Take a deep breath – Alex is on a roll for this one!
We decided before we came back for our few days in GB that we would do one last round trip into the northern area ‘above’ Krommenie.
We set off with a light breeze and the usual overcast skies and headed off into the Omval-Kolhorn Kanal. Our Noodersoft program told us that we could not do this stretch without removing our roof. However, at the first lock we just squeezed under the hanging height marker (said to be at 3.6m) with 15mm (half an inch) to spare. Thereafter, the lockkeeper assured us, all bridges were 100mm (4 inches) higher. And he was correct!
We spent the first night on some lovely rural moorings quite close to a hamlet set amongst the little canals that always surround everything here. Alex took several pictures but they just didn’t quite manage to convey how idyllic it appeared to the observer.
The next day we continued northwards, eventually arriving at the lock at the north end of the stretch at about 1 o’clock, which we knew would be closed for lunch until 2pm. Great time for our lunch too – so let’s relax and have a breather.
At 1.20pm, confusion: the lights turn green, the lock gate opens! Do we drop everything and go in? Fire up the computer again; find the phone number of the lockkeeper, and ring the number; pigeon English conversation with ‘the wife’, the lock is closed till 2pm. Fine, back to our lunch. 15 minutes later, two boats appear and go through the lock. Another boat comes the other way. It is now 1.50pm. Another green light beckons - oh well, alright, off we go. The usual story – if you want the bridges/locks to open, there is no response. If you want to stop for a quiet meal or whatever, they’re all over you to come through!
The early afternoon moorings were in De Strook and a quick, 8 mile bicycle trip to Schagen followed for a few provisions and to see it again, when it’s not on show like last Thursday. We get stung for mooring fees (E11.20) when we got back to Kolhorn, but it could have been worse.
The next day, the Schagen-Kolhorn Kanal. Noodersoft tells us that we cannot do this canal at all, even with our roof down, but we have done our research and we don’t believe it! (For we read Alex.)
The weather was better that day – we even caught a glimpse of the sun and before we left, we took the roof off. This procedure usually causes a bit of interest with onlookers and even with us, as each time we are never quite sure if it really will work! And off towards the Noords Hollandsche Kanal. Plenty of headroom!! The lockkeeper said the bridge out of the lock was the lowest – all the others were 100mm (4 inches) higher. Wrong!! The flagstaff, which we had forgotten about, just scraped through his bridge then got broken off by the next one! Fortunately, we saw it coming, and Louise grabbed it before it dropped into the canal. Then onto and south down the Noords Hollandsche Kanal stopping for the obligatory (for us) short ride to the beach and an ice cream and then onwards to our third night’s moorings at Schoolerdam.
But suddenly Alex realised his phone was missing!
After much deliberation and searching, we thought it may have fallen from his pocket when he tripped (!!!!) at the mooring at Kolhorn, 25 miles away. It rang when we used Louise’s phone to call it, but no answer, so no-one had found it yet. Looked like a long bike ride the next day on a wild goose chase. Everyone knows it’s not the value of the phone (it was free) it’s all the numbers on the sim card that you forgot to note somewhere else that’s priceless!
The next day dawns bright and early for us at 7.30 – well, early, but not so bright. At least the wind is light and the clouds don’t look too threatening. A quick breakfast and by 8.50 we are off on the said wild goose chase.
We have the waterways map of this area (courtesy of a photocopy of our mooring host’s rather old map) so we cross the network of roads and canals between us and our quarry. We had drawn in what we thought was the most direct route, but following it was easier planned than executed: left and right at junction after junction, with very few signs to help us. However, in amazingly good time we are crossing the bridge at the lock where Alex knows he last used his phone, and we give a wave and a shout to a rather bemused lockkeeper (with whom we had a long chat the previous day, but from the deck of Riccall as we headed away!). 5 minutes later he drove past with a toot on his horn and a wave back! And 10 minutes after that Alex was accelerating off to scour the area where we had moored the previous night.
Out with Louise’s phone and ring Alex’s number. Listen! Hark! Is that a ‘ring ring’ coming from the grass? Yes, but where? It’s getting louder as he homes in and - careful now, it’s close to the water’s edge - there deep in the grass is THE PHONE – EUREKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! – a few drops of morning dew but it’s OK.
Seven ‘missed calls’ all from us of course, and one text message to ‘ring the sender if found’ (also from us)!
We did a little dance of success and gabbled off what had happened to a bemused couple of boat people close by, but being German they didn’t understand a word! then we set off back for a more relaxed ride home. We stopped at the friendly lockkeeper’s lock to explain - we still felt so exhilarated. He was much amazed, and we left him explaining our luck to the next boater going through his lock!
After a leisurely cycle back and a quick shop on the way, we were back at Riccall by 12 o’clock.
We just had to tell the boat next door, who had helped us moor the previous day, and of course one thing led to another and we had coffee with them and looked at their boat and they looked at ours! And such a nice couple: as they left for their afternoon at the seaside ‘Rob’ suggested we stay another night rather than leaving after lunch. Tempting, very tempting, but we have an agenda, so we had to decline and move on, through the bridges of Alkmaar, and to Krommenie by 6.30.
We do meet some really nice people on this jaunt. It’s surely not just boats that bring out the best in people, but any common interest – even fishing (no perhaps not on second thoughts)! When Alex was in electronics he used to think all people in electronics were really nice guys – and they were. Perhaps all the lags in HM Prisons think that the really nice guys are their colleagues (co-lags) in HMPs!
Back to UK next week for 2 weeks so you all get a break from this hogwash.
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