Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the “Damsterdiep” you don’t see on the outside at all. Namely, that is the single-cylinder Brons engine of up to 25 hp. This engine has been in the ship since 1925. That engine was also a major reason for the current owner to buy the ship in 1995.

Incidentally, the ‘Damsterdiep’ looked a lot less prosperous then than it does now: empty and completely neglected. Under the name “Excelsior,” it had sailed with cargo in the northern provinces of the Netherlands from 1925 to 1954.

It took the current owner about five years to completely refurbish it. But when asked if the work is finished now, he is clear: “A ship is never finished.” Even so, he is already trying to be out and about with the ship as often as possible. And it succeeds quite nicely: the “Damsterdiep” is on the road about six months a year.