Proud owners of de Zwarte Valk are Arjoderik en Jantine van Berkel, daughter Berber and their shipsdog Morritz.
Skipper Arjoderik: ” The best moment of the day is when the engine is shut off!”
Arjoderik is sailing with guests since 1999, he even sailed 2 years on the Zwarte Valk as shipsmate. In 2001 he started as Jantine’s shipsmate on the Mercator. In 2004 he becomes co-owner, they also got married that year. Arjoderik also has sailersblood, for decades van Berkels have been sailing on the Vlaardinger fishervleet. His granddad was a shipspilot and his father spend many years sailing the oceans.
Jantine sails with guests on the Waddenzee and IJsselmeer since 1994.At first as shipsmate and since 1998 as skipper. From 2001 till 2007 with her tjalk Mercator. She’s a sailer by heart. Though she didn’t know sailing is in her blood, her grandparents were born on traditional sailing ships. And her father worked as a shipsmechanic for years.
Since the birth of daughter Berber Jantine stays ashore passionately running her upholstery business. www.stoffeerderijjantine.nl
In 2006 the two of them bought the Zwarte Valk and started the big rebuilding project the Zwarte Valk needed so badly.