> GeneratiONS
From father to son
Fred
“I enjoyed
watching the sea
every day”
TIM
“IT WAS THE FREEDOM
THAt APPEALED to ME”
Van vader op zoon
Fred Knoops (74) retired 11 years ago. His son Tim (41) is still at sea full time; he’s a captain. He grew up learning the trade from an early age.
Fred
“I went to sea when I was I was 16. It was what I’d wanted to do right since I was just a kid. I’ve worked on every kind of vessel; that’s what I wanted, too. It was the freedom that appealed to me: travelling the world. In the old days, you’d spend ten days in port and then get a weekend off. Then I’d get on the bus, without knowing where it was going. I always joined in on board, even when I was captain. I used to enjoy going down to the engine room to help out with various jobs.
I was really glad when Tim decided to go to sea too. He spent six months on board with me as an apprentice. I treated him just like any other apprentice. When the chef was sick, Tim and the other apprentice had to take over as the cooks. First they had to clean the galley and then do the cooking. They weren’t always happy about that.
Even though I’m not at sea any more, I still feel involved. When Tim’s on board, I keep an eye on the weather, and of course I keep track of him. He tells me what he’s going to do, and nine times out of ten, it’s the same as what I’d do too. Sometimes I can tell that the weather’s going to turn bad, but I never worry about it. I always assume that things will go well. That’s also how I used to think. If you feel unsure of yourself, then things can go wrong. I enjoyed watching the sea every day. Whether it’s day or night, the sea is always changing. I was always fascinated by it.”
Tim
“When I was 15, I went on board with my father for the first time. In the summers that followed, I did holiday work with him. After finishing my training in Vlissingen, I went to sea properly. It was the freedom that appealed to me. Back then, I was able to really see something of the ports where we put in. I was allowed to go ashore. That’s almost impossible these days. Take my last voyage, for example. We were in Italy. You’re allowed to go ashore there during the day, but then we’re at work. I think it’s particularly frustrating for the crew that they aren’t allowed off the ship. Those guys spend 10 months on board.
When I was with my dad, I used to travel on little container ships with him. These days I serve on general cargo vessels, with Spliethoff’s S-class fleet. Our main cargo is paper, and the icing on the cake is when we also transport yachts. It’s pretty hard work. There’s the time difference of course, which means you get less sleep. And when you’re in port, the work continues 24 hours a day. Every day is a Monday!
I sail between northern Europe and the America east coast. I deliberately chose this ship and this route. I don’t want to travel to destinations in Africa and the Middle East – it’s far too dangerous. Fortunately, I’ve never had anything serious happen on board.
The profession has really changed; there are now so many rules and so much paperwork. That’s why I don’t think I’ll stay at sea until I retire. So if a nice shore-based job comes along… who knows.” ←