An article written by: Expatshaarlem.nl about Greenjoy Boat Rental
Since we want to make sure we know exactly what we’re offering you, our dear reader, we decided to take it for a little test drive: Two parents, three children (a 2-year-old, a 3-year-old, and one who just turned 5 last week) and a boat.
LOOSDRECHT
Greenjoy has four locations, and since we wanted to see somewhere other than Haarlem for a change, we decided to go to Utrecht. Luckily, we heard just in time about the rubber boat mission there (something involving a massive number of rubber boats clogging up Utrecht’s canals), so we switched to Loosdrechtse Plassen. Space, water, and wind were what awaited us.
THE ANCHOR
In about 45 minutes, we drove to the small marina Het Anker, the starting point of our journey. Parking was free, and the instructions (“go through the fence, over the bridge, keep to your right, and the boat will be behind the picnic table”) were crystal clear. Once everyone had boarded the boat, we unplugged the charging cable and secured the rubber stoppers to keep water from coming aboard—and all that stood between us and a great day of boating fun was texting “Sloep18 ON.”
ROPES
From there, we untied the ropes and off we went. Well, after we had also removed ropes number 2 and 3. Handling the boat couldn’t have been easier: Putting the big handle in the forward position made the boat move forward, putting it in the middle stopped it, and when we wanted to go backward, we just had to pull the handle toward us. We felt like real sailors.
For our little ones, who haven’t quite mastered swimming yet, we’d brought water wings, but there were little life jackets stashed under the boat’s benches, so even little Mila looked like a character straight out of *Deadliest Catch*.
It took us about 10 minutes to get from Het Anker to the Plassen themselves. Although the boat had a maximum capacity of 6 adults, it was very spacious, with seating for at least 12 people, so there was plenty of room for us to lie down and enjoy the ride.
SPEED
The Greenjoy boats don’t go very fast; if you want to zoom down the canals, scare away the little sailboats on the water, or impress sunbathers with your boating skills, this isn’t for you. If you just want to have a good time on the water, able to have a conversation without having to shout over the sound of a roaring engine, Greenjoy comes highly recommended: aside from a faint hum from the motor, we heard nothing but water, wind, birds, and… well, the kinds of sounds you might hear while out in the middle of a vast expanse of water. Keyword: relaxation.
As all good things must come to an end, after two hours our time was up and we had to head back to the marina. Just a little tip: when you come out of the small stream onto the big lake, make a mental note—or take a picture, or mark a Google Maps pin, or whatever works for you—of where you came from. It turned out that for us, landlubbers that we are, finding our way back was quite a challenge.
BOAT OUT
We made it back to Het Anker, though; we parked the boat (or whatever you call parking a boat), pulled the plugs, and secured all the ropes before we texted Sloep18 UIT to let them know we were done. Now that was fun!
expatsHaarlem says: Thumbs up for Greenjoy.
If you’re looking for a pleasant, relaxed boat trip that’s as easy to arrange as taking the bus, I suggest you check out what they have to offer.