Au-Pair reizen op Tjalk Liberté
De tjalk Liberté biedt speciale reizen voor au-pair groepen waarbij u op een unieke manier Nederland ontdekt aan boord van een traditioneel zeilschip. Zeilervaring is voor geen van onze reizen nodig, het actief zeilen leert u onderweg. U geniet van de ongerepte natuur en de authentieke sfeer van 'Nederland Waterland'.De route die het schip zal afleggen wordt in overleg met de schipper en uw groep bepaald. Afhankelijk van de afvaarthaven is het eventueel mogelijk om de wadden aan te doen. Op vrijdag stapt u om 16.00 uur vol nieuwe indrukken van boord. Een weektocht is ook mogelijk van maandag 10.00 uur tot zondag 16.00 uur.
Hieronder een verslag (in het Engels) van de schipper over een tocht gehouden in 2008:
Report about the Au-Pair Tour 2008 : Around North-Holland
Monday : Amsterdam:
After a short briefing and a met and greet with the rest of the group we left the boat for a boat trip in the canals of Amsterdam. There is no better way to see the city than from the water. The group liked it very much because they visited spots which are not accessible for pedestrians. Afterwards the group splitted up for a quick shopping tour through the malls of Amsterdam. In the evening we came together again for dinner which was prepared by the participants of the journey. So through the week we had food from all over the world. In the evening there was time for going out and we ended the day with a nice glass of wine on deck.
Tuesday : Amsterdam-Alkmaar:
After some little grocery-shopping we left the harbors of Amsterdam and set sail towards the locks of Zaandam. Everyone was exited to visit the Netherlands on an old dutch barge. After a short trip through the harbors of Amsterdam we arrived at Zaandam and went on on the river Zaan. This river goes all the way up to Den Helder and is one of nicest waters in North Holland. We came along the Zaanse Schans which is a series of old dutch windmills and one of the most photographed items along this waterway. After a while it was possible to set sail towards Alkmaar and the sound of the engine died away and made place for the soothing sound of waves around the hull of the barge. Via the Alkmaar lake and the north Holland channel we arrived in Alkmaar quite soon and it was possible to stop for a short swimming break. After cooling down we went on into the city of Alkmaar and stopped right in the middle of this well known city. After dinner we went into town for a short pub-tour and we ended up on a nice town square drinking wine.
Wednesday : Alkmaar-Den Helder
We left town early towards Den Helder. The weather was fine and the sails were set directly behind Alkmaar. The “Noord-Hollandsch Kanaal’” is a stretch of water frequently visited by sailors because of the nice views from the boat. It’s proximity to the coast makes you feel like you are sailing through the dunes of Holland. Also nice is that because of the construction of the channel and it’s bridges it’s possible to sail on even through bridges and towns where a lot of people stop to look what’s happening on the water. After a day of sailing we arrived in Den Helder and after sunset we headed into town, but because all the sailing activities the group was back on board, sleeping, quite fast.
Thursday : Den Helder- Medemblik:
Unfortunately the weather became so bad that we decided to go on with the help of the engine. But anyhow there was a lot of things to see on this part of the tour. We went out of the locks to go to Medemblik via Den Oever. We came along the marine harbor with all the marine vessels of the Netherlands. Also we went on via a stretch of water which is called “wad”. That is a stretch of water which goes from Holland via Germany to Denmark and falls dry with low tides. Then the sandbanks emerge from the water and leaves just a few channels with water to go on. It is the largest nature sanctuary of northern Europe with a thriving population of various fishes and birds. Also it is the home of a large population of seals so there is a lot to see. Sailing along the dried up sands we arrived in Den Oever where we went through another set of locks which leads to the Ijssellake. After a short stop we went on towards Medemblik where we arrived short time later to start a nice partynight.
Friday : Medemblik-Enkhuizen
After a short night the journey went on towards Enkhuizen. We went along a sailing competition which appeared to be the European championships of 470s and lasers. That are small boats made for competitions and which are very fast. After a short stop at the competition we went on towards Enkhuizen where we stayed for the night because the group wanted to do so. In Enkhuizen there was a city music festival with open air stages and a huge party tent where they played all sorts of different music so there was something to do for everyone. We stayed for a nice live concert of a local rapgroup right under the mighty “drommedaris” which is a left over tower of the old city walls.
Saturday : Enkhuizen- Volendam
On the next morning we set sail towards Volendam. The weather was perfect and we had a really nice journey towards that old fishing village at the shore of the southern part of the Ijssellake. We had an appointment for a group picture in the traditional clothing of Volendam. This village has a rich history because of the fishing and big parts of the harbor are in original state here. Because the tour was almost over we went out one more night and had a lot of fun in the local disco.
Sunday : Volendam –Amsterdam
It was just a short trip on the last day of our journey and we arrived short time later in Amsterdam. We sailed along the nice old island Marken and went through the locks of Amsterdam. Afterwards it did not take long before we arrived in the harbors again. Here the hosts of the group where already waiting and after a short good bye the au pair tour 2008 was over.
Because of all the effort of the group it was a memorable tour for me (the skipper) and I hope there will be more editions.
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