Nice To Meet You
My name is Jan de Jonge and I am 43 years old.
I have had my boating license since 2016 and have been a captain for 5 years.
Through Frits I ended up at Amsterdam Boat Cruises. I know Frits through our work at the ferry of the GVB, which is the municipal transport company of Amsterdam.
I started sailing with my father in the harbor, who had many ships there. Since then, I started working full-time as a captain.
What I like best about the job is that you are the "big boss" of the ship. You are the chief and have responsibility for the crew, passengers and the ship.
"If it doesn't go the way it should, then it should go the way it goes. Then it always works out!"
One of the most enjoyable elements of sailing is getting the ship back to shore neatly and safely. This requires a lot of careful maneuvering.
Within the port of Amsterdam, there is a lot that comes at you; the huge ships that sail there and the many communications that you have to have in order to get anywhere. This all has to do with the cargo ships you have to take into account.
Nice To Meet You
My Name is Fritz Noordhuis, I am 68 years old, born and raised on the water.
Meanwhile, I have been working for 4 years as a captain for Rederij Van Hulst and recently for Amsterdam Boat Cruises.
I used to start as a sailor and progressed from mate to eventually captain. I had the opportunity to sail a lot for special shipping companies such as: Cargo ships through Europe, domestic sea cruise ship,
Hospital cruise ship for people with disabilities. There are many more but after all these varied experiences I finally ended up at Rederij Van Hulst.
I am now retired but hope to enjoy many more years and be part of the team, after all, it is the best shipping company there is!
Every trip is different, meeting other people and discovering new places. Port tour or a trip to the Zaanse schans, party cruises it is all possible.
The most that appeals to me from the port is what the port actually has to offer and how much development is taking place.
Nice To Meet You
Hello my name is Bauke Hoekstra I am 62 years old and recently I started working for Amsterdam Boat Cruises. It is very nice to work for this company.
Since the age of 35 I have been sailing from the water with a lot of variety. I was then 7 months in a year on the water and 4 months working in a hotel on land. Sailor, serving, helping with all kinds of things the combination is most enjoyable.
I also sailed a lot with cargo ships, which was tough! On cargo ships I made long days 14 days you were on board and 14 days you were at home, it went on like that for years. For me it was no problem, I never felt I had to work.
Together with Jan, one of the captains of the River Dream, I worked together for 1.5 years on the boat towards the Zaanse Schans. After several years we ended up together again.
"The day is over before you realize it."
The guests have a great time and it's always a party, too.
The Amstel cruise is surely the most wonderful cruise you will experience. I definitely recommend it!
On a boat like this, everyone is happy. It's a beautiful boat.
Nice To Meet You
My name is Han van Roozendaal and 68 years old.
After working in healthcare for 10 years, I started sailing at age 30 as a skipper in sailing passenger shipping in the Netherlands and on the Baltic Sea.
'The future of the port is in sustainability, and that is precisely what we see around us during the cruise.'
Sailed until I was 40 and then ended up in vocational education. During that period I was mainly concerned with examining. After several years of working in vocational education, I became manager through the Onderwijs Centrum Binnenvaart. The OCB was mainly concerned with intake promotion measures and supporting inland shipping education During that period, the various practical exams were developed. From 2014, in addition to consulting work for various shipping companies, I became a skipper again but now in canal and passenger shipping.
Especially sailing with guests is one of the fun things about my job. The teacher in me keeps coming up and with great pleasure I tell about the beautiful profession of skipper and the beautiful Port of Amsterdam.
