Rondvaartboten (The Netherlands)

Canal Cruises

Last modified: 2006-06-17 by jarig bakker
Keywords: rondvaartboten | canal cruises |
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• Rederij P. Kooy
• Rederij Plas
• Rederij Boeke
• Rederij Hof van Holland

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Rederij P. Kooy

"Rederij P. Kooij was established in 1922. It arose from humble beginnings when a young schoolboy, Piet Kooij, found a bicycle among the litter. He mended the bike and exchanged it for a broken-down motorbike, which he also restored and traded in for an old boat. He managed to sell the boat for 500 guilders.
In the winter of 1922, he stumbled across a motorboat in the Rokin, which had in the meantime been filled. As usual, the motto was: “buy and repair”. This time however, the boat came complete with a launch license. Kooij didn't ponder too long over his next move. Boasting no previous experience, he began transporting passengers along the canals of Amsterdam. He managed to regale his first 14 tourists with a canal boat tour lasting several hours. The passengers complained of hunger and thirst: Piet Kooij hadn't yet worked out how long a tour was meant to last.
During the Second World War, all boats were confiscated by the Germans. Immediately after the war, Rederij P. Kooij was told the wonderful news that several of its confiscated boats had been found. Armed with a sea travel pass issued by the Canadians, Mr. P. Kooij was accompanied to Emden in Germany to collect his boats. After a rather hazardous operation in the port of Emden, Mr. P. Kooij sailed onto the IJ a few days later with his boats."

The Kooij ships have transported famous people such as Lt. General Foulkes and Prince Bernhard (1945),  the astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins (1969), the homecoming European champion Dutch football team (1988, said to be the biggest celebrations since the 1945 Liberation) and the Bourgmestre of Paris, M Jacques Chirac.

The house flag of P. Kooij is an horizontally divided red-blue pennant with a white K all over. The company website shows the pennants of three other companies, all based in Amsterdam and probably parts of the Kooij empire:
Source: Company website.
Ivan Sache, 2 Jun 2006

Rederij Plas

Rederij Plas: a blue pennant with a white diamond charged with a red P

Rederij Boeke

Rederij Boeke: an horizontally divided white-red pennant with a yellow B all over

Rederij Hof van Holland

Rederij Hof van Holland: a red pennant with a white diamond charged with the blue letters HvH