> MY HEADING

Gerard de Vries (62) is a captain of freeze and cold-storage vessels with Seatrade. He's getting towards the end of his seafaring career, because early retirement is on the horizon. ‘We mostly transport fruit in reefer containers, sometimes on a scheduled service, sometimes in the tramp trade. My final trip was from Vlissingen to Central America and back. A round like that lasts seven weeks, and then you do it twice in your term of engagement. On the last return trip, we were a bit delayed due to various situations in the Panama Canal and bad weather. That sometimes meant a crisis on board, but I still enjoy the job. Crew matters, keeping the vessel shipshape, puzzling about the weather – it all still fascinates me. But there’s so much hassle these days: audits, administration, loads of e-mails every day. On board, we always say we're glad when the weekend starts back in Holland, because we then get two days of peace and quiet. I suppose it’s all just part of life today. But still, when I weigh it all up, I think I’ll be retiring in two years’ time. I'll have accumulated 42 years of pension, which is almost the maxi­mum. That’s pretty good, and I’ll have seen enough water. What will I do when I’ve retired? At any rate, I'll spend more time with my family than just four to five months a year. I won't retire any sooner, because our son may decide to study medicine, so the money has to keep coming in, even though we've saved. And, I can still do something on shore, of course. It's just vague ideas, but I'm thinking of delivering newspapers, or retraining for a different profession. Or perhaps I’ll become a stay-at-home dad and my wife can pick up her own career again.’ ←