Especially the pleasure with the people on the ferry thought former pont skipper John was the best at his work. Over the years, the pensionado experienced everything. “I was just a talking ANWB pole, stuck tires and brought people at home who had fallen.”
His pension puts an end to a long family tradition. The Van Schaiks brought people back and forth with ferry service Nessersluis for more than a century. “My grandfather sailed from 1919 to 1951. Then a lot was still going with the rowing boat,” he says.
Raised in the house next to the ferry
It was actually inevitable that John would ever sail on the ferry. He grew up in the house that stood right next to it. His father was ready seven days a week for people who had to go across the street and he only had a break if one of his sons relieved him.
“I have sailed from the age of sixteen. I took over my father with the food, then he could quietly dine.” A lot has changed since then. For example, John no longer had to sail alone, but he shared his services with, among others, his brother, who retired a few years ago.
“It used to be much busier,” says the former pont skipper. “Then there was a traffic jam during rush hour. Nowadays the roads have only changed. Now it is especially busy with nice weather, when people start cycling.”
Still popular
The ferry is still indispensable for many people. That turned out again yesterday morning, when the traffic on the N201 provincial road got stuck due to an accident. “Then old customers know how to find us again,” says John.
Fortunately, the fact that John is no longer sailing does not mean that the ferry is standing still. Colleagues have taken it over from him.