Holland 2010 – Week 5

I swear I'm the unluckiest person in the world – or the dumbest. Last year before we arrived, I had packed all hot weather clothes expecting Holland (which is virtually the same latitude as Nanaimo) to be like home – warm, sunny summers. So we froze our Asses off as you know. So having learned my lesson I purchased flannelette PJ's, 3 sweaters and lots of long sleeved T-shirts! Wrong again! This is a record breaking hot summer and I'm dying!! Last year I used my little fan on about 2 days – this year? It's on every day, all day. Sleeping at night is a little uncomfortable. Phil insists on breathing and giving off body heat and I'm sweating up a storm. I need to get an extension for the fan so I can plug it in at night in the bedroom – oops, aft cabin! Must practice being nautical. It's moor not park, fenders not bumpers, etc. etc. And he who shall not be named is insisting I learn how to tie ropes and other things shippy. He doesn't get it – this is my cottage on the water. I just want to put my feet up and enjoy!


Along with the hot weather, we had another storm (July 11) that quickly brought back memories of last year's terror. What is it about Vollenhove? If they do 'Perfect Storm 2' they can film it here. There we were - in our 'jammies, settling down the for the night, just starting into our nightcap of Southern Comfort when a wicked storm came up with wind that just whipped up the waves and tossed the boat around. We had to scramble up on deck to bring down the bimini before it went the way of the cabriole just like last year. The sweet little man on the boat behind us came out to help me and got soaked in the process. Can't say enough about the helpfulness of the Dutch. It was the night before the World Cup final and there was a big party with live music and a ton of electrical equipment in the square. They had to quickly scramble to save all the instruments, amps and other paraphernalia. 


But the next night was lovely, clear and warm and they set up a huge TV screen in the square where everyone gathered to watch the game and drink beer. Sadly, Holland were in tough and managed to hold on as long as they could but in the end Spain prevailed. But it was wonderful to see a sea of orange shirts and costumes cheering wildly for their national team. We went up, ordered some beer and went back to watch the game in comfort on the boat.
Party time!

Even the boats were decorated.

Last Friday I took the rental back to Emmeloord. We affectionately called it "The Pimple". The Smart Car is the size of a zit, a small Corsica is a boil, thus our little car was the carbuncle in between. But she was very handy whether we were just going out for lunch or off buying furniture, wood or materials needed to construct new screens. So now we are back to biking which is a good thing. Maybe now I'll lose a little more weight!

The Pimple!

Our new chairs are so much more comfortable.

Phil has been really busy this past week doing odd jobs around the boat and is feeling very chuffed with himself. He made 5 new screens to keep the bugs out, mended the steering station cover which was literally falling apart and managed to mop up the water and oil floating in the hold. He has discovered a new use for disposable diapers! They make prefect rags to soak and mop up gunk.

Mr Fix-It !

And now for the big news! Last Sunday Phil woke up with a pronouncement. We are going to France!!!! After cancelling all the plans we had made, he has now determined that even with the boot on for stability, there's no reason why we can't get going. We are leaving it a little close to make our winter moorage in Migennes, and our stay in Paris will be cut short, but we are both excited to get going. Holland has been lovely, our havenmeester and the village have all embraced us with kindness and open hearts, but we are determined to keep the dream going and are heading off to France. We've changed the route and will take the shortest route through Belgium ( a 4 day journey) and we should hit the north of France by about August 8^th. Then we have about 5 ½ weeks to get to Migennes where we will leave the boat for the winter. Then we'll make our way back to Amsterdam to fly home on September 23^rd. I'm already having nightmares about French locks but presume that fortified by lots and lots of good French wine, I'll survive – or not!


Not sure when the next blog will be posted but I'll keep in touch as events unfold. I am always pleased to hear from you so don't hesitate to email or post a comment on the blog. The distribution email will have an attachment that Kristen prepared to indicate how to Post a Comment directly on the blog.


Much love to all,

The Excited but Nervous Nellie and the Master Mariner


 

 

Holland 2010 - Weeks 2, 3 and 4

Wow, can hardly believe that we’ve been here almost a month. The days sometime drag but on others, they go quickly. We’ve been busy provisioning the boat even though we thought it had all been done. Because we’ve been doing a lot of sitting (Phil isn’t able to walk far) we are spending more time in the salon. We discovered that our cheap-as-chips Ikea chairs were very uncomfortable to sit in for any length of time. And we are spending a lot of time in front of the TV watching soccer!! So that hole-in-the-water-into-which-we-pour-money - lovingly known as Calypso - is getting bigger! We bought new leather chairs, new pillows for the bed and sundry other items.

Phil now has a complete set of tools to do any repairs or renovations. Getting him to use them is a whole other story! Mind you as we speak he is mounting the bracket we bought in Nanaimo which will hold the TV satellite dish. His next job is to make screens for the windows to keep out the bugs at night.  The midges are attracted to our white ceilings and I spend a good deal of time laying in bed (Did I tell you I hate bugs? Another one of my many phobias) squishing the little suckers. Then, in the morning, I have to wash down the ceiling! Sigh, women’s work is never done! That being said, cleaning the boat takes minutes. I can get the dusting, vacuuming and cleaning done in about 20 minutes. Having only one bathroom helps! Mind you the vacuum cleaner is very small and only draws a very low amperage. So I end up picking the lint out of the rug by hand and then stuffing it down the hose!

We found the rental car very handy so after I took the first one back to Schipol airport, we decided let’s rent locally. Our Havenmeester Rob came through and found us an Opel dealer who would rent for 4 weeks at a very good price. Right – we’ll take it.

My car and driver – I WISH!!!!

We have been getting about in the car a little. Mostly for shopping but we discovered Lemmer, a little harbour town about ½ hour away. Just lovely – lots of shops and restaurants along the many canals. We will take the boat there once we start cruising.

Sitting at the cafe watching the boats come through from the Islmeer.

Great moorings right in the heart of the town.

Our friends, Marian and John Berg from near Utrecht came to visit in their RV, which is right alongside the moorage. We had a great visit – it was so good to see them again. They took us to Staphorst, a town known throughout Holland as a stronghold of strict Christian beliefs. The lovely old farmhouses are painted in characteristic green and blue. 

The townspeople continue to wear traditional dress, a custom that has virtually disappeared elsewhere in the country. The elderly women are seen in blue or black dress which indicates the mourning period.

They also have a unique decoration for their bikes – crocheted wheel protectors in a variety of beautiful colours and designs.

After visiting Staphorst, we stopped on the side of the road by a farmer’s field and had an afternoon snack. Very peaceful as we watched the storks feeding, the cows mooing and the four of us munching and slurping our cider.

We continued our touring by travelling by car in our little rental to Gouda to visit with our Australians friends Arthur and Diana Dixon from Perth and finally meeting Yvonne and Kevin Gilbert. Yvonne does an excellent blog on their cruising through Holland, France, Germany and Belgium. They’ve been doing this for some time and are a fount of good information about how and where to cruise. We arrived for lunch and left after supper dining alongside the canal where they are moored.

L-R: Phil, Kevin, Diana, Arthur, Yvonne alongside the Dixon’s “Secundus”

Diana, Yvonne and I managed to do a little shopping and Yvonne and I took a wander through the town to see some of the remarkable buildings. 

The beautiful town hall (Geementehuis). The main square was set up for a festival – beach volleyball included – and everyone was in orange as Holland was playing soccer that night.

And who says the Dutch don’t have a sense of humour! See below!

Then last Monday, we drove to Driebergen (near Utrecht) to visit with Marian and John Berg in their home. We felt very privileged to have been invited and had a wonderful time in their beautiful home and gardens.

Marian also keeps a few chickens.

Driebergen is in a forested area, intertwined by small roads, bike paths and hiking trails. So different from the north of Holland. Marian and John took us around the countryside to show just a few of the amazing country homes – built by wealthy Amsterdamers in the 17^th and 18^th century and who wanted to escape the noise and stench of the city in the summers. Some were pretty spectacular and though many have since been taken over and run as conference or educational centres, much of their early glory remains.

This is “just” the orangerie.

And at another country home, this was “just” the carriage house!

We were introduced to a local summer pastime that was a hoot! Marian and John took us to the Cherry Inn – a local cherry orchard where you can join in on the cherry pit spitting contest!! What else would you do with the pit once you sucked all the goodness off the cherry? Makes sense – spit it out. But not just anywhere. Make your way to what looks like a shuffle board marked in metres and centimetres. Standing at one end, grab one of the poles in each hand, work the pit to the front of your mouth, lean way back, launch yourself forward spitting the pit at the same time. Marian, John and Phil did reasonably well. My pathetic try landed at John’s feet! About a half a metre – but then I’ve never been able to spit out my gum from the car window either.

Phil tries with Marian watching.

John’s turn

  The CHAMP!!!!!

 We are now back on Calypso struggling with the heat. However, Phil did manage to get 3 new screens built – 2 more to go. He did an awesome job so I take back what I said. They work like a hot damn and I no longer have to wipe down the cabin ceiling each morning!

It has been a great first four weeks. We are hoping that Phil’s cast will come off next week and then shortly after that we will try cruising. Stay tuned – this could be interesting!!!!

Much love to all

Sharlene and the Recovering Master Mariner.

Holland 2010 - Week 1

June 19

Dear Family and Friends:

Our first week in Holland has come and gone. Getting here was a bit of a struggle but we survived – just!

Stage 1 - Barb dropped us off at the ferry terminal on her way down to Victoria for radiation treatments. We had four huge and heavy bags to check – two of the suitcases were excess baggage. My new handle is “Sherpa Shar”. We had a number of items that we wanted to buy using Canadian dollars but it’s also easier to shop at home as we don’t always know where to get things here in Holland.

Stage 2 – I’m not a huge fan of ferry trips (way too impatient) but we met Eleanor, Bill and Colleen Whyte so had a nice opportunity for a chat and a good-bye for the summer.

Stage 3 - We took a taxi from the Departure Bay ferry to the airport and then waited four hours to take off!! My patience was wearing even thinner but KLM was kind enough to take pity on Phil and we were given the bulkhead seats so that he was able to stretch out his leg and even prop it up. I may make him use his crutches on the way home so we can get the same seats!

Stage 4 - The flight was good but the fun started after we landed. I had arranged for a wheelchair to be waiting when we arrived at Schipol but KLM had a motor-cart-thingy to get us to the baggage area. However, we had to wait for about 45 minutes while they dealt with other passengers – not what I was hoping for after a 9 ½ hour flight. God,grant me patience!

Stage 5 - The fun started at the car rental area. I hiked to the Eurocar desk only to discover they didn’t have a reservation for us. Crap! So I hiked back to the car park (in the rain – what else is new??) where Phil was waiting with the luggage, dug out my paperwork and discovered I had booked through AutoEurope, a broker, and we were actually renting from Avis. The young man at the counter was going to give us a lovely little low-slung sports model. When I explained that Phil was on crutches and once in the car was unlikely to be able to get out and that he might have to spend the summer in the car (not totally sure there’s a downside to that one!), he kindly changed the rental to a medium sized car. When I booked the car I totally forgot that most European cars are manual – so there I was – not only driving for the first time in Europe but I had to get reacquainted with a standard. I needed to back up to get out of the rental area – not going to happen - so I just went forward around in circles until I was headed in the right direction.

Stage 6 – Where’s the road map? Oh yes, it’s on the boat. Hey, we’ve done this before – how hard can it be? All we have to do is head for a city/town we recognize that’s near to Vollenhove and Bob’s your uncle. Apparently not that easy! We did keep the Leeuwarden sign post in sight but didn’t realize that there are two ways to get there. We ended up going too far around the Amsterdam ring road, heading north on the WRONG side of the Ijselmeer. We stopped at a gas station, bought another map, asked the clerk to point out where we were and regrouped. There was absolutely no way in Hades we were going to go back to the Amsterdam ring road! The answer was to keep going north, take the 30 mile long causeway that crosses the Ijselmeer, head to Emmeloord and then finally to Vollenhove!! The good news is that we saw a part of Holland that we weren’t ever going to see without the little adventure – so not all bad.

Stage 7 – We arrived at the boat yard two hours late but Gerard was very understanding (he already thinks we are Crazy Canucks) and after an inspection of the hull by Phil (we had had it painted with anti-fouling stuff – a nautical term - Calypso was put into the water. We put all the baggage in the boat and then went looking for supper. Welcome back to Dutch menus, Sharlene! This may be a looong summer! Then it was time to crash and try to get some sleep.

Stage 8 – The season has begun! The aft cabin renovations are super – the shower is a treat and the cabinets are lovely – if stuffed to the gills. The new items are to help keep us organized so the boat will have some semblance of order and will look tidy – eventually!

Our view from the aft deck. Our pub is just behind the white and striped buildings.

A biking cruise boat. There are at least 40 bikes on the deck!

Two major decisions – one is to rent a small car for the month. Phil really can’t get around well – the crutches are hard on his wrists and the canes are hard on his knee. The man is a wreck – remind me again why I brought him! A car allows us to at least spend time off the boat and visit the little towns and villages in the area.

The second decision was to replace the chairs in the salon. The cheap-as-chips Ikea tub chairs are not very comfortable for sitting for any length of time. Not an issue last year as we were much more active. So we found some really nice – but SMALL – recliners in a shop in Emmeloord so will probably go back and buy them. We just have to make sure we can get them into the boat!

The days are spent watching World Cup soccer (trust me, the Dutch know how to celebrate and party!), cleaning and organizing. We’ve already met some lovely people who overnighted at the haven. Rob, our havenmeester, has been a gem – very helpful even going so far as to not only finding a car rental that is cheaper than the Avis rate, but also driving us into Emmeloord to pick it up. As I said last year – the Dutch are really lovely people!!

So ends the first blog! Even though we won’t be doing any cruising for another month, we are happy to be here and looking forward to an eventful summer!

Love from Sherpa Shar and the Mangled Master Mariner.

If this is May, we're supposed to be in Europe!

Dear Family and Friends:
So, how’s 2010 so far? Let me count the ways!
1. January 17 and 25 – Kristen’s and Haydn’s Birthday – if I don’t think about being the mother of a 39 year old and the grandmother of a 15 year old, it’s all good!
2. April 1 - Rebecca’s Birthday (see #1 above and substitute 38 for 39)
3. April 27 - Phil sprints across the street and tears his Achilles tendon
4. May 4 - The day we DIDN'T fly to Holland or ‘This totally sucks’ Day
Coss Family Goodbye Lunch (L-R Husband/wife in front) Andrew (brother) and Rosemary Coss, Phil and Sharlene Coss, Garry and Judy (sister) York

One day we are wining and dining and saying goodbye to family and friends and the next day, we are in the emergency department of our local hospital. With only a few days to go before we were scheduled to fly out, we were running some last minute errands. Phil needed to get a new part for the weed whacker so he could mow the lawn. As he was crossing the street, he quickly sprinted forward to get out of traffic and suddenly heard a loud pop. His Achilles tendon was torn at the calf muscle and he needed orthopedic surgery. OUCH! Instead of a much anticipated cruising season through, Holland, Belgium and finally to France - here we sit in Nanaimo waiting for Phil to heal.

Healing from an Achilles tear is a very long process as we've discovered. It is also serious enough that you have to be patient with the process. During the first 8 weeks, he is absolutely allowed NO weight bearing activities. Weeks 8 - 12 involves putting partial weight on the leg with mild exercises and then putting full weight on the leg only after week 13. However full recover is expected to take anywhere from 6 months to a year. While the initial pain has gone, Phil finds it very frustrating hobbling around on crutches. His daily activities are severely limited to crawling up stairs on his knees, sliding back down the stairs on his bum and becoming best friends with his computer and TV. (My days are severely limited to carrying and fetching and trust me it is wearing a bit thin!!!) We do try to get out on nice days for a coffee or lunch but he's not allowed any real physical activity.

Crawling UP the stairs!

Sliding DOWN the stairs!

TV, computer, maid service - He's all set!

Big decision - when do we rebook our flight? Granted the recovery is slow, but we decided that Phil could sit with his foot up on the aft deck of Calypso as easily (sort of) as he could sit in front of the TV in the family room here in Nanaimo. So we said, to heck with it - let's rebook for June 10th. He has a doctor's appointment and follow-up x-ray on his birthday June 8th and we are out of here 2 days later! We definitely won't be doing much cruising so will probably hang out in Vollenhove, Ommen, Leeuwarden and Sneek for the summer but at least we finally get to see the renovations that were done over the winter. The shower will be very handy for Phil (he won`t have to hobble to the marina`s facilities)and we'll be able to organize our clothes in the gorgeous new storage cabinets that Len and June built.

Our first blog of 2010 is not exactly what we had in mind when we were planning a cruise south through Holland to Maastricht, Belgium (Ghent and Bruges) and the ultimate - 3 weeks in Paris!! But here we are - patiently waiting until we can leave. The good thing about staying in Holland is that we have a better chance of meeting up with cruising friends this summer and that is a definite bonus!

So here we are - June 1 - and only 9 more sleeps until we fly out of here. Talk about long goodbyes - we`re on our second round! But now that we are down to the nitty-gritty so to speak, we can start re-packing, organizing the house to be left behind and arrange to get to Vancouver where our KLM flight originates. Holland here we come!

2009 Newsletter #7

Dear Family and Friends: June 13/09
Cruising in the Netherlands is quite easy for the most part. Very flat country, lots of bridges and a few locks or ‘sluises’ as they call them here. On the major canals, the ones that accommodate all the huge barges that transport goods from one part of the country to the other, the sluis is very long, wide and can drop or rise a number of feet to the level at the other end. In fact in some locks, we’ve been one of several cruisers along with 2 barges, one of which was 110 metres long. Think of a good sized par 3! We ran into 2 sluises of this size when we travelled from Sneek to Groningen. Sadly, we lost the stern in both of them. Think of a capital H – the sides of the lock are the parallel lines and ‘Calypso” is the bar between them – the bow tied to one side while the stern floated perpendicular to the wall as the wind pushed it into a position which didn’t allow us to throw a line. How embarrassing ! While a German couple cursed us, a kindly Dutch couple helped us out of our dilemma.
Happily, after telling Arthur and Diana Dixon (from Perth) about our troubles, they gave us some good advice and on our return journey we were awesome! The trick was to have me tie the bow from a more central position on the boat, give it some slack but fully secured and then Phil uses the engine to push against the bow line to starboard which then brings the stern in to the port side of the lock. Yahoo!!!!! They got it! They really got it! It’ amazing once you know how. Piece of cake. Phil has now really got a great handle on maneuvering the cruiser.
Speaking of cruisers - and we are - there’s a new book coming out soon. Not sure of the publication date but check with your local bookstore. It’s called ‘The Boating Bible’. You might find Chapter 6, Book of Coss, verse 2 of particular interest. Thou shall count thy ropes, especially when leaving the dock. There we were, all set to leave the Groningen Motorboat Club on a Sunday morning to make our way to Leeuwarden. I cast off the bow rope and Phil had the stern covered. Phil put the engine in reverse and slowly made his way backwards out of the slip. All of a sudden the air was filled with curses that the dratted engine is slipping again. It’s not reversing and the boat next to us was in peril. Then we noticed a nice man from the club waving to us from the dock. He was suggesting that perhaps it would be better if we cast off both bow lines!!!! Just a suggestion mind you, but we members find it easier to get underway if we aren’t still attached to the jetty! Lesson learned – count your ropes, stupid!!!
Finally, the sun has come out and we had a great day cruising from Leeuwarden to Buraard on our way to Dokuum. We could easily have made it in one day but we wanted to stop in a little village because to us, they represent the quintessential Holland. The little village has about 2 streets, 2 bridges, a big red windmill that we are moored under and that is still used to grind corn, and a very small Spar grocery store. But it does have a lovely restaurant situated on the canal right by the bridge. We sat in the sun, ordered a coffee and watched the boats coming and going through the manned bridge.
And speaking of bridges, we had to go through 11 (!!!!) of them on our way out of Leeuwarden. The first 3 were tall enough we could sail right under but the next 8 had to be opened for us to get through. With the windscreens and the cabriole cover up, we measure 3.7 metres from the water line. The bridges that had to be opened were all less than 2 metres so there was no way we could get through. While the bridges on the main canals are manned, there are a number of other canals that would be lovely to take but the bridges are just too low for our boat – and most other cruisers of our type. When we leave here we are going to use a canal that has several bridges that are unmanned, but are in the neighbourhood of 3.5 metres. We’ll take down the cabriole and the wind screens will be flat to the deck. It leaves us exposed to the elements but it means we can take one of the more picturesque canals to get back to the Overissijl area. We still have to get to Giethoorn by the end of the month to pick up our new bimini.
The main purpose of going to Groningen was that they have an Ikea. There are only about 3 in the country – which totally surprised us as I thought Ikea was very popular here as well as Canada. But while there we managed to outfit the salon so that we can be comfortable as well as entertain another couple. We have 2 tub chairs, 2 folding wooden chairs that we use in the salon and up on the deck, an outrageously colourful rug as well as other bits and bobs. It is now looking much less boaty and way more homey and we are happy. For us, cruising is a moveable cottage. We are definitely not the gung ho shippy types.
Speaking of homey, Phil got a 15” LCD with DD player included for his 65th birthday. We had traded an alternator used for a type of motor that we don’t have with David and he gave us his satellite dish and box. We didn’t think we’d use if but the TV was such a good deal we couldn’t refuse. We don’t always put it up but it is nice to have on occasion when we want a break from reading. We are tuned to Astra 2 which is a British satellite so we get all their English shows.
One of the most lasting memories of the Netherlands will be how much of their life is tied to water. Not only is there a lot of water, especially in the northern and eastern provinces, but that water, water sports and boating are a part of life from infancy. The first time we saw a little boy of about 7 years driving his own little runabout – with no adults on board and no life jackets – we were thrown. Now, we’ve come to accept it. They play in the water like Canadian kids play hockey. It is just who they are. I wish Haydn were here to be part of the experience. I’d love to see him out on the canal in a kayak, canoe or motor boat.
The news on Mom and Dad is good really. Mom has been admitted to extended care at Wexford Creek on the south side. Dad has moved to the same floor but in the assisted living side. So they are together, just not sleeping together. (I honestly don’t see a downside to that! Sharing a double bed with Phil the Schnorer hasn’t been totally fun!) Dad found it really hard to adjust to not having Mom there and Mom kept packing her bags every morning to go back home, but now they both have settled in pretty well. Barb will stay at the rented house until the lease is up at the end of July and then not sure of where she’ll be. Anyone need a great house and/or animal sitter for the winter????
Well, my 2 pages are up so I’ll go for now. We think we can get access to free wifi tomorrow at McD’s, so I should be able to send pictures via the PhotAlbum route.
Much love to all
The Boating Rovers – Sharlene and Phil

2009 Newsletter #6

Dear Family and Friends: June 7/09
Disaster has struck. Will it never end? Not the boat this time, but something much more important and personal. I was in the showers at Vollenhove and I dropped my little bottle of very expensive perfume purchased in Paris. Quelle domage! Sadly, I don’t smell as good anymore but the ladies shower room at the Vollenhove passantenhaven now smells like a French brothel.
This has been the week for meeting new friends and fellow boaters. While in Vollenhove, Phil noticed that a boat flying an Australian flag came in late on Sunday. We quickly headed over and introduced ourselves to Arthur and Diana Dixon from Perth. They have a similar cruiser set up in the older style of bench seating in the salon. However, they have a lovely big bed in the aft cabin. We really enjoyed meeting them and hope to meet up again as we are both cruising in the same area of Holland called Friesland.
While we were still researching boats, I had contacted a British couple, Len and June Barry, who had their narrowboat for sale. They emailed us recently to say the price had dropped and even if we weren’t buying they would love to meet us. So we cruised to Heerenveen and met up for coffee followed by a dinner. Absolutely the best meal so far. It was an Aha moment. The Dutch can cook – well at least some of them can. Interestingly Pam, they cook more South African than Dutch which is probably why we enjoyed it so much! Luckily, Len is also a boat fitter so now we not only have new friends, but we have someone who will complete the aft cabin over the winter and put in the shower. Yahoo!
I’ve also had another Aha moment but of the “rats, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be” kind. When I pictured us cruising, the vision was of Phil at the helm and me lounging on a settee, eating grapes (peeled by the servants), drinking wine and soaking up the sun. Sort of like Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Cleopatra’. Dispel that thought, stomp on it and grind it into the dirt. First of all the only burn we are getting is from the wind not the sun. As I write this – in a protected harbour – the wind is tossing the boat around like a rubber ducky in Kirei’s bathtub. The second myth is there are no servants – only me. And lastly, but more importantly, there is absolutely no lounging. Phil is the helmsman (I do relieve him at times) and I am the navigator. I took my eye off that ball and disaster struck – once again!
We were cruising on our way to Sneek when we came up on a huge barge. After some time, we finally decided to overtake him which we did, no prob! The problem occurred because I was so busy watching the barge that I lost track of the fact that we are actually making good headway and as a result I missed our turn off to take the kanaal leading to Sneek. We ended up in a very narrow and shallow channel that was probably mostly used as drainage for agricultural pasture. Anywho, Phil did a brilliant job of turning the boat around in a very narrow spot but because it was so shallow we kicked up a lot of mud and it plugged the water filter that cools the engine. Sooo, the engine overheated and we had to shut it off and let it cool before we could carry on. Lesson learned – pay attention, stupid!
The upside is that we spent the night in Akkrum as it was really close and found an Italian restaurant run by real Italians with real Italian food and it was excellent. That evening we were approached by one of the people moored behind us – Johann from Switzerland. But under the heading: Small world isn’t it?, Johann had been in Nanaimo last year to run the marathon! He is a fitness freak who travels all over just to run. His wife joined us and it got interesting from there. Johann speaks very good English as he worked in Canada for a summer many years ago. He also speaks German Swiss. His wife speaks German Swiss and French and Italian. So there we were speaking English to Johann as he translated to Maries. When we discovered that she spoke French, we switched to very fractured French which Johann then translated for her! Needless to say there was also a lot of hand gesturing. I said, HAND, Gill not finger!
The lesson learned is that for every thing that goes wrong, something very nice comes along to tell us that our decision is still a good one and we are having more fun than not.
I’ve also uploaded a few pictures on PhotoAlbum and here is the link: http://canlandia.myphotoalbum.com/share.php
There are captions on the pictures so that you know what you are looking at. These are pictures from the first few weeks in Holland. I’ll organize my others and post them for you to look at later. But I want to take advantage of the free Wii here in the haven so I can save my dongle dollars. Just in case this link doesn’t work I’ll also send them from the PhotoAlbum site. Can someone let me know if the link in the newsletter worked. Thanks.
I just previewed the first photos I’ve uploaded for you to view and it belies the fact that the weather hasn’t been all that great. However, the sun does shine occasionally – thus the sun in most of the pictures, and of course, when it rains, we don’t take pictures! So my whining about the rain and wind is justified – but you’ll have my word for it!
I’ll leave you for now – more to come later. We had a lovely visit in Sneek and are now in Gronigen where we’ve made some changes to the boat. Stay tuned!
Much love to all
Sharlene and the snoozing Master Mariner (see, I told you the only slave on this boat was me!!!)

2009 Newsletter #5

Dear Family and Friends: May 31/09
Okay! Who’s the idiot that signed us up for Survivor: Netherlands and didn’t tell us? That was a dirty trick. There we were, sound asleep in our bed when all of a sudden, at about 4:00 AM, a huge storm came up out of nowhere. Gale force winds of some horrendous number battered us for the next two hours. Not only did it dump 50cm of rain in an hour but it ripped apart our cabriole cover on the upper deck. The wind was so strong that it bent the aluminum poles and the canvas was ripped from the davits holding it to the boat. Once the canvas was flapping in the wind, the metal brackets were banging at the windows on both sides of the salon and we were afraid they would break the glass. Picture each of us with an arm out the window hanging onto the cabriole flap for dear life while getting drenched by the rain: and that had been a shower day so I was already clean. Then Phil had the brilliant idea of using the chain linking that crosses the missing railing where we debark the boat and clipped it to the flaps to stop it from doing any damage. I have never been so scared in all my life. Everyone here says it was a once in a lifetime storm and not the usual weather, but somehow that doesn’t make me feel any less angst. This was scarier than the Edmonton tornado back in the 90’s which I drove through not realizing that it was a tornado. If Jeff Probst shows up and asks me to eat worms, that’s it. I’m outta here!!!!!
The good news is that we have POWER!!!!!!! Once the exhaust manifold had been installed (over €1000 Euros later – yuck) we were able to leave Giethoorn and head to Vollenhove so that Gerard of Jachtwerf Aquador could then connect the battery charger (or acculader for those who speak Dutch) and fit us for the power connections so that we could easily use shore power. Most passantenhavens give you access to power and water for a small fee. So now instead of running an extension cord all over the boat and bringing the kettle into the salon to plug it in, we can now plug it in, guess where – yahoo! - the galley! Phil can now shave – guess where? Yup. You got it in one. The head! There is a double one in the salon so that the radio and the lamp can be plugged in at the same time and we have a plug in the state room (ya, right!) so we can read in bed. Life is just too good – I can’t stand it. And even better, because Phil laid the cable to the various power points himself, we saved a ton of money! Double yahoo – more beer!
We did however have a major DUH moment. There is a little fridge in the galley which is supposed to be dual fuel – electricity and gas. We tried the cord but no luck. That left the gas. It appeared to be all hooked up, so we set the dial to show gas as the power source, set the temp dial to ‘0’ to start and then hit the piezo starter button. No luck. A blue spark showed that the sparker was working but no gas was actually going to the fridge. After much muttering about being ripped off (it was advertised as having a fridge (keolkast), etc, mumble, mutter, etc.) we started looking at costs to replace it. Boy, are they expensive. A fridge smaller than the freezer portion of your average fridge in Canada, was going to set us back about the equivalent of $1000 CDN. Not happy campers. We happened to mention it to Gerard as he was finishing up the shore power stuff, so he kindly had a look at it, and guess what? Yup, easy, peasy, he clicked and got it working. Who knew? Stupid Canadians with no experience whatsoever, needed to know that to get it going you actually had to set the temperature gage to a number, like, I don’t know ,a ‘1’ maybe , and then fire it up. Bingo, we actually have enough cold to keep our hamburger frozen. Double yippee. And it cost nothing but a red face!
I must admit though that after the horrendous storm, we had a major crisis of confidence and wondered what the He** we were doing over here. We are such babes in the woods when it comes to boats and all things boaty, that we are always at the mercy of others with more experience. We think we’ve chosen people well and haven’t totally been ripped off, but we won’t know that until we come to sell the boat and only then will we understand if what we’ve paid for the boat and what we’ve added to it, will be recovered. However, the sun finally came out, the weather is heavenly, blue sky and warm air and our confidence (you could replace that with ‘stupidly misplaced decision making powers’) returned. So we are keen now to get underway and actually begin life on a motor cruiser.
To that end, we’ve decided to stay here in Vollenhove for the weekend and join the throngs of people and boats who are here for a sleepboot (tugboat) exposition. There were some really lovely boats that were once tugboats but are now liveaboards. Along with that there was a display of antique farm equipment, tractors, trucks, etc and some beautiful old antique cars. To round out the picture, there was a gypsy style caravan, once owned by circus people, that a young couple and toddler daughter were using as their camping trailer. It was beautiful. As with any festival, there was the obligatory oohmpapa band, choral singers, beer tent and all around entertainment from singers and bands. Interestingly one band sang all the latest American pop and rock music in English while the other did all current and past Dutch songs. It was terrific to listen to with the exception of the bass drum that was set so loud it actually caused the boat to reverberate. I thought we were going to shake apart! But at about 2:00 AM , they closed it down and we finally got some sleep.
Another first was our bike ride from Vollenhove to Bloksijl. About 6 km and it took us about 45 minutes. It was lovely and other than a beam wind both going and coming back, it was terrific. If you don’t count the numb bumb (or is that num bum?). Can’t tell you how much I am enjoying riding our bikes. As my heel/foot is giving me such grief, this is a great way to get around and see stuff. I would love to think that I could continue this when I get home, but the truth is, Nanaimo has such wicked hills, I doubt it! Oh well, I’ll just have to find other exercises to do – walking over to Mary’s or Robbie’s will be a good start! Hopefully you guys have a good supply of Dutch coffee on hand. I’m being spoiled here!
I’m trying to keep my letters to 2 pages, so that you don’t get either bored or uninterested. To say we’ve had an eventful week is an understatement. Every time the wind gets up, we anxiously look at the sky to see what’s coming. The forecast is for very nice weather with only showers tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
Our next challenge is to get out of the passantenhaven without doing too much damage to our boat, other boats and our fragile pride! Say a little prayer.
Much love to all
Sharlene and the Master Mariner (who is sitting on his aft deck reading and purveying his kingdom!)

2009 Newsletter #4

Dear Family and Friends: May 24/09
We have a winner!!! Janet, I’d like you to let the VP Research know that I have a new patentable discovery called ‘The Dutch Motor Cruiser Diet.’ I knew I had lost weight as the clothes that I packed (on a hope and a prayer that I would somehow fit into) were very ,very tight at home but they now fit easily. In fact this morning when I took my shower (more on that later) and looked down, not only was I able to see my toes, but I was reintroduced to my knees! The downside is that I have acquired hen’s waddle under the chin and flabby arms that are not totally attractive. My new short, spiky haircut looks similar to a rooster’s crown, so I guess it’s all good!
The diet itself is easy. Sell your home, fly to the Netherlands, buy a boat and then spend money like a drunken sailor. The active ingredient is stress! The food part is easy. To be honest, restaurant Dutch food is terrible – everything has cheese and/or ham and they only know one method of cooking – fry, fry, fry. French fries (frites) is the only vegetable they know. The secret ingredient though is beer. At least a glass a day – it’s only about 150ml mind you, but beer has calories and it works like a hot damn! So if the stress of this life style change doesn’t kill you, at least you’ll lose weight.
Now to the shower part. As you already know we’ve been doing the bird bath thing on the boat as we are still at the boatyard and it doesn’t have any facilities. However, Master Mariner Phil, was out for an evening bike ride and took a turn down a lane to the water point (remember it from last week?) and discovered that it has a little hut housing a toilet and a –wait for it – SHOWER!!!!!!! Now we can walk over in the morning and start the day with a shower. What a lovely change from washing in a tiny sink on the boat.
We also now have internet access on the boat although I won’t be using it as much as I thought I might. It is horrendously expensive and I’ve used up about 10 euros worth in one go! However it is good to know that I can get back to internet banking and perhaps Skyping occasionally with the kids.
We lucked out this week experiencing market day in two towns. On Friday we went into Steenwijk so that Phil could get his bank card activated and it happened to be market day. The square was filled with people and events/performances and there were street stalls in front of all the stores. Some bargains and some dross but fun nevertheless. Then on Saturday we had to go to Zwartsluis and not only was it market day but there was a sailing ship exposition with a number of beautiful older wooden sailboats loaded to the gunnels with people. Was totally fun but stupidly, I had forgotten my camera. Oh well, summer is festival season so I’m sure we’ll have another opportunity. The Rotary Club had a tent set up where you could chip floating balls into a basket in the canal. Just to keep his hand in, Phil gave it a go for a charitable donation. He got closer than anyone else but we didn’t win the lottery!
This week is the big test. The manifold has now been installed and on Monday morning – on our OWN – we are heading off to Volenhove to make contact with Gerard (pronounced Herr-at) to hopefully get the rest of the work done. At this rate we probably won’t be free to cruise at will until about mid-June but the upside is that everything will be ready for next year when we head to France. I’m also hampered somewhat by trouble with my right heel/Achilles tendon. It makes walking very painful so we have to bike everywhere. Not a bad thing but you want to be able to just stroll through the towns and villages and that is made difficult by the pain. I can now really appreciate what Pat went through for the past year. Not fun!
We did go out last night for another mini celebration of our 40th anniversary. We went back to the Italian restaurant where we’d met the Berg’s. Talk about the flip side! The service was atrocious, the food was only tolerable but thankfully the Chianti was excellent as was the company! Even after all these years we still enjoy each other’s company – aaawww. And I didn’t fall off my bike on the way home. With no disrespect to the Dutch, their food really is atrocious. So travelling to France next year takes on a certain urgency.
While I’ve had dreams/nightmares about crashing into moorings, falling overboard (thanks for that Suzanne!!!) we are also looking forward to just being on the move. When the bus drivers greet you automatically in English, you know you’ve been in one place too long!
So another week has gone by – hopefully we’ll have some exciting things to tell you next week. The adventure continues. I must admit that sitting out on the deck this morning, warmed by the sun, cup of coffee at hand – it was glorious. Our vision of life on a boat at its best!
Much love to you all
Sharlene and the Master Mariner - who is over picking David’s brain about electronics, wiring and other stuff that is totally not interesting to me but probably important nonetheless!

2009 Newsletter #3

May 17, 2009

Dear Family and Friends:
We’ve just returned from a lovely weekend in Amsterdam where we met up with Susan and Bob Murphy from Nanaimo. While they were staying at the very posh Eden American Hotel near Leidseplein in the Canal Belt area of Amsterdam central, we chose the much more rustic (read ‘cheap’) and authentic 4 storey walk up in the Jordaan area. Not that far away from them as it is still in the central part of Amsterdam. Phil just about popped another hernia taking the bags up to the 3rd floor on a stairway that was also suitably authentic – read ‘straight up and very narrow!’ I’ve been on black ski runs that were less steep.
However, we had a lovely visit – wandering the streets, aiming our way to De Slegte, a second hand bookstore with an English section so that Phil and I could stock up for the summer, and then meeting up for a lovely Indonesian rijztafel meal that evening. We celebrated our 30th anniversary early so we could share the occasion with friends. Then we met up again the next morning – not pre-arranged – at the van Gogh museum. There was a special exhibition “van Gogh and the Colours of the Night”. Was terrific and we really enjoyed it. We walked over to the nearby Rijksmuseum but took one look at the kilometer long line up and decided that maybe it was time to head back to Giethoorn. Stopping for a beer along the way, of course. Anyway, we had a lovely time highlighted by the opportunity to have 2 – read ‘em – 2 showers. Heavenly!!!!!!!
Our saga with trying to get internet connection continues. We’ve been to the computer/phone store twice now and will try one more time on Monday. Then I guess we give up which will make communication difficult but we’ll sort it out eventually! I did notice that the fellow we dealt with on the first visit (about 1 ½ hours) quickly disappeared into the back room as we rounded the corner for the second visit, and a poor little girl was left to deal with those crazy Canucks. In this day of techies and geeks, who knew life could be this difficult? Next time, I’m bringing a very long extension cord – they laid telephone cable across the Atlantic easier than our getting internet access here in the Netherlands!
However, we’ve had success in getting a bank account. Even David who’s been here 3 years was astounded. I guess we managed to look like the innocent, extremely naive seniors that we are and convinced them we were neither drug lords laundering money or white Islamic terrorists. Whatever, we are now the proud owners of an ABM AMRO savings and chequing account. I don’t even want to think of the process we’ll have to go through next year in France for the same privilege of banking in a foreign country. Strip searching is not out of the question with those bloody Frenchies!
But not is all rosy, sadly. We’ve had a few setbacks this week with the boat. Phil and I took the boat out on our own into the channel – a whole 500 metres - to get water into the tanks. We were doing really well mooring when a gust of wind took us away from the dock when we were this close! If only my legs were longer, I could have hopped off and pulled the boat in. Sadly my 30” inseam doesn’t make it at times. If the 2 men in the sailboat waiting to get water at the same station hadn’t been rolling their eyes heavenwards, we wouldn’t have been so embarrassed - but there it is. Experience only comes with time!
The second orientation trip with David started out really well. We cruised through some very beautiful countryside, through little villages and under bridges. As we were approaching the last lock of the day, the throttle slipped out of gear and there we were, headed directly into the jaws of a closed lock gate. The gate looked at us contemptuously and declared – “go ahead, this will hurt you more than it will me!” I was at the bow with the rope, saw what was happening and threw myself to the nearest handhold and clung for dear life. Luckily, David made his way to the steering station in time to get us into gear again. Phew! We escaped that one but it also means another dip into the purse for a new throttle and then paying someone to put it in for us.
So, just as we wiped our brow and other parts of our anatomy, we headed across the lake for the final leg. Almost home! David suggested we open up the throttle and we cranked her up to about 2200 RPMs. Not that much really for a diesel engine. Wrong! All of a sudden thick black smoke was escaping from under the deck and filling the cabin where I was making coffee. David, again, quickly lifted the floor boards and determined that there was no fire but something sure was wrong. We slowly made our way back home and called BootGarant (boat version of BCAA) and they gave us the bad news – it wasn’t just a gasket as we had hoped but a cracked manifold. So we went from an 80 Euro patch to probably an 800 Euro (or more) repair. That hole into which you stuff money has its jaws wide open!
But we are going this week to see Gerard at Volenhove and he will tell us how much all the repairs and additions to the boat will cost. Then we can assess our next move. We may be joining the street performers we saw in Amsterdam – they managed to fill up their little cup!
Until next week, take care and say a little prayer that the boat gods smile on us!

2009 Newsletter #2

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Dear Family and Friends:

This has been an amazing week of firsts. Of necessity, these first 2 weeks have been highly compressed. Normal people (and you know that’s not a term that applies to the Cosses) would probably have taken longer to do what we have done but we were on a mission and as our friends the Fleming’s will tell you “Gotta make time. Gotta make time.”

I’m slightly embarrassed – only slightly mind you because I still have an issue with bank fees –as the wire transfer arrived within 4 days and we were the proud owners – officially – of a used 10 metre boat with a lovely interior, great quality gubbins and some work to be done to add a few amenities. We see great potential for comfortable cruising this year as there are thousands of yachthavens where we can shower to keep clean and then over the winter we’ll have a shower added so we can be pretty much self sufficient by the time we get to France next year. So all is going according to plan. Yes, people, there is a plan!!!.

Reliance on bikes for local transportation is another first experience and an eye opening adventure. Our new friend and mentor, David, cycles 14 km to buy his Chinese takeaway! He has been living here at the yachtyard for about 1 ½ years. Later today we will cycle to Blouwe Hand (Blue Hand) as a baby step to eventually travelling back from Zwartsluis on Tuesday. David needs to leave his new sail boat at the marina for repairs so we’ll put the bikes on the boat, cruise down the canal, and then all 3 will cycle back. I’ll be the one in the rear muttering under my breath something about “Whose stupid idea was this???”

Last Thursday we bundled all the dirty laundry up, tied it to the bikes and headed up into town (our boat yard is at the very south end of town) to the passantenhaven: a municipally run temporary haven - passing haven - for holidaying yachts which are supposed to only stay a few nights. There we put the laundry into the machine (a Miele no less!) and then threw ourselves under the shower at .50 euros – or 50 cents as they use cents for their coin as well. Both Phil and I (he was on the men’s side) gasped as the cold water hit and we used up about 10 cents worth of water trying to get the temperature right. We’ll know better for today when we do it all over again. In the meantime we use the wash basin on board to do a spot wash! No one has made a move to cover their nose as we approach so I guess it’s working. That, or Dutch people are incredibly polite!

Another very special first was meeting a Dutch couple with whom we spent a lovely evening. On Wednesday we decided to bike into Giethoorn centre to eat supper at the Italian place we’d seen earlier in the week. As we were tying up the bikes, we met Marian and John Berg, a Dutch couple from the Utrecht area, studying the menu. We got to chatting about why two Canadians would be here in Giethoorn, how did we even know it was here?, etc. See, you aren’t the only ones who think we are nuts. Anyway as we walked into the restaurant together I asked if they’d like to join us at a table. What followed was one of those special moments when people connect, find they have much in common and have similar tastes socially and politically. Marian and John Berg were on a two week holiday as they are about 10 years younger than we are but they are looking forward to the day that they can spend more time doing what they love to do - hiking and camping. She is a Phys Ed teacher, like you Eleanor, and of course very interested in sport. She quizzed us on who were our Olympic champions and in which sports. She gave very short shrift to our curling champions so that became a running joke all evening. Phil countered with the old adage, teachers who can’t, teach phys ed!

The most important highlight was our first run in the boat up to Steenwijk, we then circled around through many beautiful villages strung out along the canal (Nancy and Jamie, you would have loved it) and then across quite a big lake where we had to follow a marked channel. As you know Holland is mostly below sea level and so lakes may be big and wide but very shallow so your boat has to have less than a metre draft or you’ll run aground. Holland is very windy all the time, but you feel it especially across open spaces, so it bounced the boat around quite a bit and it was difficult to stay on course. Phil and I both took turns at the wheel, practiced our warp/rope throwing (Nancy, I am definitely getting better) and Phil pulled up alongside a dock several times to get used to mooring and using the bow thruster. It was a superb day but much too long. David is trying to compress our boat skills/learning into 2 days as he is on a tight schedule, but normally we don’t expect to be travelling more than a few hours a day. David has been living here in Holland on his boat for 3 years but he is now off to Portugal where it is much warmer. He’s had it with cold climates.

We’ve become most skilled at throwing money into a great hole called “Calypso”. We’ve order a new mattress for our bed as sleeping on a blow up isn’t as comfortable as you would like long term. We’ve ordered a bimini which is a huge BUT EXPENSIVE tarp that goes over the top steering station so we’ll be out of direct sun. We’d never make it through the summer without it. And of course we’ve ordered the BBQ so that we can cook outside. Using a gas stovetop pretty much means everything is fried and that will kill my stomach. Speaking of which, Suzanne how are you doing? Recovering well I hope! The food here is pretty wicked for frying and every meal is accompanied by 2 kinds of potatoes – roasted and French fries. It amazes me how they stay so slim but that’s where the bikes come in I guess!

The fields are amazing. They are incredibly neat and there isn’t an inch or acre not under cultivation of some sort. As you can imagine this being spring, the fields are also filled with baby lambs and goats. Too cute! Every, and I mean every front yard is incredibly well kept with no wild English gardens for the Dutch. The houses are fascinating – many of which are just tiny in Canadian terms. Beating the tax man is universal and the originals were built at a time when houses were taxed based on the size of the footprint. This meant small square footage on the ground floor but they built up, including rooms in the roof. Sometimes they even incorporate the barn into main living space so they can claim part of the structure as farm building.

First Impressions:
Sharlene: Dutch is a lot easier to read than it is to pronounce.
Phil: The girls here are gorgeous.
Sharlene: The architecture is very interesting – buildings and houses are brick – no stone or stucco.
Phil: The girls here are really gorgeous.
Sharlene: Sitting on our boat and watching the world go by is quite lovely.
Phil: The girls here are unbelievably gorgeous and oh, yes, the tobacco is cheap!

Well, I’ll go for now. We miss you all but writing these newsletters really helps me stay in touch as I think of you all as I’m writing. We hope the weather has improved and you are getting in lots of golf, hiking, whatever your hobby allows.

Take care – much love to all

Sharlene and Phil

PS – if you have a minute, Google ’Giethoorn, NL’ and I suspect there is a tourist site which will show you pictures of how pretty is this little town. They call it the Green Venice as it has many canals but is surrounded on all sides by greenery – trees, grasses, lawns, etc. The Dutch style houses are small but charming!