ein! Lock One! t

Railway liftbridge at Veghel

Then a string of Dutch, so Mike asked if he could repeat that in English, please. Silence. We’d got red lights. There were three empties and a loaded barge on the left above the lock and a pusher and pan on the right, called The-An VII, occupying most of the space for “sport” boats to wait for the lock. We said nothing and tied to the bank behind him to wait for the uphill traffic to clear. 

Following Henmar into Lock One

When the lock was ready the loaded boat, Henmar, on the left, powered off from the bank into the lock and we followed him into Lock One. The Belgian cruiser had turned into the arm at Veghel for the moorings down the arm no doubt, (Veghel council charge for the whole of the arm and from lock 4 to the commercial quays along the main canal – in 2001 they charged 1,50€/m per night – that’s 27€ for us and 31,50€ for the Snail). Looked like Henmar was working single-handed as he put bow and stern ropes on and eventually stopped his prop turning. Down another 4.20m, under the watchful eye of the keeper in the high tower. Followed the loaded boat out of the lock after he’d made hard work of flicking his ropes off the bollards. Below two empties were racing for the lock. 

Dungensebrug near Den Bosch

Lots of work was going on along the canal into Den Bosch to make a ringvaart around the town to avoid all the liftbridges above lock 0 and the narrow canal below it that links it to the river Dieze and the Maas. The rain stopped temporarily. I took Mike a cuppa just as we were passing under a bridge with yellow-hatted workmen on scaffolding – they wanted tea too! Another empty passed heading uphill. More widening work was in progress and a new bridge under construction as we arrived in the town. The moorings for “sport” boats had been reduced to about 60m of the quay on the left nearest the lock, all the rest was for commercials. We tied to the wooden posts on the baulks in the corner at 3.45 pm.

Friday 10th May 2013 Panheel to North end of old canal through Helmond. 43.3 kms 5 locks.

Passantenhaven at Neederveert

Raining first thing, dry and sunny when we set off, grey clouds and chilly again later. Left the mooring above Panheel locks at 9.20 a.m. on the Kanaal Wessem-Nederveert. Mike called me to look at the passantenhaven (a square offline mooring basin with posts to tie to) at Nederveert, where two cruisers were moored. I didn’t think the Snail would get in there, but Mike reckoned that it would fit, but maybe next time, we pressed on. I noticed they were in the process of building a new road bridge at Nederveert. We joined the Zuid-Willemsvaart heading north to Den Bosch at a crossroads with the Zuid-Willemsvaart to Maastricht to the left and the dead-end Noodervaart off to our right. 

Leaving lock 13

There are four new locks on this section of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, all worked remotely by the lock keeper at the big lock in Helmond. As we approached lock 13 an armada of cruisers of all different sizes had just left the lock. But we had a red light as the lock was emptying and we had to wait while four more cruisers came up. Just us two to go down. The new locks replaced the double width chambers with offset gates (in on the left of the chamber and out through the right, designed to pass two 50m long barges - the offset gates were so they kept the same order of passage, ie the first one in moves to the right and is now in front of the exit gates). We’d heard that the canal is being upgraded with new even bigger locks and a detour around Den Bosch. The lock worked OK, we dropped down 1.8m and we were soon on our way down to lock 12. An empty boat called Marcel (50m x 6.6m) went by, following the cruisers up the canal. I made a cuppa. Into lock 12 and as the paddles started lifting to empty the lock a loud Bing-Bong, Bing-Bong started up from the lockside loudspeakers – how irritating! (the same happened on the next two locks) Dropped down another 1.8m and we were on our way again. 

Lock 10

Another 50m long empty barge went past, followed by a single cruiser on the run down to lock 11. The old lock houses were still there at lock 11, behind a fence, those at the other three locks had been demolished. Down 2.5m this time, a bit deeper lock, and on to lock 10. Another 50m empty barge went past heading uphill, but when we arrived at lock 10 the gates were closed and we had to wait while they reopened. Mike counted there were eight cameras at each lock. Bing-Bong and we dropped down another 2.10m. By now it was getting colder as the wind picked up, so I made a cup of soup. 

The lock controller's cabin at Helmond lock

The route through Helmond had been closed to through traffic for years as it had been a bottleneck with three more locks and several liftbridges. Lock 9 is only worked by request for traffic to the sand quays, marina or the Eindhoven Kanaal. There used to be good moorings in the lock approach, but we’d been told that a building project had been sanctioned to build mansions and charges were now made for the mooring above lock 9. The Snail stayed on the new canal while we went to have a look. A new sign board said 50c/metre per night. Just one cruiser on the moorings and he didn’t look like he was staying.  9€ just for just tying up overnight, no thanks. 

Can't say anything nice, so don't say anything at all!

Winded and rejoined the Snail and we cruised on round the ringvaart around Helmond to the east of the town. Saw our first oystercatchers fly up as we passed the loading/unloading quay at the start of the bypass canal. There was one DB moored at the end of the long, empty commercial quay, looked like it had been there a while. Had to wait for the new lock while it filled. An empty commercial was moored above the lock, Nimar (64.7m x 6.35m 652 tonnes) – don’t think that he would get any further up the canal until they make the new lock to replace the four remotely controlled ones. 

Moored at the north end of Helmond

Into the big lock and we dropped down 6.3m. Below the lock, at the end of the quay for waiting for the lock there was another DB moored with the worst conversion we had ever seen. It looked abandoned; Mike said there was graffiti inside the cabin! We continued to the other end of the now disused route through Helmond and tied to square wooden bollards among a group of Dutch cruisers who were over-nighting there. 

Thursday 9th May 2013 Maastricht to Panheel. 42 kms 3 locks

Wheelhouse hydraulic lift at full extent
to see over the bulky cargo

Grey clouds and damp when we set off at 9.10 a.m. Sunny later, but breezy. Five large Dutch cruisers had gone past as we set off, they turned left for the lock on to the Zuid-Willemsvaart as we carried on down the river, through the floodlock and on along the Julianakanaal. I downloaded the photos from the previous day that I had neglected to do the day before. Made a cuppa and took it out as we were overtaken by Armira (110m x 11.45m 3,260 tonnes) loaded with coal. We got stuck on his stern wave and Mike had to reverse to stop us “surfing” and being dragged along with him. More cruisers were catching up. 

Following Marga into Born lock

Another big boat loaded with wood chips (lovely smell) was coming towards us with his hydraulic wheelhouse up at its full extent to see over the top of his cargo. He was followed by an empty called Wendy-Chantal. The first of the next bunch of cruisers overtook us at KP9.5. We met and passed an empty boat called Primair from Pappendrecht (110m x 10.5m 2,882 tonnes) under the bridge at Elsloo on a bend. A little further on we could hear motor cross racing but couldn’t see it as the banks were too high. The next cruiser overtook us at Scharnbergbrug, a busy road bridge over the canal. A police boat went past at KP12, heading towards Maastricht. Seven girls on ponies went over the road bridge at Stein, with a queue of cars behind them. 

Phone mast on top of a pylon

Another bunch of cruisers went past in the opposite direction as we were passing the port of Stein with many arms and basins where lots of big boats were tied up awaiting loading or unloading. Today is a holiday, Ascension Day, but not for the lock keepers. Born lock seemed to be reduced to only one chamber working out of the two new ones (an older lock stood off to the left, disused). The lock was filling and we had to wait, being blown sideways by the wind, while a whole armada of cruisers, plus one small commercial with Sluis Maasbracht on the side of it, came up. Two commercials had caught us up and went into the chamber first, Calanda, loaded with coal (another 110m boat) and a smaller Belgian empty called Marga went in behind the first one. We went in alongside on the left until a young woman came out of the lock cabin and said “No further” when we were halfway along the side of the last boat. There was enough room for the Snail behind us and a large Swiss cruiser on the opposite wall.

Leaving Maasbract lock

We dropped down 11.4m attached to floating bollards. Mike held on to the rope while I made sandwiches for lunch. It was 1 pm as we left the lock. The industrial haven below the lock on the left now had a row of houseboats at its far end and a couple of commercials moored in the corner. A German cruiser went past heading for Born lock followed by Allegonda (110m x 11.45m 3,344 tonnes) an empty Dutch boat from Ramsdonksveer. Four large German cruisers behind it were racing to keep up to get in the lock with the empty commercial, their wash was enormous – it washed our cabin windows, watered the flowers on the Snail’s bows and swept round both our stern decks. A few minutes later another German cruiser went past, but at a slower pace. Took a photo of a phone mast on top of an electricity pylon at Rooserenbrug, unusual place to see one but why not. 

Going into Panheel lock

The motorway A2 followed the canal on the right for a few kilometres but below the level of the canal. The wind picked up and was chilly as we ran along the elevated section of canal leading to the locks at Maasbracht. Spied our first windmill way off in the distance on our left. Maasbracht had two chambers working, the left was full with a green light, the right had a large commercial coming up in it. We went into the chamber and tied to the floaters on the left and only waited a short while before loaded boat Iduna came in and went down the right hand side to the bottom end of the lock and a large Dutch cruiser with a high bow came in behind the commercial. We dropped gently down another 11.9m. The cruiser lost a fender that had sailed off down the chamber and Olly managed to fish it out for them. They collected it from him on the way out of the chamber. 

Moored above Panheel locks

Followed the barge and the cruiser through the moored boats below the lock. At the end of the Julianakanaal we turned left, crossing the Maas and into the Kanaal Wessem-Nederveert. A short distance up the canal we came to Panheel locks and Olly called the lock keeper in his best Dutch – he answered in English and said we could go up in the starboard lock. The lock on the right emptied and a cruiser came out then we went up, just the two of us. No floaters, back to old system of moving the ropes up on to the recessed bollards in the wall. At 5 pm we moored above the lock to the grassy bank with piling and bollards at the top of the slight slope. Before we’d tied up we were joined by two Dutch cruisers. Gave Mike a hand to unload the fizzer down the plank. Waah! The back tyre was flat and it had a hole in it made by a piece of steel. Fortunately we had a new one in the engine room, which I retrieved, while Mike took the punctured tyre off. 

Wednesday 8th May 2013 Visé to Maastricht. 14 kms 2 locks

Geese at Vise

Sunny first thing, clouding over by lunchtime and rain again in the afternoon. Mike went by car to get some bread and parked the car on the far side of the river in Devant-le-Pont. It was 10.20 a.m. when we set off back up the river a short way then crossed to the opposite bank and into the lock channel, divided off from the river by stone walls with trees along it. There were dozens and dozens of geese, white ones, greylags, Canadas and Egyptians, besides all the seagulls, ducks and swans that are also lured here by people who feed them. What a mess, bird pooh everywhere, and the grass had been grazed down to next to nothing and there was a constant noise of honking and squawking. 

The bell below Vise lock

Past all the moored boats and a 90 degree turn to the left, noting that there was a new dark glass building that might be a pub, and on up to the lock which was open and ready for us (Mike had called round by car and booked it for 10.30 a.m. with the resident keeper) no need to ring the bell below the lock to summon the keeper (took a photo of the old bell). 5.5m deep and a bit larger dimensions than Freycinet sized locks (roughly about 45m long x 8m wide). The walls were covered in live mussels that were spitting water out all the time. As the lock filled we moved the centre rope up from one muddy recessed bollard to the next until the lock was full. The keeper wanted our papers. 

Controls from a bygone era at Vise lock.

I took my camera and took photos after I’d asked him if I could, as his lock cabin and the lock controls are unique. Anne came in with her papers too and we had our one and only stamp on the back of our papers. (In the days of “quittances” any boat entering Belgium had to fill in forms and get a toll ticket called a “quittance” and pay a toll equivalent to an empty commercial boat of a few centimes, the “quittance” had a list of canals for the route the boat would take. At many of the locks on this route the skipper of the vessel would have to take the “quittance” to the lock cabin, where the lock keeper would enter the details from the “quittance” in his ledger and then stamp the back of the boater’s “quittance” to say that the boat had passed through his lock. 

The boats in Vise lock

The system was time consuming and antiquated - even with computers - so they stopped it several years ago) It was nice to have one lock still on the old system. The keeper told me that the new locks they were building at Yvos-Ramet and Lanaye were going to be 250m long by 20-odd metres wide, BIG! Back on the boat, leaving the lock we were back on the Albert canal, turned right after checking nothing was coming. A police 4x4 drove along the bank at the same speed as us (we reckon they were taking photos!) as we headed for the last locks in Belgium at Lanaye. Ten minutes later the first boat went past, a cruiser. As we were being overtaken by a loaded tankership called Europe 03 (72.35m x 7.3m 1,087 tonnes) a crow tried to land on our roof, took off and landed on the handrails on the tanker boat. 

In Lanaye lock getting a free shower

Mike called Lanaye in French on VHF and had a reply in Flemish! He translated it as follow the yacht, then follow San Remo (in French, sort of) so we hung about while the commercials went in, San Remo from Maasbract and Misonda from Wessem went into the right hand big chamber and Parola from Wervik (53.24m x 6.23m 505 tonnes) went in behind Misonda on the right. We went in and tied alongside Parola (after asking the skipper’s permission) and the Snail came alongside us. The yacht (Swedish) had gone further forward, behind San Remo on the left, and tied to a bollard on the lock edge. Someone on the bank suggested that he tied to a floater as the lock was a deep one (14m deep) As the couple on the Swedish yacht pulled their boat back down the lock chamber Anne said they could tie alongside them. Slowly we dropped down 14m, getting a free shower from the leaks around the top end gate. 

On the wall in Maastricht

Slowly the two big boats left the chamber followed by the yacht then we followed on to give Parola room to swing out from the wall and get out of the lock. It was 12.30 p.m. as we headed towards Maastricht. There were lots of boats moored, mainly péniches and empty pans, along the high concrete walls on either side of the lock approach until we reached the lake on our right and the Dutch border. A Dutch thousand tonner, called Jan Van Orst, passed us heading for the locks as we were passing the long defunct customs offices. Mike and Olly changed our courtesy flags while Anne and I steered. Into the Netherlands at 12.45 p.m. Our Belgian police 4x4 shadow was parked at the end of the wall, maybe taking a last few photos! Just after we passed the lake a loaded sand barge called Gregory went past heading for Lanaye. Two very smart new trippers went past as we entered the city of Maastricht, there were more like it opposite the moorings on the wall. The Snail went into the only gap left that was long enough and we tied alongside at 1.20 p.m.