Hoorn, Enkhuizen & Medemblik

Hoorn is an interesting town with many medieval buildings.  Many old Dutch buildings lean somewhat after centuries of weighing on the marshy land.  Hoorn must take the award for the most precarious.  One wonders how they stay standing at all, and in some streets the opposing buildings reach out to those on the opposite side of the street.

On Wednesday we moved from our anchorage in the Buitenhaven (outer harbour) to a mooring in the Binnenhaven (inner harbour)  as Ynskje’s daughter Sarah and a friend Nem arrived by train from Amsterdam.  After an enjoyable evening on board we set sail for Enkhuizen.  It was a very favourable Force 5 and we had a fast sail.

In Enkhuizen we were visited by Ynskje’s nephew Aram and his twin sons Kasper and Jelle, who enjoyed exploring the boat before we all went out for supper together.

We managed to arrange for a box berth in the Oosterhaven, away from the crowded visitors berths where boats were regularly rafted up six deep.  Enkhuizen turns out to be a real treat!  It has lots of harbours and canals and is a very water-orientated old town, with a rich history, including as the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company.  To add to that, we arrived during the Theater Te Water, a festival of the water.  On our first evening the Binnenhaven was lined with festive activity and a bridge opened to admit a large botter bearing a dramatic tableau to entertain us.  On the second evening, after we had sadly said goodbye to Sarah and Nem, we went along to one of the streets, the Zuider Havendijk, where a stage had been erected on a platform floating on the canal, and there was series of open air classical concerts well into the night.  It was most enjoyable – apart from the usual evening downpour partway through.

On Saturday we visited the Zuiderzee Museum.  This is a substantial folk museum set up to record the vanishing culture of the Zuidersee, following the completion of the Afluitdijk in 1932, which closed the area off from the sea.  Several village areas have been created by transporting buildings from each of the Zuiderzee regions and reconstructing them around appropriate canals or harbours to record the particular style and culture of that area.  Many houses have arrived with a history of who lived or worked in them and in some the original crafts (cooper, clog maker, fish smoker, etc.) were being carried out.  It is a lovely record and well worth a visit if you ever get the chance.

We have become quite attached to Enkhuizen during our short stay, and leave reluctantly.  But on Sunday it was time to sail for Medemblik further north.  This is an attractive town with an ancient history, but it was sacked and burnt several times and lost out to Enkhuizen and Hoorn and so has few surviving medieval buildings.  There is a vintage car and tractor rally taking place today, Sunday.

Tomorrow we sail for Makkum – see the updated Cruise Plan.

love from Tony & Ynskje

xxx