Friesland

We have finally arrived back in the Netherlands and we are delighted to be here. Our skûsje, Zonder Zorg's refit is nearly complete and upon arrival, we were able to immediately move aboard. Of course, everything was in chaos as we unpacked our 156 kilos of luggage and tried to sort and stow it in the new surroundings. Gradually we will make her our home.

Last year after we had rounded Cape Horn in Sequitur and were making our way along the seemingly interminable Brazilian coast, we started looking at Dutch barges for sale. Just looking. The looking became more frequent and soon we were scouring the online sites of brokers in France and the Netherlands. By the time we arrived back in Vancouver we had a substantial list of boats that we wanted to see in the Netherlands.. 

Near Schiphol airport, in the Aalsmeer area and secured between the tulip fields and hothouses was Nieuwe Zorg, our skûsje. She was a hand-riveted iron barge built in Friesland in 1908. Her purpose had been to provide freight access between the Zuider Zee and smaller villages in the mashes, lakes and small canals that were reachable only by water. The flat-bottomed skûtsje was used for general hauling of food, cattle, peat, sand and eel, much like a small truck today. The Vaandriks family pooled their resources, savings, and along with a small bank loan, they commissioned the building of this skûsje. They then lived aboard with their children, all participating in the loading, unloading and hauling. For the family it was a "new concern", a "new worry", which is the translation of Nieuwe Zorg. At that time there were many such boats with mortgages, so it was a common name. 

In this stage in our lives we did not want to pursue a New Concern, so we changed her name to Without Concern. After her refit, she emerged with a new name, Zonder Zorg. When I asked about the process of changing a boat's name in the Netherlands, the quick answer was: with a paint brush.