About de Verwisseling

This beauty is almost 100 years old

A new kind of cargo for an old tjalk

De Verwisseling was built as a cargo ship in 1924 at the Wolthuis shipyard in Sappemeer, Groningen. The owner, with his wife and children, lived in the deck house, and in the cargo area he transported sugar beets, sand and potatoes. The ship proved to be a sturdy one, able to hold her course, low on the water and steady over both bows.

Passenger ship

In 1976 de Verwisseling was converted to a passenger ship, able to hold up to 20 people. The former cargo area is now a cosy guest residence with a ktichen, toilet, washroom with shower and three sleeping areas for up to 14 people.

No concessions

Above all, de Verwisseling is an authentic ship, where no concessions have been done on the appearance to convert it into a comfortable vessel. Guests describe it as warm, cosy and atmospheric; a clean ship on which you will feel safe and at home. The ship sails from the historic and picturesque harbour of Muiden.

 

Roaming over ‘het Wad’

By virtue of their low draught, flat-bottomed ships can easily lay dry when the tide turns. If we visit the Wadden Sea with de Verwisseling, you can experience the unmatched beauty of falling dry and walking over the bottom of the Wadden Sea while waiting for the tide to turn, and to continue your journey.

 

Length

22,5 meter

Width

4,3 meter

Draught

60 centimeter

Sail area

150 sq m (jib and mainsail)

Extra sails

flying jib, driver, water sail

Motor

Ford, 50 kW

Electricity

24 and 220 Volt

Heating

central heating

Home port

Muiden

Sailing area

Markermeer, Ijsselmeer, Wadden Sea, Frisian Lakes

 

The ship fulfills all necessary safety requirements.

 

Boltjalk

De Verwisseling is a tjalk, a name that first appeared in the 17th century. A tjalk is built long, narrow and shallow, like a rounded shoebox. It has a full rounded bow and round edges. Most tjalks have one mast and are gaffel-rigged. Because the Dutch ships often had to traverse shallow waters, they were built without keel, opting instead for leeboards.

 

Rounded bow

Because of the wide variation in appearance, origin and usage, tjalks can be subdivided into several groups. De Verwisseling is a ‘boltjalk’, a steel tjalk with a rounded bow. This type of tjalk was mainly used in the area around Groningen.

‘Brown fleet’ or traditional charter?

‘Brown fleet’ is the term given to the professional passenger ships in the Netherlands, also known as traditional charters. This name references the brown sails with which these ships used to sail. The color was due to a coating given to the sails by a yellow-brown liquid, made with oak bark, which protected and conserved the sails.

 

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