Our budding sailor sets off on a 190-nautical-mile adventure from London to Rotterdam on board a ferry service with a difference

Before the swells off the Hook of Holland, before the swirling currents of the Kentish Flats and before the rusting Second World War defences of the Maunsell naval forts, the wild adventure of our sea crossing had begun. Our vessel, Jantje, a beautifully-rigged brigantine Dutch tall ship, was setting sail from Tower Bridge to Rotterdam at dawn and the Thames had never looked so peaceful. The sun shone with joy and we were abandoning London for a weekend of sailing across the raw North Sea. Two days of being driven by wind. Two days of being at odds with every other ship in the channel.   To begin, we saw harbour porpoise breaching before leaving the Thames Estuary. After that, flotillas of container ships as large as Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Then vast wind farms that were almost in symmetry with the windmills of old Holland across the shipping channel. The sea was sandy brown, but soon it was calm and concentrated with enough blue to the point that it almost blended into the horizon. By the time we were out in open water, sailing at nine knots, it was peaceful, silent and centuries away from Canary Wharf. Travelling pirate-like in a 105-footer, we had the breathless feeling of being pioneers and, in a way, we were. Jantje is one of several historic Dutch tall ships, two-masted luggers and barquentines that now collectively sail under the flag of Fair Ferry, a new ferry service by sailing ship from London to Rotterdam, or vice versa. The pitch is a sustainable, 190-nautical-mile adventure for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint and, while the company launched in late 2020, this summer is set to be its first season proper. As hooks go, it’s one you could catch a blue whale with. 

As we hoisted the sails to the mainmast and mizzen, Captain Marten Munstra, a footloose vagabond from Groningen, explained why he was drawn to the idea. “You belong to the boat and are part of the journey,” the veteran of Baltic Sea crossings told me. “All good things come with a little bit of effort, and we need you to help us hoist the sails and bring the boat across the North Sea. And you don’t get this atmosphere or experience on a regular ferry.” The result is a low-emissions, fight-free promised land. There are glorious inner-city moorings instead of out-of-town departure and arrivals halls. There are gulls and guillemots rather than windswept gate crew. Whiskery seals instead of bristly custom officials. And there are passengers you actually want to get to know. Like Marnix and Jeanette, who vowed never to fly again because of climate change. Or Minke, a midwife from Alkmaar, who found manning the helm almost as stress-free as delivering a baby. Jantje, meanwhile, was built as a fishing boat in 1930 for plaice, sole and cod, but nearly a century later is polished to every spike and splinter and we were comforted by WiFi-free cabins, hot showers, vegetarian food and a hard-working crew of four. And the numbers matter too: by Fair Ferry’s calculations, standard cruise ships use around 80 litres of fuel per person per day. Jantje, meanwhile, uses 66 litres per person per week, and only when there isn’t enough wind. At such times, the engine needs turning on to keep to schedule. On the naval charts rolled out at the helm, the names before us carried centuries of meaning. North of the Isle of Sheppey, we passed the Yanlet Channel. Chapman Shoal. The Warp. The Cant. Great Nore. Oaze Deep. And watching the buildings and industry gradually peel away was to see the evolution of our planet in reverse. Apartment blocks faded into forests, harbours gave way to muddy beaches and empty tidal flats. Another hour, then we were greeted by the silence of the North Sea. 

Only when the sun retreated did our voyage really come alive. Marked by a procession of lit buoys, the world’s busiest shipping lane is always on transmit, not receive, and there is much to savour during the dog watch, the crew’s shift from midnight to pre-dawn. During this time, the channel resembles a 1980s arcade game with green triangles and pink arrows all drawing near on the nautical GPS. Passengers are invited to help if they want and I stayed up late to help secure the aft sail, then came my turn at the helm. As the sea intensified a little and I rolled the wheel, our surging on cresting rollers felt like an unmediated transposition of a Boy’s Own adventure.  While it was tremendous to be out there, there is a caveat, of course. In the midst of our crossing, the sky was overcast, covered by a thick veil of clouds resembling TV static. Stargazing was a non-starter and there was only a blurred moon through the drizzle. But when the sun appeared in the morning, the blues of the sky and sea had been resaturated and the feeling was of sailing across the Indian Ocean, destination the Maldives. So striking was the azure backdrop that I lathered on the SPF30. Eventually a finger of the Dutch coast appeared, a ghostly shoreline on the horizon confirming our safe passage almost 30 hours after leaving London. Iron ships with wooden men passed us as we entered the estuary of the Maas River. To my mind, we were a wooden ship of iron men and women and soon we were moored at historic Veerhaven dock, one of the few harbours in Rotterdam not destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.  We said goodbye to Captain Marten and his terrific crew, but they were already busy rechecking the ropes and rigging for the next ferry back to London, with thoughts probably somewhere else out in the North Sea. A tranquil channel, perhaps, beyond Rotterdam, past the Maas estuary and where the air was fresher, the wind purer and the sky cleaner. Fair enough, I thought. And who could blame them?

Our writer travelled as a guest of Fair Ferry (fairferry.co.uk). Prices for 2022 departures on a return basis from London to Rotterdam over five days are £1,009pp for a two-person cabin, including two nights’ accommodation onboard while in Rotterdam, plus all meals while at sea. One-way crossings, with cabin and full-board included, cost £495. Visit holland.com for more information on travelling to the Netherlands

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