“A little more starboard!” A cry over the Drenthe waters. It is getting used to the Emmense Sacha ten Hove and Bernard Kil. Since this week they are the official owner of an 110 -year -old ship, the ‘good expectation’. The young couple starts the first trip with their new home. And that past the place where it all started 110 years ago, Hoogeveen.
Ten Hove and Kil were actually looking for a house, but found out that this was not feasible in the current market. “When we wanted to apply for a mortgage, we turned out not to have enough money,” laughs Ten Hove. And so they went looking for an alternative. It became a ship.
“Such a ship survives human lives. It was time for us to pass it on to the younger generation,” says former owner Harry Oostland, who along with his wife Olga.
Together they have explored many waters with the more than 25 meters long ship. “The children were born here, it was our home for forty years,” says Olga emotionally. Yet after all these years it is time to give the helm. The children of Harry and Olga did not like to take over the ship and so the couple went looking for the fourth generation owners. “You can only do such a ship and maintain the two of you.”
At the viewing of the good expectation, Ten Hove and Kil immediately fell in love and since this week they are officially the proud owners of their own sailing place. “The historical value is really something that attracts us. We would like to inspire people to retain this kind of sailing heritage,” explains Ten Hove. In addition, a monumental ship also has an advantage. “The ship is allowed in museum ports in the Netherlands, where berths are for sailing heritage. Because we don’t have a fixed berth.”
Former owner Harry Oostland does not have to say goodbye immediately. The coming week will be a kind of farewell tour, where the seasoned skipper teaches the new owners the tricks of the trade, because they have never sailed with such a large ship before.
The good expectation, formerly Soli Deo Gloria (only the honor of God), is a clippered trade that was built in 1915 on the Eikelboom shipyard in Hoogeveen. The place that grew into the largest inner port in the Netherlands in the 19th century. At the moment there is not much left of that. The last shipyard disappeared in 1965 and in 1971 the last channels in the city center were filled in.
“The ship is Hoogeveens Heritage,” says Albert Wolting, chairman of the Drentse Praam working group. So that heritage is coming back to its origin this week. Special, because the good expectation has only occasionally been back in Drenthe in recent decades. “I am happy that two enthusiasts have bought the clippered trade and that they would like to keep it in its original state. If you are economical on the ship, it will be retained for a long time.”
To really keep the ship in its original state, Ten Hove and Kil chose to change the name back to Soli Deo Gloria. “The ship is a kind of time capsule and the old name is very appropriate for the time where the ship was built,” says Bernard.
In addition, there is superstition in Scheepsvaart that changing the name of the ship can cause an accident. “The name belongs to the ship. We don’t want an accident here, so we like to maintain the tradition,” Ten Hove Vrolijk adds.
At Scheepswerf De Vlijt in Coevorden, the ship was inspected and made ready for the trip to Gouda, the first place of stay of Ten Hove and Kil. They do not yet know which places the new owners will explore with the ship, but this can be followed via ‘ship adventure’ on Instagram and Tiktok.
For now there is at least much to learn and do. “We hope that we can also become a long -term owner of the ship.” The Oostland couple still have a tip for that. “Do it together anyway.”