Europe has over fifty thousand kilometres of navigable waterways, quite amazing when you consider that the circumference of the earth is only forty thousand or so. Following rivers, lakes and canals it is possible to sail from deep inside Poland, through Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, through France to the Mediterranean coast or along the Rhine and Danube to the Black Sea. In addition, with the right yacht you can cross the English Channel to Britain and on to Ireland or cruise the shores of the Baltic and North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The numbers of alluring destinations are countless. Great cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Prague, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Lyon, Dijon, Marseilles, London and Dublin. Small towns and villages nestled astride the canals and rivers, peaceful banks shaded by overhanging trees, or lost in fen lands, or overlooked by steep valleys terraced with vines, or beside pastures dotted with cattle and horses.