The work depicts a low shore running out from the right to a point with a beacon at centre left. A town is in the right distance with a kaag under sail in the right foreground. Land can also be seen in the far distance, left, with a continuation sketch showing vessels at anchor inserted above.

The mount bears a modern pencil inscription querying the location as (left) 'Veere?' and (right) above the church tower 'Cathedral?’.

This work is one of a group of twelve drawings of shore scenes or distant views of the Dutch coastline in pen and brown ink (PAE5158, PAE5159, PAE5160, PAE5161, PAE5162, PAE5163, PAE5164, PAE5165, PAE5166, PAE5167, PAE5168, PAE5169). It is likely from the appearance of the ships in all these works that they were made in the 1650s. They were probably done in connection with the elder van de Velde's earliest pen-paintings, since he probably did not need such sketches later, and had passed as by several different artists until re-attributed by Sir Bruce Ingram.