Last summer, Arie van Wijngaarden and his wife from Alblasserdam rented the Argus from us. A motor yacht of almost fifteen meters, which first needed quite a bit of renovation. “That’s something Arie Verkerk from Aquaship can certainly be trusted with: as a craftsman, he is perfectionistic and always delivers quality!”

Arie and his wife considered the Argus to be one of the most beautiful ships they have ever sailed on.

Inland Navigation

And they know what they’re talking about: since 1983, they have rented a motorboat every year to cruise the inland waterways. “I used to be a captain in inland navigation. We had our own motorboat, but that became impossible to combine when we started a shop. Working on Saturdays and the maintenance takes up a lot of time. Renting a boat is the ideal solution: you don’t have to worry about anything!”

Rental Companies

For years, they focused on Friesland: “We have sailed on boats from various rental companies. More or less by chance, we found out last year that an employee of the last rental company works from the Liesveld marina in Streefkerk.” His wife adds: “And the next coincidence was that we knew him from church. Arie Verkerk rents out various motor yachts from Streefkerk with Aquaship.”

Experience

“After we got in touch, I visited the marina several times,” Arie says. “During the carpentry work on the Argus, I was even able to give some tips based on my experiences.” During one of those visits, Arie noticed the hydraulic crane on the aft deck. “Normally, it’s used to hoist the tender on board. But after some experimenting, it turned out to be a great solution for my mobility scooter as well!”

Streefkerk

Arie is 77 years old and has difficulty walking long distances. “On board, that’s no problem at all. The Argus is quite a large motor yacht, but easy to maneuver compared to a push barge! And being able to depart from Streefkerk was very convenient.” In May, Arie and his wife set off together with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law for an eleven-day boating trip.

Gelderse IJssel

Arie: “We sailed from Streefkerk to Vianen, Wageningen, Doesburg, Hattem, Nijkerk, Spakenburg, Muiden, Utrecht, Heusden, and via Dordrecht back to Streefkerk: a wonderful trip! The Gelderse IJssel is my favorite. The river is winding and has a current, a real highlight to sail upstream! We sailed along the Vecht, all the way to Utrecht. On the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, you have to pay close attention because of the waves from commercial shipping.”

Beautiful Ships

After refueling in Dordrecht, they returned to Streefkerk. Arie: “The Argus is a beautiful ship and I love beautiful ships. Spacious cabins, a flying bridge, and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law were also very enthusiastic. In the meantime, Arie Verkerk has sold the yacht, but his other yachts are also stunning. And we’re on the same ‘wavelength’, we understand each other and our wives get along very well too.”

Arie, in conclusion: “Boating is the best thing we have ever done. And we can wholeheartedly recommend doing it with the beautiful ships from Aquaship!”

Would you like to know more about our rental boats? Contact us.