The inn was full for Joseph and Mary, but it is also difficult for skippers to find a place in the harbors of Werkendam before Christmas. Like saving angels, harbor masters Jan and Lou solve the puzzle. “Just like a game of Tetris.”
“There is a hole here, so a ship could be moored there.” From the harbor office in Werkendam, which overlooks the busy Beatrix and Biesbosch harbour, harbor masters Jan Smit and Lou Goedel are busy parking ships for the holidays.
“All skippers who have Werkendam as their home port would like to be here for Christmas,” says Smit. But finding a berth in the second largest inland port in the Netherlands is not so easy this Christmas.
There is a ‘chronic lack of space’ in the ports of Werkendam, mainly for maritime companies. “They want to grow and then your port must also be able to grow,” says Goedel. A new, third port is not expected to be realized until after 2030.
“First come, first served. The inn is full with 115 ships.”
So it’s cramming for the upcoming holidays. The two harbor masters can see on a digital, interactive map whether there is still room in their inn this Christmas. “It is a very big puzzle,” Goedel shows on his computer screen. He compares it to a game of Tetris. “We try to get as many ships into the port as possible.”
From December 15, no more places will be kept available in the port of Werkendam. “Then it applies: first come, first served,” says Goedel. “The inn is full with 110 to 115 ships, depending on the size of the ships.”
Fortunately, the Kornet skipper family has already been able to secure a place in the inn. “I already made a reservation in March to be able to berth here with my ship,” says skipper Marius Kornet. “And then it’s a bit of a hope and a gamble that you can end up together.”
“That worked out well this year,” he continues with satisfaction. His family is next to each other, allowing brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces to walk from deck to deck. “We are on the road with the ship all year round. It never actually happens that you all see each other at the same time.”
It remains to be seen whether a skipper currently sailing on the German Middle Rhine can still moor in the port of Werkendam on Christmas Eve. “They just have to keep in touch with us to see if there is still room,” says harbor master Smit. “At some point the inn is full.”
