#5 IJsselmeer

Chartering and being a skipper for the first time.

After successfully passing the SKS, it was time to set sail myself. Previously, the trips had always been organized by my good friend Wilfried.

Now we set off on our own. Together with Tobias, Thomas, and Timo. Everyone had just completed their SKS. Since we were still a bit unsure, we quickly hired an experienced sea dog. Conrad was in the process of learning the SSS himself. The agreement was that he would only intervene in extreme emergencies and would rather tell us after each maneuver what we could have done better.

We chartered the Orange Odyssey, a Hanse 345 from 45 degrees north . The port of departure was Lemmer . A fantastic town right on the IJsselmeer. The canal, with its rows of restaurants and bars, is particularly special. From there we crossed the IJsselmeer to Medemblik and the next day on to Hindeloopen . There we made our first acquaintance with the famous IJsselmeer mosquitoes. This invasion occurs when there is no wind. You can't escape these creatures on the water. The sails are black and the animals settled all over the ship. So our only option was to start the engine and autopilot. At the front of the bow in the wind it was bearable. On land it looks as if the trees are on fire. Black clouds of smoke surround them. But it was the mosquitoes that created this image.

The next port was Enkhuizen, with its fantastic old town and the famous city gate, the "Drommedaris." This is a historic gate that was part of the city's defensive wall. It was built in the 16th century and served to protect the city from enemies and invaders. The local kids use it as a diving platform.

From Enkhuizen, we sailed to Hoorn in the Markermeer. Here, we practiced locking for the first time. It was easier than we thought. So, we were alone in the lock, so it wasn't a problem. :-)

On the crossing from Hoorn to Stavoren, we encountered a replica of Noah's Ark. The ark is currently operated by artist and puppeteer Aad Peters, who describes his project as "Europe's first floating Bible museum."

On the last tack from Stavoren back to Lemmer, we were overcome with high spirits. Everything had been going quite well up until then. So we came up with the idea of practicing a man overboard maneuver in 35 km/h winds. In reality, we lost our ball fender. To this day, we haven't been able to determine who didn't tie the knot correctly. In any case, everyone was suddenly wondering: Is that our fender floating in the stern? The classic maneuver. So, the feather overboard maneuver. Unfortunately, the track on our self-tacking jib didn't hold during the necessary jibe. With a loud bang, the track block flew around our ears. With a bit of "McGiver" thinking, we quickly solved the problem with a few lines. What a way to end an exciting week.

The IJsselmeer is a very popular sailing area in the Netherlands and offers a varied landscape with a multitude of coastal towns and islands.

The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in the Netherlands and was created after the closure of the Zuiderzees by the Afsluitdijk in 1932. The body of water is approximately 1100 km² in size and offers plenty of space for sailing due to its size and average depth of 4-5 meters.

Sailing on the IJsselmeer offers many possibilities, such as exploring historic coastal towns such as Enkhuizen, Lemmer and Hoorn or visiting islands such as Texel, Vlieland and Terschelling.

Sailing on the IJsselmeer can be suitable even for less experienced sailors due to its shallow waters, limited waves, and well-marked shipping lanes. However, the weather can change quickly, especially in westerly winds, requiring careful preparation.

Overall, the IJsselmeer as a sailing area offers a great opportunity to experience the Netherlands from the water and enjoy a diverse and interesting sailing experience.