Monet? Cezanne? Van Gough?  If not an Impressionists painting, then what is this? This is the Biesbosh, a freshwater tidal area of islands and meandering waterways.

                  
                  

In summer, the Biesbosch is a wetland paradise.  Swan, beaver, and duck float along  under the shade of the willows among yellow marsh ragwort, purple loosestrife and white valerian flowers that enhance the banks boulevards.  Small thatch roof houses meet the end of the moss covered creeks that divide the land.

 

The Biesbosch originated in the 15th century but after a storm surge in the famous St.Elisabeths’s Day flood of Nov.19,1404 the water level was pushed up far above the mean sea level inundating a 300 km ² inland sea which was under the influence of river and tide.  People fled to higher ground. The sand and silt of the river sank to the bottom causing the sandbanks where vegetation began to grow.  Dikes were built, polders were developed for agriculture then people returned and villages reemerged.

This 15m, 1920’s barge we mistook for a Monet painting was just what we thought we were looking for. Originally it was used to cut the willows growing  in the Biesbosch and were used to thatch the roofs of the new houses.  Today it rests in a tiny hydrangea lined canal in the village of  Made. 

  

We were biking by on our way to a nearby marina to look at more boats when we passed the barge for a third time.  Two people were standing on the deck when I rode by giving a thumbs up.  Again we were immediately engaged in dialog then invited across the street to the house of Rinus and Nel to wait out a rain shower.

It was our first time inside one of the old 1800’s  houses along the canals. Turns out Rinus was instrumental in restoring the old Three Sister barge as a landmark and tribute to the Biesbosch which rests just outside his two front windows.

 

For a special show of just how this older barge is restored, for those who are truly interested , click on the link.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtu7vuhTYDM 
After a few minutes, and a bit of the Dutch language, you will see the beginning of the restoration on this steel barge and the replacement of over 7000 rivets.

 

We meet a lot of wonderful people who invited us into their barges. This couple were pleased with their barge. It was all we dreamed of, 15m, steel, with a back deck and umbrella but he was repairing the engine and that made us stop and think.

After months of searching the Internet and looking a lots of barges we found only one 15m steel barge that might be for us.

    

It had that classic look on the outside but once inside it felt huge and just too many work projects to satisfy our taste.

 

And as much as we love the classic clincker built hulls, that look like a wooden boat,
it was those RIVETS that put us off.

It is time to dig in and trash any idea of actually buying a barge.  We need to be realistic to our needs and start looking for different styles and alternatives.

We left the Biesbosch by skirting around the polders and past the little villages now building subdivisions but retaining that ‘Biesbosh look’ by still thatching the roofs. The roofs need replacing every generation.   An expensive job in this day and age.

Back into the larger towns we could see that a barge would never fit inside these small town harbors.  We were starting to get a better feel for the ‘river cruisers’ that were far more abundant on the canals.  There must be a good reason.
We had to think more ‘out of the box’.

A boat would definitely have to be something smaller, under 15 meters and Steve would be on the look out for one that had good mechanical systems.

And for me, I wanted something to accommodate family and all our wonderful friends.  Could this be possible in a smaller boat?  I try to visualize going through the canal highways through the villages.  We want to blend in not stand out.

Coming into Sleeuwijk was like walking into a candy store.  It had a big yacht harbor full of boats more the size were were looking for.    The broker at Sleeuwijik Yachts sent us off on the docks alone to have an over all look and make a list of ones to see.

To get through the tunnels and locks the width should not be over 5 meters, but they usually aren’t that wide. So we are looking for around  4m wide, draft around a meter 1.10m but no more than 1.30 and air draft 2.75m. That ought to get us through everywhere in Europe. 

 

This Altena 2000 really caught our eye.   It all looked great, modern actually, for a 1992 steel boat. I loved the back deck but worried about those narrow steps getting into the main saloon. But the head and shower were off the captains cabin so the guests would have to crawl out of their narrow berth and into the aft cabin in the night and there were few closets for storage and clothing.   Steve did not like the fact that it had two engines, more maintenance, and although the Daf is a reliable truck engine it does smoke a bit. 

There are two types of boats an AK and an OK.  The AK like the Altena is an Aft Kuip which has the aft cabin below the deck in the stern.  The OK is an Open Kuip, the master cabin is usually in the bow and there is a vary large aft deck. 

 

I loved the idea of the OK with big doors opening off the main saloon out onto the deck.  Most however had the galley aft just off the deck where this one was next to the helm station.  As much as we like the OK’s  there is usually only one cabin.

The one cabin had no closet space and guests would end up in the saloon on the sofa with no privacy or storage space for luggage etc.  Besides the price on this boat was pretty hefty for our budget. 

It seems there is something not quite right about every boat.  We have seen enough boats now to have a good idea what would be a good boat for the canals.  It is time get down and get serious.

 

We make a mad dash in spectacular weather along the southern Isjeelmeer a huge lake near Amsterdam. 

I see that we are near Muidersloot a castle I had visited on my first Holland bicycle tour back in 1984

The castle had not changed but I had.  Downsizing from my Centurion and loaded panniers I was happy to find the little village of Muiden had not changed much.

 

There was still the same cafe on the corner now with new awning and outdoor benches but minus my full size Centurion bicycle.  It was a trip down memory lane.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within hours we arrive in Amsterdam and a much needed break from biking before our final search begins.

So I leave you here in Amsterdam.

But this is not the end of the our quest   I will fill you in on this last month and finally
“did we find that long sought after canal boat?”

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