Dutch harbours

Patrol is kinda pricy these days so, living in Holland this seemed like a bit more economical then, say, harbours in the Caribbean.

The first ship i ran into which is converted into a yacht is the Alk.
The pictures are taken in Scheveningen but the Alk had been in my home harbour in Dordrecht for months for repairs and a quick paintjob.
On a few of the first pictures you'll spot Sir Arthur which has been for sale for some time.

more Scheveningen

There's been done quite a lot of work on the Alk but the paintjob is not quite up to yachtstandards

more Alk

Most of the Dutch harbours lack the charm of the French harbours or even of the English; very businesslike, busy and only attractive if youre into boating or if its a clear blue day

Dordrecht - Rotterdam

As probably known, Holland has a huge amount of inland waterways, lakes, rivers and canals.
As a result, much transportation is over water also as a fast and quit replacement for cars, buses or trains.
On the first pictures is a pier in Dordrecht, exclusively used by fast catamarans who take people from Dordrecht to Rotterdam and other villages.

Dordrecht - Rotterdam 2

A few of these ferries are made by Damen - Singapore, the same firm that owned Amels for a short time.
From inside you can see a part of the old town of Dordrecht.
Last photos are from the first stop this ferry makes, right next to Oceanco in Alblasserdam

Dordrecht - Rotterdam 3

I had never been in the wheelhouse of these catamarans so this was an excellent excuse to ask; the first captain didn't even answer (bummer) but the second ( a female captain and a very good one too!) invited me in.
A lot of you know cabins like these by heart, but for me this was a first; quite impressive, airplane like setup.
Note the joysticks on the armrests.
The wheelhouse is on top of the catamaran.

Dordrecht - Rotterdam 4

The next pictures are made from the Euromast in Rotterdam (kinda old landmark, but recently restored on the inside by Jan des Bouvie, a dutch designer, you can rent a room there as well on top of the Euromast)

The city is changing a lot where much of the big wharehouses are disappairing and their place is taken by upmarket appartment-buildings.

Still, huge place Rotterdam but the real harbour is out of view, as a result of the size of the modern ships.

On the picture with the modern bridge (called de zwaan (swan)) you see 2 huge buildings on the right; dwarfed by these giants, but visible, is the famous Holland-America building where all big liners left to America.
Every now and then you'll spot a Feadship or so here, just before they leave to the Med.

Dordrecht - Rotterdam 5

Last pics show an old harbour in Rotterdam.
The buildings surroundng it are "old harbour money", the firms that made huge amounts of money in trade and or shipping.

One of the few harbours here with a real atmosphere.

Not very buse at the time i was here, but always some classics lying around.

The whole topic might seem a bit "off topic", but it kinda shows the origin of the Dutch boating scene.

reply yachtforums

Hi Carl,

well, the whole ferry is quite hightech actually, catamaran, waterjets, twinengined, aluminium, 30 knots...

Not bad for everyday transportation (and kinda cheap too, same price as busses or train).

gracias capitan

youre welcome

Thanks .

revenge of the postcard 01

Referring to Carl's "All too often, travel and media put out postcard pictures to entice tourists." i went to a few places where these postcards originate from, in this case Volendam and Edam.
Especially Volendam is one of those places everyone abroad gets pictures from ones they go to Holland. Oddly (first picture) they also have a Sunseeker-Azimut dealer...
The place is like those postcards, but as a result became a bit of a touristtrap.

in both cases im utterly lost; what happened with the size?