In this small painting, van de Velde portrays a sunny day on the Dutch coast. The distant landscape may represent the island of Texel close to Den Helder, north of Amsterdam. A small kaag is being beached beside groynes or breakwater. A man is standing in the water by her mast with his back to the viewer and facing other sailors in the boat. On the right of the painting a man is dragging a roller which will be placed under the bow of the kaag to help move her up the beach. Kaags were a type of cargo vessel designed for use on inland waterways, with a straight stem, a sternpost and a wide angle between the keel and the stern. Often they were used as ferries or lighters on the Zuider Zee and conveyed cargo to and from seagoing ships. Just beyond her, to the right, another small kaag is being poled off the shore with her mainsail and foresail set on the port tack. Beyond these two vessels is a small ship flying the Dutch flag, with fore mainsails loosed, firing a salute to port. Behind the groyne, on the right, are the sails of several other ships. A large cumulus cloud dominates the composition to the left and there is land visible in the left background. The sun and the light breeze come from the left of the picture. The painting is suffused with light which creates a sense of calm and tranquillity. Light catches the tops of the clouds, the sails of the boats and the reflection of the nearest kaag in the water. The groyne has been used as a device to divide the painting with the kaags on the foreshore to its left and the larger boats in the distance on its right.