May 7th 2019
Today we really are leaving Leiden. It was raining, which was actually rather fitting because we had such a good time here. Not many bridges today, just six. And most of them we had already passed in Leiden. There used to be a time that the prospect of negotiating only one bridge would have caused a lot of stress. But now we’re already talking about ‘just six bridges’. It seems like we have learned a lot.
After Leiden we passed the Kager Plassen, a cluster of bigger and smaller lakes where Jeroen had learned to sail and windsurf many many years ago. It was quite shallow everywhere and the waterway wasn’t clearly indicated either, so we had to keep a close eye on the depth meter. At the end of the Kager Plassen you can choose to either go left to Haarlem or right to Amsterdam. And as decided yesterday, we went right.
The rain was starting to increase, but despite the rain it was actually a pleasant trip. The nice thing about smaller inland waterways and sparse traffic, is that there are hardly any waves, so we could make ourselves a steaming mug of tea along the way to keep warm.
We were heading for the Braassemermeer where we found a sheltered mooring spot surrounded with trees and a place to barbecue. Although it was still raining now, the sun would come out at the end of the afternoon. So we pictured ourselves sitting there enjoying the warmth of the fire in the fading sunlight. We saw the entrance to the mooring, and made sure to head straight for the middle of the opening, because we had read somewhere that it was a bit shallow to the sides. The middle part was supposed to be two meters deep, and our draft is 1 meter 73, so we should be okay. Nevertheless we again kept a close eye on the depth meter. 2 meters, 1 meter 90 …careful now, 1 meter 80 … okay, were still moving, 1 meter 70 …what? 1 meter 70? 1 meter 40! We’re stuck!! We frantically thrusted backwards and left to right, trying to wriggle free from the peat on the bottom of the lake. A few stressful minutes later we were free again, and quickly backed away. Apparently mooring here is not meant to be.
We decided to find a spot on the leeward side of the lake to anchor. Well, leeward…. there was hardly any wind at all, making it actually more difficult than the last time when we had too much wind. In the first attempt we backed away too slow, causing the chain to fall on a big heap in the peat. When we hauled the chain and anchor in, it was coated in a thick and smelly layer of goo. Yuk. A second attempt. This time we gave more thrust when moving backwards, and that worked.
Anchor watch app on, check landmarks and hope for the best. There was no significant current and next to no wind, so would probably stay put in the same spot without anchoring.
It is really beautiful and quiet here, you only hear birds singing. We spend a peaceful afternoon waiting for the rain to subside, watching the birds and enjoying the surroundings. We had planned to test the new barbecue this evening, but we were rather far from the shore. But with a few safety measures we managed to do it in the cockpit and had a wonderful dinner in the warm glow of the barbecue. And despite rain and the close encounter with the bottom of the lake, it had been a great day.
