Wow! I made it to the city harbour right smack in the middle of Leiden city. I would never have found my way here without the help of my sister, who came aboard outside the city and helped me navigate the narrow channels and all the tiny bridges. But now I am here. Got lost twice on the Kaagerplassen, a place where I used to know my way around during childhood here. Weather horrible, hard wind, rain showers and grey. But being with family in familiar places makes it all worth it. Yesterday I had the company of my other twin sister, while we navigated from Hoorn down to Haarlem, 38 nm of canals, lakes, and rivers. We came straight through the city of Amsterdam on the way and followed the North Sea Canal (big shipping canal) through the seaport harbours of Amsterdam. It is still very big, even though Amsterdam plays a minor seaport role today.
Now I have started to mentally prepare for changing Isabell into a river boat, taking off the sails and taking down the mast. It is a bit scary, and also a lot of work. Will probably try to get the mast down around here, since I need helping hands and this is the place where I have most family and friends. I am not mentally ready for it yet. Takes a while getting used to the idea of not having a mast and sails to work with. Greetings to Karin from Hoorn who dropped me such a nice message after seeing Isabell in Hoorn. Now I need a rest and some good food. Sis is treating me on a dinner!