Tuesday 14 November
On Tuesday it was finally time to drag ourselves away from a city where we’d soon felt at home and welcome, and turn our sights once again to the next destination – actually the final one for this season’s cruising. We negotiated a couple more bridges, both road and rail, and a lock where we had to pay €3.50 for the lock keeper to let us out, even though the water level had not changed. We had to tie up for lunch to await our pre-booked timed lift of the motorway bridge, the final hurdle before entering the Nordzee Kanal towards Amsterdam. This could have been an alternative route for us, from IJmuiden on the North Sea coast, just 13.5 Miles into the capital city, but we’d have missed so much interesting typical Dutch scenery and some lovely stops along the way.
It was a dull, damp, misty day with very little breeze as we made our way carefully along the starboard bank, keeping a good lookout for frequent huge ships, cruise liners and barges carrying a variety of freight. Playing dodgems with the many (free) passenger ferries shooting to and from Centraal Station in the centre of the city was a heart-in-the-mouth moment for Mate on the helm, but she did glimpse a couple of interesting buildings, and a quick survey in passing City Marina confirmed her suspicions that it would not be attractive or comfortable for a winter berth.
Soon I crossed the channel to the North bank, and found the entrance to Nieuwendam, where I suddenly found myself in tranquil tree-lined waters again. Following the narrowing channel around two sharp bends, I slipped into an interesting alongside berth between a houseboat and the raised bowsprit of a huge traditional Dutch barge. This is Nauticadam Marina at Twellegea Yacht Club – my home for the next few months.