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For a long time we wanted to rent a boat for recreational boating at the Biesbosch.
Even though hot summer days were long gone and autumn had arrived with its cold wet days, we still wanted to go boating at the Biesbosch. Once we plan on something, it will happen. Easier said than done.
Several times we postponed the date, because it was constantly raining. We didn’t think it would be pleasant to get wet in an open boat in the middle of the water.
We set our deadline on October 31, because after that, the boating season would be closed and no more boats would be rented until spring next year. Even if it was possible to rent a boat after that date, we didn’t feel like boating in November. In our opinion, it would be too cold on the water. Our deadline was set for October 31st.
Our chances kept getting smaller. It had been raining all week and we kept an eye on the weather forecast. Our last chance appeared! The only day it would be dry was actually on Saturday October 31.
Two days in advance we reserved an open motor boat for a maximum of five people. We wanted a smaller boat, but all the other boats were already rented. I didn’t mind this motor boat was a bit bigger, then I was sure we wouldn’t capsize and end up in the water.
We payed 65 euros for the full day rental from 9 am-5pm. We had to leave a 100 euro cash deposit, which we got back at the end of the day. For fuel we paid 2 euros per liter with a consumption of about 1 liter per hour. The motor boat was equipped with a silent 4-stroke outboard engine and after a short instruction, we were able to steer the boat. We didn’t need a license!
We planned to go boating at 9 am, but eventually it became 12.30 pm. The boat owner showed us a map of the Biesbosch and which route we could take. He also showed us a little beach where we could dock the motor boat, because we wanted to have lunch on the side. We had plenty of time to do this, as the route would take 2,5 hours in total.
We rented a watertight plastic barrel in which we put our valuables that should not get wet. We were super happy with this, especially because we took camera stuff with us, that we didn’t want to get wet.
We were ready to go and I sat on front of the motor boat, so I had to read the physical map, as the person in the back had to drive the boat. I’m not sure I was happy to read the map, nor could I guarantee that we wouldn’t get lost on the water. According to the owner we could still use Google maps if anything would happen, just in case.
The moment we sailed on the water it felt so relaxed and soothing. It is wonderful to be on the water in a boat surrounded by beautiful nature. It directly calmed my mind and opened my senses. This was pure enjoyment.
Not for the three people who left with their canoe just before us. They had also brought their dog in the canoe and it had jumped into the water. We saw the three of them standing by the reed up to their waist in the water and one of them had the wet soaked dog in his arms. Their paddle had fallen in the middle of the water, so we helped them and fished the paddle out of the water. They were fine after that.
We continued our boat trip, while I kept a close eye on the map. I didn’t want to miss the small passage to the left called ‘Sloot beneden Petrus’ and I used the houses on the side as starting points, which were also drawn on the map. We could find the inlet quite easily and it took some concentration to navigate through these narrow waters.
I think these were the most beautiful parts of the Biesbosch. We moved through a very narrow, shallow creek with on both sides willows and trees growing, colorful yellow-brown reed bushes and many different plants. It was like we were floathing through the wilderness with our motor boat and I thought it was really beautiful here. It was only a short distance, but in the future I would like to floath much longer in these areas.
We came back to wider waters and we saw the little beach where the owner told us we could have lunch. We decided to stay in the boat and have a nice lunch on the water. We were afraid that the boat would overturn if we pulled aside, just like the canoes from before, but also from real experience of one of us not such a long ago. I wouldn’t mind to fall in the water on a hot summer day, but at that moment, I’d rather not.
It was actually very nice to have lunch on the water. We ate hot soup and Dutch sauerkraut stew that were kept warm in special food bins, fresh croissants and other delicious things that we brought with us on the boat. We were not afraid to get hungry during our trip. The weather was lovely too, it was not cold at all and the sun came through every time.
For the next couple of hours we went with our motor boat through waterway ‘Gat van Noorderklip’ a creek as wide as a river, with al lot af trees on the side, reed bushes and nature. We also saw many different kind of birds and a place with a lot of swans together.
We were looking for the entrance of a little waterway called ‘Buiten Kooigat’. We went into a small inlet and from the view of it, the area promised to be very beautiful.
We read on a sign that we had to watch out for pebbles plus that only whisper boats were allowed. It was indeed very shallow and we saw the stones on the bottom of the water. We realized that this was not the right way, so we had to turn around, but we thought it would be a great experience to explore these surroundings with a whisper boat.
We kept on searching for the entrance of ‘Buiten Kooigat’ but unfortunately there were no nameplates like you have on the street for street names.
It was getting late and in autumn it gets dark very quickly. We didn’t want to get lost in the many creeks of the Biesbosch, especially not in the area that was called ‘De dood’ (Death) which was nearby those waterways. We got a little suspicious, especially on Halloween night to come. We decided to take the same route back as we had come.
The sun was already setting and the sky was gorgeous on our way back. We got back on time. The people with the canoe, that had fallen into the water at the beginning of the day, arrived at the same time too. They told us that they had warmed up on the side by a homemade campfire and after that, they had a nice canoe day together with their dog. We were happy to hear that.
This day of boating is worth repeating and we will come back next year, probably in the summer. The owner told us to book early, because it has been very busy this past summer and all boats were rented out early. We will keep that in mind if we go rent a boat again. It’s definitely worth it.
