playbook
A Day on the Amstel by Sloop
A sloop for three hours from Ouderkerk, bread and coffee on board. No plan, often ends up at a terrace in Amstelveen.
4u
duration
€ 35–90
budget
Ground
pace
The first time I rented a sloop, the engine died halfway through Amstelveen. The rental guy came in a van, said this happens once every summer, and tinkered for ten minutes. We drank a beer on the bank. Ever since, I always bring a book.
Taking a sloop on the Amstel is not a trip to the water. It's an excuse to do nothing useful for three hours. The cows in Amsterdam-Zuid look at you as if they know you're off. The tour boats thunder past and you just drift. By the end you're sun-kissed and you haven't really done anything, and that's exactly the point.
Checklist
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Sloep gereserveerd
Bel direct, niet via portal
Brood en thermoskan ingepakt
Weersvoorspelling gecheckt
Buienradar avond ervoor
Powerbank en zonnebrand
Cash voor terras
Vaarbewijs check (sloep < 15m, < 20 km/u)
Niet nodig voor de meeste sloepen
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by PlayTryBe team
Reserve a sloop for three or four hours at a rental company in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. Call them directly, it's faster than going through booking portals.
70Suggestion: Ask if you can pick up the boat a little early to go over what you need to know. Most rental companies are happy to help.Pack bread, fruit, a thermos of coffee and water. No elaborate picnic, just something to keep you going.
10Suggestion: A second sweater is not a luxury, even in June.At the rental company you'll get a brief rundown. Ask specifically how to moor and what to do when tour boats come past on the Amstel.
Suggestion: The biggest mistake is hitting reverse too hard when mooring.Head towards Amsterdam, not towards Uithoorn. The northern stretch is prettier and there are more terraces to pull up at.
Amstel richting Amsterdam-ZuidSomewhere around Amstelveen, moor at a spot where you can see a field and no houses. Switch off the engine. Listen.
At some point a tour boat comes past going too fast and you start to bob around. Everyone on your boat glances at each other. That's the moment you know you're free.
Moor at a waterside terrace. Het Kalfje in Amstelveen or De Voetangel are classics, but any mooring spot with a stool will do.
Het Kalfje, Amsteldijk Noord 225, Amstelveen25On the way back you go slower. Not on purpose, it just happens. Return the sloop on time, otherwise you'll be charged per quarter hour.
What did you do today? Nothing useful. And yet you're tired. Water has that effect.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Book at least two days ahead on weekends, otherwise everything is gone.
- Bring cash for the terrace and any small fines at a lock.
- Leave before 11am or after 4pm, the water is quieter then.
- A power bank and sunscreen are the two things you always forget.
Variations
- - Met overnachting: huur tot 18 uur en eet onderweg bij Het Kalfje of De Voetangel.
- - Solo-versie: een kleinere sloep voor twee uur is goedkoper en intiemer.
- - Met kinderen: een fluisterboot is veiliger en stiller, kinderen vallen makkelijker in slaap.
- - In het laagseizoen (april of oktober): minder druk, kouder, mooier licht.