Amsterdam to Lelystad - Day 27

Wednesday 29th August 2012 - Amsterdam to Lelystad - Day 27

I was up at 07.45 to get the Dutch shipping weather forecast at 08.05 and it was not good with too much wind in the north sea to make a crossing back to the UK.  There was another British yacht in the marina and they gave us all the information we required on Lelystad, as they had been in Holland for the past three months.

Sluices between Markenmeer and Ijsselmeer

After shopping in the near by supermarket we left the Aeolus marina at 10.30.  Out of the Oranjesluizen locks at 11.00 and straight through the lifting bridge and by 11.30 we were back in the Markenmeer.  With Popeye engaged and under full sail with a fair wind behind us we looked forward to a pleasant afternoon sailing with the engine turned off at 12.00.  On a broad reach we were attaining a speed of 6.5 knots and thoroughly enjoying the sail.  At 14.00 we heard a very load explosion which came from the shore to the east and hoped it was a gunnery exercise.

Modern art

At 15.15 we started taking in the sails, as we approached our destination and the engine started.
At the breakwater entrance to the harbour is this rather large statue of a person in a squatting position, very strange but I suppose its art.
We had to go round and round inside the harbour as we waited for the green light for the locks as on the east side of the dyke, this lock is used at the same time by commercial and leisure craft.

Houtribsluizen lock and bridge

We were in the lock at 16.00 and through the combined lifting bridge by 16.15.  A little further on and we were tied up in the Deko marina at 17.00.  The main town centre of Lelystad is two miles to the south.  We did not want to go that far and strolled along for 15 minutes before finding somewhere to have a meal and we were not disappointed.  We passed the open air museum and workshops of a replica 17th century sailing ship the Dutch East Indiaman 'Batavia'.

Batavia

The restaurant 'De Cantine' was once part of ship building dock being the workers' canteen and meeting place.  This wooden hut was full of the memorabilia of a bygone age with many photographs of the hut in its heyday.  Still serving meals we found the onion soup, entrecote steak and beef satay excellent.  The place was beginning to close at 22.00 and we were back on board by 22.30 after having for a change, a very pleasant day sailing.