Boat on Land

Moving to Canada on relatively short notice made me lift my boat out of the water in the Netherlands. This will allow me to do some maintenance work, which is more difficult in the water. Moving the vessel to New Orleans and going up the Mississippi may be an option. So far, this is only an idea. It depends on whether the transport is feasible, and I need to do more research on the shipping conditions in Mississippi. The "Wanderlust" is only motorized with a Yamaha 9,9 High Thrust at 5,5 tons. That's very efficient with fuel consumption of only 2,5 litres at a causing speed of 6 km/h, and it gives me the thrust of about a 15 bhp engine. However, whether this is suitable and safe for going against the big river's currents and strong winds, at times, needs further assessment. A possible engine failure would render the boat uncontrollable. And what was a harmless surprise on the Dutch canals could turn catastrophic on the Mississippi with cargo vessels around. Furthermore, I have no feeling how safe it is to, at times, cross through industrial and port areas in the USA with a slow boat, which would be an easy target for any thugs. It needs more primary local intelligence to asses this in the end.

Before moving the boat to the crane, I still made a small turn on the Maas River and enjoyed it very much. I have fond memories of my boat; even though I could not proceed to take it through Belgium and the French Canals as planned. Let's see what life will throw at us and what the future looks like. Now, "Wanderlust" stands safely on land in the Netherlands at Van der Laan Yachting Marina. This is, by the way, a great marina. I like it: nothing fancy, but very well managed and everybody knows what they do. I always enjoy professionalism, and when "can do" is "done".

Hippie jetty

On my way back up the Maas, I stopped over at the Linne jetty at the end of a dead river arm. The small town has a shop where I needed to get some supplies. Also, there were good reviews on “google maps”. But it turned out to be a “hippie jetty”. I am unsure whether “hippie” is the correct term, as we are in 2023. They were friendly and seemed to have made a lifestyle of it to hop in simple small boats from one free spot to the next. Among themselves, they had quite a hierarchy, funnily based on who found a better way of running some little business and making an income. I expected a different dimension, frankly. Also, men were telling off the women for using the wrong knot and patronising them by asking questions about how to operate some details on the boat. They also had some strange cults and beliefs, mainly about “the system”, which appeared to be some spiritual god-like concept. But “the system” was not their god. Instead, it is an evil power manipulating humankind for some small group of beneficiaries. So they, the “hippies”, gathered wisdom to trick “the system”. One of these tricks was selling marijuana in Germany, which they smuggle over the border in their boats. That business model may soon fade, as in Germany the current government is now in the process of legalizing these substances in some kind of “drugs for votes” deal. Anyways, the setting in Linne reminded me of the movie scene in “Fizzcaraldo”.

In any case, I left early in the morning, slowly navigating through the fog covering the river arm. Then turned left for the Linne lock, which I entered with a few other boats in the early morning. I became quite skilful passing these locks single-handed. Eddie, the dog, though has to stay on a short leash during the time in the lock chamber. Should he fall overboard, it would probably be the end of him. That day we moored early and I needed to get some work done with my laptop. That’s one thing different from the Amazon of Fizzcaraldo. I have 5G.

"Passantenhaven" missing

A “Passantenhaven” is the Dutch name for marinas which allow guest boats for a limited of time to stay. On the way to Roermond, I had difficulties finding such. For the first attempt, I followed a recommendation to turn right straight downstream the “big bridge”. But no, this was a Yacht Club, not offing guest stays. Then I entered Roermond city, where you can keep your boat only between sunrise and sunset. Next stop: Roermond City Marina, which only has eight spots, and they were all taken. But the harbour master was amiable and pointed me at some piers where I could stay in the lake just opposite. And this was a perfect choice. Luckily I have everything on board and don’t need port infrastructure. So, this is where I went and found a place immediately, set up a picnic table on the grass and especially my dog enjoyed having a nap with nothing shaky under his four paws. I think these are the kind of places I will explore more. If you encounter the same issue, this one is at N51.19837 / E5.94948. Another one is just w few hundred meters South. It’s not very busy, but spots tend to fill up in the evening. I just had for some time difficulties connecting to the internet. But I figured that when I switched down to 4G, it would work. Still more enough for working on the “boat office” - the maritime form of the home office. Electric power I get from 5 m² photovoltaic on the roof. On a sunny day, that’s enough to run everything with 6 kWh traction batteries. I still have two power banks for shady days, one with 280 Wh and 150 Wh, which I tend to keep packed in reserve, and I also have 120 W and 50 W peak solar panels.

Eddie having a nap on solid ground

Meandering Maas

Between Venlo and Maastricht, the Maas River splits into some sections of straight canals and besides those, there are the quiet arms and lakes of Maas, also called Meuse. You still can’t go along them to avoid the humongous locks, as you will hit the wall at some point, keeping the water levels straight between lock levels. I decided to stay in this region and found a winter mooring place. In the old days of the internet, I would have posted my geo-log and described much more about the details. Now, I prefer keeping my location off the public charts. But should you take or plan to take this route, please get in touch. I am happy to share what I know one to one. I subscribed to a new GPS tracking system which is excellent. It’s “Gaja” and you can download the application for Android or iOS by clicking here. There is also a free version. But once I was convinced, I signed up for the annual subscription. It is about the same price as 1 (!) nautical paper chart. I fear this started the end of my old Garmin (which I love). I think I will have to download my World of Waypoints once, take out the batteries and put it in my treasure box for the days to look back on the years when this machine guided me around the globe.

I also ventured into Belgium by following the meanders; when there is time, I will probably continue to Liege. The original plan to bring the boat to Alscace has to wait. There is too much work and also family arrangements.

The boat is performing very well. I see more of the kind here in the South of the Netherlands. And everywhere, these boats now get a lot of attention. It’s just a very smart concept. Even the engine, with just 10 BHP does not let me down and allows a decent cruise speed of 6 km/h at around 3500 rpm and a fuel consumption of about 2 liters per hour. It’s a Yamaha 9,9 High Thrust. That’s all that’s needed. And it is super comfortable. Even home office works. The only shortcoming is manoeuvring in tight ports, when there is strong wind. And as there are sometimes sports boats on the Maas, which could not care less, it needs closing doors when hitting the waves from a bad angle.

I will continue exploring the “Passantenhaven” for a few more days and then the boat will also be my base for a course I will teach in September at Tilburg University. Then it gets ready for winter. And there the plans are completely different. I still go to Hong Kong in October and need to finish my Dacha before it gets really cold and a big move is on the horizon.

Maasbracht

After a quick trip to Germany, I moved the boat further the short way to Maasbracht. These Lakes are really pretty and they give a bit of the feeling I had last in Biesbosch. I was lucky, because the easily morning was still calm and I could moor the boat safely in the harbour. Later in the afternoon, quite strong wind came up and continues through the night with strong rain. The rain sustained for days and only yesterday it became friendly again. There is always something to do on a boat, so I kept busy with the water installation. Actually, the sensor for the fresh water tank corroded, because I added choline in the tank before. I tried to fix it, but needed to order a spare online.

It is not easy to find mooring places, but I was lucky to get a winter spot in the Van der Laan Yachting Marina. It is run by outstandingly competent and friendly people, and given that other marinas near Roermond which I visited for enquiries were quite snobbish, I like this one a lot. Also there is a crane up to 75 tons, storage halls, working halls and everything you need for proper maintenance. So, I will be calling as a passant at some other places and stroll around the lakes during summer. I am also teaching a coure in Tilburg University in September, which comes at a handy commuting distance. Then I get the boat ready for winter “hybernation” and continue to Hong Kong.

South Holland - Limburg

It takes about three days with my boat to go from Tilburg down the Wilhelmina Canal to the Maas River. I was lucky to find a “Passantenhaven” just up the river when leaving the Panheel Lock at the end of the “Kanaal Wessem - Nederwert”. There is a small number of berths, and you register at the “Gasterie de Knip”. They are very friendly and helpful with anything you may need (including an excellent dinner). There seem to be berths available at the moment without having to call before. This stands a bit in contrast to the other marinas around which are often full.

This last lock is quite a high one, by the way. And I was against a straight wall going down 9 meters or so, with no way to hold. You can slide down a pole at the lock chamber’s beginning and end. Make sure you get there, should you go up or down this lock.

It seems that the marinas in this region are packed. There are not many people, but many boats. So, I may struggle to find a mooring place, as I plan to stay in the region until winter stalling. Meanwhile, the weather turned a bit volatile. Anything from sunshine to heavy rain and strong winds comes within 30 minutes.

I refuelled 150 litres at 2.03 EUR/litre. As my engine is super efficient with just below 2 l/hour consumption, this will take me around to explore the region. I took the car today but learned that the land and water perspectives are completely different. It’s good to stay on the water.

Boat on the river

I returned to the Netherlands. It’s raining, 6° Celsius, and it gets dark at about 17:00 (5 p.m.). But I am staying on my boat, and it’s cosy inside. The gas heating is doing a good job. I was going out with a thermal camera to spot some weak spots in terms of insolation potentially. But there are non. Also, I ran the engine for some hours, put more air into the fenders and tightened things up for potential autumn storms to come. There is now no wind at all, and the water is like a mirror. That’s a little uncommon for the season, definitely when compared with last year, when heavy storms swept over this land.

This is the second winter on the boat. The marina is nearly empty, as many took their boats on land for maintenance. I will do so only briefly before I am planning to take the boat through Belgium to France in the coming spring and find a harbour in Alsace.

A boat is a lot of work. And they have a character. You better learn about it. It took me 2 hours to figure out a problem with the DC/AC-Inverter. Then many hours small maintenance items and cleaning. Finally, also the dingy had a problem. I pumped out the rainwater and slipped on the wooden plans, smashing my knee. But all okay.

"Wanderlust" Riverboat

t’Eiland Marina near Lathum, Netherlands

With some patches of summer arriving, I am using the time, not just to stay on the boat, but also to get it ready for a move. It is a Campi 320 made by the Polish shipbuilder Rivo. With 9,60 meters long and a displacement of 4,5 tons, it is rather handy. The 320 version is a bit special, because, compared with the 300er, as it allows for a 1.40 m x 2.00 m bed in a separate room. The boat has a living room with a spacious front terrace and a bathroom with a shower. A small back terrace can be reached through an extra door, and here is where also fuel, gas and electrical infrastructure is in closed compartments. The engine is mounted on the frame and it allows up to 25 PHP motorization. Given that I want to start moving it from town to town, probably starting next year, I currently test the Yamaha 9.9 High Thrust. It is a very efficient engine, and because of the flat propeller mounted, equivalent to about 15 BHP. Given the high wind drag of such a “houseboat” though, I am not sure how it will be able to cope with strong winds. It is a riverboat. But even in that category, it goes more for the canals than anything with strong currents.

The current location is in Geldersee (Netherlands") and faces a beautiful lake connected to the Ijssel, which is a distributary of the Rhine and, for the Netherlands, a rather fast waterway. To test the waters there a little bit last weekend, I took me and my dog on a Talmarex 3 m dinghy, powered by a small 4 BHP outboard, to the Rhine connection. On my GPS, I measured about 4 m/s currents at a low water level. So, it took me about 2 hours to travel upstream and 6 litres of petrol for the return trip, staying at 3500 RPM (measured by sound, not instrument).

The houseboat in the current motorization would probably cope with the Ijssel. But I consider it unwise, because of the waves caused by cargo ships. For some of these “guys” time is money, and being overtaken a few times at high speed, where the ship literally sucks 1/3 of the whole river’s water through its system, I don’t think the riverboat copes well with the waves. The maximum specs are at 2 feet. But, I would not like to try.