We spoke with directors Ben Lammes and Piet Bos. They share their experiences of Rijkswaterstaats work in the Marken harbor.

The watersport association has existed since 1997. Our 90 members, all residents of Marken, have over 50 ships in the harbor. Most have cabins, but there are also a few smaller boats. Our association leases space in the harbor from Rijkswaterstaat. We use the Middelbreg, a floating jetty, one quay at the entrance of the harbor, and several berths.

Wall

The harbor silts up, and as users, we are responsible for dredging our part. This is a significant cost for our association, requiring discussions with Rijkswaterstaat every few years. Weve learned to approach this formally. People change jobs or projects frequently, and verbal agreements dont last.

Contact persons mean well but cant achieve everything internally. As outsiders, we cant penetrate deep into the Rijkswaterstaat organization. We sometimes hit a wall, so its good to fall back on written agreements.

Trust

As a citizen or stakeholder, you can lose trust and give up, but ultimately, you must advocate for your interests and take the initiative. We did this as an association during the harbor works.

Middelbreg

For our members, its impactful that their boats had to be elsewhere for a winter at their own expense. We communicate this to Rijkswaterstaat. Its unfortunate that another winters work on the Middelbreg is needed.

Many Markers are water engineers or have technical backgrounds. In January 2025, people walking by the harbor already noticed issues with the jetty and short piles. News spreads quickly on the island.

Fortunately, there was good collaboration on a solution. We can always approach the environmental managers of the contractor and Rijkswaterstaat. They help us find the right people or information, make arrangements, and inform our members. Were happy that the boats can be here during the sailing season.