Our return to the Netherlands, after being away for a year, is being celebrated by family and friends at our arrival in the inner harbour of Flushing; here the “Sail de Ruyter” festival is being held with a large number of tall ships. The festive welcome has to wait for over half an hour as there is a little ship that has taken our berth. After some difficulties with manouevring it manages to make some space for us. For the Friday a daytrip is planned which leads us through the locks to the outside harbour, from there closely along the Boulevard of flushing and back where our guests will have the opportunity to take a stroll along the other Tall Ships. After some nice hours out on the sea with beautiful weather we pass the locks again and find that our newly assigned berth is being taken by a fisherman who has no intention of leaving. Because negotiating with these people usually brings you nowhere, we are assigned a new berth by the organization. Here we find that another little ship has taken the opportunity and ‘illegally’ took the place available. Engine full reverse! And a little later our journey ends on a very suitable place just outside the locks. Unfortunately there is no more time now for the planned walk along the ships but it seems that our unplanned sight seeing tour around the harbour has fulfilled that need more than sufficiently.

Cosmo Wassenaar
Captain Clipper Stad Amsterdam