First, I had a 2-hour boating lesson—it was very informative, and it came in handy later on, especially when you have to turn around in a tight spot. We didn’t set out until 6 p.m., so we spent our first night in Terherne. We happened to end up in the new harbor in Wetterwille, where we had a quick beer with Alexander, the owner of Wetterwille.
The next day, we sailed via Akkrum to Grouw, a nice place to stop for a while. After that, we sailed via Warten to Leeuwarden, where we moored in the Prinsentuin—an ideal spot just a 5-minute walk from downtown. We stayed there for a day, first doing some grocery shopping and then enjoying a nice day exploring the city. The next day, we sailed back via Warten to Eernewoude—a beautiful route where you might just happen to come across a boat full of sheep and the like. In Eernewoude, we really hit the jackpot because the next day there was a kind of festival with stalls, music, and old tugboats. I spent the whole morning enjoying watching those old behemoths chugging by, moving 6 meters forward with a single thud.
On Sunday, we enjoyed a lovely boat ride around Eernewoude and the surrounding area. It really is a beautiful nature reserve. Then we sailed back to Terherne. Since we were way too early, we took a quick lap around the Sneekermeer and had a picnic on a little island. All in all, we had a fantastic vacation with absolutely beautiful weather. Thanks to the instruction, the boating went very well—even Aartje managed to sail a bit on the Sneekermeer.
We’ll definitely do this again.
Dates: Monday, May 5 – Monday, May 12, 2008
Route: Sneek – Terherne – Grouw – Leeuwarden – Eernewoude – Sneek
Boat: Kent 27 Alsace
Best regards, Gijs and Aartje van Bloemendaal
