Middelharnis

I hadnt heard of Middelharnis before, but we got up early and came up the canal to this typical Dutch town. There is just enough width in the canal to turn Bonita round, so long as no other boats are in the area at the time. We came here as we were seeking expert reassurance that our VHF radio was working as it should despite some recent difficulties including a dodgy aerial connection. That sorted, we tied up at a pontoon close to the centre of town. There is a lively area around the canal and a surprisingly large number of high-quality looking shops. On the water there are many boats old and new, and ashore there is a historic shipyard/museum. There is a rich history of ships and shipbuilding associated with the town.

The large vessel is the Johanna Hendrika MD10, a 94 ton iron fishing vessel built in 1897. She was originally schooner rigged, but it wasnt clear to us if there are any realistic plans to rerig her or to get her back in the water again.