Going Dutch
We arrived in Stavoren Holland on June 6 to move aboard our newly purchased Westerly Berwick sailboat. Our prior experience in the country was limited to two jet-lagged days in Amsterdam, and two days of driving around in April looking at boats. We really did not know what to expect.
In April the weather had been freezing, windy, and wet. By June, it had moderated to cold, windy, and wet. However, one day in mid-June, it switched from cold to warm with light winds (and wet) and stayed that way until we left in August.
The food was a bit of a surprise. Stavoren, which is just a village, has only one small grocery store. It is reasonably well stocked with a good variety of fruits and vegetables, plenty of cheeses, bread, wine, and a selection of meats. What it does not have, is canned goods.
The grocery store in Stavoren
We were used to American supermarkets with aisles of canned everything. In Holland, we found even the larger grocery stores carried few canned goods. It seems the Dutch people are constrained to eating nothing but fresh, wholesome food. We got used to that after a few days and resigned ourselves to eating well.
In addition to the grocery store, there was a butcher shop.
The butcher shop of Stavoren
We bought almost all our meat and eggs here. They always had a good selection of marinated and spiced meat that we could simply throw in our frying pan and cook. Remember, we are living on a small boat with just a little two burner gas stove and no oven. I should add that our refrigerator is also tiny. It has enough room for two dinners. As a result, we go shopping every one or two days. It actually works out rather well that way.
A habit we brought from Sunnyvale was to walk into town every day for a cup of coffee. This ensured we would get at least some exercise when we lived in a house. On a boat you are compelled to exercise whether you want to or not. Still, the walk is healthy and causes us to get out, see things, and meet people. Sometimes, if the walk is later in the morning we will have a snack with our coffee. We went to a number of different places but eventually settled on a favorite.
Our favorite fish shop in Stavoren
We thought this shop had the nicest people and the best service.
Our favorite fish mongers in Stavoren
On days we had a snack with our coffee, it was usually a plate of delicious fried fish pieces called kibbling.
kibbling
The best kibbling in Holland is in Stavoren and the best kibbling in Stavoren is here.
I have talked with many German and English boaters about their experiences in Holland and found universal agreement. The best thing about the place is the people. All the Dutch people we met were friendly and helpful. They were mostly well educated and struck me as being an unusually practical people.
One of the first people we met was Hans van der Weij at Skipshandel Stavoren. It was through Hans we bought Orca.
Hans Weij at Skipshandel Stavoren
During the process of buying Orca, and more significantly, for the month we stayed in Stavoren after completing the purchase, Hans helped us in every way he could. This included many things unrelated to buying the boat – such as explaining the local cell phone system and printing and scanning documents related to my business. Should you ever want to buy of sell a boat in Northern Europe, I highly recommend working with Hans.
The next person we met was Hans van Osenbruggen.
Hans van Osenbruggen
Hans is the bar tender at the Stavoren marina clubhouse. He is also a tour guide, a story teller and an entertainer. Mostly, he is an all around nice guy who is always willing to go out of his way to help another person. I am hoping that someday he might contribute some of his remarkable stories to this website.
While we were in Stavoren, Hans introduced us to many new foods, drinks and people. One of the people was Jon Mensing. When our stuff finally got to Rotterdam, there were no rental trucks available to drive down and retrieve it. Jon drove us down and back in his Volkswagen camper.
Jon Mensing and the infamous "stuff"
Unfortunately, what should have been a 5 hour trip, due to a highway accident that closed down the main motorway, became a 10 hour ordeal. Throughout the entire fiasco, including the times our detours took on roads too narrow for two vehicles to pass, Jon remained cool, calm, and in good spirits. He was an example of how we all should handle to adversity.
We were another month in Holland after we left Stavoren and met other wonderful people. Combined with the geography of the country, I understand why it is everyone’s favorite place to sail. If only they could do something about the weather.