Captain Baltazar Book a cruise
Amsterdam's only sailing museum ship

A 1916 cargo ship. The old freight routes. Your family aboard.

Sail the "Verbetering" - a fully certified, still-working 1916 Hasselter barge - from Amsterdam's old shipyards to the windmills of the Zaanse Schans.

Book a cruise Meet the boat
Licensed passenger vessel Member of the brown fleet Family-run
The "Verbetering", a 1916 Hasselter cargo barge, under full sail
The story

Not a canal tour. A working piece of Dutch history.

The one-liner
“We sail an old cargo ship down the old cargo routes.”
The skipper at the helm, in the harbour at Volendam

A family business, run for families, by a family

Captain Baltazar isn't a canal-tour operator - it's a family running Amsterdam and the Zaan region's only sailing museum ship. The "Verbetering" is a genuine 1916 Hasselter freight barge, still fully certified and still on the water. Every trip retraces the freight routes she actually worked: the IJ, the Zaan, the old polders, the historic tow-canal back to Amsterdam.

No boss, no shift schedule - just a family who set their own days so they could keep this ship sailing. That flexibility is why every trip feels personal, not packaged.

A real museum ship

Certified brown-fleet vessel - not a replica, not a standard canal boat.

A working route

The Zaanse Schans day trip retraces the freight route the ship actually sailed.

Total flexibility

No boss, no fixed shifts - the family sets the sailing days themselves.

A day aboard

The flagship route, mooring by mooring

The Zaanse Schans Day Cruise follows the freight route the "Verbetering" worked a century ago - out along the IJ, through the locks onto the Zaan, and home down the old tow-canal.

4–6 hours including stops & workshops
Casts off 9:00–10:00 from Houthavens
Never more than 12 aboard - usually 8–10
€129 per person - includes the €30 Zaanse Schans ticket, so the day aboard works out around €99
See the full cruise

Cast off at Houthavens

Out along the IJ waterfront, past the old NDSM shipyard - now a cultural hotspot - and Amsterdam's modern working harbour.

Through the locks, into Zaandam

Sluices

Onto the river Zaan, where old industry sits shoulder to shoulder with modern food factories. A first mooring is possible here - stretch your legs or see the old Verkade biscuit factory.

Moor at the Zaanse Schans

2-hour stop Clog workshop 7 sights included

We tie up at the mill museum and you get two full hours among the windmills - with the full Zaanse Schans ticket and the clog-making workshop already in your fare.

Your €30 Zaanse Schans ticket - included In the fare
  • Two working windmills, shown by the millers themselves
  • World of Windmills museum
  • Zaans Museum & the Verkade Experience - a real 1900s chocolate factory
  • Zaan Time Museum
  • The Weavers' House and its five looms
  • Digital audio tour, Dutch and English
  • 10% off the pancakes at De Kraai

Plus the clog-making workshop, which isn't on the gate ticket at all. Two hours is enough for a couple of mills and a museum - you pick which.

Through the polder

Down a narrow sloot through reclaimed land - the Dutch way of sailing, gliding above the houses and fields. The polders are industrial heritage in their own right.

Purmerend

Once a fishing village, turned farming and trading town by the great land reclamations - one of the best transformation stories on the route.

Home down the old trekvaart

Sluices

Back to Amsterdam along the historic Amsterdam–Purmerend tow-canal, through the lock behind Central Station, and home to Houthavens.

Prefer a shorter day? You can extend to the old village of Wognum for lunch - or leave the ship at the Zaanse Schans and take a taxi back to Amsterdam.
The boat

The "Verbetering", 1916

A genuine Hasselter vrachtaak - fully authentic, all certificates aboard, member of the brown fleet.

Line drawing of the "Verbetering", a 1916 Hasselter vrachtaak cargo barge
Built
1916
Type
Hasselter vrachtaak
Length
17 metres
Capacity
12 guests (8–10 typical)
Headroom
155 cm - no wheelchair access
Ages
8 years and up
Pets
Leashed dogs welcome
Seating
Covered & open-air - always a dry seat

Aboard

Below deck you'll find the vooronder (bow cabin), the galley with its lounge - sofa and table - the main kajuit, the engine room, and a toilet. Coffee, tea and water are always on; there's wifi, power, a working gas stove if you'd like to cook, towels for swimmers, and life vests for everyone. Bring your own food and drink, or we moor somewhere good for lunch along the way.

A sailing monument

One of only seven aken the Barkmeijer yard ever built - launched in 1916, hauling bricks for a living by 1939, restored and back under her original rig since 2022.

Read the ship's full story
Where you board

Two moorings, both in the middle of Amsterdam

Centraal Station is your landmark - everything below is measured from it. Whichever mooring your trip leaves from, you're never more than a short walk or a few minutes by taxi from the station.

Why this is rare

Ships our size can't come into the centre anymore. We still can.

Amsterdam's engine and emissions rules have effectively closed the inner city to vessels of this size - roughly 95% of comparable ships are no longer allowed to sail in. The "Verbetering" is one of the few that still is. That's why you step aboard in the city itself, ten minutes from Centraal Station, instead of being bussed to a marina outside town.

  1. 1

    Houthavens

    Main departure point
    Houthavens waterfront, Amsterdam, with historic ships moored along Van Diemenkade

    "The timber harbours" - Amsterdam's old wood-import docks, on the IJ waterfront just west of Centraal Station. It isn't a name most visitors know, and that's rather the point: a working waterfront of houseboats and historic ships, a ten-minute hop from the crowds. Look for the old ships moored along Van Diemenkade.

    Address
    Van Diemenkade 28, 1013 CR Amsterdam
    From Centraal
    About a 20-minute walk along the waterfront, or a few minutes by taxi
    Used for
    The Zaanse Schans Day Cruise
    See it on the map
  2. 2

    Museumhaven

    By arrangement
    The Museumhaven at Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam

    The museum harbour beside the National Maritime Museum, on the Oosterdok just east of Centraal Station - the easiest of the two to find, and walkable from the station in about a quarter of an hour.

    Address
    Oosterdok 12, 1011 VX Amsterdam
    From Centraal
    About a 13-minute walk
    Used for
    Private charters and trips we agree with you in advance
    See it on the map
What guests say

Sailed with us, in their own words

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
Choose your experience

Two ways aboard

Sailing past the windmills of the Zaanse Schans
Flagship · Small-group cruise

Zaanse Schans Day Cruise

From the old Amsterdam shipyards, through the sluices, to the windmills - the €30 Zaanse Schans ticket and the clog-making workshop included.

4–6 hrs · €129 per person, kids 8–15 €99 · Max 12 guests See the full cruise
Guests aboard, out on the water
Private charter

Rent the whole ship - for a wedding, an outing, or just your own family.

Up to 12 guests aboard a genuine 1916 cargo barge, sailing wherever you'd like to go. Bring your own food and use the galley freely - or let us host the whole day, food, drinks and guide included, with our Captain's Day. Direct booking only - never through resellers.

Full day · Route of your choosing · Quoted personally Plan a private day
Good to know

Honest answers, before you book

What does it cost?
The Zaanse Schans Day Cruise is €129 per person (VAT included), and children aged 8 to 15 sail for €99. The Zaanse Schans ticket - €30 at the gate, and it opens the working windmills, four museums and the audio tour - is included, along with the clog-making workshop, so the sailing day itself works out under €100. Private charters and the Captain's Day are quoted personally - tell us the date and the occasion.
What if the weather turns bad - do I get my money back?
Yes - that risk is ours, not yours. Rain rarely stops us: there's covered and open-air seating, so there's always a dry seat. 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.
Do I have to pay when I book?
No. You send us a date, we confirm availability by email, and only then does payment run - through Stripe, by card, iDEAL or the other methods shown below. On top of that, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure. We sell direct only, never through resellers.
How many guests can sail?
Never more than 12 guests, typically 8–10. Children from age 8; dogs welcome on a lead.
What if not enough guests book my departure?
A group departure sails from 6 guests. If fewer book, you choose: move free to another departure, turn your date into a private charter with every euro you've paid credited in full, or take a full refund - no questions asked.
Can we bring our own food and drink?
Please do - we don't cater, and that's deliberate. The galley has a working gas stove and a fridge to keep your drinks cold, coffee, tea and water are always on, and we can also moor somewhere good along the route so you can eat ashore.
Is there a toilet on board?
Yes - a proper toilet below deck, along with the galley and its lounge. There's wifi and power aboard too, so a full day on the water doesn't mean going without anything.
Will I get seasick?
Very unlikely. We sail sheltered inland water - the IJ, the Zaan, the polder canals - not open sea. And the "Verbetering" is a flat-bottomed aak with a wide hull, so she sits remarkably steadily on the water. If you're prone to motion sickness, this is about the gentlest sailing there is.
What's included?
On the day cruise: the full Zaanse Schans ticket - two working windmills, the World of Windmills museum, the Zaans Museum with its Verkade chocolate-factory experience, the Zaan Time Museum, the Weavers' House, the audio tour and 10% off the pancakes at De Kraai - plus the clog-making workshop, which isn't sold at the gate at all. Aboard: coffee, tea and water all day, wifi, power, towels for swimmers and life vests for everyone. Bring your own food and use the galley, or stop ashore to eat.
Is the ship wheelchair accessible?
No - 155 cm standing height below deck means it isn't suitable for wheelchair users or guests with limited mobility.
What's your cancellation policy?
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. If the skipper cancels for weather or safety, you rebook free or get a full refund - your choice.
What languages are spoken aboard?
Dutch, English and German.
Book, or get in touch

Check a date with us

The Zaanse Schans Day Cruise is €129 per person, children 8–15 €99 - the €30 Zaanse Schans ticket and the clog workshop included. No payment now: we confirm availability by email first, and payment runs through Stripe once your booking is confirmed.

We sail on fixed days, with a day kept free between trips to reset the ship. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure - and if the skipper cancels for weather, you rebook free or get a full refund.

Rather talk it through?

You'll always reach the family, not a call centre. We're happy to help you pick a date, a route, or figure out if the ship suits your group.

PhoneMon–Fri, 9:00–18:00
EmailAny time - we reply on sailing-free days
WhatsAppQuickest outside office hours