We entered the Noordzeekanaal (North Sea canal) at IJmuiden, the Netherlands largest fishing port and motored to Amsterdam. Many large ships use the canal to reach the ports around Amsterdam, but that is something we are used to now. We stayed at the Sixhaven marina, right across the river from the Central Train station. A ferry ran continuously so this was a great spot from which to explore the city. The weather was not great, high winds and lots of rain, so we stayed for 4 days, relaxing and enjoying Amsterdam and the museums.

During the summer season the Sixhaven marina in Amsterdam is very crowded but arriving in October was perfect.

The Netherlands Maritime Museum took the better part of a day to see (but of course we never get a very early start). It included this replica of an 18th century East India Company sailing ship, the "Amsterdam". The museum covers the seafaring history from the 17th century until the present. There are hundreds of models of different ships and a large display of actual boats. I love maps, so the collection of world maps from the 17th century was my favorite. It was interesting to see what towns in Mexico and California (shown as an island on some maps) were important in the 1600s. The collection of 17th and 18th century navigational instruments was also fascinating.

On October 7 we left Amsterdam, passing through the locks and heading north. The wind was SSW F 4, so everything was perfect for a 8 mile sail wing-in-wing (or as the Dutch say, Butterfly).

In a little over 4 hours we arrived in Volendam.