Thursday 19th June 2014 Nieuwolda to Appingedam. 22.3kms 2 locks

Control panel for Hamrikkerklapbrug
 - easy to work. Key in slot and turn it
then press buttons in sequence.

13.5°C Drizzle, rain and wind. Set off at 10 am. I walked up to the bridge, Hamrikkerklap, and pressed the buttons to operate it. The wind made it difficult for Mike to get the boat alongside the landing (which had been taken over by the café alongside it for tables and chairs, plus a rope between all the mooring stumps). A couple of kilometres and we were at Scheveklap, another liftbridge, this one on a bend with a row of stumps at an angle to the bridge and a narrow wooden plank bridge to the bank – again difficult in the wind. The bridge was easy as it was all press button, but the planks to get back on from were tucked into the bank close to the bridge so it needed some reverse to get to it. Beyond the bridge the navigation was much wider, reed edged with open fields beyond and a cutting North wind in our faces, plus the rain. Mike went in and lit

Scheveklap liftbridge

the Refleks central heating as it was only 18°C in the cabin. Under two more low bridges with two fishermen by the second one, which was low skimming the top of the flag staff on the tiller. Turned left into a new section of navigation leading via liftbridges and a lock to the docks in Delfzijl. Mike called on channel 84 and got no reply so we went alongside the the wooden stumps and called on the intercom. This time we had a reply and the guy asked us to go closer to the bridge. It was a modern liftbridge with no top, called Borgsweer, and it lifted as we got closer. On to the lock, Lalleweer, which was empty and gates open ready for us. Uphill, so we

Lalleweer lock and liftbridge, Delfzijl

put ropes through recessed loops in the wall fore and aft and rose 2.1m. The liftbridge across the top of the lock lifted and we carried on along a much wider navigation, 5.5m deep and choppy, where there were large commercials at the quays. Miryana from Zwolle (105mx11.4m 2800T) was unloading smelly recycled woodchips by grab into lorries. The next liftbridge was a conventional styled one, Heemskesbrug, carrying a busy road. No reply on the radio again, so we headed for the wooden stumps and had problems with the wind blowing the boat off before I could get a rope on a stump. At the second attempt I got the rope on as the liftbridge lights

Kleine and Grote Sluis - boats coming up off the Ems estuary

changed from red to red green, let the rope off and went through it. Once we were through the bridge I steered for a bit while Mike went inside. The wind blew plants over on the roof so I stacked them on the front deck. Currency, an empty tanker, was moored by the oil refinery berth in Oosterhornhaven. Turned left into the Oosterhornkanal, under the Weiwerderbrug - which didn’t need lifting for us as it had an ample 3.8m air gap. Turned left again on to the Eemskanaal. A big empty boat was coming up in Grote Sluis behind us and another loaded

Heemskesbrug

boat was waiting to go down the lock. There were lots of moored commercials in the Farmsumerhaven so I took photos. Loaded boat Margarethe (80mx9.35m 1250T) went past heading for the docks with a masted yacht following it; then the boat that came up the lock overtook us, an empty called Nocht (110mx11.45m 3248T) from Drachten, it came past us quite close. A coaster called Isartal, registered at St John’s, was unloading more stinky recycled wood at a berth on the right and a bunkerboat called Main III went past making a rolling wash up the bank. A cruiser called Passe Partout overtook us and continued down the Eemskanaal as we turned right into the Oude Eemskanaal. An empty cement carrier called Reguliersgracht from Amsterdam was moored by the De Graaf shipbuilders (took photos of the bits of ships under construction). The next liftbridge, No 15, was closed for lunch until 2 pm so, with a little difficulty due to the wind we moored alongside a sloping grassy bank to wait at 1.45pm. The keeper was back early and we were soon through his bridge and we turned left for Roggenkampsluis

Coaster Isartal loading stinky woodchips

(6m wide by 28m long) and the bridge keeper worked the lock from his cabin by the bridge. Down 1.7m on to the Damsterdiep. The chart was wrong, below the lock we could go left or right (the chart marks it as straight) we went right then spotted another liftbridge to the left so Mike backed up and we went under the bridge then through the outskirts of Delfzijl, passing some very fine houses and moored boats. Then we came to a liftbridge with nowhere to get off. Spotted some writing on a board by the wooden fendering next to the

Shipbuilders De Graaf. Delfzijl. Eemskanaal

lock and spied a box. Bows right up to the deck of the bridge and I opened the box to find a key slot. Turn the key in it and the keeper will come. He did, on a scooter, and I asked if we could stay overnight on the quay behind us next to a Museum, nope it’s not a mooring just an old quay. We could go through this bridge and moor before the next one, he said. OK. He pressed the buttons to lift the bridge and we ran through to the wooden decking with stumps that was the waiting area for the next liftbridge in the town centre right next to the Co-op. He was there to take

Below Roggenkampsluis. Delfszijl

a rope and said we could moor there for 24 hours for free, on the other side of the next bridge we’d have to pay. Great, fine by us. He also suggested that when we set off next day to go back to the first liftbridge and take the old route through the town. It was 3.15pm and we were damp and windswept. Around 9 pm there was a lot of noise outside so Mike went out to look and found a police car opposite the boat by the entrance to the shops where there was a group of youths. It went quiet again after that.

Moored by the Co-op in Appingedam 

Oystercatcher at Appingedam

Wednesday 18th June 2014 De Dellen to Nieuwolda. 5.9kms no locks

Rushes by the mooring at De Dellen

9.2°C Grey clouds with rain, mostly showers of drizzle in varying degrees of length. Breezy. We delayed setting off until it stopped around 10 am. It was soon drizzling again. Through open fields of wheat with stands of trees and long lines of trees marking distant roads. Farmhouses stood surrounded with trees as windbreaks. The mast was flat on the roof again due to the height of the fixed bridges which were all about 2.5m high. The first, Kerkijktil, had the navigation span on the right - next to the bank – the rest of the wooden bridge was sloping. Just beyond the bridge there

De Dellen windmill

was a mooring place with wooden posts for the village of Nieuw-Scheemda. The right bank was lined with trees and glimpses of farmhouses and barns in the gloom beneath the trees. Musk roses, pink and white, covered the right bank below the trees for some distance. The other side was edged with reeds and brambles. A lone swallow flew over and masses of rooks flew in and out of a great rookery in some tall trees. Back to open fields again, then a long lake was visible on the left between the reed beds. We had a water tap marked on our chart where a farmhouse

Field pump windmill

was now surrounded by summer rental cabins and a camping ground, but no tap – the hose reel was still there but empty. The cabins were smart and must have all mod cons for the modern camping tourist! At the next bend there was a fisherman hidden from view by the tall reeds, but his long rod was three-quarters of the way across the narrow canal. Mike gave a gentle toot to announce our presence and he moved it out of the way before our bows passed him. He was very pleasant and said hello. At ‘t Waar there was a small offline basin designed for small boats with a sign that said it cost 5€ per night. Under an ornate wooden bridge and round a right

Field pump wooden Archimedean screw

hand bend where there was a huge old barn and two new ones to the left of it. The band of trees continued along the right bank and open fields of wheat appeared on the left again. Into the outskirts of Nieuwolda with a few houses on the banks then a large wheat field that came right to the edge of the canal. A pair of grebe swam past, they didn’t even dive out of view as many do. We decided to stop on the left by the sloping grassy bank in the town where we had moored ten years ago with Bill and Rosy. They’d just cut the grass. It was 11.15 am. Mike pushed stakes into the bank to tie to as the ground was soft. The actual mooring places in the town were the

usual wooden posts, one set we’d just passed on the right bank and the other was beyond the liftbridge on the left. 

Old barn

Moored in Nieuwolda

Tuesday 17th June 2014 Wedde to De Dellen 29kms 2 locks.

14.2°C Sunny spells with lots of white clouds, strong North wind. Set off at 9.05 am reversing

from wooden staging to wind and return back downstream on the Westerwoldse Aa.

Mooring at Wedde

Immediately the clegs found us, repellent on and swatters out. Past the little windmill (a water pump) and the banks lined with Giant Hogweed as we passed the offline basin where the trip boats were moored at Wedderveen; on past the islands and the chalets, caravans and tents, then out into open countryside with wide water meadows, reed beds and boggy land with rushes. Lapwings flew up from the fields and a solitary Egyptian goose took off. Round the new bends where the reed beds had encroached where the Veendeip came in from the right, then the channel became wider and

Windmill water pump

deeper with higher banks (no views across the fields) where sheep and lambs grazing. We’d moored several times in the past next to an empty roof-high quay at Langebrug, a lovely isolated quiet mooring in the middle of nowhere – but not today. Under more low fixed bridges at around 2.5m air draught, so the mast stayed flat on the roof. Turned sharp left, heading West on the Winschoterdiep and pressed the button on the wooden baulks below Bulsterverlaat to empty the lock. Once it was empty and we had a green light we went into the chamber on the right hand side only to find the chain to pull and activate the lock was in the ladder slot on the left hand side. A nifty bit of manoeuvring by Mike and I could reach to yank the chain. The lock was a bigger one at 5.8m wide by 40m long. We rose only 0.6m. The Winschoterdiep was much wider and a metre deeper at 3.5m than the previous navigation. Still no traffic on it though. The noisy A7 followed the right bank, filled with lorries, just 4kms from the German border. A buzzard soared above and grebes were diving, a pair of goldeneye ducks flew off in front, but the mallards stayed put. Mike had forgotten all about the rail swingbridge and it

Lock activation button Bulsterverlaat

was fast approaching midday so we slung a rope on the timber posts expecting a two hour wait during the keeper’s lunch break. A two-car Arriva train went across then a young man walked across from his portacabin office and I shouted we thought you’d be gone to lunch, he waved. He opened the bridge for us and we found we were now behind a loaded commercial which had just come from the Rensel haven, an arm off to the left in Winschoten. Noted there had been a new yacht harbour excavated off to the right at Oldambtmeer making a crossroads with the Rensel. We followed Weslie from Ten Boer to Beertsterbrug liftbridge and a small cruiser appeared and

Bulsterverlaat lock, emptying

circled around behind the commercial. The latter attached his bow to the timber posts by the bridge and we hovered as there was nowhere to tie up while the bridge keeper had his lunch break. The wind blowed every whichway and we were broadside across the canal most of the time, the cruiser went alongside the bank that was constructed of rock gabions. At 1 pm we followed the other two through the liftbridge with long queues of road traffic waiting while we went through. Waved to the bloke in the control cabin

Yank the chain and the lock works!

and trundled on for 2kms behind the big boat to Kloosterbrug. A lady keeper this time and she had the bridge up ready for the commercial. Another 2kms to Graaf Adolfsbrug with our lady keeper officiating. Likewise, she pressed the buttons in the cabin to lift Eexterbrug and we continued through the open floodlock where a piling gang were working. Went slowly, letting the commercial get ahead as we were not continuing along the Winschoterdiep, the cruiser followed it until we slowed right down to sweep right under a low bridge on to the Opdiep

Following Weslie and a cruiser through
the liftbridges on Winschoterdiep

leading into the town of Scheemda. The cruiser winded to follow us (he’d missed the junction). Under a wooden footbridge, passing new flats and houses and a large offline marina and I hopped off to lift the bridge while Mike stayed back. The cruiser came alongside him. It took me a few minutes to realise that the instructions on the bridge said to keep pressing the buttons! Mike did the sharp left turn under the bridge followed by the cruiser and I lowered the bridge then walked down to the lock passing another cruiser. I

Moored by the windmill De Dellen

said sorry I didn’t realise they were waiting for the bridge, they could have come through before I lowered it. Mike by this time had our boat in the schutsluis (back to small locks - 6m wide by 25m long) and the cruiser went in ignoring Mike’s miming of “turn the key in the slot before you come in”. The lock light was still red, so they had to back out and put the key in and turn it before the power pack started up to operate the lock. They pulled the cord and we dropped down 2m. Wished them a good trip as they were carrying on to Nieuwolda, completely forgetting there were a couple of bridges to operate. Round a sharp right hand bend on to the Termunsterzijldiep, now heading North, and it was just a short distance to Zwaagsterklap liftbridge. The lady off the cruiser had got the bridge open (and a long queue of road traffic was fast forming) and we started to follow the cruiser through the bridge - except she pressed the button to drop the bridge – Mike gave a toot on the hooter and the bridge

Giant hogweed

stopped going down. As we passed them we said we’d work the next bridge for them. OK. It was only a few hundred metres to Tichelwaardsdraai swingbridge. Waited until they were close behind us and I opened the bridge which had manually operated barriers (it only led to a boat workshop) and an electrically operated bridge. She said that she’d hit the stop button and had only to pull it back out again before the bridge carried on working! We wished the crew a good journey as they went past and Mike followed them through the bridge, then paused to pick me up after I’d closed it – I had one van waiting to cross the bridge. Under the busy A7 motorway and 1.5kms to the mooring by the windmill called De Dellen, built in 1854 it worked for 133 years before being retired in favour of a small electric water pump! Someone had left an old wooden canoe tied in the middle of the mooring, we went in front of it with our bows a couple of metres beyond the end. Mike put a pin in the bank to hold the bows steady in the ever-blowing North wind. It was 3.30 pm.