Taking Anja home!

Anja's background

Anja in Groningen, near Hoogezand where she was built in 1903

One of our purposes in visiting the Netherlands was to travel with our boat to where she had been built, in Hoogezand in the Province of Groningen, and to find out more about her background. From her original registration documents we have quite a deal of information: built and first measured in 1903 by a boatyard in Hoogezand (ship yard's name not recorded) for Mr A. Bruining of Oude Pekala (about 20 kilometres south east of Hoogezand); a Bolpraam design, made of steel, 19.8 metres long, 4.16m wide and able to carry 64.96 tons, named Excelsior. Because of a change in regulations, she was measured again in 1930 and there were some changes: still Excelsior, she was now described as a Tjalkschip made of iron; her current owner was Mr L Lammers of New Amsterdam; the measurement was carried out in Meppel, about 70 kilometres south of Hoogezand. Length was now listed as 19.3 metres and breadth as 4.17m, tonnage 63.979. Perhaps this measurement was more precise.

Our further research has allowed us to establish that Meppel, Hoogezand and Oude Pekala are all significant in the production of peat; Meppel was the centre of peat distribution, which used barges for transport, so Anja was probably built and first used to carry peat. This was the major industry for many years in the North East of the Netherlands although by the beginning of the 20th century it was failing and in the Groningen area cardboard, sugar production and potato growing became more important. So probably in later years Anja carried cargoes such as these and maybe sand and soil.

Originally Anja would have had large leeboards (like centre boards but on the side, to stop sideways drift) and she had a mast but no engine. We were told that she sailed to the outer islands, but with the history we now know, this seems unlikely; her flat bottom makes her more suitable for the canals, rivers and shallow lakes. The re- registration at Meppel supports this view. In the ship museum at Groningen we saw photos of boats very like her being towed along using the mast as a towing point, and it seems likely that this was how she normally travelled, though perhaps at times she could hoist her sails on the canals too if there were no bridges or locks and the wind were favourable.

The Ship Museum at Groningen has wonderful photos of the inland shipping fleet over many years but we have not found any clear answers on why Anja was originally classified as a "bolpraam" (translated as flat and round) and later as a tjalk, a more general definition. Tjalks were very common at that time and in the preceding century. Perhaps the new registration was less precise about the exact fine details of shape and concentrated more on the overall classification. Perhaps it is clearest to say that a bolpraam is a particular style of tjalk.

The Drentsche Hoofdvaart Canal
Old brick kilns along canal (most buildings here have been brick for hundreds of yesrs)

For the last stages of Anja's journey back to her origins we set out from Zwartsluis for a journey of 50 kilometres with ten locks and forty eight lifting bridges, so on average one lifting bridge every kilometre. We started out along Meppelerdiep, leading straight to Meppel. This was probably a route that she had taken many times before.  Continuing along her likely old routes, we left Meppel and took the Drentsche Hoofdvaart Canal which dates from the 16th and 17th century, and to make her (and us) feel at home, here we had our first Netherlands manually operated locks, and chatty friendly lock keepers as well. Next was the Noord Willemskanal to Groningen. Unfortunately this canal had been modernised in the 1970s and we were back to mechanised locks and bridges. Our passage was very slow, mainly because, especially approaching Groningen, the operators were rarely there when we arrived. We hung about for at least 20 minutes at almost every bridge, longer at the start of each day and after the one hour lunch time closure (where operators stopped early and arrived late after lunch!). Still, Anja's passage along here undoubtedly was slow too as she was towed along, probably by horse, man (or woman or child) power into Groningen.

Along the canal

The countryside along these canals is very flat and still devoted to agriculture as it would have been 111 years ago. There are some very attractive houses lining the canals and a few small towns. This is ancient land, settled and farmed since about 4,000 BC.

Sculptures along the canal remind us of earlier days

When we arrived at the major port of Groningen we found an excellent spot in the original harbour area, surrounded by the old warehouses that were very busy in previous times, but are now mainly residential. They are most attractive brick buildings which have stood the test of time. One adjacent to us was built in 1330, but looks stylish and modern still.

Next we made our way to Hoogezand, which meant turning on to Winschoterdiep, no locks but plenty of lifting bridges. Then finally into the old Harbour area at Hoogezand to tie up along the side at a rough but satisfactory quay: the end of the journey back.

Huge seagoing ships are now built in and near Hoogezand

We cannot be sure which of the shipyards was responsible for building our boat. We have passed four on our way here, all now engaged in making massive ships and a fifth small old yard which may have been mainly for boat storage. We had found out from a helpful assistant at the ship museum in Groningen that there have been about 50 shipbuilders operating in Hoogezand over the years; she listed eight operating around 1903. We saw just one still in operation which was working back then, now the Royal Bodewes Shipworks, previously without the "Royal" to its name. Founded here in 1812 the Hoogezand yard is located in the old Harbour area but it is now an international company. Their head office is opposite where we were moored, 50 metres away. So maybe that was where Anja was built, or maybe the yard went out of business or was taken over by someone else. We will probably never know. But we do know that Anja has come home to where she started, and that we have more of an understanding of her past.

 Headquarters of Royal Bodewes Shipyard which might have built Anja plus a boat like Anja in 1903

Best Regards,

Penny and Dave

Giant ships are builtt here now- to 220+ metres!