‘The Hope’ was one of the ships in the fleet of the former Port Museum that now belongs to the Maritime Museum. It stood for years as a museum exhibit on the quay of the Leuvehaven and served as a “button boat. The current owner bought it from the museum in 2015.

The ship launched under the name “De Drie Gebroeders” and sailed exclusively under sail cargo until 1968 (!). It carried cargoes such as peat and grain, but the ship, with a watertight riveted fore and aft bulkhead, was therefore also well suited for carrying “wet” cargoes such as shells and dung.

As the ship was decommissioned at the time, so it still is: completely authentic. The ship, which has never been motorized in her working years, is now getting an engine after all. The owner will convert ‘De Hoop’ into a – sailing – houseboat in the next few years.