This year it is almost as busy on the Drenthe canals as in 2022, according to provisional figures from the province. More promotion is needed to attract new boating holidaymakers to this province, the provincial coordinator agrees.
The shipping count for this season is reasonably in line with last year’s. The figures show that there is still a backlog compared to last year, but September, which is popular for pleasure craft, has only just begun. And the weather forecast is fine.
In 2022, 19,625 sailing movements were registered in the waters of Drenthe. Until last week there were about 2000 less.
“We expect the picture to improve compared to 2022,” says Nieko Dijkstra, provincial coordinator for bridge and lock operation. “You also always have a group of recreational boaters waiting until the biggest crowds on the water are over.”
New Amsterdam
Among the moorings in Drenthe, New Amsterdam takes the crown in terms of crowds. ,,The middle classes do everything they can to get people off the ship to visit the village or take a bike ride in the area. Sometimes fifty to sixty boats are there.”
The peat canal, the sailing route from Nieuw-Amsterdam/Veenoord to Ter Apel, is also popular. Recently, this summer, the 1500th boat sailed through this canal. Dijkstra: ,,The peat shipping cooperative does a lot to promote that area and that works.”
Walking and cycling
Although there is plenty to do for pleasure craft on the water and on the mainland, Drenthe still advertises itself as a walking and cycling province.
Albert Wolting, chairman of the De Drentse Praam foundation and initiator of the passers-by harbor in Hoogeveen, has previously criticized this. According to him, Drenthe doesn’t beat the drum enough when it comes to boating recreation in this province.
Nieko Dijkstra thinks that Wolting certainly has a point. “Drenthe is strongly committed to walking and cycling. There is less attention for sailing.” But according to Dijkstra that will get better. “From the province there are also contacts with Marketing Drenthe about this.”
‘Multicolored painting’
It will also have its own website fern.drenthe.nl , with practical information for skippers. “We draw visitors’ attention to the interesting combination of boating with walking or cycling. Drenthe is much more than a nice frame, the province is a multicolored painting.”
The boaters who choose Drenthe not only want to enjoy the canals, but also want to explore the area. ,,That is an important characteristic of this group”, says Dijkstra. “They take the time to visit villages and towns, in combination with boating.”
Throughout the year
In Drenthe you can sail all year round, with the exception of the period between Christmas and the turn of the year. “A lot of sailors don’t know that. Of course the emphasis is on the period from May to October, but sailing in this province is also possible outside of that period.”
During those lukewarm months, the skippers have to take the initiative themselves on some routes and make an appointment with the people who operate the bridges and locks. “But with such an application, a lot is possible.”
Corona years
Dijkstra does not expect the figures for pleasure boating to recover to the level of about ten years ago, when almost 28,000 boating movements were registered. According to him, aging plays an important role. “There was a brief revival in the corona years when many people opted to rent a boat during the holiday period.”
Staff
According to provincial coordinator Nieko Dijkstra, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find personnel to operate the bridges and locks in the Drenthe canals. ,,The average age of the employees is already about 60 years”, he knows. ,,With a special campaign we hope to interest more and especially younger people in this work.” In the busy summer period about 70 people are active (part-time) with the ministry.