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Guests aboard on the bow seats, out on the water
The "Verbetering", a 1916 Hasselter cargo barge, moored on the water
Sailing past the windmills of the Zaanse Schans
Private charter · The whole ship, your day

Your own 1916 cargo ship, for a day

Weddings, birthdays, a company day, or just your own family: the whole “Verbetering” and her crew from morning to evening, for up to 12 guests. You choose the water - the Zaanse Schans, the cheese towns, the polder villages - and we plan the route together. This is not a tour with your name on it. It is a genuine 1916 freight ship, sailed down her own original cargo routes by the family who own her, with nobody else aboard but your people.

  • Full dayroughly 9:00 to 18:00
  • Up to 12 guestsnever shared with anyone else
  • Your routeplanned with the skipper
  • 1 of only 7Barkmeijer aken ever built

Amsterdam's engine and emissions rules have closed the inner city to roughly 95% of comparable ships. The “Verbetering” is one of the few still allowed to moor here - which is why your guests step aboard in the city itself, minutes from Centraal, rather than being bussed to a marina outside town.

Read the ship's full story

Two ways to charter her

Both are the same ship, the same day and the same 12 guests. The only question is how much of it you want to organise yourself.

Private charter

Private Full-Day Charter

The whole ship, your route, your people - planned together with the skipper, then run by you.

The core: the whole ship from about 9:00 to 18:00 · your route, planned with the skipper · up to 12 guests
  • A route built around your day. A swim stop with towels aboard, a mooring for lunch ashore, the cheese towns, the Zaanse Schans - or none of it.
  • The galley is yours. Bring your own food and drink and cook aboard; coffee, tea and water are on us all day. Most charters make you take their catering. We don't.
  • Every space aboard, privately. Dogs welcome on a lead, the vooronder, galley, saloon and deck all yours - nobody else on your boat, all day.
Quoted personally Priced per day against your date, guest count and route.
Request a quote for a private day
Most asked for: weddings & company days

The Captain's Day

The same charter, fully hosted. We plan the route, host the day and handle food, drinks and guide - you and your guests just step aboard.

The core: everything in the Private Full-Day Charter · a guide aboard all day · food and drink arranged - cheese board, borrel package, champagne
  • Your effort goes to zero. We plan the whole day - route, stops, timings, tickets. Whoever organised it gets to be a guest at their own event.
  • A private museum ship as the venue. The story your guests tell afterwards is the gift. No function room does that.
  • A welcome aboard worth having. A proper welcome moment as your guests step on, and the skipper's telling of the ship's 110-year story, just for your group.
Quoted personally Guide, cheese board, borrel package and champagne - arranged and priced as one day.
Request a quote for the Captain's Day

Or add just the parts you want

Any of these can be added to a Private Full-Day Charter: a guide aboard for the day, €200 · a cheese board for the group, €85 · a borrel package - drinks and bites, €145 · champagne, €49 a bottle. All four are already included in the Captain's Day, which is usually the better answer once you want more than one of them.

How your day works

From first message to casting off, there are four steps - and you only really have to make two decisions.

Tell us the date and the occasion

A wedding, a birthday, a company day, or just your own family. We sail on fixed days with a day kept free between trips to reset the ship, so the sooner you ask, the more likely your date is open. You'll hear back from the family, not a call centre.

We plan the route together

Your call

The Zaanse Schans and its windmills, the cheese towns, the polder villages by sloot, a swim stop, a mooring somewhere good for lunch - or a slow day that goes nowhere in particular. She draws only 50 cm, so she reaches water most boats can't.

Choose how hosted you want it

Run the galley yourselves and bring your own food and drink, or hand the whole day over as a Captain's Day - guide aboard, food and drink arranged, nothing left on your list.

You board, and the day is yours

Your guests step aboard in the middle of Amsterdam. In summer the roof opens right up and you sail in the sun and the open air; the best seats in the house are right forward on the bow, with nothing between you and the water.

Just want a seat for the day, rather than the whole ship? The Zaanse Schans Day Cruise sails on fixed dates at €129 per person, with the €30 Zaanse Schans ticket and the clog workshop included.

Where your guests board

Private charters normally leave from the Museumhaven beside Het Scheepvaartmuseum - the easier of our two moorings to find, and a 13-minute walk from Centraal. Houthavens works too if it suits your day better. Tell us which and we'll confirm it in writing.

Loading the map…

Tap either pin to open it in Google Maps. Both moorings sit on the same water as Centraal Station - the Museumhaven to the south-east, Houthavens to the north-west.

What guests say

Left on our Google business page after sailing with us during Sail Amsterdam. Written in Dutch - translated here, otherwise unedited.

5.0 every review, five stars - on Google
★★★★★
We sailed with this company during Sail 2025 - a father with his two sons, who were perfect hosts. As we made our way between the ships, the captain explained the history of every vessel taking part in wonderful detail. All I can say is that it was fantastic, warm, professional and genuinely educational. A day we'll never forget. If we can, in five years' time - Sail 2030 - we'd love to sail with this family again. From the very first contact right through to the trip itself: top.
Mart Sjoers Google review · translated from Dutch
★★★★★
A lovely, warm trip out across the IJ during Sail Amsterdam. We were given professional, personal directions on where to meet, which felt very reassuring. The captain's commentary during Sail was full of enthusiasm. In short: we loved every minute.
Pia Akkerman Google review · translated from Dutch
★★★★★
Really kind, professional sailors. A beautiful trip during Sail Amsterdam. A lovely family, and so hospitable.
Sandra Bleeker Google review · translated from Dutch

Honest answers, before you enquire

Why isn't there a price on this page?
Because every private day is genuinely different - the route, the number of guests, the time of year, and whether you want us to host the food and drink. We'd rather quote you accurately for the day you actually want than publish a number that's wrong for most people. Send us the date and the occasion and you'll have a real figure back from the family, usually the same day.
What's the difference between the Private Full-Day Charter and the Captain's Day?
The Private Full-Day Charter is the whole ship and a route planned with the skipper - you bring your own food and drink and run the galley yourselves. The Captain's Day is that same charter fully hosted: a guide aboard all day, and food and drink arranged for you, so nobody in your group has anything to organise. Same ship, same 12 guests, same hours.
How far ahead should we book, especially for a wedding?
As early as you can for a summer weekend. There is only one ship and she sails on fixed days, with a day kept free between trips - so a given Saturday can only ever belong to one group. Tell us your date and we'll tell you straight away whether she's free, and hold it while you decide.
Can we bring our own caterer, drinks, music or decorations?
Bring your own food and drink - always, and there's a galley with a working gas stove and a fridge to use. For an outside caterer, a musician, or anything you'd like to dress the ship with, ask us when you enquire: she's a 110-year-old working ship, so there are a few practical limits, and we'd rather talk it through properly than give you a blanket yes or no here.
What happens if the weather turns on our date?
Rain rarely stops us - there's covered and open-air seating, so there's always a dry seat. But if our skipper cancels for weather or safety, you choose: rebook any open date free, or a 100% refund. No forms, no arguing - the skipper's call is final and the risk is ours, not yours.
Do we have to pay anything to get a quote?
No. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing - there's no deposit to enquire and no card required. Once you do book, payment runs through Stripe after we've confirmed the date in writing, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.
Can we hold a wedding ceremony aboard, and how many guests fit?
Never more than 12 guests aboard - so this is an intimate ceremony or a close family and friends celebration, not a large reception. Within that, the ship makes a remarkable setting: a certified 1916 monument, and a story your guests will still be telling years later. If your list is longer than 12, say so when you enquire and we'll be honest about what's possible.
Is the ship suitable for older guests or wheelchair users?
Not for wheelchair users - standing height below deck is 155 cm, and there's no step-free access. Guests with limited mobility will find her hard work. We'd much rather say that now than have someone discover it at the quay. On the water itself she's exceptionally steady: a flat-bottomed aak on sheltered inland water, so seasickness is very unlikely.
Are children and dogs welcome on a charter?
Children from 8 years old, and dogs on a lead - both welcome. On a private charter the ship is entirely yours, so there's nobody else aboard to mind either.
Do you book through GetYourGuide or another platform?
Not for private charters - those are direct with the family only, never through resellers or booking platforms. You're talking to the people who actually sail the ship, which is also why the answer to an unusual request is a conversation rather than a form.

Practical information

The full detail, including the parts that might not suit you.

Price
Both charter tiers are priced per day and quoted personally, against your date, guest count and route. Add-ons have fixed prices: guide €200 a day, cheese board €85, borrel package €145, champagne €49 a bottle.
The ship
The “Verbetering” - an original Hasselter vrachtaak built in 1916 at the Barkmeijer yard, one of only seven aken they ever built. 17 metres, iron hull, 50 cm draught. A licensed passenger vessel and member of the brown fleet, with all certificates aboard.
Hours
A full day runs roughly 9:00 to 18:00. If your occasion wants a different shape - a later start, an evening finish - say so when you enquire and we'll quote it.
Group size
Up to 12 guests, and the ship is exclusively yours for the day whether you bring 4 or 12. There's no minimum group for a private charter.
Sailing days
We sail on fixed days, keeping a day free between trips to clean and prepare the ship. Tell us the date you have in mind and we'll tell you straight away whether she's free.
Aboard the ship
Below deck there's the vooronder (bow cabin), the galley with its lounge - sofa and table - the main kajuit, the engine room, and a toilet. Covered and open-air seating means there's always a dry seat, and in summer the roof opens right up. The best seats are forward, on the bow.
Food & drink
On a Private Full-Day Charter we don't cater - bring your own and use the galley and its gas stove freely, or we moor somewhere good and you eat ashore. On a Captain's Day we arrange the lot: cheese board, borrel package, champagne.
Included either way
Coffee, tea and water all day, wifi and power aboard, towels if anyone fancies a swim, and life vests and buoys for everyone.
Boarding
Usually the Museumhaven at Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Oosterdok 12 - a 13-minute walk from Centraal. Houthavens, Van Diemenkade 28, is available by arrangement. We confirm the quay and the exact time in writing.
Children & dogs
Children are welcome from 8 years old. Dogs are welcome too, on a lead.
Accessibility
Standing height below deck is 155 cm. That means the ship is not suitable for wheelchair users or for guests with limited mobility, and we'd rather say so now than have you find out at the quay.
Languages
Your day is hosted in Dutch, English or German - tell us which you'd prefer.
Booking & payment
Nothing to pay to ask. You send a date and the occasion, we come back with a quote, and payment runs through Stripe once the booking is confirmed in writing. Private charters are booked direct with the family - never through resellers or booking platforms.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Bad weather
Rain rarely stops us - there's always a dry seat aboard. But if our skipper cancels a sailing for weather or safety, you choose: rebook any open date free, or a 100% refund. No forms, no arguing - the skipper's call is final and the risk is ours, not yours.
Reaching us
Phone Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00. Email and WhatsApp any time - we reply on sailing-free days. You'll always reach the family, not a call centre.