“It is wonderful to let the old boats sail on the old routes”

Frank Hemminga is one of the founders of the foundations MOVE and SEGA. These two have recently merged and organize educational boat trips in Amsterdam.“About 26 years ago, we retrieved some old boats that used to operate regular services across the IJ, such as the service from Nieuwendam to Schellingwoude. With volunteers, we ensured that the boats were put back into service for educational theme cruises. I come up with ideas for theme cruises and make sure they are implemented. An example is the monthly cruise to the lighthouse island with a forest ranger. Or the cruise ‘Amsterdam the Wild City’ inspired by the movie ‘The Wild City’. Together with one of the film’s creators and an ecologist, we sail through the city passing points that played a role in the film. Additionally, I handle administration and take care of ships and crew.”Sailing cultural heritage“It is very enjoyable to let people experience the city and its surroundings in combination with sailing cultural heritage. Instead of doing nothing with the historic boats, we use them again. It is wonderful to see the old boats sailing the old routes and it also helps in preserving cultural heritage. People always come back happy and enriched from the educational trips. It has become a sort of family that almost wants to join every trip again. Not only the regular group joins, the trips also contribute to the plan of taking tourists out of the city center. Of course, it’s not about huge numbers, but every little bit helps. All of this thanks to the hard work of all volunteers.”Happy people“I have always found it important to do volunteer work. You are active in a different world than the one you work in. Volunteers have a common goal, and I think they are more motivated than people with paid jobs because the goal is not to earn money. This volunteer work is special to me because you collaborate and ensure that others have fun. When you sail and see people enjoying themselves, I think that’s fantastic. You come into contact with people you would never normally meet, so it’s also a great way to bring different groups of people in Amsterdam together. Someone else might prefer collecting stamps, but this is where I find my satisfaction. Besides, I just can’t sit still, I can always do that behind the geraniums, but I’ll stay a volunteer for a while longer!”Photo: Huub Zeeman
Interview: Suzanne Vink

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