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Published: April 17th 2016
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The last village to visit this sailing season before hauling out for the winter is Urk. It is located on the IJsselmeer, the largest inland water in Western Europe. We had heard it was a very traditional village and a good place to stop for a few days.
We found out quite a bit about the history of this area and why Urk has remained as traditional as it has for so long. In fact they have their own dialect of the Dutch language due to the fact that until 1939 Urk had been an island! The island was actually in the Almere Lake, but it became part of the Zuiderzee in the 13
th century mainly due to the results of a large storm making this area actually tidal. In 1939 a dike was built from the mainland to the island of Urk which was a major change for this area, but many of the people still try to keep to their traditional ways and language. With the connection now to the mainland and the use of cars of course influences have changed some of this. The Zuiderzee became part of the Ijsselmeer which is a freshwater lake only 15-20
feet deep.
The main occupation of Urk was fishing and it still derives much of its income from this industry, however, the boats must travel much further now to get to the North Sea. Urk still has a very active shipyard as we saw many fishing boats coming in to be repaired or rebuilt while there. In fact a tug was bringing in a large ship that needed to be repaired and fortunately they are very good at their ability to maneuver in tight spaces as they had to go very close past us, put the boat into position and then leave this same way. It was an impressive operation to see that close up!
The village of 20,000 was a very relaxed place to spend a few days. On Sunday nothing is opened at all as it is a very religiously conservative area. The result of this was seeing families out together taking a walk, flying a kite or having a picnic. It was nice to see families spending time together as our hectic lifestyles in so many places has gotten us away from this tradition.
One of the obvious features when coming into Urk is
Where Do Urk Babies Come From?
Look very closely at the rock breaking the surface in top right photo! the lighthouse. Unfortunately we didn’t get to go inside as it wasn’t open for visitors when we were there but it is still working to this day. It was built in 1837 but prior to that a coal fire was kept lit in this area to help protect those that sailed near here.
Near the lighthouse there is a memorial to those that have lost their life at sea and unfortunately names continue to be added. The statute that stands here is of a woman looking out to sea for those that she has lost. Near this area there is a plaque that also describes a very unusual tale that is told to those that ask where babies come from. The story goes that those that are not native to Urk were either found under a cabbage or brought by the stork. Those that are native to Urk are delivered a very different way. There is a rock that you can see coming out of the water offshore about 70 feet. There is a door to the rock that lies under the water. The expectant father must first travel to another “town” to get the key (originally by rowing,
but now by car), then row out to the rock with the key, open the door and obtain their new baby! There is even a statute depicting a man looking forlorn down at the rock with a woman and a basket waiting for their newborn. A very interesting story indeed. The irony is that the story goes on to stay that the stork actually brings the baby from Egypt and places the baby in the “room” under the surface of the rock. They do have a stork involved in their story too, but very specific as to where it came from. Now, remember that this is all obtained from various translations and stories that we heard so there may be other twist and turns to the tale as well.
We stayed in Urk a little longer than we planned as we had originally hoped to be in Lelystad by October 1
st to get ready to haul out, but Janice is still having problems with her legs and arms so we hoped that with a few more days of rest (and not pushing ourselves) she would be in a better condition to be able to fly back to the US
to seek medical attention.
At the marina in Urk there is an unusual fiberglass sculpture that is lit up at night. It is quite attractive with a blue light on it, but we had a hard time figuring out the story behind it. We kept asking people, but no one was able to fill us in. Finally near the last day we heard that historically the village was listed on maps as Orck. As a result the story goes that it may have been named after the magnificent Orca. As a result this orca fountain stands proudly in the marina.
With Janice not able to keep up as hectic a pace, our time here in Urk has been low-key but a very pleasant one. She feels that after a few days of a more restful pace she will be up to tying up Tsamaya when we arrive in the marina in Lelystad – for now that is all that she needs to be able to do!
It was finally time to make our move as October was upon us and we needed to get the boat winterized and hauled out. Our plans were up in the air
however as we had no idea what Janice’s medical problems were and how long it was going to take to get over it. The “plan” as it stood was for Janice to fly back to the US alone with Bob staying on the boat lining up work to be done and getting the boat ready to stow away. At this time we didn’t know how long we were going to be away from the boat, only that Bob would fly to the US the first part of December.
As you know that this blog is very late in being post you all know if you have been reading the newer posting what we have been doing. Just wanted to fill in the gap about our time in Urk.
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cyndie t
non-member comment
Urk blog
Hello Friends, Didn't expect a blog from last Fall, but it was nice. Love the pictures of the marinas, boats, boat yards and water life in general. When you talked about the names of the souls lost at sea, just a reminder that we have no control over the power of nature, whether it is water, wind, storms, earthquakes or volcanic activity. So, why do people get puffed up and think that they are special. LOL We are such peons against such forces. [maybe I am just sick and tired of the Clintons and Trumps - AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!] Is Bob on pain medicine to handle the hip issues, or exercises to lesson the impact? My PT actually took a great turn last week,....and I am walking better, and been on the motorcycle 3 times, including a 130 mile trip today on the CanAm Spyder with Bill on the back and accompanied by my cousin and her husband who also have a CanAm --- the same color. Kind of look like twins and we collect some looks for sure. Motorcycles were out in droves today, as we traveled over the hills to Hammondsport, then up 54A to Branchport and Penn Yan, then to 5 & 20, and finally down 89 to home. Bill was exhausted...oh yes...so was I. Home at 4,...slept until 6. LOL It was a lovely day and feels good to get out on the motorcycles again. I'm sure you are anxious to be on the Tsamaya again and living the life. The world is changing....so if you don't want to hear it again...skip to the last paragraph....be very aware and alert as you travel and attend festivals. I don't want to read about you in the paper or hear about you on GMA. okay? ;o) Hoping you are crossing things off your list as you prepare to head out in a couple of weeks. My best wishes and love are with you always, and keep those blogs coming. You are my window to the world and I enjoy them immensely. love and hugs....xoxoxoxoxo...cyndie and Bill