Today was our “car day”. Ray managed to get a sweet deal on a rental by agreeing to drive their promo car. Among a few other places, we were able to travel to The Maeslantkering (Maeslant Barrier). The Netherlands is flat and wet. Approximately one-third of it lies below sea level. When a significant storm hits it can be catastrophic. In 1953 The North Sea Flood covered land to over five metres above sea level. There were more than 1800 casualties. Realizing that this could happen again (especially with the changing climate) the Netherlands developed a long-term plan (Delta Works) to address storm surges. Although the first stage was completed in 1958 the barrier we visited was constructed from 1991-1997. The ingenious plan was to have a barrier that would only block the waterway when needed. Nieuwe Watereg is the main waterway of the Port of Rotterdam so it must stay open as much as possible. Fortunately, the barrier has only been used three times since 1997. The Maeslant Barrier has two 210-metre-long barrier gates, with two 237-metre-long steel trusses holding each. When closed, the barrier will protect the entire width (360 metres) of the Nieuwe Waterweg. The design was so innovative that it was featured in the program Extreme Engineering. Ray took a time-lapse video of a cargo ship passing through the opened barrier--check it out. Back to trains and trams tomorrow. That is probably a good thing. We may have driven down a bike lane at least once. You are always in my prayers. Love Mom If you are interested in learning more, here is the link to the Extreme Engineering video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwhoIWVTmQw
32 Comments
HLOE
4/19/2024 06:50:33 am
What is Ray doing by that car?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:05:52 am
That is our rental car. Cheaper because it is like driving a billboard for the rental company (Inqar)
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LM
4/19/2024 06:52:15 am
why was the video so fast?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:08:38 am
I shot it on Timelapse mode on my iPhone. It would be a much longer video and perhaps for some a little boring to watch a large ship travel through the barrier.
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HLOE
4/19/2024 06:53:52 am
What why does that car look orange and why is it not yellow like a taxi?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:10:46 am
It is a rental car. It is advertising. Interesting that you should pick out the color orange. Orange is the color for Netherlands.
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RCE
4/19/2024 06:54:09 am
How fast is the boat going.
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:15:04 am
Only about 8k/h in a canal like this one.
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HKL
4/19/2024 06:55:33 am
Why is it so fast
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:16:23 am
I shot it on Timelapse mode on my iPhone. It would be a much longer video and perhaps for some a little boring to watch a large ship travel through the barrie
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Jle
4/19/2024 06:56:27 am
what boat was that
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:22:58 am
It is a bulk freighter. I took the video partially to show how the barrier would close a major water route. I also enjoy watching ships.
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HLOE
4/19/2024 06:56:56 am
Is that boat caring people or things like food or every day stuff?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:24:46 am
It looks like a bulk carrier, they are used to haul things like ore or grain.
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GvE
4/19/2024 06:57:20 am
How fast was the boat going?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:32:18 am
Around 8 mph
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ACE
4/19/2024 07:09:11 am
What was the boat carrying
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:26:45 am
It is a bulk carrier. Most likely carrying ore ore grain.
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NPW E
4/19/2024 12:04:31 pm
How long did it take for the boat to cross the water fully?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:31:17 am
I shot the video in timelapse .which on my iPhone is set to 6x. The video is 6 seconds so it really took 6x6=36 36 seconds to cover the distance you see in the video.
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NpwD
4/19/2024 12:06:02 pm
What is the regular temperature in Celsius?
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Rray
4/21/2024 05:41:24 am
In Zandvoort in April the average high is about 10 C.
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Tyler
4/19/2024 12:08:14 pm
I wonder if centuries ago people knew they were living on land below sea level and if they knew the risks... although I am also guessing this means that Holland has very fertile land.
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:53:36 am
They were fully aware of the risks , but the benefits of the fertile land built up by the rivers was to tempting. The land that is below sea level was created by building dykes, and using windmill power to pump out the water. They continue to actively pump water but use electricity and diesel pumps.
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NPW D
4/19/2024 12:09:53 pm
Was there any workers watching the sea?
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Ray
4/21/2024 05:57:43 am
While there were workers around, the highly computerized operation will activate without an operator having to make the decision. It collects information from weather station, tidal data, and wave and tide sensors off shore.
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NPW group C
4/19/2024 12:11:09 pm
What machines do they use to open and closes the barrier
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Ray
4/21/2024 06:01:08 am
The barriers have a hollow space and so will float. The large arms have large motors that pivot at a huge ball joint (like your shoulder). Once in place the flood the chambers of the barrier and it sinks down to a special threshold in the canal, this blocks the canal.
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HLOE
4/21/2024 05:13:27 am
Is that video of the boat fast forward or is that how it is?
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Ray
4/21/2024 06:02:48 am
Yes shot on time lapse. It was set on 6X so the boat really to 36 seconds to travel the direction shown in the video.
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NPW B
4/22/2024 09:35:24 am
How tall is Ray?
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Diane
4/22/2024 10:55:17 am
Ray if just over 6ft. 2 in.
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