Part of the Drury Collection, this film documents a boat trip from North Yorkshire to Amsterdam taken by a couple and their friends. Title - 'Per Ardua Ad Amsterdam. Risala's Cruise Through Holland 1960. Title - Institute of amateur cinematographers. Title - A member's film. Title - Howdendtke Spring 1960.' The film opens with a boat drifting through an expanse of water before a rigging system - aided by manpower - hauls the vessel into a boat yard for repairs. The next...

Part of the Drury Collection, this film documents a boat trip from North Yorkshire to Amsterdam taken by a couple and their friends. Title - 'Per Ardua Ad Amsterdam. Risala's Cruise Through Holland 1960. Title - Institute of amateur cinematographers. Title - A member's film. Title - Howdendtke Spring 1960.' The film opens with a boat drifting through an expanse of water before a rigging system - aided by manpower - hauls the vessel into a boat yard for repairs. The next shots show men sanding, painting and making general repairs to the large motorboat. Title - 'Selby to Spurn Point Sunday 31st July'. Two men vigorously work a handle that opens a loch. The boat then slowly drifts out of Selby loch just clearing the walls, and people can be seen waving from the loch above. As they make their way to open sea, the filmmaker shows the boats, river and the largely industrial coastline as they pass. Out at sea, and the boat rides the waves, before the filmmaker gets a close up of a male passengers face as he talks. More shots from different angles of the deck show waves lapping against the bow. A brief shot from just off shore captures a deserted beach with a fishing pier and boat house. Title - 'Spurn Point to Flushing Monday 1st August. A map shows intended route to Holland, before the film cuts to show them out on the open sea, and the engine working away below. There are then shots of the coast line as they sail past. The filmmakers Fianc?e is shown at the helm. Title - Notice to Mariners Danger Beware Women 'L' Driver. The filmmaker's fianc?e continues to concentrate. There is then a view from the stern of the boat as it drifts away from the shoreline, before the woman beds down on the deck with an unknown figure wrapped in a sheet. Various views capture other boats in the channel, including large cargo ships which pass close by. The boat arrives at a large commercial port, with cranes and large ships, including a long barge called the 'Esso Nederland 67', docked quayside. Title - (A map) Risala's cruise through Holland Tuesday 2nd Aug. Middelburg Flushing. A hydraulic bridge opens, letting the vessel pass into a large canal and shots capture the architecture and windmills that can be seen on either side of the canal bank. Arriving at a town, street scenes show the various outdoor markets, a temporary fair with bright stalls and a busker on the street. As the boat passes through the town, panning shots show the houses that line the canals, capturing the famous Dutch architecture of tall terraced buildings. Another map this time points out the route from Middelburg Flushing to Dordrecht. From the boats point of views show reclaimed land with a large canal as the boat makes its way down broad like waters with grand buildings dotted along the banks. Interior shots show the women relaxing in the boat, before there are more panning shots of the scenes including factories, houses, bridges and windmills. One of the passengers studies a map intently in the cabin, after which shots show them arriving into Dordrecht, as the river banks gradually become more urbanised. Finally they pull up at the busy town harbour and extensive shots show the boats that are moored there: canal boats, working tugs and larger ships are captured, along with draw bridges that open to allow traffic through. The action cuts to the town, where the passengers of the Risala explore the town, wearing summer fashions' and drinking beer in a bar. The map then shows that the next leg of the journey is from Dordrecth to Rotterdam. A brief journey on a bus is shown, before a tracking shot from a train shows the countryside as they whiz past and pull into the cities modernist station. The contingency exit the station and there are shots of a modern shopping plaza complex, where people shop or sit in the outdoor cafes. A procession takes place; horses are followed by various large, heavily decorated floats that look like facades of buildings. The action then cuts to show barges and pleasure boats making their way through locks, before the action cuts to a city square with flowerbeds full of multi-coloured Tulips. As the film moves on, there are more views of the cities architecture, parks, traffic and people going about their business. Part one ends with a panning shot taken from the top of a tower, giving an aerial view of the city and its surrounding canals.