02.08.08 Gravel Wharf, de Hoef, to Amsterdam

We gradually realised that perhaps one way to make sure we could find a mooring for the night was to find one when everybody else was just leaving! So we regretfully left de Hoef (the gravel wharf) at about 9.30 am and started looking out for something at 11 o’clock. Sure enough, at 11.30 we did spot a vacant place at the side of the canal. We managed to moor up OK but it was obvious by the size of the tiny mooring rings that it was not designed for a boat of our size. Added to that, there was no route off to any civilisation whatever – only a small patch to exercise (toilet) your dog, next to cow-infested fields! At this stage we were also looking for the all-important internet access to keep all our billions of readers informed, otherwise we might well have risked staying put and pulling all the rings out if a commercial went past!

So we had lunch (we always have lunch at times of crisis) and regretfully plodded on, knowing that every minute we were getting closer and closer to the unknown horrors (delights?) of Amsterdam. The first bridge we came to on the outskirts, which needed to be raised to let us through appeared to be unmanned. A call on the VHF elicited no response. Then we spotted through the binos the top of a head in the window of the control room. Another hail on the VHF – no response. “Hello brug, are you receiving, over?” A response came, “Oh, sorry, caller, I did not recognise by your English accent that you were calling my bridge, I will open it now”!!!!!!!!!!! “Thank you, out.”

One down; who knows how many more to go? Amsterdam is just full of bridges.

The next bridge was 50 cms higher than us - easy! The next 10 cms higher – very tense! The next 30mm higher than our solar panels, so very, very tight and potentially very expensive – too much for Louise, “No more bridges like that, please: we must have them opened” she said.

It was now 4 o’clock and we discovered that there is a break in bridge opening for rush hour between 4pm and 6pm and 8am and 9am in the morning. So we looked for somewhere to stop and eventually parked on a ‘double yellow line’ before the next un-openable bridge – they paint them on the water, you know!

Alex went off on his bike to see if he could find a better place to moor, asking permanent live-aboards etc and even the lockkeeper. No luck. He even went for a half hour ride to the Museum Harbour but failed to find the Harbourmaster. So hot, exhausted and fed up he got back to Riccall and the decision was made to stay put regardless of regulations and to expect a knock on the door any time from the Politie!

Next day, (after yet another slightly tense night, during which every boat, small or large, in Amsterdam paraded up and down the Amstel until two in the morning) we set off to go through the next 7 bridges and a lock to get to the Museum Harbour.

We knew the first bridge was OK but our Noodersoft computer programme failed to give the dimensions of the 2nd bridge so we were not going to attempt that unless it was opened for us. A VHF call to the bridge operator whose reply in agitated Dutch told us that there was a problem with something and further instructions again in Dutch. Not able to understand, we drifted around for a bit until we noticed a large hotel boat looming up from behind followed by a 45 foot privately owned tugboat. At the same time two of the lockkeeper staff came up in their launch to explain to these idiot English that Yes! we could follow the two bigger boats. Thank goodness. So we followed them round the bends and through the bridges to the Museum Harbour where the hotel boat disappeared and the tugboat and Riccall moored up.

Hans and Leo from the tugboat turned out to be a couple of old friends in their late 60s who were travelling for a couple of weeks without their wives! They explained to us how the system worked, complemented us on our mooring (that must be a first, but it was very windy, so perhaps somewhat deserved) and later Hans kindly took Alex all the way to the Harbourmaster’s office to sort out our mooring fees (three days E16.20 – very reasonable). So we have three days of legitimate mooring in the middle of Amsterdam for only E16.20!!

The first time Alex and Louise came to Amsterdam was by Jet2 for the day. It turned out to be the Queen of Holland’s birthday – a national holiday. Everyone wears orange, and we mean everyone! All the trams were off and the whole of Amsterdam was having a street party and a canal party. And, it kept raining.

The second time it was freezing cold (7o F) so the whole time was spent hopping from café to café to museum to keep warm!

This time, instead of orange for the Queen’s birthday, it is pink for the Gay Pride weekend. Natural justice for Alex I suppose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Louise) Same sort of thing – street party, canal party, no trams, pink just everywhere, and as it turns out, rain! But what a scene! Hopefully the pics will give some idea.

The library is about 1km from the boat. Apparently it moved a year ago from the far side of town – which was where we looked for it, having found it on our map (a kind present from Sylvia and Michael for Alex’s birthday all those years ago!) to close to our mooring near the Central Station!

This iconic building is eight storeys high with a café on the 7th floor with a fabulous selection of food to choose from and an outside veranda with wonderful views of the harbours. On the other floors are, of course, books and videos, but also computer terminals by the hundred. There are sections for your wi-fi laptop, sections with Mac computers, sections with Microsoft computers, sections with USB ports, sections with dedicated library computers etc etc. All free for anyone– just amazing. What a facility!

But – guess what? After hours of trying we could not get our laptop to connect to the wi-fi (blocked by Windows firewall apparently) so we had to use a USB portal computer on the 5th floor to post our blog. So the blog is finally happily posted, but Jamie will have to wait (for security reasons) to have his birthday present transferred into his bank until we can use our own machine!!