Intro

Full circle

Almost twenty years ago, as an ex-fisherman who had recently turned rookie journo, armed with a notebook, a bag of cameras and a pocketful of film, I stepped on board a shrimper in Den Oever for a couple of days at sea.

Quentin Bates

That was Rein van den Burg’s boat, and we bumped through the shallows hunting for shrimp along the Dutch coast. It was a great trip, in some decent weather and great company – including Rein’s son Jelle, hardly tall enough to see over the gunwale but who clearly already knew the boat inside out.

But now things have turned pretty much full circle

So it was an experience to visit Rein’s new boat, Rein Willem WR-212, just as it was being delivered; as that little boy who had back then spent a week with his father at sea during the school holidays, and who has had a passion for fishing ever since he could walk, now skippers the new WR-212.

It was a genuine pleasure to see his well-deserved pride in the new boat. After all, Jelle is one of those who is born to fish and the thought of any other career has never been an option. There’s no question that Jelle will do well with the new boat – and after all the work and dedication he has put into it, he deserves to.

This issue's cover photo of Gitte Henning is by Terje Engø