Sailing on the Markermeer

Late this summer I was lucky enough to spend a weekend sailing with some friends from life group and church.  I have no sailing experience at all, but I was in the capable hands of Captain Roeland and first mate Roland.  Our boat, a 38 foot Bavaria, was more spacious than I expected, and although it did get tight sometimes with the 6 of us in there at once, the boat was quite comfortable for a 2 night trip.

The crew- Roland, Roeland, Elizabeth, Asvin, Morne, and me

We started from the marina at Almere on Friday night, planning to work our way through the Markermeer, but unfortunately the wind had other ideas.  It was very still and we could not get any momentum, but this was a good chance for us newbie sailors to be shown the ropes and a few moves that would come in handy later.  We played around a bit before heading back to Almere marina and docking there for dinner and to stay the night. 

On Saturday the conditions were not much better for sailing but it did pick up a little, and eventually we made our way to Volendam.  We arrived to find the Kermis festival in full swing.  There was lots of music, the cafes and bars were overflowing, and the streets were full of carnival rides and games.  We couldn't help but try out a few- we went on the bumper cars and a spinning roller coaster.  

Kermis festival in Volendam

Sunset in Volendam

We woke on Sunday morning to the sound of rain against the fibreglass roof of the boat cabin- not a particularly quiet noise.  We stayed in the dock for a while waiting for the weather to improve, but in the meantime Roeland and Morne prepared a delicious bacon and maple syrup pancake breakfast for us.  Later in the day the conditions were much better for sailing. The rain stopped, the wind picked up and the blue sky even came out.  We were able to get some god speed going, and the sail back to Almere was a lot of fun.