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| New section of canal |
What a change in minimum
overnight temperature! Sunny spells between the grey clouds. Attempting to rain
when we stopped. Set off early at 8.50 am as a large tjalk with a huge bowsprit
had been trapped the previous afternoon at 5 pm closing time between the lock
and the liftbridge behind us. We didn’t want it to get in front so we would
have to drag behind it all day. The cruiser that was moored on the end of our mooring
also untied just after us and followed us down the Scholtens Kanaal.
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| Veenparksluis and liftbridge |
We did a
right turn on to another new section, which then did a sharp left and then
right on to another old canal that had been rejuvenated, through a flood lock
(called Veenparksluis) with a liftbridge that was already lifted (and had a red
light) and into an open air museum called the Veen Park. Took photos of little
trains and steam engines as we went through. If we’d known it was there we
might have planned to stopped there to explore it. We had to wait at Sint
Josepbrug, an electric swing bridge, for the keeper to turn up. Slung a rope
around one of the wooden post right by the bridge and Snail came alongside.
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| Compascumersluis |
The
cruiser behind us tied to a few stumps on a mooring place a bit further back.
Beyond the bridge was the junction with the Oosterdiep kanaal and just before
the keeper arrived another cruiser backed out of the end of the canal beyond
the bridge, winded and set off in the same direction as us. The keeper arrived,
opened the bridge and we turned sharp left on to the Oosterdiep – the cruiser
was way off in the distance on the long straight stretch. We called the cruiser
behind us to pass and join the other one in the next lock, as we wouldn’t all
fit in it together.
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| Viertorenbrug |
Under another liftbridge, Wethouder Hortman, and waited
above Compascumersluis, tied to some stumps, while the two cruisers went down.
They were away through the next liftbridge before the lock had refilled ready
for us. A refurbished old lock, now all press button electric, operated from a
panel on the lockside. We dropped down 1.10m and followed the Snail through
Viertorenbrug, a vertical liftbridge with four white “towers” to support the
bridge deck. A little further on was De Doorsnee, another electric liftbridge.
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| Jansenverlaat lock |
After
short distance we went down Jansenverlaat lock, a further 1.3m drop, another
rejuvenated old lock chamber, oval with sloping brick sides. We moored for
lunch at 11.45 am before the first of a series of eight lift or swing bridges.
Two cruisers came past us heading uphill and another came down the lock behind
us. Mike hopped off to fetch some bread, bought two loaves from a C1000 in
Emmer-Compascum which cost 1.29€ each and got rounded up to 2,60€, much to his
irritation. We followed the cruiser that had come down the lock behind us.
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| De Koepelbrug. Stadts-Compascumkanaal |
The
first bridge was a liftbridge called Paulkrügerbrug, followed by a small
electric swingbridge for pedestrians called Klein Draagie. Next was a large
electric liftbridge called Schniedersbrug as we left the town of Emmer-Compascum.
Wide open fields were now on the left with a road and houses on the right. A
new keeper appeared at Munsterveldsbrug, a manually operated swing bridge (just
like the L&L in the UK) as we passed a man weaving a wicker fence along
someone’s front garden, shame there were too many trees to take a good photo.
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| Schneidersbrug |
The next was an electric liftbridge called De Vennenbrug by a lovely new
thatched farmhouse with a huge barn next to it. Followed the cruiser through an
electric pedestrian footbridge, De Twee Provinciënbrug – the last bridge in
Drenthe province. Now we were in Groningen province and the canal changed to
having wooden piled edges on both sides. In Munnnekermoer we passed a house
with three old boats moored next to it, one small, rusty cruiser had a for sale
sign – they wanted 3,500€ for an old bare shell with no engine!
.jpg) |
| 8e Verlaat |
A bit further
along there was a shed-style houseboat, the owner came to the window and waved
as we went past. Beyond it was an old DB in great need of some TLC. A sign said
we were in Ter Apel. Followed the cruiser through a liftbridge and into the
square chambered 8e Verlaat (lock number eight) and Snail came alongside us. We
dropped down a mere 0.9m and the keeper opened the gates then went to lift the
vertical liftbridge over the beginning of the Haren-Rütenbrock kanal.
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| Liftbridge over start of Haren-Rutenbrock kanal |
We’d told
him that we would stop before the German border and continue down the canal the
next day around 8 am. OK. We followed the Dutch cruiser and Snail, turning
sharp right under the lifted road bridge, past Potze’s garage, went through a
new flood barrier and tied on the former customs wharf, a high piled wall with
bollards along a piece of timer fendering at gunwale height.
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| Moored at old Dutch customs wharf |
The Snails had
their bows alongside the steps and we went in front as we had no real need to
get off. Mike set up the satellite dish on the bank, as we couldn’t get a
signal through the trees.
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