Cats were around already when I was young but I went the way of most Dutch sailors

12 years ; learned to sail in a 6.5 mtr open cruising monohull boat called 16 squares; soon after also on Valks (Falcons and very comparable to 16sq.)) You can sleep on these things, using a boom tent. They have a gaff rig and they are quite fast and are used for long weekends or short weeks of wandering around on the Dutch lakes.

16 years ; first time parents let me out on holliday alone. Went to a sailing camp as was typical for youngsters my age at the time. All others were sailing Valks and I was put into the crew of a 1879 (I think) Frisian Yacht. A shallow draft, double gunwhale boarded tradional design with a artistic gaff rig and a 200 kg 15 PK single stroke diesel engine. I thought I was done for the week. Doomed to sail slowly and be passed by all others in the faster Valks. Boy was I wrong. Got put in with a lovely Protugese lady. Way above me age, but heee! a man, YOUNG man, can dream even if he is still wet behind the ears. And sometimes dreams come awfully close to reality. The old lady (the boat) was adorable as well. Bloody fast that granny was. We sailed in the lead pack of the fleet time and time again and that was BEFORE we started the engine. I think that since that week I never look down on tradition designs and I still have a weak spot for gaff rigs. I never really took to bermuda rigs like most sailors. If I ever own a monohull yacht then it has got to be one with a gaff rig and a boomed jib. But getting of track here

Sailed 16sq. and valks for a few years. Then continued sailing these once a year for a single weekend as is the norm here in Holland. Nearly everybody does that. So things went quiet.

Than 1996 came and I was still studying and I got struck by skiffs, the 18 foot and 49-er kind and it looked like so much fun that I wanted to get into that as quickly as possible. But no money ! So a friend said why don't you buy a secondhander as see if you really liked it. My problem was that only catamarans were on offer cheap and so I ended up on my first cat Prindle 16. Love that one to bits, literally. After the really good but windy season 2003 I had to sell her, she had survived all since 1975 but the end was nearing. Sold it to another sailor new to cats and wiped a tear. Needless to say I lost interest in skiff for several years.

Than came the P18 in 1998; sold in 2002.

Than F16 in late 2002 , finished in 2004.

In 2002 my interest in skiffs revived and I crewed on several but never owned one myself. Did quite some 49-er sailing in 2003, None of that in 2004 and in 2005 we are going to sail that baby again, hopefully as we did in 2003. Great season 2003 was ! Bloody good sailing season.

And then I sailed scores of boats as crew now and then and at resorts.

And then the future ? I don't know. I have a dream but no idea how to get there. First earning lots of money I guess.

Wouter