The sailing punter has a flat bottom and so sails easily through the shallow canals and waterways of Giethoorn. It has no motor: a sail or rudder drives the boat. That way you explore the village calmly and without emissions.
This boat was originally designed as a working boat for peat extraction, but today it is mainly used for tourism. Several rental companies in Giethoorn hire out small sailing punters to visitors.
The sailing punter has a traditional wooden construction and a large white sail. Sailing through the canals of Giethoorn is peaceful, with nature all around you.
If you come to Giethoorn, we recommend renting a sailing punter for a trip through the village canals.
The different parts
A sailing punter is a vessel driven mainly by a sail. It consists of several parts, including:
- Mast: The mast is the vertical upright that supports the sail.
- Sail: The sail is the cloth used to catch the wind and so drive the punter forward.
- Sprit: The sprit is a round wooden spar used to hang out the cloth.
- Strop: The sprit is attached to the mast by the strop; by moving the strop you can set the fullness of the sail.
- Hull: The hull is the sturdy structure on which the other parts of the punter are built.
- Stem: The stem is the front of the punter.
- Stern: The stern is the back of the punter.
- Rudder: the steering mechanism of a punter
- Tiller: The tiller is used to operate the rudder.
- Cables and ropes: The cables and ropes are used to adjust and handle the mast, boom and sail.
Manual
Sailing a sailing punter is not very difficult, but it helps to know how things work. If you rent a sailing punter in Giethoorn, you receive a thorough explanation of everything.
To prepare, you can also read the manual on how to sail a sailing punter (in Dutch).
Races
There are various races for punters, which let enthusiasts compare their boat and skills with others. Most of the rules for these races allow all forms of propulsion by muscle power and wind. The punter has no formally defined racing class, so boats sometimes turn up at the start with extra sails or a bowsprit.
There are also several touring races over multiple waters. Seeing a large number of classic oak boats sail out is a fine sight and the races attract a lot of interest.
The annual mattenschippersrace runs from Blokzijl past Vollenhove and Zwartsluis, across the Belterwijde and the Beulakerwijde and back to Blokzijl. The course direction depends on the wind. There is a separate class for punters.
Sailing club het Wiede in Giethoorn holds ten races a year in which punters, optimists and small sailing boats take part. The races take place on the Bovenwijde near Giethoorn.
The Rondje Kampereiland is an annual race around Kampereiland on the first weekend of May. The 28 km race or tour in three stages leads from Kampen upstream on the IJssel to the city bridge, then downstream to the Kattendiep and Ramsdiep, then across the Zwarte Meer through the Ganzendiep to the Ganzensluis and back to Kampen.
Want to read more about renting a boat in Giethoorn? You can do that here.
