MV Dirona travel digest for Helgoland, DE to Naarden, NL 2019


Show Helgoland, DE to Naarden, NL 2019 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

10/20/2019: Heligoland
A final view to Heligoland as we depart for the Netherlands. Conditions have settled down significantly since the big winds a couple of days ago, and we expect an easy ride through the German bight.
10/20/2019: Traffic Lanes
Crossing the east-west Terschelling-German Bight traffic lanes where they intersect with the north-south Jade Approach lanes. Traffic in the area is heavy and we almost always have to divert course to keep a safe distance from commercial traffic as we cross the lanes. We'll be running to the Netherlands in the designated Inshore Traffic Zone (ITZ) south of the main traffic lanes. The AIS targets to our east are ships at anchor.
10/20/2019: 5.4 kts
We don't want to arrive in the Netherlands before daybreak, so we're running at a nice, relaxed pace. You can also see the impact of head seas and negative current. At this engine power level we should be making 6.75 kts, but we're only doing 5.4 kts.

The pitch is 7.5° and the roll is 6.1° (bottom right), so it's quite comfortable on board. The winds should soon shift behind us and conditions will settle even more.
10/20/2019: Wind Farms
The German commitment to renewable energy is quite strong, and particularly evident in this area. In front of us you can see on radar the 30-turbine 108 MW Riffgat wind farm that we'll pass in about an hour. North of us are several large farms, including the 134-turbine, 760 MW Borkum Riffgrun.
10/20/2019: Calm
The winds have shifted behind us and the seas now are wonderfully calm. Conditions should remain this way for the rest of our run to the Netherlands.
10/20/2019: Germany
Lowering our German courtesy flag. You can see how calm conditions are right now—our wake hardly dissipates behind us.
10/20/2019: Netherlands
Raising our Netherlands courtesy flag in preparation for our arrival into Vlieland early tomorrow morning.
10/20/2019: Sunset
Sunset at sea looking toward the Riffgat wind farm.
10/20/2019: Riffgat Wind Farm
The 30-turbine 108 MW Riffgat wind farm at dusk.
10/21/2019: Drive The Lights
We're only at 1041 RPM and doing 5.5 knots, but at this speed our "drive the lights" indicator at bottom left shows we should slow down in order to not arrive earlier than our scheduled arrival time of 8am.

We can set the "drive-to-lights" to tell us to speed up or slow down based on fuel economy or a planned arrival time. We'll get an indication of whether we should speed up or slow down based on the desired goal. It's a super-convenient and relatively foolproof system that we depend on often, particularly on longer passages.
10/21/2019: Coast Guard
At 5:30 this morning, as we neared the Het Vlie leading inland towards Harlingen, the Netherlands Coast Guard radioed us asking our last port of call and our destination. We can certainly expect an official visit in Vlieland.
10/21/2019: 4.7 knots
In a positive current, we're running at 904 RPM and doing 4.7 knots to avoid arriving too early, and are getting an excellent fuel economy of 4.24 nm/gallon.
10/21/2019: 10,800 Hours
We just crossed 10,800 hours on the main engine as we near landfall in the Netherlands.
10/21/2019: Netherlands Arrival
Longtime blog reader Jacques Vuye sent us this web cam shot of us entering Vlieland in The Netherlands after an overnight run from Heligoland through the German Bight. The body of water, at the southeast corner of the North Sea, can be a nasty stretch and is our last offshore run off the year. We had an easy run with unusually calm conditions and are now looking forward to exploring Vlieland.
10/21/2019: Britt
Moored at Vlieland Jachthaven in front of Artnautica 58 Britt. We often correspond with owner Rob Westermann of Harlingen, who was visiting Vlieland for a few days. The harbour was nearly empty the day before we left Heligoland, but filled up while we were underway due to a Dutch holiday week. Rob offered to move his boat back to make room for us the morning we arrived and was on hand to greet us as we docked. Thanks to Rob we had a great spot.
10/21/2019: Current
A cross-current at the entry to Vlieland Jachthaven can be quite strong. This fishing vessel arrived later than we did and dealt with the current by nudging the starboard bow into the wall and then backing and straightening up.
10/21/2019: TankMaster4 Sensor
Our gray water tank has both TankMaster4 float switches and a Maretron TLM100 level sensor. The TLM100 doesn't seem to ever require any service. The TankMaster4 is reasonable solution, we like having a redundant data point, and the TankMaster4 controls the auto-discharge system. But it does require service. About once every six months the empty float switch gets stuck in the high position.
10/21/2019: Customs
Customs and other officials arriving into Vlieland Jachthaven, presumably to inspect the newly arrived American boat.
10/21/2019: Arrival Formalities
Two customs officials, an immigration official and a member of the military police came on board to inspect our paperwork and process our arrival into The Netherlands. Unlike previous insepctions, Customs wanted to inspect the vessel and had a detailed look through our provisions and several other lockers. Its probably unusual for boats to stop in Heligoland and not stock up in cigarettes and spirits, but we'd only purchased fuel.
10/21/2019: Havenweg
Looking down Havenweg in the main town on Vlieland. It's great to be back in the Netherlands again.
10/21/2019: Eetcafe De Lutine
A good lunch at Eetcafe De Lutine in Vlieland.
10/21/2019: Vuurduin
Walking the stairs up to the Vuurduin lighthouse. The lighthouse was completed in 1909 atop the Voorboetsduin, one of the highest sand dunes in the Netherlands.
10/21/2019: Wadden Sea
Map in Vuurduin lighthouse showing the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage site that Vlieland is a part of, which extends along the North Sea from Denmark to the Netherlands. The World Heritage Site also includes the German Frisian Islands north of Wilhemshaven, the setting for Erskine Childers' famous espionage novel The Riddle of the Sands.
10/21/2019: Cupola
The lens inside the glass cupola at the top of the Vuurduin lighthouse.
10/21/2019: Het Vlie
The view east to Het Vlie, the channel leading towards Harlingen, that we followed to reach Vlieland this morning. Dirona is just visible to the right of the flat-roofed buildings roughly at the center of the photo (click image for a larger view).
10/21/2019: Magpie
Beautiful Eurasian magpie in the shrubbery below the Vuurduin lighthouse.
10/21/2019: Den Helder
From the Vuurduin lighthouse, we can just make out the lighthouse of Den Helder about 20 miles west. That likely will be our next stop after Vlieland.
10/21/2019: Ferry Vlieland
The ferry Vlieland arriving from Harlingen to Vlieland with a load of vehicles and foot passengers.
10/21/2019: Rob & Janet
We'd not seen Rob Westermann and Janet Sijperda of Artnautica 58 Britt since Stockholm earlier this year. It was great to see them again and we had a fun time catching up and talking boats and travels.
10/22/2019: Ferry
The entrance channel to Vlieland Jachthaven is 52 ft (16m) wide, about the length of Dirona. It felt fairly tight when we came through, especially with the strong cross-current at the entrance. So we were amazed to see the 180ft (55.97m) ferry Terschellinger Bank inch through. The vessel's beam is 41ft (12.71 m), leaving only five feet on each side as it entered. This sounds adequate, but that boat really plugged the gap.
10/22/2019: Bicycles
Lubricating our bicycle chains before a bicycle tour of Vlieland. Those Giant FCR 2s have served us amazingly well over the past decade, requiring surprisingly little service given the amount of use they get and the difficult conditions they're stored in. These bikes have never been spent more than a decade on the deck of an ocean-going boat. Helping them along with this amazing feet, we do store them in a canvas bag on the flybridge.
10/22/2019: Riding
Vlieland, as with everywhere we've visited in the Netherlands, is very bicycle-friendly with many dedicated cycling paths. Here we are initially riding on the road, but automobile traffic is light and everyone gives cyclists plenty of room. We had a really fun day.
10/22/2019: Horses
Horseback riding is popular on Vlieland—we saw many fields of horses as we biked around.
10/22/2019: 't Badhuys
A delicious lunch beach-side at 't Badhuys on Vlieland.
10/22/2019: Vliehors
Looking east along the beach Vliehors, an 8-sq-mile (20-sq-km) sandy plain along the west side of Vlieland exposed to the North Sea.
10/22/2019: Vliehors Expres
The Vliehors Expres, carrying tourists on a trip across the Vliehors.
10/22/2019: Tracks
The Vliehors Expres left a poem in the sand reading "Wat de diepste indruk maakt werd door water aangeraakt. Door geen mens gestoord neemt de zee het laatste woord" ("What makes the deepest impression was touched by water. No one disturbed by people, the sea takes the last word.") It's super-creative to carve poems backwards into their large tires.
10/22/2019: Posthuys
On such a warm day for late October, we couldn't resist stopping for a drink outside on the patio at the Hotel Posthuys.
10/22/2019: Birds
Seabirds and tidal pools at the western end of the Vliehors with the restless North Sea as a backdrop.
10/22/2019: Kroon's Polders
The four small polders (low-lying land reclaimed from the sea) of Kroon's Polders were constructed in the early 1900s to prevent heavy storms from breaking the island in two. They're no longer drained and now are an important plant and bird breeding area, supporting over 60 bird species.
10/23/2019: Positive Current
We're underway on a 48nm run west from Vlieland to Den Helder and are getting an excellent push from the current. At 1551 RPM we should be doing about 7.5 knots and we're making 9.3.
10/23/2019: Ferry
The ferry Vlieland passing us on a 7am departure from Vlieland. You can really feel winter approaching when 7:30am is still dark.
10/23/2019: Zandexpress 5
We're starting to see lots of inland commercial barges now that we're back in relatively sheltered waters, such as the Zandexpress 5.
10/23/2019: Harlingen
A group of boats were departing under sail as we passed Harlingen.
10/23/2019: Dike Work
Several trucks and heavy equipment were at work maintaining the important Afsluitdijk Dam.
10/23/2019: Current
We continue to run through a nice positive current with calm seas.
10/23/2019: Inspection
A fisheries enforecement vessel is at the bow of this fish boat and the officers are about to board and inspect them (click image for a larger view).
10/23/2019: Submarines
Den Helder is the main naval base for the Royal Netherlands Navy and the harbour is packed with large and imposing naval ships, including these two Walrus-class diesel attack submarines.
10/23/2019: DHTC
The free-fall lifeboat training facility in the Den Helder Training Center (DHTC). The organization offers a full suite of safety training courses for the offshore, shipping, wind and related industries.
10/23/2019: HNLMS Evertsen
The Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Evertsen, moored at Den Helder near two other large navy ships. The 473ft (144 m) Evertsen, launched in 2005, is bristling with armament and can exceed 28knots.
10/23/2019: Marina Entrance
At the entrance to the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club, where we'll be staying for a few days. In the background is a large Coast Guard ship and an offshore oil platform at far left.
10/23/2019: Crash
We're lucky not to have taken more damage in marinas given the many crashes we see. This one was a particular surprise in that it's survey vessel where we'd expect a professional skipper at the helm. During this docking, the neighbouring boat and both sides of the dock were contacted hard several times.
10/23/2019: Dirona and Guardian
Moored at the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club near the 215ft (65m) Netherlands Coast Guard vessel Guardian. We love being moored inside big commercial harbours like this, such as Skagen in Denmark.
10/23/2019: VTCC
The Den Helder Vessel Traffic Control Center adjacent to the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club.
10/23/2019: Navy Ships
We had an excellent berth at the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club, with a great view to the many ships moored at the naval base.
10/23/2019: Guardian
A better view of the 215ft (65m) Netherlands Coast Guard vessel Guardian. The ship is an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) design with a main task of preventing environmental disasters, but it also can perform search and rescue, fire fighting, clearing of oil pollutions and fishery inspections.
10/23/2019: Texel Ferry Terminal
The ferry to the island of Texel, the next one west from Vlieland, departs from just outside the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club property.
10/23/2019: Royal Naval College
The Royal Naval College, built in 1869. The actual institution was founded in 1815, but has existed since 1488 in various forms. The current campus in Den Helder was opened in 1854.
10/23/2019: Canal
A variety of ships, modern and historic, moored in one of Den Helder's canals.
10/23/2019: The Crazy Chicken
We had a super-fun dinner at the 1950s diner-themed Crazy Chicken. This is the gregarious 70-year-old proprietor, who runs the restaurant mostly for entertainment and treats it a bit like his home. He knows everyone there and often joins them at their tables, and spent a fair bit of time with us also. The food was good, the ambience even better, and we really enjoyed speaking with the owner and some of the other patrons.
10/23/2019: Winter Lights
As with many Netherlands cities, Den Helder is wonderfully lit up for the winter season.
10/23/2019: Prospector 1
The oil platform Prospector 1, on the left as we entered the marina, looks great lit up at night.
10/23/2019: Submarine
The 257ft (78m) submarine HNLMS Tonijn on permanent display at the Dutch Navy Museum in Den Helder. We plan to tour it in a couple of days.
10/23/2019: Ferry
Ferry arriving from the island of Texel.
10/23/2019: Night Training
A group was doing night safety training as we passed the Den Helder Training Center after dinner. It appears they were practicing inter-ship fueling at sea, where they shot a messenger line over from one platform to the other and used that to drag back what looked to be a hose. We're sure night fueling in rough seas between two two naval ships in close quarters justifies a lot of training.
10/23/2019: Drink
Since we're staying at the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club, we have access to the Marine Club, a private club open to all officers and former officers of all the armed forces. So we we stopped by for a drink overlooking the harbour before returning to Dirona.
10/23/2019: Port at Night
View across the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club to Dirona with the Den Helder port lights in the background.
10/24/2019: Ferry Line
In the bicycle line for the ferry to Texel. It's interesting that three of the cyclists were postal delivery people.
10/24/2019: Loading Cars
This time of year the ferry to Texel runs once an hour today (mid-week) and every half-hour at peak times Friday through Sunday. Given the frequency, we were surprised at how many cars were loaded.
10/24/2019: Bicycle Parking
Locking our bicycles on the ferry to tour around the ship while we're underway from Den Helder to Texel. Surprisingly, this is the first time we've taken our bikes on a ferry since leaving Seattle.
10/24/2019: Scooter
Scooters, and small, low-speed cars, are allowed in the bicycle and pedestrian lanes in the Netherlands. It always seem odd to see a scooter zip past a group of pedestrians.
10/24/2019: Ferry Lounge
The busy ferry lounge. Most of the people heading across appeared to be tourists, perhaps because it's mid-morning.
10/24/2019: Departing Den Helder
Looking back to Den Helder as we depart for Texel.
10/24/2019: Fishing
Fish boat working Marsdiep as the ferry crossed from Den Helder to Texel.
10/24/2019: Texel Arrival
Arriving into Texel. Only one ferry is running now, with another parked at Texel, but during peak times both will run to provide service every half hour.
10/24/2019: Texel Southeast Coast
Cycling along the southeast coast of Texel towards the town of Oudeschild.
10/24/2019: De Schans Pumping Station
Due to construction work, we were rerouted inside the dike where we passed the De Schans pumping station. Visible through the glass is Fort De Schans (see satellite imagery for more detail). The fort was initially built in the late 1500s on the order of William of Orange, and later expanded by Napoleon after he visited in 1811.
10/24/2019: Oudeschild
Traditional Dutch homes lining a street in the town of Oudeschild.
10/24/2019: Lunch
An exceptional lunch in the winter garden at Michelin-starred Restaurant 't Pakhuus in Oudeschild. It was a bit more extravagant than our typical lunch, but a most enjoyable meal.
10/24/2019: Museum Kaap Skil
The wood-slatted exterior of Museum Kaap Skil in Oudeschild, covering the history of Texel.
10/24/2019: Texel Roads
Texel Roads, off the southeast coast of Texel, was one of the main Dutch anchorages for ships heading to sea between 1500 and 1900. Over the centuries many thousands of ships anchored there to provision and wait for good weather, and at any given time dozens of ships could be lying off. This scale model in the Museum Kaap Skil, with over one hundred accurate and detailed ship replicas, depicts what the area might looked like during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century.
10/24/2019: Shipwrecks
With so many ships passing by and anchoring off Texel, the surrounding waters are full of shipwrecks. This section of the Museum Kaap Skil displays some of the many undersea finds.
10/24/2019: Beachcombing Collection
The beachcombing collection at Museum Kaap Skil is packed with a huge amount of diverse beach finds. This is only a small portion of what is there.
10/24/2019: Bottles
One wall in the Beachcombing Collection at Museum Kaap Skil on Texel is full of found bottles.
10/24/2019: Texel Jachthaven
Lots of space this time of year at Texel Jachthaven.
10/24/2019: Lancasterdijk
After lunch we continued cycling north on Texel along the Lancasterdijk towards the lighthouse at the northern tip of the island.
10/24/2019: IJzeren Zeekaap
IJzeren Zeekaap, a daytime-only beacon erected in 1854, formed a line with a church in Oudeschild to help guide ships along the east side of Texel.
10/24/2019: Tidal Flats
Bird-filled tidal flats at the northeast end of Texel.
10/24/2019: Delta Works Monument
Monument in the shape of the east coast of Texel commemorating the delta works completed there between 1961 and 1981.
10/24/2019: Eierland Lighthouse
The Eierland Lighthouse at the north end of Texel was first lit in 1864. The 144 ft (35 m) tower is visible for 29 nautical miles.
10/24/2019: View from Lighthouse
The great view across the adjacent beach from the top of the Eierland Lighthouse. Even in late October a lot of people are on the beach—probably some of the same people who came over with us by ferry.
10/24/2019: Land Sailing
Several people were land sailing on the wide, sandy beach at the north end of Texel, viewed from the Eierland Lighthouse.
10/24/2019: Old and New Lighthouse
The Eierland Lighthouse suffered heavy damage and was repaired by constructing a new wall around it. You can walk around between the walls and still see the bullet-holes where the tower was attacked.
10/24/2019: Woods
Cycling south through woods along the west side of Texel.
10/24/2019: Ecomare
Porpoise at the Ecomare aquarium, nature museum and animal sanctuary. The facility rescues injured animals, releasing them back into the wild when possible.
10/24/2019: Harbour Seal
Adult harbour seal at Ecomare.
10/24/2019: Gannet
Ecomare's main residents are porpoises, seals and sea birds. Locals and visitors are encouraged to contact the facility if they find one of these animals injured on the island.
10/24/2019: Baby Seal
One of several very cute baby seals recently brought to Ecomare.
10/24/2019: Porpoise Playing
Watching through the underwater window while a porpoise plays with a toy.
10/24/2019: Whale Hall
The Whale Hall is part of Ecomare's nature museum. On display in the foreground is a skeleton of a 49ft (15m) sperm whale that washed ashore on Texel.
10/24/2019: Flora
If we'd had a little more time, we would have stopped in at the Flora Shipwreck and Beachcombing Museum. The museum, self-described as the first and biggest beachcomber's museum in the world, is packed inside and out with items salvaged decades from Texel's beaches over the past 75 years.
10/24/2019: F1 in Metal
Our final stop for the day was dinner in Texel's main town of Den Burg. While walking to dinner we passed a shop selling metal art with an amazingly accurate metal sculpture of a a Red Bull Formula 1 car.
10/24/2019: Vibes Foodbar
A great dinner at Vibes Foodbar in Den Burg on Texel. We were pretty tired after cycling 30 miles (48km) and it also was a nice bre.
10/24/2019: Texel Ferry Dock
Our ferry back to Den Helder arriving at the Texel Ferry dock. We were really tired now after cycling another 4 miles from Den Burg for a total of 34 miles (55km).
10/24/2019: Den Helder Return
Arriving by ferry back into Den Helder with the oil platform Prospector 1 prominent in the background.
10/25/2019: Dawn
Spectacular dawn sky looking across the navy port from our berth at the Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club.
10/25/2019: Zuiderzee
On our way out on a bicycle ride, we stopped to checkout a couple of Royal Netherlands Navy tugs moored nearby. This is the 94-ft (29m) HNLMS Zuiderzee a Damen ASD 2810 Hybrid that combines diesel-direct, diesel-electric propulsion and battery power to achieve average fuel savings of up to 30% with up to 40% reduction of emissions over their non-hybrid ASD 2810 tug.
10/25/2019: Power Cable
The power cable for the hybrid tug Zuiderzee. It's much larger than typical for a boat of that size to support charging the large battery bank required on a hybrid tug.
10/25/2019: Navy Ships
Looking across the harbour to several Royal Netherlands Navy ships, including the 355 ft (108 m) frigate HNLMS Friesland (P842) and the 578 ft (176 m)Landing Platform Dock (LPD) amphibious warfare ship HNLMS Johan de Witt (L801).
10/25/2019: Zeepromenade
Riding the Zeepromenade outside the dike at Den Helder.
10/25/2019: Lange Jaap
The 182-ft (55m) lighthouse Lange Jaap, completed in 1877, is one of the tallest traditional lighthouses in the world. We could see it 20 miles away from Vlieland.
10/25/2019: Fort Kijkduin
Fort Kijkduin, now a military museum, was built on the order of Napoleon in 1811.
10/25/2019: Windsurfer
Windsurfer taking advantage of today's strong winds in the North Sea.
10/25/2019: Highland Cow
A long-haired Highland cow grazing in a Den Helder field. The hardy animals have an unusual double coat of hair and were bred to withstand the harsh conditions of the Scottish highlands.
10/25/2019: De Nollen Landscape
In the 1980s, Dutch artist R.W. van de Wint began an experimental project that became his life's work. Over the course of 25 years, he created paintings, steel sculptures and large structures among old bunkers in the dune area De Nollen in Den Helder.

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10/25/2019: De Bolder
The sculpture De Bolder with Den Helder's old brick water tower behind on the right. The 20-ft-high (6m) double bronze bollard, unveiled in 2018, symbolizes the connection between Den Helder and its maritime history.
10/25/2019: Costa
A great meal and a fabulous table at Costa in Den Helder's Willemsoord district. Willemsoord is the old navy shipyard and the multi-leveled restaurant is built in a renovated 19th-century industrial building with balconies surrounding a nightclub on the bottom floor.
10/26/2019: Passports
Dutch Customs came by again today to inspect the boat and check our Schengen immigration status. We're used to an inspection when entering a new country, but the Netherlands is a bit unusual in that the last time we entered we were visited four times and this is our second visit so far and we've only been in the country four days.
10/26/2019: Prospector I
The Vanuatu-registered Prospector 1, built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Group in Dalian China in 2013, is a 324ft by 355ft (98m by 108m) jack-up oil rig. It's equipped with 6 primary diesel generators producing 1.5 MW each and a single emergency generator delivering 900KW and carries 4 anchors of 16,500 lbs each. In the normal case, we seldom get really close to a rig and the truly massive scale isn't obvious until you are standing beside it. Absolutely out-worldly.
10/26/2019: Lock Gates
Substantial lock gates protecting Den Helder's inner harbour that lies behind the dikes.
10/26/2019: Damen
The Dutch shipbuilding company Damen has shipyards throughout the Netherlands, and the world. The Den Helder shipyard focuses on repair and maintenance for the offshore, dredging, fishing and towage market and they have a second yard on the island of Texel.
10/26/2019: Anchors
Huge anchors used by the oil and gas industry at the Damen Den Helder shipyard. Each of these weigh 15,400 lbs (7,000kg)
10/26/2019: Texel
The lightship Texel was built in 1951 at Den Helder's now-closed Willemsoord naval shipyard, where we had dinner at Costa last night. The Texel was in service in the Wadden Sea until 1992 and is now a museum ship.
10/26/2019: Willemsoord
Looking across a Den Helder canal to the Willemsoord district, a revitalized former naval shipyard.
10/27/2019: Security Gate
The Royal Netherlands Navy Yacht Club is inside the navy base's secure area. We exit the property through a security gate and need to have a guard let us back in.
10/27/2019: Leuk!
A delicious brunch at Leuk! Eten and Drinken in the Den Helder's revitalized Willemsoord district.
10/27/2019: Boiler
Old steam boiler in the Willemsoord district. The former shipyard and naval base was built on the orders of Napoleon in 1811 when France ruled the Netherlands.
10/27/2019: Tonijn
The stern of the 257ft (78m) submarine HNLMS Tonijn on permanent display at the Dutch Navy Museum that we'll be visiting shortly. The ship was launched in 1965 at the Wilton-Fijenoord shipyard near Rotterdam and was in service until 1991.
10/27/2019: Torpedo Tubes
The Tonijn's four 21 in (533 mm) bow torpedo tubes. An identical set are at the stern, for a total of eight.
10/27/2019: Helm
Jennifer at the helm of the HNLMS Tonijn.
10/27/2019: Henny Fransen
We spent ages speaking with Henny Fransen, one of the museum representatives on the HNLMS Tonijn. We were impressed how much he knew about the ship and that he was able to answer all of our questions in great detail. It turned out Henny served on the HNLMS Tonijn as a radio operator and knew the ship in intimate detail. We had a great time talking with him.
10/27/2019: Shadows of Light
Monument to those who lost their lives in the service of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
10/27/2019: De Ruyter
The bridge from the guided missile-frigate HNLMS De Ruyter, in service from 1976 to 2001 and once the flagship of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The large dome is characteristic of Dutch guided-missile frigates and housed a revolutionary (at the time) 3D radar that could measure an object's distance, direction and height at the same time. The radar had a range of 242 miles (390km) and could track over a hundred targets simultaneously, making it the most powerful radar of its time (1975-2000).
10/27/2019: Compute Power
The radar operators post on the HNLMS De Ruyter.
10/27/2019: Inside Dome
Inside the 3D radar dome. The system was made up of two dish-shaped search antennae (partially visible on the right) and two spiral antennae for tracking targets. The search antennae moved vertically and together with the revolving movement of the whole produced a 3D search pattern. The stabilised platform turned at 20 revolutions per minute, creating a force 7 (28-33kts) wind inside the dome.
10/27/2019: Abraham Crijnssen
One of the two triple-expansion steam engines that power the 1930s-built minesweeper Abraham Crijnssen, now on display at the Dutch Navy Museum.
10/27/2019: Navy Technology
The final exhibit we toured was a detailed treatment of Dutch naval technology through the centuries.
10/27/2019: Sextant Calibration
A sextant calibration tool on display in the Naval Technology exhibit at the Dutch Navy Museum.
10/27/2019: Willemsoord
Several of the bars and cafes in Den Helder's Willemsoord were really busy late that afternoon. This was a little surprising as it was a Sunday and they weren't close to that busy when we'd passed at about the same time the previous Friday and Saturday nights.
10/28/2019: Sunrise
Spectacular orange sunrise as we're underway from Den Helder.
10/28/2019: Den Oever Bridge
Looking back to the tug Viking pushing a barge through the Den Oever Bridge. We just passed through on the left heading southbound. Possibly because the Viking was coming through as we arrived, we had no wait for the bridge to open for us.
10/28/2019: Stevinsluizen
Approaching Stevinsluizen to cross the Afsluitdijk dam and enter the IJsselmeer. This is the first time we've passed through Stevinsluizen at the western edge of the Afsluitdijk—last year we reached the IJsselmeer through the Kornwerderzand locks at the eastern end of the dam.
10/28/2019: Control Tower
The control tower for the Stevinsluizen lock and bridges.
10/28/2019: Old Control Tower
The old Stevinsluizen control tower.
10/28/2019: Tending Line
Jennifer tending the line as we lock through from sea into the IJsselmeer. The water difference was about a meter, mostly to account for the tidal height difference on the seaward side.
10/28/2019: Exiting Stevinsluizen
Looking back as we exit Stevinsluizen. The whole process took only about 15 minutes from our point of arrival.
10/28/2019: Chart Comparison
We use CMAP charts on the main navigation system and, where available, purchase Navionics charts for our phone—they are particularly handy when out in the tender. We've often heard that Navionics charts are more accurate than CMAP. As we travel the world, we've seen places where that is true and many places where it isn't. But in most cases they seem pretty close to the same. What's interesting is the Navionics charts "feel" better in that they often show more detail and, in extreme cases, the CMAP charts show gray ("unknown") whereas the Navionics charts shows depth contours.

It seems like the CMAP charts are very conservative when they lack data, but the Navionics charts make estimates when faced with an absence of data. The net result is the Navionics charts often look and feel more accurate even though they are often drawing from the same base chart data.

Here's an example where CMAP chart on the left shows little detail whereas the Navionics charts on the right shows a complexity of depth contours. Based on the Navionics chart, you'd expect the depthsounder readings to be swinging wildly through this area, but they were stable at 12-13ft most of the way across the shallow area. The estimates the Navionics charts appear to be making give the illusion the charts are more accurate than CMAP when that level of detail doesn't seem to exist. In this case the CMAP charts are more accurate even though they are less detailed.
10/28/2019: MS Alina
View from our anchorage off Andijk to the river cruise ship MS Alina heading east from the town of Medemblik.
10/28/2019: Fender Lines
James using a butane torch to melt and seal the ends of our fender lines. Some were fraying on the ends after a decade of use.
10/28/2019: Happy Hour
Happy hour on the deck at our anchorage off Andijk with a wild-looking cloud formation to our west.
10/28/2019: Church Tower
View to the tower of the Reformed Church in Andijk, with the clock lit up at night. The church was completed in 1930 and is considered one of the best works by Dutch architect Egbert Reitsma.
10/28/2019: Sunset
Striking sunset lighting up an unusual cloud pattern over Medemblik, resembling a mushroom cloud.
10/29/2019: Dust
The diesel furnace wasn't heating the pilot house as well as it used to, so we took apart the duct and found a fair amount of dust to clean out.
10/29/2019: Compressed Air
We cleaned off the diesel furnace outlet by hand and then finished blowing it clean with compressed air.
10/29/2019: Bunkering
The tender holds 9 gallons (34 L) of gasoline and we fill it quickly and easily from 5 small containers (4 x 1.25 gallons (4.75L) and 1 x 5-gallon (18L)) stored on the boat deck. Periodically we top up the smaller containers from our two 29-gallon (100L) wheeled gasoline tanks stored foreward of the tender.s and refill them all.
10/29/2019: Andijk
Dirona at anchor off Andijk.
10/29/2019: Regatta Center Medemblik
We ran the tender into Medemblik to tour the town. We were planning to tie off on what appeared to be the guest docks at Regatta Center Medemblik on the outskirts of town, but the docks were inside a secure area so we continued into town.
10/29/2019: Radboud Castle
Radboud Castle on the eastern edge of Medemblik. The exact date of construction is unknown, but it was complete by 1287.
10/29/2019: Oosterhaven
We found a good spot for the tender in Oosterhaven near the center of Medemblik.
10/29/2019: Medemblik
Medemblik was awarded city rights in 1289 and is the oldest port on the IJsselmeer with many houses dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
10/29/2019: Wapen van Medemblik
A great lunch in the bright sun-room of Wapen van Medemblik.
10/29/2019: Medemblik City Hall
The Medemblik City Hall building looks centuries-old, but was built in 1939 following a traditional design.
10/29/2019: Gemaal Lely
The pump house Gemaal Lely, built in 1930, was used to drain the Wieringermeer polder and still keeps it dry. The station is named for Dutch engineer Cornelis Lely.
10/29/2019: De Herder
The 17th-century flour mill De Herder on the western side of Medemblik. The windmill that stood here since the 1500s was demolished in 1947, and in 1990 a replacement was installed using one from a another village.
10/29/2019: BMW Planter
A rather expensive planter outside a house in Medemblik.
10/29/2019: Pekelharinghaven
Looking across Pekelharinghaven in Medemblik on a beautiful fall day.
10/29/2019: Westerhaven
Historic houses overlooking Westerhaven in Medemblik.
10/29/2019: Boniface Church
The Boniface Church in Medemblik dates from 1404. The 232-ft (71m) brick tower is even older and was built in 1350 with 2-meter-thick walls. In the past half-century the tower has developed a lean to the northeast, likely as a result of groundwater drainage in the area.
10/29/2019: Heerensteeg
"Widow houses" dating from the 18th-19th centuries along the lane Heerensteeg.
10/29/2019: Canal
Looking along one of Medemblik's canals. The town is quite scenic—we really enjoyed our visit.
10/30/2019: Sunrise
Beautiful sunrise over the IJsselmeer as we depart Andijk in the province of North Holland for Flevoland, the 12th and last Netherlands province. Most of the land in Flevoland was reclaimed in the 1950s and 1960s.
10/30/2019: Noordoostpolder Windpark
The Noordoostpolder Windpark, when completed in 2017, was the largest wind farm in the Netherlands. The 429-MW park includes 48 3MW Siemens turbines standing offshore and 38 7.5MW Enercon E-126 turbines standing onshore.
10/30/2019: Swifterbant Bridge
Passing under the Swifterbant Bridge. With 41.5ft of clearance (12.5m) we have plenty of space for our 30ft (9m) air draft, but it still looks reasonably close.
10/30/2019: Zwolle Bridge
Waiting with several other pleasure craft for the Zwolle Bridge to open. We were told to expect a wait of about 40 minutes, but it ended up being only about 20.

The channel Vossemeer that we'd just passed through was the shallowest of the day at about 7.7ft. The rest of the run was generally in water at least 10ft deep. We draw 6ft 7in, so we're running without much safety margin. Just a sunken log could be a problem for us.
10/30/2019: Roggebot Lock
The Zwolle bridge and the Roggebot gate closing behind the group of pleasure craft together in the lock.
10/30/2019: Departing Roggebot Lock
The Roggebot Lock is mainly for flood control with little water height difference between either side and the whole locking process took barely ten minutes.
10/30/2019: Waiting Again
Waiting with the same group of pleasure craft to pass through the construction site for the new Reeve lock.
10/30/2019: Reeve Lock
Passing through the Reeve Lock, currently being built to replace the Roggebot Lock we just came through. We were told we'd need to wait at over an hour, but were let through after about 15 minutes.
10/30/2019: Elburger bridge
Passing through the Elburger bridge—the operator opened it right away for us as we neared. The words "Tot Ziens in Flevoland", painted on the underside of the bridge, translate roughly to "See you in [the province of] Flevoland".
10/31/2019: Brrrr
After a peaceful anchored just off the channel in the lake Veluwemeer, we awoke to a temperature of only 37.6°F (3.1°C). That's the coldest we've seen since Sweden earlier this year.
10/31/2019: Dredge
Dredge working the lake Veluwemeer in sea smoke just south of our anchorage.
10/31/2019: Sea Smoke
Sea smoke and utility lines looking west in the Veluwemeer.
10/31/2019: Veluwemeer Aqueduct
Passing over the road on the Veluwemeer Aqueduct. This is the third aqueduct we've passed through this year in Dirona including the Ljungsbro and Kunns Norrby aqueducts in the Gota Canal. And we passed through a fourth in a canal cruise along the Dalsand Canal.
10/31/2019: Nijkerker Lock
Approaching the Nijkerker bridge and lock, our second to last lock before reaching Amsterdam.
10/31/2019: Green Light
Green light to enter the Nijkerker lock. The operator opened up for us as soon as we arrived.
10/31/2019: Frost
Frost on the grass by the Nijkerker lock. Winter is coming.
10/31/2019: Eemmeerdijk Wind Farm
The Eemmeerdijk wind farm, built in 1998, is one of the few using two-bladed turbines. Most newer, high-capacity wind turbines are three blades.
10/31/2019: Passaat
The barge Passaat overtaking us in the Eemmeer.
10/31/2019: At Anchor
At anchor off Naarden, our last stop before Amsterdam.
10/31/2019: McLaren
We landed the tender at Naarden Jachthaven and walked about a half-hour to reach Naarden Fortress. On the way we passed this fabulous McLaren GT.
10/31/2019: Naarden Fortress
Naarden Fortress, completed in the late 1600s, has a unique two-level 12-point star shape that is best appreciated from the air or satellite imagery. This is looking across to the fortress from the northwest from outside the outer star.
10/31/2019: South Wall
View from the south wall of Naarden Fortress.
10/31/2019: Stint Annastraat
Looking south to historic homes along narrow Stint Annastraat.
10/31/2019: Post Office
The relatively modern former post and telegraph office in Naarden was built in 1902.
10/31/2019: Nauwe Steeg
Walking through the narrow alley Nauwe Steeg.
10/31/2019: City Hall
The Naarden City Hall building dates from 1601.
10/31/2019: Bunker
The Dutch upgraded Naarden Fortress in the 19th century, building many barracks and underground bunkers.
10/31/2019: Naarden Main Gate
Naarden's main city gate on the east side of town.
10/31/2019: Eetcafe Het Hert
Enjoying a drink at Eetcafe Het Hert in Naarden.
10/31/2019: A-Fusion
An exceptional dinner at A-Fusion in Naarden to celebrate Jennifer's birthday.
10/31/2019: Grote Kerk
We had a look inside beautiful Grote Kerk in Naarden as the audience arrived for an evening concert. The paintings on the vaulted ceiling date from the 16th century.