Tuesday 14th May 2013 Den Bosch to Arkel. 40.5 kms 4 locks.

In lock 0 Den Bosch

Grey overcast to start but dry, it rained several times before we tied up, often heavy and it was windy. Oll spoke to the lock keeper who said follow the two commercials in that were heading for Lock 0, otherwise it will be about an hour before any more traffic arrives. We untied sharpish at 8.45 a.m. and followed on into the lock once they’d lifted the bridge again. We went on the left hand wall of the ancient oval lock and Snail came alongside us.

In lock 0 Den Bosch

 Below the lock the canal is narrow - therefore it is one way working and is in a cutting with roads and houses up above on either bank. Henmar (the boat we locked with the day before) had unloaded and was below the lock waiting to go up it. The two empty commercials, that we’d come down lock 0 with, went slowly, waiting for the first bridge, Kasterenbrug, to open, then we all filed through while road traffic backed up on both banks. 

Queue for Orthenbrug. Den Bosch

Not far before there was a repeat as we waited for Orthenbrug to open. We followed the big boys out of the narrow channel to where a couple of cruisers were waiting to head up to the lock. We passed the moorings in the Binnenhaven, then next to it the moorings of De Waterpoort WSV. The river Aa joins from the right and the river Drommel from the left and the river becomes the Dieze all the way to the Maas. Under a smart new railway bridge, past a lake, Plas Ertveld, with houseboats around the edge on our right and access to industrial havens to the left and within a couple of kilometres we arrived at Sluis Engelen. 

Following the big boys out of Engelen sluis

Three commercials were already in the chamber side by side, Cala Jondal, Corma and Flora, filling the chamber, but the keeper called us in and so did the skipper off one of the boats. I told them how long we were and they said OK. Snail went in behind the shortest boat (Flora) on the right hand wall and we tied alongside, then both boats slewed diagonally across the chamber under the liftbridge when Olly spotted he was over the cill marker – the keeper said there was at least two metres under us so we were OK. An empty pan and tug were waiting below to go up the lock and two small cruisers. 

Windmills at Heusden

We followed the three commercials out of the lock and on to the wide Bergse Maas with its stone groynes and sandy beaches, one commercial went upstream and two went downstream, but all were soon out of sight. Dodged the cable ferry at Bern, then turned right at Heusden on to the Heusden’s Kanaal, which becomes the Andelse Maas. Boats of all shapes, sizes and descriptions were moored in every nook and cranny of the navigation. 

Flood gates at Heusdens Kanaal

We passed another cable ferry and then waited a short while for Wilhelmina Sluis’s gates to open. An unusual lock with sloping stone sides and vertical and horizontal timber baulks with bollards for boats to moor against as the lock fills and empties. Will we lock up or down? Depends on the state of the river Rhine. We actually went up by just a few cms. Oll shouted across to Mike that he could see the bottom of the lock chamber, Mike checked the echo-sounder – it was 4m deep and yes we could see all the little shells on the bottom as the water was so clear. 

In Wilhelmina sluis

The lock was worked from a control room in one (or both) of the two lock houses and there were four cameras at each end of the lock, but the keeper came out to speak as we left. On to the Afgedamed Maas. At the shipbuilders there were three new boats that were afloat but still being worked on as they had no windows or wheelhouses. Followed the Snail out on to the Rhine, which at this point is called the Boven Merwede, and straight across the river as there was nothing coming! How about that for timing.

Sand dredger Gerrit-B

The Gorichem ferry was just turning into the Maas to unload at Woudrichem. A sand dredger, Gerrit-B, was chugging its way slowly upriver filling itself with sand, then a passenger boat disguised as a Mississippi paddle steamer, De Majesteit, overtook us with a loud hoot, which Mike replied to with a blast from our hooter, nearly deafening me as I was standing on the front deck taking photos! Mike checked our speed, 11.5 kph, and calculated the river was running at 4.5 kph. 

Paddle steamer De Majesteit

Straight into the Voorhaven at Gorichem, passing a moored gravel barge called Deo-Gratias which was split into two, we couldn’t see the details of the rear end but the fore end moored on the outside was 84m long x 11.45m wide carrying 2662 tonnes of gravel. After a short wait we went into the Grote Merwede Sluis, a lovely brick built lock with liftbridges at each end so road traffic isn’t interrupted. We dropped down a few cms. The keeper asked where we were going. Arkel, know the way? Yes, thanks! 

Two halves of Deo-Gratias

Out of the lock on to the Merwede Kanaal. 

Grote Merwede sluis Gorinchem

Turned right off the main channel and on to the river Linge, under a hefbrug (vertical lift bridge) which didn’t need opening although the keeper was in his cabin to check. Then Anne and Oll paused to give Woody a quick “comfort break” and caught us up a little later. 

Mooring at Arkel. River Linge.

It started to pour with rain. There were more boats at the moorings in Arkel than I’d expected, but there was a gap big enough for the two of us, so we tied up at 4.25 pm (the rest of the gaps filled up later). Half the previous mooring space now had “No Mooring” signs.

Monday 13th May 2013 N. Helmond to Den Bosch. 30.8 kms 4 locks

Beeksebrug at Beek en Donk

Overcast and drizzling lightly when we set off at 9.20 a.m. Anne and Oll untied the Snail and we set off still tied together back to the junction where Oll could wind the Snail as it wasn’t wide enough by the moorings. No waiting for the Beeksebrug liftbridge at Beek en Donk and we sailed through side by side. We had a short wait above lock 6 while a loaded commercial called Christina and a cruiser locked through. 

Leaving lock 6

While we were waiting, a Belgian cruiser called Sirius arrived and came in the lock with us and we dropped down 2.20m, the cruiser zut-zutting continually with bow and stern thrusters to keep his boat against the wall even though he had ropes round bollards. Couldn’t decide if these new locks and bridges were also worked from the new deep Helmond lock or from the new deep lock at Den Bosch. Once through the liftbridge at lock 6, the cruiser disappeared into the murky distance and we thought we’d seen the last of him. Rain poured down and Mike had to get the brolly out and put on a jacket as the wind was cold. Uphill traffic was quite busy with a mix of commercials and pleasure boats all of which were cruisers. 

Leaving lock 5

Due to uphill traffic the Belgian had been kept waiting and was in lock 5 when we arrived. Again we dropped down another couple of metres. The liftbridge below had gone completely; it used to be operated by the keeper from lock 5 who rode down the towpath on his motor scooter to work it from the cabin alongside it. 

The arm into Veghel

Not far to lock 4 at the busy little town of Veghel (pronounced Feckle, like freckle without an R) and this time we all three had to wait for an empty spitz (péniche-sized craft outside France are called spitz 38m x 5.5m) called Jaël from Terneuzen to come down the lock with us. Lots of work was ongoing around Veghel, widening the canal and making new bridges. A cruiser coming the opposite way got very impatient at one liftbridge and was trying to force his way through before the lights changed to green for him, even with Olly hooting at him. Mike tried to call the next lock on VHF and addressed it as lock 3, as it used to be called, he got an indignant reply in Dutch Sluis Ein! Lock One! t

Railway liftbridge at Veghel

Then a string of Dutch, so Mike asked if he could repeat that in English, please. Silence. We’d got red lights. There were three empties and a loaded barge on the left above the lock and a pusher and pan on the right, called The-An VII, occupying most of the space for “sport” boats to wait for the lock. We said nothing and tied to the bank behind him to wait for the uphill traffic to clear. 

Following Henmar into Lock One

When the lock was ready the loaded boat, Henmar, on the left, powered off from the bank into the lock and we followed him into Lock One. The Belgian cruiser had turned into the arm at Veghel for the moorings down the arm no doubt, (Veghel council charge for the whole of the arm and from lock 4 to the commercial quays along the main canal – in 2001 they charged 1,50€/m per night – that’s 27€ for us and 31,50€ for the Snail). Looked like Henmar was working single-handed as he put bow and stern ropes on and eventually stopped his prop turning. Down another 4.20m, under the watchful eye of the keeper in the high tower. Followed the loaded boat out of the lock after he’d made hard work of flicking his ropes off the bollards. Below two empties were racing for the lock. 

Dungensebrug near Den Bosch

Lots of work was going on along the canal into Den Bosch to make a ringvaart around the town to avoid all the liftbridges above lock 0 and the narrow canal below it that links it to the river Dieze and the Maas. The rain stopped temporarily. I took Mike a cuppa just as we were passing under a bridge with yellow-hatted workmen on scaffolding – they wanted tea too! Another empty passed heading uphill. More widening work was in progress and a new bridge under construction as we arrived in the town. The moorings for “sport” boats had been reduced to about 60m of the quay on the left nearest the lock, all the rest was for commercials. We tied to the wooden posts on the baulks in the corner at 3.45 pm.

Friday 10th May 2013 Panheel to North end of old canal through Helmond. 43.3 kms 5 locks.

Passantenhaven at Neederveert

Raining first thing, dry and sunny when we set off, grey clouds and chilly again later. Left the mooring above Panheel locks at 9.20 a.m. on the Kanaal Wessem-Nederveert. Mike called me to look at the passantenhaven (a square offline mooring basin with posts to tie to) at Nederveert, where two cruisers were moored. I didn’t think the Snail would get in there, but Mike reckoned that it would fit, but maybe next time, we pressed on. I noticed they were in the process of building a new road bridge at Nederveert. We joined the Zuid-Willemsvaart heading north to Den Bosch at a crossroads with the Zuid-Willemsvaart to Maastricht to the left and the dead-end Noodervaart off to our right. 

Leaving lock 13

There are four new locks on this section of the Zuid-Willemsvaart, all worked remotely by the lock keeper at the big lock in Helmond. As we approached lock 13 an armada of cruisers of all different sizes had just left the lock. But we had a red light as the lock was emptying and we had to wait while four more cruisers came up. Just us two to go down. The new locks replaced the double width chambers with offset gates (in on the left of the chamber and out through the right, designed to pass two 50m long barges - the offset gates were so they kept the same order of passage, ie the first one in moves to the right and is now in front of the exit gates). We’d heard that the canal is being upgraded with new even bigger locks and a detour around Den Bosch. The lock worked OK, we dropped down 1.8m and we were soon on our way down to lock 12. An empty boat called Marcel (50m x 6.6m) went by, following the cruisers up the canal. I made a cuppa. Into lock 12 and as the paddles started lifting to empty the lock a loud Bing-Bong, Bing-Bong started up from the lockside loudspeakers – how irritating! (the same happened on the next two locks) Dropped down another 1.8m and we were on our way again. 

Lock 10

Another 50m long empty barge went past, followed by a single cruiser on the run down to lock 11. The old lock houses were still there at lock 11, behind a fence, those at the other three locks had been demolished. Down 2.5m this time, a bit deeper lock, and on to lock 10. Another 50m empty barge went past heading uphill, but when we arrived at lock 10 the gates were closed and we had to wait while they reopened. Mike counted there were eight cameras at each lock. Bing-Bong and we dropped down another 2.10m. By now it was getting colder as the wind picked up, so I made a cup of soup. 

The lock controller's cabin at Helmond lock

The route through Helmond had been closed to through traffic for years as it had been a bottleneck with three more locks and several liftbridges. Lock 9 is only worked by request for traffic to the sand quays, marina or the Eindhoven Kanaal. There used to be good moorings in the lock approach, but we’d been told that a building project had been sanctioned to build mansions and charges were now made for the mooring above lock 9. The Snail stayed on the new canal while we went to have a look. A new sign board said 50c/metre per night. Just one cruiser on the moorings and he didn’t look like he was staying.  9€ just for just tying up overnight, no thanks. 

Can't say anything nice, so don't say anything at all!

Winded and rejoined the Snail and we cruised on round the ringvaart around Helmond to the east of the town. Saw our first oystercatchers fly up as we passed the loading/unloading quay at the start of the bypass canal. There was one DB moored at the end of the long, empty commercial quay, looked like it had been there a while. Had to wait for the new lock while it filled. An empty commercial was moored above the lock, Nimar (64.7m x 6.35m 652 tonnes) – don’t think that he would get any further up the canal until they make the new lock to replace the four remotely controlled ones. 

Moored at the north end of Helmond

Into the big lock and we dropped down 6.3m. Below the lock, at the end of the quay for waiting for the lock there was another DB moored with the worst conversion we had ever seen. It looked abandoned; Mike said there was graffiti inside the cabin! We continued to the other end of the now disused route through Helmond and tied to square wooden bollards among a group of Dutch cruisers who were over-nighting there.