After a weekend of racing, socialising and taking part in a fine tour of Hellevoetsluis led by Admiral Michiel de Ruyter himself, the OGA NL20 fleet departed on passage to Dordrecht on Monday 5 August. The sailing instructions were updated regularly, especially to assist many of the English gaffer skippers unfamiliar with systems on the Dutch canals and waterways. The fleet, now numbering about 40 gaffers, sailed past the beautiful houses of Dordrecht to moor in the Wijnhaven on floating jetties. Leaving Dordrecht on Wednesday, the fleet continued to Gouda for a couple of days before moving on to Kaag, an area of lakes, islands and shore facilities. We bring two extracts from skippers’ logs and photos from the fleet on passage.
“We enjoyed sailing in company with friends through/under some amazing Dutch engineered bridges to Dordrecht, a fine town with exquisite shop frontages. Dutch canal barges are our HGVs but with families living aboard and a car, some up to 190m long! We had to have a bit of jeopardy – we had about 30cm of clearance above our aerial going under one bridge. Height above water was well displayed, you just have to trust you know exactly how high you are!”
‘Lahloo’ on Instagram
“The gaffers left Dordrecht in convoy at about 8.20am Tuesday 6 August and made a fine sight, dozens of traditional style boats travelling along the canal in convoy. The first part of the trip was spent keeping out of the way of the huge barges that share these waterways and travel at great speed. The latter part of the trip was spent negotiating a large number of bridges and locks. In the company of a large number of other elderly boats, in confined waters and sometimes approaching the obstruction with a brisk following wind, the afternoon provided plenty of mental and physical exercise for skipper and crew. We eventually moored up in the Museumhaven, near the centre of Gouda. The Dutch OGA had organised a reception with free beer to get the visit off to a good start. After a rest day to explore Gouda, in the evening we were entertained and well catered for again. We had a nautical skittles match which the Dutch won convincingly, listened to a sea shanty group and had a fine outdoor paella supper. Thanks go to local organisers in Gouda, Rik & Edith.”
‘Bonita Yawl’ blog
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