Grutte Pier

This barge belonged to a farmer from Akkrum. The farm is still there, behind Coopersburg in Akkrum.

Skippers Tjitte Brouwer and Ulbe Zwaga rented the barge in 1951 to transport manure from the farm to a larger vessel in the Meinesloot to transport it to the bulb-growing region. The manure was sold on to middlemen van den Akker and Otten in Hillegom, who supplied it to flower bulb growers.

The photo on the right shows Tjitte in front, Ulbe at the back of the trees with Lammert, Ulbe's son at the helm. The manure was loaded at Greidanus' farm in the background. In the 1990s, the Grutte Pier, completely overgrown, was found, in such poor condition that it had to be transported by road to be completely restored.

Nu boeken

Our first gain

In March 2018, Grutte Pier was purchased as a sailing barge. The barge was located in Irnsum. As our plan was to provide round trips in -and around-Leeuwarden, we first removed the mast and boom. At the back, a bun was fitted for the trailer engine. For now, we still have a 9 hp petrol engine, but when an electric motor comes on the market that is strong enough, we will of course switch.

Stringent shipping inspection in May 2018

As we sail with more than 12 people, the barges have to be inspected by SI (Shipping Inspectorate).

For instance, the height of the handrail and the width of the seats must meet certain dimensions. Fire extinguishers, life jackets, and first aid equipment must be on board. There is also a so-called ‘sling test’ to determine how many people the barge can carry. In our case, 35 people. Was an exciting day but fortunately everything was in order and you can sail safely with us.

Refit in april 2022

A thorough refurbishment after three years of sailing. Want to refurbish a more than 100-year-old praam, but keep the classic look? Then there is only one shipyard in Leeuwarden and that is Scheepsbouw Kroes on Zwettestraat in Leeuwarden!

For ‘beauty’, we had left the mast foot and the large foredeck in place but that turned out to be impractical. We also fitted a new railing and made the boarding area safer for our passengers.

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