Dokkum to the Lauwersmeer

31 July - 1 August 2015

Time to leave Dokkum.  We liked this little town and fully intend to return for further exploring.  Especially the restaurants.

The weather had improved and we had a light westerly this morning; overcast with bits of sun here and there.   We wanted to use one of the harbour's hosepipes to fill the water tanks but there are only 4 dotted around the place, and not easy to reach.   However, as a lot of boats had left, we were hopeful of finding a place to moor close to one of the water points.   Sure enough, just around the corner there was in fact plenty of space so we went alongside and filled the tanks.

We were soon through the last bridge and heading E out of Dokkum along an attractive waterway which looked at times a bit like the upper Thames, of all places.   We passed maybe 30 yachts all in a line and all going westbound, which became a bit tiring after the first 10 … everyone waves at each other when passing!   This waterway is part of the Standing Mast Route with effectively unlimited airdraft ('headroom') all the way from Germany - almost the Kiel Canal - to Amsterdam and south to Rotterdam, enabling yachts to transit from the Baltic to the eastern English Channel without having to sail round the top of Holland or deal with the issues of the southern North Sea.   It will take you much longer, but you do go through some lovely countryside.   The limiting factor is the depth of water.

Anyway, by 1345 we were through the lock at Dokkumer Nieuwe Zijlen and, 2 or 3 miles later, out into the relatively open water of the Lauwersmeer:

Arrived at the marina in Oostmahorn at about 1500 to a warm and sunny afternoon.   We are only about a mile or so from the Wadden Sea and we could smell the salt in the air.   The marina has a restaurant attached to it so we decided to eat there tonight.   The name of the restaurant is Het Raadsel van de Wadden, better known to English speakers as 'The Riddle of the Sands':

The novel was of course set in the German Friesian islands rather then the Dutch ones, but what's wrong with a bit of creative marketing?   The food, by the way, was excellent.   As was the Heineken.   Maybe we went a bit overboard with the sweet selection .  Oink.

/Rich