Safe sailing: yes, of course

When driving a car, you automatically put on your seatbelt. And on an airplane, you patiently wait to walk until the seatbelt sign turns off. However you travel, there are always rules for passengers. Additionally, there are strict safety requirements for the vehicle. This applies to historical sailing ships as well. In fact, the requirements have recently been tightened. What do historical sailing ships need to comply with?

10 September 2024

Each ship thoroughly inspected

Every ship in the fleet of BootBootBoot meets all the specified safety requirements. And there are quite a few. There's the CvO inspection, similar to the MOT inspection for cars. A Certificate of Examination (CvO) is only awarded to a ship if it meets all European guidelines. Such an inspection is valid for five years. Ships must also have a Rigging Certificate. This needs to be renewed every 2.5 years after an inspection of the mast and rigging. Finally, an important new law requires ships to comply with the 'branch standard for spars'. What is that? Spars are masts and booms. The branch standard assists in checking and evaluating spars made of wood and steel. The standard identifies vulnerable areas and makes recommendations for maintenance. It precisely describes what every skipper must know and do at minimum. Ships are only welcomed into our fleet if they have valid certificates. You can also view these in the ILT register, the inspection authority.

From nostalgic wood to robust steel

More and more ships choose to replace their characteristic wooden masts with steel masts. Sometimes with a heavy heart, but safety naturally comes first. Is a wooden mast unsafe then? No, thanks to the branch standard for spars, wooden masts are scrutinized even more critically.

Better than good

All our ships are inspected and meet legal safety requirements. Some skippers believe that things can always be improved and go to great lengths to ensure safe voyages. For example, they might replace their mast even if it's not necessary yet. Or they might take a first aid or emergency response course to be able to provide quick assistance if needed. This makes us very happy, of course.

And then the rules

Even if a ship is inspected and in top condition, there are still some rules to ensure everyone returns home without any injuries. As soon as a voyage begins, the captain gathers everyone together and explains exactly what you should and shouldn't do. The skipper couple Arno and Saskia have been sailing their clipper ship Broedertrouw on the IJsselmeer for decades. They told us how they meet all the prerequisites for a safe voyage while keeping things enjoyable on board.

Lees het interview

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Do you have any questions? We can imagine you might, and we're happy to make time for them.

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