It had to happen in the end!

Nigel and I left Harlingen on a wet and windy Sunday heading for the lock into the Zuider Zee. 

After an hour bashing into wind and tide we tied up alongside the wharf to wait for the next lock and retired below to strip off our dripping waterproofs. 20 minutes later the lock lights went green, we started the engine and cast off. I engaged the engine –clunk, the engine stalled. I recognised that sound and my heart sank. I leapt ashore and got a rope around the bollard before we drifted away from the wharf and stopped to consider the situation, we had a rope round the propeller. It was a while before I figured out which rope had done the damage and, whilst some what perplexed as to how the rope had got round the prop, I felt rather stupid. I had put a rope under the hull for another purpose, tied it tightly to the rails and, as it ran under the boats keel it should have stayed well clear of the prop; it hadn’t.  I was in for a dip – at least the sun could have been shining! I carry a mask and snorkel on board for exactly this eventuality and a wet suit vest for a little warmth. This lot donned and a sharp knife in hand I went under the hull. 

Happily the rope came away quite easily and no damage was done and the water temperature wasn’t too bad although I was a little shivery after 10 minutes in the water. Thank goodness it didn’t happen in Norway! We set off for the next lock and into the Zuider Zee.

This is a stunningly beautiful place and what’s more quite unexpected.

In the 17^th century the Dutch were a very successful colonial power and lead the way in world trade until they were superseded by the British in the early 18^th century. The Zuider Zee was a shallow bay off the North Sea in the north west corner of the Netherlands extending 60 miles inland and 30 miles wide and only 10-15’deep. Trade started in what were originally small fishing villages on the shores of the Zuider Zee which soon became significant walled towns trading at first with Baltic ports and the Hanseatic League and then with the rest of the world  as the empire grew. This trade brought huge wealth to these towns; ornately gabled houses, churches and spires to rival the greatest sprung up as the wealth mounted.

In the 1930’s the Zuider Zee was damned by a 20 mile long dyke. Water was pumped out to several feet below sea level and a whole new area of the Netherlands was reclaimed, now the county of Flevoland. The new lake is now fresh water.

Despite the new dam holding back the North sea, the lake waters are still above the level of much of the surrounding country side so there is a dyke around the whole lake  perimeter. Locks are needed at the entrance to every town where once again you drop down to go inland into the network of canals across the interior of the Netherlands built many hundreds of years ago and drained by a complex network of windmills.

Today these harbour towns have changed little. Cobbled streets run along side labyrinthine canal systems that allowed barges access to all the shops and warehouses in their time. The old Dutch barges still tie up at the dockside and the church spires with their carillon of bells play their delightful tunes to bring in the new hour. Flowers abound on the many bridges crossing the tree lined canals and most houses are several hundred years old.

Dutch barges still abound in every shape and size. The barges are instantly recognisable by their huge lee boards. In order to sail towards the wind a sailing boat needs a keel of some sort to prevent it from being blown sideways. In order to navigate the shallow waters of the Netherlands and the canals, wooden tear drop shaped boards are dropped down the side of the boat to overcome the need for a deep keel. When not in use they are pulled up the side of the boat. There are many hundreds of old barges but what is particularly nice to see is how many of these lovely character craft are still being built today.

Our first stop was at Hinderloopen on the western shore of the Zuider Zee. Our bike ride took us to se some of these sailing boats, both old at a yard specialising in renovation and new in a yard alongside.

Crossing the lake we anchored off Hoorn the most beautiful of all the harbour towns we were to see. The towns harbour entrance was guarded by a grand tower with two old barges moored in front the day we arrived.

More barges lined the inner harbour with a backdrop of the typical Dutch gabled houses. 

As we walked up the main street towards the old town hall it became apparent that something around here was very drunk and it wasn’t us!  Like our leaning tower that we saw in Leeuwarden the foundations of many of these buildings were clearly none too stable resulting in a street scene that Alice might have found through the looking glass; that isn't a photographic illusion that makes all the walls look as though they are leaning in, they really are!

Our next stop was Edam of cheese fame and it was Cheese Market day. The market happens weekly and is opened in grand style. First the town crier addresses the world to announce the imminent opening of the market. A wonderful precession of clog wearing musicians then parade down to the market where the cheese is brought in by cheese porters on the rather super porter carried ‘barrows’. The cheese is inspected and the auctioneering started – all a re-enactment of the ‘good old days’ but rather splendid none the less.

The famous cheese is made simply by separating the curds from the whey, adding a little something for the magic recipe then pressing the curds in to a mould to get the well known shape and left to ripen. Mild cheese takes a month to ripen, the stronger cheeses taking up to 10 months. When left, the cheese forms a yellow skin on the outside, slightly rubbery in consistency that we see on some cheeses. I’m afraid the famous red wax by which we know Edam cheese is a marketing ploy made up by some one outside the Netherlands to give the cheese its identity, you don’t see it on the cheeses here.

I thought this photo of the bike and church tower in the background summed up the whole area rather well!