5th May 2016
Groet to Medemblik

Another gorgeous sunny day. So, turns out TODAY is Liberation day and yesterday was Rememberance Day. This we discovered when the plaintive strains of a single bugler playing the Last Post wafted across the boats yesterday evening. The harbourmaster had lowered the flag to halfmast and a bunch of boaters stood silently on the riverbank. The whole country falls silent for 2 minutes at 8pm on May 4th. 

The Rememberance Day memorial

So another public holiday today and everyone with a boat decided to spend the day on the water.

Most of today´s bridges were fixed at 2.9m

Float bridge - the middle section fits underneath the fixed part leaving an open channel for boats to pass through.

We had 42 km up to Medemblik. We have no paper maps of this part of Noord Holland and HD Boating, great though it is, does´nt tell one if bridges lift or not. We had to drop the bimini and tent to get under the first 3 3m bridges and because it was such a lovely day we decided to keep them down, luckily because it turned out that the rest of the bridges along this stretch are all fixed at 2.9m other than two float bridges. We had to drop the windscreen down for these as well. 

How Dutch!

There was one bridge which we had determined was 2.5m and figured we would only JUST scrape under but as it turned out this was the one and only lift bridge today. Phew.

Skip has cunningly modified the rail to allow bike access. He cut out a section, fitted two half-cups which can be unbolted quickly when we move the bikes. All to save my crook back. Works a treat and when the rail is back in place you can´t even see the join.
Behind us you can see just some of the THOUSANDS of boats in the 4 havens in Medemblik. This is a big sailing center and most of the boats are sail.

The three locks, especially the two on the outskirts of Medemblik took ages to get through as they were so busy. The whole journey probably took 2 hours longer than expected. But it was such a nice day, and very entertaining at the locks, that we did´nt mind. We can see just why it would be a terrible idea to be here in the middle of summer - I can´t imagine how long it must take to get through these small 4-boat locks, especially when some boaters try and do it sideways!!!

Beyond the last bridge in Medemblik you can see the Ijsselmeer.

On the advice of another boat in the last lock we took the first moorings on the left after the lock in the Westerhaven. Good thing too, as the rest of the place was chock-a-block and they are just about the only moorings side-on which is much easier for us to get the bikes off. He also told us, nudge-nudge-wink-wink, that if we neglected to report at the harbour office down the far end of the harbour, they would be free. And, as the signs to do so are all in Dutch which of course we don´t understand ;) being a British boat, it was indeed free. We even found someone had left some balance in the electricity meter, so we did´nt have to put any coins in there either. 

At the entrance to the Pekelharinhaven in Medemblik are these side-on moorings next to the Kasteel. IMO they are the best moorings in the town, but they were all full. Most of the mooring space in the 4 havens are marina slots.

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Medemblik castle. The origins date to the 13thC, but most of what one sees today is a 19thC restoration. The kasteel saved the town in the mid 16thC from  the pirate Zwaarte Pieter and his band of marauders.

There was an open air festa in the cnter of town for Liberation Day, so we bought a couple of drinks and hung out there listening to the music for awhile.

Medemblik has the first Portuguese restaurant we have come across in the Netherlands. I had to stop and check out the menu, of course. All the usual familiar items. BUT febras at 17 euros! Needless to say, we ate elsewhere.

As we passed through the last lock today, a steam choo-choo crossed the bridge in front of us tooting his whistle. Mr Google, who knows everything, told us there is a heritage steam-tram which goes from here to Hoorn (20kms), so guess what we are doing tomorrow?