“When I started tattooing, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was little interest in the seaman’s tattoo”, says Henk. “Only fishermen from Urk, Katwijk and IJmuiden allowed themselves to be tattooed at that time. I once organised an afternoon session for people with tattoos in a pub in Urk. There was a huge amount of interest. The pub was full of tattooed fishermen.” Henk explains that today's young seafarers on ocean-going voyages are less likely to opt for a tattoo. “They're smart well-trained types. They may not find a tattoo appropriate to their rank.” Ferry to Amsterdam-North “I have several nice seaman's tattoos in my collection and I am happy if I can do them every now and then”, says Henk. “A little while ago, I tattooed a traditional schooner on a marine's leg. And a ship's carpenter had his leg covered in all kinds of nautical elements. That took about twelve to fifteen hours. Our tattoo shop also attracts people who have no relationship with the sea. They want it because it looks tough. But it does feel a bit strange to me to put an anchor on the forearm of an ICT specialist whose only maritime experience consists of taking the ferry occasionally from Amsterdam-Centre to Amsterdam-North.” Captain Cook and Tahiti Decorating the skin is as old as mankind and it has featured in all kinds of cultures. But in the western world, it was banished by Christianity around the year 750. It was not until the eighteenth century that tattooing began to advance. Henk: “This was the result of a visit by British explorer James Cook to Tahiti in the South Pacific in the second half of the eighteenth century. He was very impressed by the heavily tattooed locals, who also had a word for it: 'tatu'. Cook called it ‘a tattoo’. Cook's stories about his introduction to tattooing and the Tahitian tattoos on the arms of his crew caused a stir when he returned home. That was the start of the Western European tradition.”