Latest Adventures
2015 European waterway cruise – Belgium – Ghent
2015 European waterway cruise - Belgium - Ghent Inner canals of Ghent The town of Ghent is well worth a visit. As it was way off our planned route through Belgium, we made a day trip there by train. Buildings of Ghent Time was limited so we did the tourist thing and...
2015 European waterway cruise – Belgium – Antwerp
2015 European waterway cruise - Belgium - Antwerp Antwerp - Town Hall At the end of the last post we'd just crossed the border into Belgium at the Port of Antwerp. My first impressions of Belgium were somewhat marred by continuing communication problems I tried to...
2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Dordrecht to Belgian border
2015 European waterway cruise - Netherlands - Dordrecht to Belgian border Wet weather gear leaving Dordrecht Dordrecht was the last large town in the Netherlands till we crossed into Belgium at Antwerp. Our route to Belgium was back onto the Oude Maas, down the Dortse...
2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Utrecht to Dordrecht via Schoonhoven
2015 European waterway cruise - Netherlands - Utrecht to Dordrecht via Schoonhoven Dordrecht - Netherlands We left Utrecht on the Friday. According to the weather forecasts this was to be the last of a week of rainy days, with occasional showers. To get out of Utrecht...
2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Amsterdam to Utrecht
2015 European waterway cruise - Netherlands - Amsterdam to Utrecht Last view of Amsterdam Leaving Sixhaven just after 09.30, we returned to the River Ij, and headed to the Amsterdam-Rijn Kanaal. This canal is a busy commercial route, and not that popular with pleasure...
2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Alkmaar to Amsterdam
2015 European waterway cruise - Netherlands - Alkmaar to Amsterdam Alkmaarder Meer We made a reasonably early start from Alkmaar, for the usual reason - to make sure we found a berth in Amsterdam. The route was along the Noord Hollansche Kanaal, across the Alkmaarder...
2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Enkhuizen to Alkmaar
2015 European waterway cruise - Netherlands - Enkhuizen to Alkmaar Leaving Enkhuizen We left Einkhuizen on the Monday. The weather was much better and we had a good trip round to Medemblik on the Ijsselmeer. Excellent sailing weather so there were loads of yachts and...
2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Enkhuizen
2015 European waterway cruise - Netherlands - Enkhuizen Busy harbour - Compagniehaven in Enkhuizen In the last post, we had arrived in Enkhuizen after a slightly bumpy crossing of the Ijsselmeer. Enkhuizen is situated on the western side of the Ijsselmeer, and is a...
2015 European Waterway Cruise – The plan comes together.
2015 European Waterway Cruise - The plan comes together. Flags flying - raring to go I love it when a plan comes together! Our travel from UK to Zwartsluis went exactly to plan and we arrived back on board Shangri-La at midday on Thursday 16th July. There was still...
2015 European Waterway cruise – planning update
2015 European Waterway cruise - planning update Shangri La at mooring in Zwartsluis again Time flies! Just over a month to go and we should be starting the southbound trip to St-Jean-de-Losne. When I left Zwartsluis a while ago, Shangri-La was back in the water,...












My love of boats goes back to my early years when I went on holiday with my parents to Knysna in the Cape.
We stayed at a hotel on stilts, and I played in rowing boats and little motor boats on the lagoon.