Anton, able seaman Clipper Stad Amsterdam, shares his fascination with tall ships & sailing with the Nautical College Enkhuizen alumni.
I was 11 years old when I read my first book of pirates and pirate ships. The ships in movies like Master and Commander and White Squall fired up a new interest in me to learn as much about square riggers and how to sail them like nothing did before. I sat at home, in the black forest, spending my time drawing Fregates, Galleons and Clippers and reading old books about the art of sailing them.
On my 13th birthday my parents took me to the Netherlands on a sailing holiday aboard one of the flat bottom klippers, not aware that at the same time, the Sail Amsterdam took place, which we by accident stumbled across on our way home. I was begging my parents to let me see these ships and after an hour long discussion, they couldn't say no anymore. My father gave me his camera and told me I could take pictures of the ships I liked the most, if I would stay with him and not run away. It took an hour and I vanished in the massive crowd of people on the quayside..........Read the full story here
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