Seeing the wreck for the first time, under the great arc of a sunny sky on that level shore, I was initially struck by its remoteness. Here was the focus of those weeks of discussion, of seemingly endless careful planning: a slightly projecting, elongated outline. The warmth of the day meant that many holiday-makers were about, and our equipment rapidly attracted them to the site, unmistakable with its brilliant orange marker, each attached to a steel post. These posts marked off the four corners of our working area, and were linked by a rope to keep it clear of curious sightseers. Many structural features of the wreck which would normally have been visible were obscured by the sand, which was not only right up to but even above the upper gun deck. We went to work immediately when the first low tide made a start possible, and set up our basic survey line running down the middle of the wreck from bow to stern. As we set about measuring the sides of the ship in their relation to the survey line, the 'Amsterdam' emerged as a vessel of substance, and more so when the members of the team had scoured her aged timbers free from mussel shells and seaweed. All this activity attracted an increasing number of sightseers, whose interest was natural and welcome, since the more people who were moved to understand what we were about, the better it was for archaeology in general and for the future preservation of the 'Amsterdam' in particular. However, there were also predatory souvenir hunters who were most disappointed by our merely taking elaborate measurements, with no apparent intention of digging up more objects. Seeing the wreck of the 'Amsterdam', the author was impressed by______.