THE VROUWEZAND

The Vrouwezand is a classical Dutch flat-bottomed sailingship. She was built in 1903, hence in her second century. The Vrouwezand was used as a cargo ship on the Dutch inland waters till 1976. She sailed English and Danish harbours as a single-masted ship. She was being renovated in 1976 to a 2-mast sailing tjalk and became one of the first ships in the so-called "bruine vloot" ("brown fleet"), which is the Dutch name for quite a large amount of traditional ships, equipped for paying guests.

Yvonne van Scheijen bought the Vrouwezand in 1994 and has been overhauling the tjalk very thouroughly. And now she is a comfortable boat with modern equipment and a up to date safety outfit. An old ship made new!

How did she get her name? Just in front of her hometown, Stavoren, exists a sandbank with the name Vrouwezand. That name is related to a very old story about a "vrouwtje van Stavoren" ("Lady of Stavoren") , a not so nice lady from the middle ages. No doubt the full story will be told aboard. Yvonne likes spinnings a yarn, and it is a coincidence that the ship Vrouwezand has sometimes a female crew.

The inside

Inside the Vrouwezand one finds a very comfortable lounge with a very well equipped kitchen and a professional cooker. There is of course warm water in the kitchen, shower and washroom. In the lounge we have a large dining-table and a small one for having a drink or playing cards. There is a variety of beds to choose from. Different widths and lengths (up to 2,40 metre!). Seperate ladies' and gents toiletrooms. With light, fresh colours and more then enough headroom, it is a spacious ship.

THE CREW

The skipper is Yvonne van Scheijen. She has a degree as a biologist, but sailing has been her passion from childhood on. When she bought the Vrouwezand in 1994 she was able to combine her two interests!
As first mate in 2019, you will find in the months July and August, Ineke sailing with you.