A day out on the water, sailing in the Biesbosch

There is a lot of water in the Netherlands. Of course the North Sea, but also numerous rivers, lakes, ponds and fens. You can therefore practice numerous water sports in the Netherlands such as (wind) surfing, sailing, canoeing, supping, diving and swimming. But even for the less sporty among us, there is plenty to do on the water. For example, a trip in a sloop. In our blog Rent a sloop and enjoy the water we already gave you tips on different locations where you can rent a sloop.

Recently our blogger Ester had a trip on the water, with a sloop from Bootje Gezond in the Biesbosch. In this blog she tells you how she enjoyed herself this day.

Late birthday gift

Just before the first Coronalockdown, my mother turned 65. As a present we gave her a boating trip; fun with the whole family in the Biesbosch. But unfortunately shortly thereafter the lockdown came into effect and people from different households had to keep their distance from each other. A tricky story if you want to go on a boat with 3 families. But fortunately the rules have since been relaxed and we were still able to organize her birthday present last August.

National Park Biesbosch

A national park on the border of South Holland and Brabant, De Biesbosch is known as a freshwater tidal area and consists of a maze of rivers, islets and creeks. The area is protected and not universally accessible, but there is still enough public access for good recreation. The electric sloop we rented for our outing was waiting for us at Restaurant Fort Lunet in Raamsdonksveer. We had reserved the sloop from 13:30 and had it at our disposal until 18:00. So off to Raamsdonksveer with a cooler and picnic basket full of goodies, swimwear for the kids and everyone gathered at Fort Lunet.

Out with the boat

Once there, we were hospitably welcomed and given explanations about the operation of the sloop and a sailing map on which we could see in advance which route we liked best. It turned out that half an hour away there was a swimming area with several small islands, a beach and moorings. The kids really wanted to swim so we thought that would be a great destination.

And indeed, first we went on the “big canal”, which is quite exciting with a small boat that goes 5 km per hour and then between those very large barges. But then into the Biesbosch area to tie up and enjoy the water.

It turned out we were not alone. In this region it was the last week of the summer vacation and also expected to be the last sunny day. So it was quite busy on the water. Fortunately, we still found a place to moor at a beach and were kindly helped by more experienced boaters with mooring.

Relaxing on the water

So, the snacks and drinks were on the table, the music was on and the kids were soon jumping into the water. It gives a kind of camping feeling how you sit there together on the boat chatting and drinking with the sun on sphere and other water recreants around you. You really get away from it all and have an instant vacation feeling.

A varied cruise

After bobbing around for a while, we decided to take another stretch through the island area. Here we had to be careful, because some parts are closed and along the edge it is sometimes very shallow. We experienced this ourselves when we got stuck at one point. Fortunately, my brother turned out to be a cool-headed captain and after some forward and backward sailing, we were loose again and could continue our tour. After the island tour, we had to cross the canal again to make the trip back to the mooring.

Arriving at Fort Lunet, the staff was already waiting for us to help us dock at the jetty. They also inquired with great interest about our afternoon and whether everything had gone well and been fun.

It was definitely a nice afternoon and for my mother a nice birthday present with her family members around her in a relaxed and cozy setting. Definitely worth repeating.

This blog was editorially created from the personal experience of one of our bloggers. Want to stay up to date on the different getaways we share our experiences about? Then sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.