Latest news from Jantje
Where and when does Jantje appear in the media?
On this page, we collect news articles, publications and other notable mentions of our ship. Curious about personal stories, life on board and adventures from our trips?
Groningen, 11 March 2021
Corona Dialogue is an online talk show by Dagblad van het Noorden, in which presenter Jelly Brouwer looks back on the past year of the coronavirus pandemic alongside other people from Groningen. Marten joined the show to talk about the impact the crisis has had on Jantje.
Groningen, 29 October 2020
Just as the Netherlands turned red again, Jantje returned home after a stormy week in the German Bight.
When we left for Germany in mid-June, there were still quite a few gaps in the schedule. But thanks to the booking office’s tireless efforts, combined with a bit of luck, we were able to sail almost continuously. And what trips! We raced from Kiel to Stralsund in no time with Fair Ferry, then made a lightning-fast return trip to Copenhagen from there. And with the climate activists of KlimaSail, we ventured into unfamiliar territory for Jantje: the beautiful, almost fossil-free island of Samsø and Aarhus, the European Capital of Culture in 2017.
But the million-euro question (or rather, €250,000 question) is, of course, how the little ship sails with those extra metres in between. Well, fantastically! She’s more stable, reacts a little less sharply to small waves and still manages about half a knot more under sail. It’s only when manoeuvring that you can occasionally hear some swearing on the aft deck; the engine (or the skipper ;) still has to get used to pushing an extra 20 tonnes of steel. The new cabins make for a more peaceful life on board. The beds have been unanimously declared comfortable, and the spacious bathroom facilities mean everyone can use the toilet in comfort and start the day feeling fresh.
The spacious deck also makes for a lot of fun. Custom-made deck furniture isn’t in the cards just yet, so we’ve set up two picnic tables and put out a few large customised beanbags. We have a beautiful made-to-measure awning that we can hang between the masts, so come rain or shine, we can have breakfast, dinner and parties together outside. We’ve added a fridge and an ice maker to the bar; fingers crossed we’ll be able to sail to harbour festivals and on day trips again next year, so we can start earning back our investment.
Next year’s schedule is mostly set. There are still a few weeks and weekends available for groups later in the season, and you can still sign up for individual trips too. The schedule is up to date, so take a look to see if there’s something for you and give yourself something to look forward to! The Google Calendar integration isn’t working quite as intended, but for most trips, clicking on them will show whether they’re group bookings or individual trips and what they cost. If anything doesn’t look right or you have a question, please get in touch; unlike our sailing skills, our IT skills aren’t foolproof ;)
Finally, Jantje is moored on Hoge der A in Groningen, right in the city centre. Everyone is very welcome to stay overnight if you need or want to be in the area.
Groningen, 19 May 2020
This means that as soon as we do cast off again, we’ll need to revise our schedule and, hopefully, places will become available at short notice for families and groups, or we may be able to offer a few last-minute trips for individuals. Keep an eye on this page for the latest updates.
If it turns out that it will be a while before we’re allowed to sail again, we’ll moor Jantje in Groningen city centre, where everyone is welcome to use the ship as holiday accommodation.
Please contact Marten on +31 6 54 96 42 90.
Until we know more, we’ll keep steadily working on the refit. The renovated Jantje is getting more beautiful by the day! Of course, you’re very welcome to come and have a look.
The refit is going really well!
Here’s an update:
Normally, the first trip of the year is the rigging voyage. But because we had to have the stability recalculated, we needed to hang as much weight as possible in the right places. The staysails and square sails are already ready to hoist, the mainsail is being made new by the sailmaker, and we’re still debating the sail plan between the masts. The stability is looking great. Inside, we’re putting the finishing touches to the interior. Fitting skirting boards and trim in the right places, varnishing floors, pressure-testing and connecting pipes, installing taps and toilets, hanging lights, ordering mattresses—in short, there’s still plenty to do, but these are all jobs that show the finish line is in sight. A number of projects have been pushed back to a later date, still to be decided. For example, we’d like to incorporate the old four-person cabin into the living area, and hope to show off some beautiful new deck furniture as soon as possible. What used to be a cosy little cabin is now a huge storage space. And while we need to find a temporary solution for the deck furniture, we’ve already got the most important feature in place: the bar.