“All ships. All ships. This is Netherlands coastguard with the weather forecast for Netherlands coastal waters and adjacent lakes and estuaries of today 0805 local time,” the voice on VHF channel 23 says.
There may be many reasons to sail to Holland quite apart from the opportunity to hear those gravelly tones. It is a good area for cruising particularly around the southern meers and, indeed, further north in the Ijsselmeer with many a pleasant town harbour or marina to birth in overnight after a fine sail during the day in more sheltered and calmer waters than you might find on the open sea.
But, no less than this, the very good reason to make a beeline for Dutch territory is to sample that apple based cake or pastry they call Appelgebak which they serve with cream and wash down with very fine coffee.
At once you can take the edge off your hunger whilst, at the same time, getting that daily fix of caffeine. It costs about 3 Euros 50. In addition to that experience, you are then set fair to take to continental café life; whether that be enjoying the open air and, hopefully, the sunshine or simply watching the passing human tide.
The anticipation keeps you going
Often, in fact, it is the anticipation of this treat that helps to keep you going so that many a difficult passage is made easier with the sure knowledge that, at its end, there will cake and coffee. Passages can then develop into thoroughly enjoyable expeditions in search of this so that, in the end, it can give them a much lighter dynamic than they might otherwise possess. This is something that pleases everyone on board.
I had my first Appelgebak in 1992 in Brouwershaven in summer sunshine after an afternoon sail through Gravelingenmeer. Since then it has always been in the back of my mind that, wherever we go in Holland, there might be the possibility of enjoying coffee and cake so that when, for example, we hired bikes from the hotel in Monnickendam in 2003 and rode the four miles or so to Edam, ostensibly in search of exercise and to see the famous town, there was the vague, half formed, but nevertheless very apparent idea that we might sit at a café and eat this most traditional Dutch sweet. Unfortunately we were to be disappointed because they did not serve Appelgebak after 6pm.
In Elberg, that same year, there was nearly a repeat of this Edam experience. However, the manager of the café we had chosen, perhaps because of a slow evening, but also perhaps (we like to think) out of kindness, gave us special treatment and served us a very fine example. Back on board it was also good news as the gravelly voice continued soothingly with, “A warning to shipping? There are no warnings.”
