The 80’s and Me

The 80’s swept me across oceans and skies. After selling our ship Zorg & Vlijt in Amsterdam, I married Martha and booked our first one year world trip. We flew from Amsterdam, stopping in Singapore, then landed in New Zealand. For six months, we crisscrossed both islands in a rugged Ford Falcon, staying partly with my brother, who’d emigrated there. New Zealand’s raw beauty—clean air, endless nature—stunned me. Our journey continued to Fiji, Rarotonga, Tahiti, the US, and Canada, meeting souls from every corner. Back in the Netherlands, I knew I’d live abroad someday. Martha and I parted after ten years, our paths diverging, but we remain friends.

Then, fate struck. In a rented apartment, I met a young lady on the stairs—Agnes, my neighbor. One look, and my heart knew she was the one. At Den Bosch’s 1985 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Festival, we held hands, love in plain sight. Forty years later, in 2025, Agnes remains my rock, confidante, and love.

Adventure called again. A friend in Bahrain, whose yacht we sold in Menton, proposed building a 42ft ‘PAHI’ – a James Wharram design catamaran. I jumped in. From 1986-88, we’ve build the “Rangoon Moon” and sailed it through the First Gulf War from Bahrain to the Maldives via Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and India—a wild ride captured on video. Back in Amsterdam, Agnes and I lived on Stella, a steel North Sea botter, at the historic Kromhout wharf. For seven years, I captained canal tours, worked as a ships-carpenter and steel welder, while Agnes handled admin for Philips and MGM-film Amsterdam.