Through the Netherlands via the Standing Mast Routes

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The Staande Mast Route (Dutch for Standing Mast Route) enables yachts with their masts up to transit nearly 1,000 kms of inland waterways in the Netherlands leading from Vlissingen close to the Belgian border as far as Delfzijl near the border with Germany. Although often described as a single route, parts of it can in fact be transited via several alternative routes. Authorities responsible for the various sections of the Staande Mast Route co-ordinate bridge and lock opening times to provide smooth passage for users, which include numerous commercial vessels as well as leisure craft - or 'sport boats' as they are known in the Netherlands. Several hundred yachts (both sail and motor) use the Route each year as an alternative to braving the exposed west and north coasts of the Netherlands, where ports of refuge are not plentiful. This guide to the Route is produced and edited by the European Inland Waterways Section (EIWS) of the Cruising Association (CA) and relies on regular updates from its members, many of whom cruise all or parts of the Route each year. It also includes a 25 per cent discount offer on first year's CA membership to purchasers joining online during the year. Members have access to the CA's proprietary CAptain's Mate app, enabling them to access the most up-to-date information on routes and moorings locations.