The reason: the lock gates are being replaced. According to the responsible Rijkswaterstaat, the highest Dutch water authority, this is a proactive maintenance programme. The aim is to minimise downtime in the coming years. This is because further closures are expected in the winter months of 2012 and 2013. This is in connection with the construction of another lock chamber directly next to the existing one. By expanding the capacity, the bottleneck between the IJsselmeer and Friesland, which sometimes caused waiting times of several hours during the peak season, is to be alleviated.
At present, water sports enthusiasts can use the old lock in Stavoren (operated daily from 9 am to 7 pm). To do this, the old harbour to the north of the lock foreshore must be approached. However, the maximum depth there is only 1.50 metres. The route via Workum is not much better. The water level there is 1.65 metres above the jetty. Wind-induced water level fluctuations must always be taken into account, especially during long periods of easterly winds. If you want to get to Friesland safely and without problems, you have to go via Lemmer. The large lock there has sufficient draught and is operated around the clock.
Unfortunately, according to those responsible, the German public holiday on Monday 3 October - the first day on which the lock was not operated - was overlooked when planning the closure. When the water sports companies in the region pointed out the problem, it was too late to postpone the work by one day. The logistical effort would have been too great. The result: numerous German yachts encountered closed doors and had to take long detours.
Current closures around the IJsselmeer are always announced 15 minutes after the hour on VHF channel 1. Further information on current closures and restrictions on inland waterways is available from the Binnenwateren information centre on its Homepage.
