3 August 2012 Giethoorn, Holland

Sirius now has 20 engine hours on the clock under it's new owners and has proved to be more than up to the job. She has been through a number of locks, under many bridges and has easily done 360's in tight corners. Whilst underway the 140HP engine purrs quietly below while we have a bird's eye view from the upper deck.

The upper steering station is under cover, the chart easy to read as we go and there is room for a cup of tea too!

Alison is comfortably seated negotiating a narrow section running beside reed beds.

The great thing about cruising this way is the short, yet interesting legs between towns. Then at each town there is a wealth of history to be absorbed, a market maybe or a maritime festival of old botters or tjalks, many over 100 years old. In the town of Elburg we were invited in to this shed where restoration of a botter was underway.

Our new folding bikes are great for tieing up and exploring the town (we are usually right in the old centre of town), then riding a few Km to nearby villages.