Now I know why the Friesian Skûtsjes, the old sailing boats, have big side paddles or “swords”. As we left Harlingen's harbour, the westerly wind rocked us sideways. Catching items falling from shelves and tables, I envied the sailboats' deeper keel and ability to use the wind. And it all looks so smooth!

Nevertheless, we made it to the lock of the Afsluit dyke, which separates the North Sea from the Ijsselmeer. Squeezing in with 25 other boats, it’s always fascinating to see in what orderly fashion everyone exits the lock on the other side. The wind had turned to the South, so we could now cut through the waves, which was very helpful to my stomach and balance! Eventually, turning to port, we reached the last of the eleven towns: Makkum. Before we had decided whether to stay in an outside or inside harbour, the lock keeper opened the bridge and lock, so inside we went! The town moorings were excellent and right next to the centre!

A beautiful old weigh house, “De Waag”, stood out of the town silhouette. As in many Dutch places, the weigh house is a monument from when cheeses and other fares were weighed and taxed here. Today, it serves as a tourist information centre. In recent years, Makkum has produced artful tiles in a factory on the central canal. The factory has now closed down, but some unique tiles are exhibited on the second floor and in the attic of the Waag. However, to get there, one must climb the steep staircases with very narrow treads, so typical for Dutch houses. That is no problem if you are used to boats, which often have similar steps.

Although extensive bombing took place around Makkum right at the end of the war, many beautiful old houses were retained and restored. We even found a house for ducks in one of the canals. 

We never made it to Makkum Beach, about a 20-minute cycle from the old city. Some young kids didn’t bother either, but they jumped behind our boat into the canal to cool off.

With sunshine and little wind, we picked the perfect day for crossing the Ijsselmeer to Enkhuizen in the province of North Holland. 

On arrival, we hailed the harbourmaster, who opened the old lift bridge and guided us to a mooring in town. Born in Melbourne, he was only the second Aussie we met this year. He was a funny man and threatened to raise the harbour fees when he heard that we were from Sydney! 

As if the mooring fee wasn’t high enough already! But it was worth it because Enkhuizen is a beautiful town with lots to see. 

The iconic Drommedaris Tower stands at the entrance to the old harbour and can be seen from afar. Being part of the old fortification, it is graced by the Maiden of Enkhuizen holding the city’s coat of arms featuring three herrings. Enkhuizen was once the centre of herring fishing and shipping, which attracted many other trades to settle in the town. After the construction of the big Afsluit dyke the fish stock declined, and fisheries closed down, yet until 2006, freshwater fish was still auctioned at the “Visafslag”, which is now a lovely fish restaurant.

The Zuiderzee Museum is one of the main attractions. Half open-air and half indoor museum, it shows how life once was in these coastal cities. We skipped the museum, as we had seen several outdoor recreations of Dutch villages and local history museums at other places, but we believe it is very well done. Instead, we did our usual walking tour around the Enkhuizen of today. We walked past 16th-century houses with stepped gables, like the Pepperhouse or the bottle-ship museum, which claims to have the world's most extensive collection of bottle-ships. We crossed the many little canal arms and bridges, passed the Weigh House, the old prison and then made our way to the ramparts, another one of those star-designed fortresses.

Two guard houses still stand watch over the adjoining countryside. From these houses, a wooden “boom”, the Dutch word for tree(trunk), was lowered on iron chains into the water to stop unwanted boats from entering the town. Our word “boom gate” originates from this Dutch word. The guard houses also had steel shutters, which could be lowered in the event of danger or flooding. On the western side of the ramparts, the main city gate is watched over by the Maiden of Enkhuizen, holding a defensive shield with the three herring emblem.

We gave up counting the many sailboat masts in the five harbours. Enkhuizen is a popular stop for experienced sailors, but it also has a sailing school where you can obtain a licence to sail the big Dutch skûtsjes.

The town harbour was buzzing this weekend. A sailing association from the South of the Netherlands had booked part of the quay, and there was music, dancing, and enactment of sailing songs and stories. We sat at a restaurant nearby and had free entertainment while enjoying some fresh mussels and fish for dinner.

In the 17th century, Hoorn, our next stop, just like the city of Enkhuizen, enjoyed a golden age. Their harbours became vital trading points for the Dutch East Indies Company. A citizen of Hoorn, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, was the first person to sail around Cape Horn and later became the company's general manager. Cape Horn probably got its name from the Dutch town whose coat of arms includes the horn and a unicorn.

Both cities have an array of 17th-century houses. Colourful gable stones tell who might have lived there, like a butcher, baker or candlestick maker, or if official business was conducted there, like guild meetings.

We marvelled at the forward and sideward tilts of some of the old houses! It seems that not only do people have to lean against the strong and erratic winds here in the Netherlands, but houses as well! 

Having purchased a Dutch Museums Card, which allows discounted or free entry to many museums, we visited Horn’s Museum of the 20th Century. We found a few treasures from our childhood and youth, like old typewriters, toys, fashion, and more!

On a more serious note, we came across one of four hand sculptures paving the way resistance fighters in WWII walked to their execution at the Grote Kirk. It is called Last Consolation with the following poem:

 "Just put your hand over mine - Hold me, give me strength - Stay with me in despair and loneliness - until it is accomplished".

Being moored close to the harbour entrance, where the semicircular Hooftoren stands watch, we saw all the comings and goings of the big ships mooring on the outer piers. Nowadays, it’s not only the big old sailboats that take on crews of schoolchildren, tourists and sailing enthusiasts but also river cruise liners. Luckily, they are mostly ferried away by buses to visit tourist destinations further afield.

On our last night, we were caught up again in soccer frenzy, as the Netherlands had another chance to make it to the Quarterfinals of the European Cup. The outdoor café areas of the Roede Plaats were busy with cheering, well-behaved fans. This square is known for the roede (red) stone, which apparently is red from all the bloody executions in the past. Well, it was another execution the Dutch team performed on Romania, 3:0!