November 4th, 2012

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Sunday November 4th. Van Kapelaan tot Koster

Sunday, November 4th, 2012

For the not so faithful blog visitors “Van Koster tot Kapelaan” ( From Preacher to Priest) is de botter race of the protestant Bunschoters to predominantly Roman Catholic Volendam. I reported on the September 29 race. This morning I attended service at the English language reformed church in the Bequinage with my Australian niece, Jozina. The sermon was on the book of Ruth. I learned a bit of trivia in Amsterdam, from the sermon, that Oprah Winfrey’s name was a misspelling of Ruth’s sister in law, Orpah. So, here it proves once more what you are missing by sleeping in on Sunday morning!!

I barely made it back to the safety of my 3 x 8 foot (1.50 x 2.50 mtr)  living room when the weather returned to normal and the rain has not stopped yet. Why am I here when I could be anchored off a palm fringed beach? I promise to share the answer when it is revealed to me.  

Tuesday evening my senior niece, Mariken, and her daughter Phoebe, treated me and her older brother Dirk Jan and her Australian sister Jozina to a superb Mussels dinner. See the below picture. Jozina is here for a three weeks visit from her home in Perth.     

Friday I took the train to Enkhuizen to visit the annual Classic Boat Fair. I had lunch at Astrid Lurweg’s Spelthuis bakery/cafe http://www.spelthuys.nl/. We met on Hiva Oha in the Marquesas in May 2005 and later in Papeete and Vanuatu. Astrid was the 1st mate/stuurvrouw on a classic three masted brigantine/bark, then. Be sure to vist her shop when you are in Enkhuizen. I had a chance to meet several friends I made through my interests in the classical Dutch sailing fleet. Hans Kuperus of “Water Music” who I met in the Greek Islands this summer met me at the fair. He took me aboard the m/v “Hydrograaf“, whose owners he is acquainted with through his profession in the maritime industry. Hans graduated from the same Naval Architecture school in Haarlem where my twin brother has his marine engineering degree from.  The “Hydrograaf” was launched in 1911 as a steam powered hydro graphic cartography vessel to map the shallow waters of the Dutch inland seas and coastal waters. It was also set up to be used as a royal yacht to visit the parts of the Dutch kingdom that were only accessible by water. My mother describes her visit to the island of Urk in “The Mastmakers‘ Daughters” in 1921 when Queen Wilhelmina arrived on the island on the “Hydrograaf” to inaugurate the first electric power installation on the island. The moment I stepped aboard into the over 100 year old ship, it was like a time warp, the rich Rosewood panelled interior, polished brass, the smell of  snert (Dutch pea soup) from the galley.  

Hans drove me to their home in nearby Hoorn. They live right in the old center in a 400 year old home with huge 20 x 20″ oak hand hewn timber frames. Their yacht club in Hoorn hosted a slide and video presentation of Paul Giep http://giebateau.weblog.nl/ and his partner Karolina. This young couple has gone places few of us will ever see. Steel nerves and a fibreglass hull. To 68 degrees north on Spitsbergen and 68 latitude South in Antarctica. They observed, as an example, a year’s cycle of the wildlife on the Falkland Islands. Incredible beautiful photography of the penguins, albatross, leopard seals, etc. Go take a look at their web blog.