No man is an island,

 

Entire of itself.

                                  Every man is a piece of the continent.

        A part of the main.  

                                                                                 John Donne

 

The lonely sea and sky.

Neither the sea, nor the sky over The North Sea, is as lonely as it was in 1902,

 when John Masefield's famous poem Sea Fever was first published. 

Dropping the Pilot

This powerful, Hydro Jet powered, Pilot boat, has just come alongside and picked up the Pilot

 who has taken this cruise ship down to the North Sea from Amsterdam.

Sailing into Amsterdam.

Following the referendum, a timetable for the UK's exit from the European Union has begun to take shape. So it was timely that last week I had the chance to join a cruise, along the the North Sea coast, visiting some of my favourite European  cities.

 Reflections of the ship in the windows of the waterside office and apartment blocks,
as it makes its way up to the Cruise Terminal.

The MSC Splendida hiding among the high rise at the Cruise Terminal.