Travelogue of our first (but surely not our last) boating vacation:
On Thursday morning, May 21, at 9:30 a.m., we had arranged to meet at Wetterwille Yacht Rental in Terherne. Of course, we were very curious about the boat we’d rented, which we’d only seen in photos and read about on the Wetterwille website. When booking, we preferred one of the two Kents that Wetterwille offers for rent, and after a phone conversation with a lady who explained everything to us very clearly, we decided to go with the hybrid version—the Kent 27 Alcase. That’s the way of the future, we thought.
In reality, too, the boat turned out to meet all our expectations. It was neat and tidy, clean, spacious enough for two people, and equipped with every comfort (refrigerator, electric stovetop, TV, radio, and toilet). It would later become clear that the Hybrid was also a good choice. Sailing through nature reserves without the noise of an engine is a fantastic experience. The onboard power supply (a constant 220 volts) was also a luxury we hadn’t counted on.
After we had unpacked, we received the necessary explanations, followed by the instructional lesson we had booked as part of the package. We learned a lot from that lesson, and it was clear that the instructor had a great deal of practical experience. He also mapped out a route for us on paper, which he said would be suitable for beginners like us and very scenic. In hindsight, this too turned out to be a valuable part of our wonderfully beautiful long weekend. Shortly after noon, the adventure really began. We headed to Earnewald, where we spent the night at the marina. Our destination for Friday was Dokkum, where we found a nice spot right in the center of town to spend the night. In the evening, Dokkum was a pleasant place to be, and we discovered a good pizzeria, which we gladly took advantage of. On Saturday morning, we headed toward Leeuwarden. Along the way, we stopped somewhere to do some grocery shopping and have coffee. Once we arrived in Leeuwarden, we decided to sail a little further after all. Eventually, we ended up in Warstiens, a wonderfully charming little town, where we stayed until the next morning. Sunday… already the last day. So we headed back through the Alde Feanen nature reserve toward Terherne, where we spent a little time on the Sneekermeer and finally docked back at Wetterwille at the end of the afternoon.
Since the boat didn’t have to be returned until the next morning—though, unfortunately, we still had to be on time because of the work that was waiting for us again on Monday afternoon—and the beautiful weather invited us to enjoy a drink on deck, we spent our last evening on the cozy boat as well. To round off these wonderful days, we enjoyed a delicious dinner in Terherne at a restaurant recommended to us by the owner of the Wetterwille.
And this turned out to be a huge success, too. This was our first boating vacation—something we’d been really looking forward to and expected to enjoy—but… the reality exceeded all our expectations, so hopefully there will be many more boating vacations to come!!
Dates: Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25, 2009 (Ascension Day weekend)
Route: Terherne – Earnewald – Dokkum – Leeuwarden – Warstiens – Alde Feanen – Terherne
Boat: Kent 27 Hybrid “Alsace”
Jacob and Ans van der Laan
, Haaksbergen
