One day she was moored in our harbour at home. Cream-coloured, teak cockpit, dark blue sprayhood.An open sloep, very chic. Their skipper usually turned up around 10 o'clock. His guests arrived one by one, usually half a dozen. Picnic baskets and bathing bags disappeared into storage compartments that must have been enormous.
The diesel started up and pushed the chunky 7-metre hull away, bubbling away. They were back in the evening and sat together on board for a while, chatting and eating antipasti. Then it was time to pack.Sloepen driving is discreet enjoyment, the subtle return to the essentials.
A trend and yet more: a way of life. We wanted to track it down. Where the area is made for it - on the Frisian lakes. Sloepen are as Dutch as poffertjes (pancakes) and hagelslag (chocolate crumble).
Their ancestors were working tools:Ship tenders and lifeboats. They carry their genes, nicely packaged, to this day. Sloops are easy to manoeuvre and have plenty of space. Stability and freeboard height are remarkable, and a circumferential rope guard absorbs bumps without consequences.
So much straightforwardness is transmitted. To the crew, but also to others.Sloepen riders are not eyed, they attract attention.And quite a few people fall in love with the beautiful sloops on this occasion. No, for us it shouldn't be one of those sloops that have learnt to glide or have grown into highly comfortable yachts.
We wanted the original version, the displacer without a cabin. When it's raining outside, you move together under a canopy. Just like on the little day cruiser we started out with.
In addition to such sentimentalities, this spoke in favour of a sloep of manageable proportions: our secret longing for the new, the unknown.Explore waterways that are denied to the classic charter yacht.Slipping under the lowest bridges. Wandering off the beaten track. That was what we had in mind.
But how and where do we spend the night? Admittedly, the return to the roots of boating would have been complete if we had rolled out our sleeping bags in the cockpit. But a sloepening trip is crowned by something else
something else: the right stop ashore. Boat & Breakfast, so to speak. This is exactly what some providers in Friesland organise. Monique Feenstra from the "Broeresloot" holiday farm in Sneek put together a three-day round trip for us through south-west Friesland with overnight stays in hotels in Workum and Joure.
On a Saturday in August, we are travelling by car to Sneek and come across a stately farmhouse just south of the 't Ges industrial estate. It was built in 1870 as a "Stelp". In contrast to the older Frisian "head-neck-hull farms", this type of building contained all living and working areas in one building.
In other words, there is endless space under the mighty roof of the lavishly restored "Vakantieboerderij Broeresloot".
There are twelve modern flats in the building, including a quaint harbour café. The complex includes a sheltered marina that can accommodate boats from 7 to 14 metres in length. The "Vakantieboerderij Broeresloot" is a family business. Monique Feenstra and her boyfriend Meindert Wiersma are responsible for all activities on and around the farm, so our tour falls under their remit.
After tea and cake on the terrace, we get to know our boat. Clean as a whistle and fully fuelled, a Cesta 570 is waiting on the quay: almost 6 metres long, 22 hp diesel, wooden interior. It can carry up to eight people. There are two of us, so it won't be cramped. The Cesta 570 has the suffix "Vlet" in its model name, so it is a close relative of the Sloep. Today, there are no differences in use and philosophy between the two boat types, which is why the open steel boat is also known as a "sloop" or "sloop".
Supplied with maps, a spare 5-litre canister and life jackets for emergencies, we set off at around 1 pm. In the evening we want to be a good 30 kilometres further on, in Workum. First we head through the centre of Sneek via Houkesloot, Somerrak, Stadsgracht and Kolk. Incoming and outgoing boats plough past, the water is "boiling".
Unimpressed, our sloop pushes aside the choppy waves and cross-seas. This Saturday lunchtime is more turbulent than usual, probably because of Sneekweek.
The traditional event on the Sneekermeer is considered the largest inland sailing regatta in Europe. Nobody wants to miss the party on land either. The boats are already lined up along the city centre cadence, and there are more and more of them. To starboard, we pass a tower made of stacked beer crates. The structure stands on the bathing platform of a charter yacht and reaches right up to its aft deck. The second crate from below is at eye level, a surprising perspective. We wait for the opening at one of the movable bridges. What for? We can fit under it.
Our sloop purrs leisurely towards IJlst. Well-tended gardens stretch right down to the water's edge, and a robotic mower accompanies us along the shore. What you can see is a good metre above the waterline. Wide Wimerts and Hegemer Far take us into the heart of the water sports metropolis of Heeg. A stop at "Veenstra's Vishal" would actually be in order now.
Guests can moor up right next to the terrace. We drive on, we are drawn to the countryside for a picnic. We've already organised the necessary delicacies in Sneek, now we just need to find an atmospheric spot. For now, however, it's going to be wet. A strong south-westerly wind is blowing on the Heegermeer and we have wind and waves against us. We were hit by the first shower, then the next. Because it was so nice before, the sprayhood is down.
A negligence that we rectify as quickly as possible. Now it stays dry. And we marvel at the naturalness with which our sloop works its way through the rough water.
On the northern shore of the Heegermeer, we set course for Gaastmeer. A pretty spot. The restaurant "d'Ald Herberch" is located directly on the road. Guests with boats can also moor here (www.aldherberch.nl). We are beginning to have mixed feelings about our stashed provisions. With such nice restaurants! Between Grutte Gaastmar and Sânmar, the map shows some natural moorings. Perfect for our picnic. What did we have? Frisian food, of course: Droge worst (sausage), Oude nagelkaas (cheese), Roggebrood (bread) and Oranjekoek (cake).
Eating makes you thirsty and thirst makes you ... you know. Our sloop doesn't have any facilities to make this easier, which results in a pressing problem. And the more pressing the latter becomes, the more desirable the sanitary comfort of a larger boat suddenly seems to us. However, with a certain amount of perseverance and flexibility in planning, such matters can also be organised.
After all, it's rarely far in Friesland to the nearest pedestrian harbour and its secluded little villages.
Around 40 minutes after our rest stop, we arrive at the De Haan Watersport marina in Workum ( www.dehaanwater sport.nl ). Our sloop is to spend the night here. The box we have been advised of is ready for us to move into, we pack up the boat and set off with our bags. A room is booked for us at the "Aan de Wymerts" hotel, about ten minutes' walk from De Haan Watersport. As we leave the cosy marina, we feel melancholy for a moment: it's a glorious summer evening, everyone is on their boats, the hollyhocks are fragrant, the water is sparkling - and we leave.
This pang of melancholy soon passes, because our overnight accommodation is great: bedroom and living room, TV, coffee machine, shower with massage function. The accommodation bears the name of a body of water that ran through the town of Workum in ancient times and was later filled in: Wymerts. Yvon and Ewald Overdijk have been running the hotel since 2016, as well as the neighbouring restaurant "Pickwicks Steaks & Tapas"
( www.pickwicks.nl ). Workum's soul, the historic market, is just a few steps away. It's a marvellous place, with several eateries clustered around it.
Sunday morning, we're on the road again. After our tour yesterday took us along familiar roads, today we want to take less familiar routes under the keel. The first takes us from Workum to picturesque Hindeloopen - binnen. After Djippe Dolte and Buorrefeart, what we were looking for begins: a reed-lined watercourse, narrow and enchanted. On the De Horsa section, the banks sometimes come so close that we hold our breath. The lowest fixed bridge has a clearance height of 1.60 metres. The water is only 0.60 metres deep in places.
It never gets dicey. No one comes to meet us, no boat closes in. We are alone with nature. And she soon wants to find out how resilient our romantic notions of sloe sailing really are.
The clouds that were just drifting fluffily over from the IJsselmeer have now melted into a closed grey, from which it first drizzles and finally pours. We seek refuge under the next best bridge. A barren place, so on we go. The sprayhood does a good job of keeping out the wet from above, only the skipper is standing in the rain. Hindeloopen, which we reach by Aesterfeart, sleepily weathers away the dull morning. Nobody to be seen, just one or two fishing boats. Our recommendation: moor at Yndyk and look for a cosy pub. Hindeloopen has plenty of them.
We head for the next exciting route via Jan Broerskân, De Morra, De Oarden and Aldkarre. Initially the Ryster Feart joins the Spoekhoekstel Feart, then a manageable lake opens up, which we cross. The water below us is now called Van Swinderenfeart. Imperceptibly, it becomes the Luts. You could also say that it carries us into an idyll that we hadn't expected. The Luts is a small river around 5 kilometres long that originates in the Slotermeer.
The lowest fixed bridge that crosses the small stream has a clearance height of 2.15 metres. The approximately 2 km long section along De Starnumanbossen is particularly atmospheric.
We chug between tall trees whose tops seem to close over us. Kingfishers linger in sight before plunging into the water again on the hunt for prey. We don't notice any current, even the rain seems to have been banished. All too soon the magic is over. We pass Balk, a friendly little town (moorings just ten minutes' walk from the centre). Otherwise: "Badmeester Keimpe" on the south-western shore of the Slotermeer serves freshly smoked fish (own harbour, www.badmeesterkeimpe.nl). Or you can go to the lively Woudsend and moor your boat in the new passers-by harbour (access Wâldseinster Rakken, day visitors only).
De Welle and Koevoerdermeer are followed by Langwarder Wielen and Jouster Sylroede. When we reach Joure in the early evening, the sun winks at us. We see it as a conciliatory sign from above. The little bit of November in summer hasn't spoilt our mood today. Neither did the many others who were out on the water in their sloops on this miserable day. Turn up our collars, have fun and look forward to the pampering programme afterwards. That's sloop sailing!
Close to the centre of Joure, on the other side of the 1.15 m low Tolhûswei bridge, is the mooring of our hotel, the "Herberg Joure". There are only two or three steps between the sloop and the accommodation. In the restored former vicarage, we trudge up 41 steps to the roof and are rewarded with a room with a living and sleeping area, kitchenette, TV and modern bathroom. Not forgetting the marvellous view. After a snack in the town (gourmet tip: brasserie restaurant "De Jouster Toer", www.dejoustertoer.nl ) we lie down on our ears.
Monday begins with an excursion towards Sneekermeer. Via Goaïngarypster Puollen, Frijgerssleat and Holle Grêft, we reach the cosy village of Oppenhuizen around midday and then come full circle at the Broeresloot holiday farm. Conclusion: it was lovely. We'd love to do it again.
