Ameland, August 2026

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It was an early start on Saturday for the players heading to Ameland, as we were catching the 9:45 AM ferry. Hans Hoekman, however, could afford to sleep in, having already settled on the island earlier that week. After a smooth drive, we arrived in good time and loaded our instruments onto the luggage trailers. The crossing took 50 minutes over virtually calm waters. Upon arrival at the harbor on the other side, people and transport from the Ameland pipe band were already waiting for us. It was great—we reached our location in no time: Camping Duinoord, near the beach access in Nes. We caught up, had lunch, changed into our uniforms, and warmed up; we had plenty of time, as we didn’t need to be ready to play until around 2:45 PM. We started at the main entrance, followed by a short break. Next, we did a circuit of the campsite grounds and, after another break, performed a final set back at the main entrance. Both bands played tunes together and separately, with the drummers coordinating their efforts as well. All in all, it was fun to play together again—we had done the exact same thing in the village of Hollum a year ago!

After all the musical action, we packed everything back into the cases. Once again, it was a huge help having the Amelanders provide transport to the ferry, as most players from the Zwolle band were heading back that same day.

Sjaak, Jaco, and Hans B. stayed overnight at Sier aan Zee; as for a taxi? You guessed it—another member of the Ameland band took care of that. We were able to send the drums back with the group that had already departed.

After a tasty BBQ buffet and some time to chat, have a beer, visit the beach, read a book, or do whatever else we felt like, Petra joined our little group later in the evening, bringing our total to four.

We enjoyed sitting outside until 1:00 AM with snacks, drinks, and good conversation. The next morning, after breakfast, Hans and Jaco left again on the 11:00 a.m. boat. Petra and Sjaak stayed behind.

All in all, a great weekend—lovely weather and plenty of good company.