Ineke de Boer from cafe The Key wants to use the Groningen flagship VoorVoorVoorVoor as a floating restaurant. Condition: the municipality must approve a permanent berth near the café.
Think of it as a rescue for the old koftjalk from 1899, which was taken out of service at the end of March. The ship, which in recent years was mainly used by companies and institutions to give customers a nice day, was less and less popular. As a result, the income was far too low to pay for the large-scale maintenance of a ton that the ship has ahead of the ship.
The board of the Forward Forward Foundation threw in the towel and since then the ship has been unemployed in the Oosterhaven in Groningen.
Operator De Sleutel sees new destination as a rescue koftjalk
A shame, says former chairman and former shipyard owner Gerard Speld. The 80-year-old Speld came up with a survival plan and knocked on catering entrepreneur Ineke de Boer (63) from café De Sleutel and catering company 's Amused who also has a love for ships.
If it's up to them, the Forward Forward will be on the Hoge der A, near The Key. ,,The motor then goes into mothballs, the toilets can be connected to the sewerage system and the electricity comes from the shore'', says Speld enthusiastically. "With a beautiful terrace on the boat and some patio chairs on the shore, Ineke de Boer can operate the ship from her cafe."
Fixed berth
De Boer is positive about the rescue plan. ,,With a permanent berth near De Sleutel, this is easy for us to do. It's not possible right in front of the door, it's too narrow there, but just after the bridge is a great place. Very nice a bit of buzz in the neighborhood. We don't want to take responsibility for the ship, but we do want to contribute to the costs. Who knows, with our contribution, the ship may even start sailing again in a few years' time – if the market picks up again.” But a permanent berth at the expense of the municipality is crucial for the plan. "We don't know yet what the municipality thinks of it, but hopefully there will be an awareness that otherwise we as Groningen will lose this beautiful ship," says Speld. ,,And that is not allowed. This monument must be preserved for the city.”
Alderman Joost van Keulen says from his holiday address that he is not yet aware of the latest plans for the flagship, but is always open to good initiatives. ,,It sounds like a nice plan, but in order to respond, some things have to be sorted out first'', he says.
Author: Anita Pepping
Source: Dagblad vh Noorden
