my profession




      - "Royal Huisman Shipyard" -

That's the present name of the yard, groun-
ded in the second half of the 19th century in
the little village of Wanneperveen. There
they built boats and barges - locally called;
"punters" and "bokken". Later on the yard
moved to Ronduite and from there the yard
once more moved to her present location in
Vollenhove.
This picture I took in the "open-air" museum
in Enkhuizen and hasn't to do anything with
the old yard...

As mentioned before; sailing is my second nature and there's no doubt about that I tried everything to come through. Unfortunately, my eyes were too bad to find a job offshore, so I was forced to find a job onshore. I felt very sad about this situation, but my parents were very happy; they didn't like me sailing across the big and cruel sea!..
Old yard for building 'punters'


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stepping foremast on 'Eendracht'
  Stepping the foremast on board of the
  Dutch training schooner "Eendracht"
After finishing highschool I tried to find a job in an area with as much water as could be possible and in that way I found a job as an employee at a bookkeeper's office in Emmeloord in the reclaimed land "Noordoostpolder". This, however is a cruel thing for a sailor and somebody introduced me at the Delft Hydraulics Laboratory at their dependance near Kraggenburg, so I changed my job after one-and-a-half month. It was in the summer of 1963.
It was a nice job and I learned a lot, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted... Then I got a good chance to change and from the 1rst of January 1970 I became employee of the world famous "Royal Huisman Shipyard" in Vollenhove. When I entered there it was a tiny little yard, but well known because of their skilled quality. In that time the yard was situated at a place, called "Ronduite", beautiful situated in the middle of two lakes; Beulaker- and Belter Wijde. However, this place was too small and the waters too shallow, so the yard moved to another location at Vollenhove. Nowadays the canal is too shallow and the bridge too narrow to let the huge yachts pass to the sea. They are transported by a flat barge. But a well known client forced the yard to build a new hall and the authorities to make a wider passage at the bridge. So, we didn't rebuild the yard only; also Vollenhove had to be rebuilt for a big part, as besides the works, already mentioned before, they also replaced the swimming pool!.

I'm not involved with the yard anymore; since the 1rst of June 2002 I'm retired now.


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                               The mast of the old sailing yacht
                               " Endeavour"
                               with all its standing rigging....







My speciality in the company was the rigging of sailing yachts and the "after sales" service. You can split rigging into standing and running. The standing rigging means all the wiring to keep the mast upright, running rigging means all the ropes to handle and to hoist the sails. For this job you need to be very carefull and you never have to loose your attention nor the control about the terms of safety. One fault made by yourself or the man on the winch and you will find yourself on the deck and perhaps... below the deck!Many times you're working with heavy tools in the top of the mast at a height of even 50 meters! If some tool slips out of your hands and find somebodies head on its way down..... Well, you can imagine what will happen then.
Mast 'Endeavour'



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The service department is responsible for the delivery of spare parts and repairs on board of yachts all over the world. Below you will find some pictures that will give you a non everyday's view on a non everyday's job. A job that makes a welcome change to the normal office work...


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Endeavour - Crane for stepping the mast. Endeavour - Bird's eye view on her own deck.
 "Endeavour" - seen from its own mast top.


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             "Endeavour's" mast is tall, very tall!
             But still taller is the crane!
Endeavour - 53 m mast.
Endeavour - Bird's eye view on the canal and the bridge.   Sightseeing, all around!
             ***
                  ...but who expects somebody's
                  watching from above?

Endeavour - ...and to other yachts.
Endeavour - ready to go.

Harbour of Vollenhove. 'Endeavour' sailing windward.



*****

world




View on 'Royal Huisman Shipyard' from 'Anakena's' masthead...
  Royal Huisman Shipyard, seen from "Anakena's" masthead.

'Anakena' at night
"Anakena" in the the night.
View on 'Anakena' from masthead
"Anakena" seen from its mast.


Resting from job on the bowsprit..
  Resting from the job... (Dutch training schooner "Eendracht").


View from masthead on the Northsea Overleg met de schipper... View on the foredeck from masthead
 But ships aren't always ashore... Many times you'll have to visit the birds when sailing at sea!


Royal Huisman Shipyard
  Panorama view on the present yard...   No "punters" and "bokken" any more!..."

Borkumriff lV - trials at the Northsea
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Last updated on December 10th 2003 by: