Category: Canoe Netherlands

Canoe the Netherlands

Dutch Open Canoe Festival 2020 Wrap Up

The Cedar Journal September 13, 2020

As always it is sad to see the end to another Dutch Open Canoe Festival. Seeing old paddling friends, making new ones and always the learning that goes with new ideas or new techniques.

Our canoe “Cedar” waiting to hit the water this weekend.

This year that included learning what each of us considered acceptable risk just to attend. What about bathrooms? Where should we stay as the event brings people from all around Europe and most of all can we still interact with old canoe paddle buddies and still maintain our distance. What challenges!

I will write a detailed blog later this week on our experiences from the weekend but promised two young paddlers that I would post a few pictures. To keep my promise before this old canoe paddler takes a nap to recover from so much excitement over the weekend here you go young people.😊

One of the future paddling talents from this weekend. This young man built his cedar strip canoe with his father with the help of FreeRanger Canoes Belgium.

Two young talents out for a solo canoe paddle. Both accomplished canoe paddlers and canoe craftsmen.

Awesome Fall weather at the opening on Saturday.

Minnesota is well represented and respected here in Europe with Minnesota built canoes.

I had to take this picture of this Minnesota II as it made me homesick for a Minnesota fall canoe paddle season.

My personal European built wood canoes FreeRanger Canoes

Best wishes and safe a healthy travels to everyone who attended. Until next season.😊

Dutch Canoe Fest 2020

The Cedar Journal August 31, 2020

http://www.openkanofestival.nl/openkanofestival-english.html

With the 1.5 meter social distancing and reservations for attendance the yearly Dutch Canoe Fest will be held again this year in the National Park Weerribben.

This is a yearly gathering of canoe enthusiasts from all over Europe. Many of the canoe paddlers in attendance bring vast experience levels and different canoe techniques. This is one of the very few canoe events offered in The Netherlands and is a great way to connect with European canoe paddlers. Attendance at the event it is possible to learn about all the possibilities of canoeing in The Netherlands.

Follow the link and join us in attending this year in this beautiful location.

http://www.openkanofestival.nl/inschrijven.html

Weekend Escape

The Cedar Journal July 28, 2020

It finally happened, a weekend away. It didn’t happen without a risk assessment and long discussion about the risks. This trip almost didn’t happen at the last minute as warnings about increased cases in our local area on Wednesday had us thinking once again about the risks. Then, I started sneezing like crazy (I have crazy allergies…but in this day and age of rampant virus I questioned myself). We held our breath, I popped some Claritin and we packed the Caddy.

First canoe camping weekend with all our gear this year.

On Thursday (with no news of the threatened local lockdown) we hit the road, heading towards one of our favorite places to canoe paddle the Weerribben National Park.

First a cup of coffee before setting up camp!

Once we had arrived and set up our campsite, we headed out for a short evening paddle. Our paddle muscles cried out as we inched along. Months of sitting dormant and this sudden burst of use was a surprise for muscles that normally mid summer are well accustomed to paddling use.

What better way to give the muscles a real boost than to prepare chocolate pastries on the grill.

First time we have used our pizza stone for our grill to make pastries. A real muscle moral booster.

As with any camping trip we had the threat of rainy weather. We kept a close eye on the weather radar app on our phones the entire weekend. Scheduling our outings between rain storms. We accomplished that with success this weekend as we managed a 12km canoe paddle on Friday and a 20km bike ride on Saturday. Just as we finished up our bike ride the sky opened up and poured rain on us the entire night into Sunday morning. We stayed nice and dry inside the Caddy although we did have to battle a few mosquitos.

Friday canoe paddle with water lilies blooming.

Oh no! We forgot our tools to eat!!! No knife! What can we do?

A butterfly that thought the blue dry sack was a nice place to hang out.

Cedar at our lunch stop point. The canals were very busy with vacation people either paddling or with the slow electric motor boats constantly going past.

Camping Where The Dutch Rivers Meet

The Cedar Journal June 29, 2020

It was our first camping this summer here in The Netherlands.

Liberation Day 2020

The Cedar Journal May 5, 2020

75 years ago today the Dutch citizens danced in the streets to welcome the Allied Forces, their liberators after more than four years under Nazi rule.

Each year flags are hung to remember that day and to celebrate freedom. This year the national day off was, well less than normal.

We took the opportunity to head out on our first canoe ride of the year. We both needed to be on the water, to flex our canoe muscles, to free ourselves of the four walls of the house. I am usually on the water for weeks by May. Either in Minnesota or here but the last two years have presented some challenges. This year I am guessing most of my readers can relate to the cabin fever syndrome.

He travelled to Hillegom, NL to a place we have paddled before in the Spring. The canals lead through the tulip fields and usually are filled with color and scents of blooms.

The Bulb Canoe Route starting in Hillegom, NL

This was the first time we have had to place Cedar on our new (to us) VW Caddy. We were worried about how we would lift her to the much higher roof of this van. In fact we talked about it most of the winter, tried to watch videos of people who lift canoes onto higher profiles vehicles (no luck on that!), and finally came up with a system that seemed to work for us.

We love the fact that the VW Caddy has so much more room for our gear.