August 1st 2019
The rain had stopped and while still cloudy there was a glimpse of sunshine now and then. A lovely day to explore the town of Makkum. It’s a cosy small town, dating back to the 10th century. It used to be very prosperous and was especially renowned for its seashell lime industry. But due to severe siltation in the 19th century the harbour of Makkum became unreachable for the seashell fishing boats and the economic growth declined. A lot of the old architecture is reminiscent of the once affluent times. Now the small town is prosperous again thanks to the flourishing water sports tourism with 4 marinas, ship wharves for super yachts, kite surf schools and beach clubs.
Makkum also has an old lock, build in Medieval times, which used to be the gateway to the hinterlands when it was still a coastal village at the Zuiderzee. We ate fish and chips in the sun while watching the commotion at the locks. People are always so stressed and impatient, resulting in near crashes and irritated words back and forth. A firm harbour master fitted the whole bunch neatly into the lock and reprimanded a huge Swiss motorboat for entering before its turn. He had to go back to the end of the line. He obeyed with a lot of evident reluctance and irritation. It is quality entertainment, no wonder sometimes people even bring chairs to watch the spectacle at the locks. Of course it isn’t so funny if you’re the one in the lock. If you do something stupid there’s nowhere to hide from the spectators above. And since we’re far from being experienced sailors, we know what it is to be on the receiving end of the laughter. But not today. Today we’re the spectators, smiling self-consciously.