After an intensive search we succeeded: marina ‘t Stukske in Waalwijk has found two couples for the remainder of the summer, who can still take over the task of harbor masters Jozef and Crista. “After a call on the app and website of Omroep Brabant, that we were very high, a Brabant and Belgian couple registered,” says Crista Klerx. “We are very happy that they want to take on our role as harbor master for the rest of the summer. Our marina can remain open.”
At the beginning of May it was more or less a cry for help, the small and picturesque marina ‘t Stukse on the Bergsche Maas was looking for a manager couple for the second part of the summer. “For the first three months of the season, my husband Jozef and I took on the role of harbor master as always, but for the second part of the summer there was no one to be found,” said Crista Klerx. “After our story on Omroep Brabant, it was a hit, from Portugal, among others, Gerard and Thea Vermeulen responded, who travel through Europe with their campers as nomads.”
“We responded, we were welcome.”
“I have the Omroep Brabant app on my phone,” says Theo, who originally comes from Halsteren. “I read the story about the search for a harbor master couple when we were in Portugal with the camper. We responded, we were welcome and drove back to the Netherlands with the motorhome. We have already completed the first week as harbor masters. It is going very well and the members are also very happy that new people have signed up.”
“You stay here 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you don’t get a fat salary,” said Crista Klerx in the spring. “It is voluntary work for a small fee for our association. It is mainly friendly here, small-scale and we know us. It’s Brabant.”
“We’ve only been running for a week, so we don’t know yet.”
Traditionally, the harbor master couple Jozef and Crista are already planning to take on the task of harbor masters in the first months of the new season (2023). Gerard Vermeulen, however, cannot yet say a meaningful word about it. “We’ve only been running for a week, so we don’t know yet. We cannot comment on that yet.”
Now that Jozef and Crista have been able to leave the work and supervision in the small marina to Gerard and Thea with confidence, they are also going on holiday themselves. Although: Crista goes cycling with a friend.
“The starting point is the Langres Plateau in France.”
“We are going to take a bike ride along the Maas. The starting point is the Langres Plateau in France, where the Meuse rises. From there we cycle all the way to Hoek van Holland, but Jozef first takes us to France by car.” Crista ‘the cycling harbor master’ thinks it will take about three weeks to cover the approximately 1200 kilometers to Hoek van Holland. “We cycle a little more than the usual distance because we sometimes deviate from the route on the left and right.”
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