Our sail back to the mainland was a sunny beam reach in 12 kns of wind, near perfect sailing conditions. The sea covers a huge area but the channel for shipping is very narrow and winding, resulting in some close encounters with other ships. The lock and bridges opened as we arrived in Harlingen with no waiting around. Once into the canal we passed through the usual industrial areas, then into countryside arriving in the pretty town of Franeker. We moored in the centre of the town on the bank side. By this time we were both walking wounded, my back had locked up and I was unable to bend and in a lot of pain. Poor Bren had got a thorn from a gorse bush imbedded in her toe the day before which was still painful was left to do most of the boat handling, all the rope work and putting the boat to bed. After cooking supper she ventured out on her bicycle to explore the town before leaving tomorrow while I was left laid out flat on my back.