At 02.30 on Thursday morning the trams stop running in Gent and the bridges can at last be raised for us to enter the city center, the first time boats have been allowed to do this for four years. We moor up and sink into bed at 05.30.

There are thousands of spectators, many of whom seem to be more interested in our English narrowboat than these beautiful old wooden ships we are travelling with.

We look insignificant, and there are twenty more ships to arrive!

Snail's tiller is polished for the festival.

Trad style boats arrive for fest.

Gradually, during this week, sixty traditional flat-bottomed sailing boats will arrive in Lokeren for the start of the Stroppentocht boat festival. This 24m long boat needed a little help.

Locking, Belgium style

Our friends come over to Terneuzen with their boat from the English canal system. We meet up to show them how things are done here.

Their first big lock was full of commercials jostling for position, not an easy start for them. This one, though deep, was far less fraught.