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Sailing area Friesland

In Friesland, you will find all the elements that will make your sailing holiday into an unforgettable experience. The numerous Frisian lakes, interconnected through a unique system of rivers and canals, will lead you along typical landscapes with wide vistas studded with picturesque villages and cities.

The Frisian lakes region offers unique little towns with well-equipped marinas inviting you to call in, such as: Sneek, Langweer, Sloten, Woudsend, Grou and Eernewoude.

In short: we are the right place to turn to if you wish to rent a yacht in Friesland!

Sailing routes in Friesland

In Friesland you will find a lot of water and sailing routes. To help you on your way, we have mapped out some nice sailing routes for you. On board of the yacht you will find these routes as well. 

Sailing routes Friesland

Sail through the villages
Town of the Eleven Town Route

Eleven City Tour by boat

The Eleven City Tour, or "Elfstedentocht" (known in Frisian as the Alvestêdetocht) is a skating race over almost 200 kilometres of natural ice which is organised by the Eleven Frisian Cities Association (Vereniging De Friesche Elf Steden). Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland, is traditionally the start and finish location. The Elfstedentocht was first held in 1909. The race can only take place if the ice is in good condition. The race has been held fifteen times. The last race was in 1997. Luckily, the route can also be discovered by boat.

We have two sailing routes: a north and a south route. 

The Marrekrite

Natural moor in Friesland

Mooring for free in the middle of nature is possible in Friesland thanks to the Marrekrite. The Marrekrite is a concept, domestically as well as abroad. Through the use of the Marrekrite (a joint venture between the province and 21 municipalities, which establishes and maintains free moorings in rural areas along the Frisian lakes and waterways), provincial and municipal authorities in Friesland want to enable you, as a water sports enthusiast/tourist, to sojourn in our beautiful nature.

Since 1957, more than 300 landing facilities have been erected in the Frisian lakes region, with a total capacity for approximately 3500 boats. Garbage containers have been stationed at various locations to keep the terrains and areas clean.

Marrekrite moorages are unique and high in demand. In order to provide as many interested parties as possible with the opportunity to use the Marrekrite moorages, a maximum of three mooring days has been imposed. As a yacht rental agency, we also support the Marrekrite. This is why you will see a small flag of the Marrekrite on the masts of our ship

Download the flyer about the Marrekrite

The Marrekrite
Cross bridges and locks

Bridges and locks

On your trip you will cross several bridges and locks. It is possible that the boat is too big to fit under a bridge. In that case, you will need to handle the bridge to open. This you can either do by yourself or there is someone who operates the bridge or lock. 

General scheme of service time in Friesland:

  • 9.00 am - 12.00 pm
  • 1.00 pm - 4.15 pm 
  • 5.15 pm - 7.00 pm (June till August 8.00 pm)

For some bridges you must pay a small fee. This fee is about € 2,00 and must be payed in cash. 

The Frisian language and traditions

Friesland is unique because it has its own language, flag and national anthem. Its residents can speak, write and read Dutch and Frisian (or Frysk). The new Frisian literature, music and poetry which appears every year is proof that the Frisian language is alive and kicking. Frisian sayings have even been incorporated into the Dutch language. For example, ‘It giet oan!’ (It's on), ‘It kin net’ (It can't be done) and ‘Oant moarn!’ (See you tomorrow).

Anyone who counts the leaves will see that there are seven in the Frisian flag. These represent the seven districts which Friesland used to have, and which extended from Alkmaar to Wezer in Germany.

 

Friesland is also a fantastic location for sports and events. Fierljeppen (pole vaulting ditches), keatsen (Frisian handball), Skûtsjesilen (sailing competitions using 19th century Frisian cargo ships) and, of course, the world-famous Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour, a speed skating race). During the summer season, all kinds of events are organised in Friesland for young and old. The following are just a few examples: the Sneekweek sailing activity week, the Chameleon Village of Terherne, the old-fashioned country wedding and hot air balloon celebrations in Joure and the PC handball competition in Franeker.