She spent a significant part of her life on the water. She sailed the seas and oceans as a skipper or first officer with luxury million-dollar yachts. She lives alternately in Mallorca and Amsterdam and has just returned from a trip with a self-built expedition camper through the mountains and deserts of Morocco. Den Helder, her seaside hometown? "I still love coming here," says Marja Kok (59).
She spent some time at Willemsoord with the camper around the holidays in December. It is a converted truck, high on its wheels. The kind that looks like what you see on television during the Paris-Dakar races. Ideal for plowing through rough terrain. Together with her husband Michel, Marja Kok went on an adventure through Morocco. A country full of contrasting landscapes. One moment they were standing with the camper in the snow of the Atlas Mountains, the next in the arid desert or on a beach by the sea.
Boatman
A beautiful trip, no doubt about that. But when she parked the camper near the marina at Willemsoord, it felt comfortably familiar too. "It was nice to live in Den Helder again for a while, albeit my way. I am more of a boat person than a camper person. That is why the expedition camper is named 'Sailors on Wheels'. I feel at home by the water and among boat people."‘
Drinks at Café Tante Nel, delicious food during a party at Restaurant Stoom, a visit to Mindsz's sustainable shop-workshop; it was a pleasant time at the former naval shipyard. "It remains a beautiful area, with all that nautical heritage."’
The Stadshart has been undergoing a metamorphosis for nearly twenty years. This has not escaped Marja Kok's attention. Although she also saw the contrasts.
Poor
Especially on her walks through Spoorstraat, towards Keizerstraat and Beatrixstraat, she discovered that there is still work to be done to create atmosphere. "I find the new buildings very beautiful. Beatrixstraat has been significantly renovated. I enjoy visiting School 7. It's magnificent! At the same time, all those empty shop premises and such a deserted Kroonpassage do look shabby. I hope that image changes soon."’
Although she has been away from Den Helder for about forty years, she travels back to her 'roots' from Mallorca several times a year. They lie a stone's throw from the dike and the sea. "I was born on Cornelis de Houtmanstraat. Above Veldman's Mercedes garage. My father was the manager there. Later, he worked for the Boerman and Ton van Kuijk garages." Her parents moved away later, but always continued to live in Old Den Helder.
Sailing yacht
Marja Kok became familiar with water from a young age. "My parents had a motorboat, first in De Haukes and later in Friesland. I learned to sail in a small boat. I obtained my sailing license at the Marine Watersport Vereniging." Once away from Den Helder, she would build a wooden sailboat with her then-boyfriend and make plans to sail around the world later on.
The relationship ended. Her ex crossed the ocean after all. Marja chose a different path. After a marketing and management career, in the year 2000 she went to work as a skipper and flotilla leader around the Greek islands and in the Caribbean. On one of the trips, she met her husband, Michel. They sold everything in the Netherlands and bought a thirteen-meter sailboat, on which they lived for seven years and with which they organized sailing trips.
Rolling Stones
While they were in Panama with their boat, they came into contact with superyachts (luxury vessels over 24 meters in length) for the first time. They went along as crew members through all the locks of the Panama Canal on the sailing yacht of a Rolling Stones accountant. "We thought that work was so cool that we offered ourselves as superyacht crew via a website afterwards. We were approached by a Dutchman with a brand-new 27-meter sailing yacht, which was docked in Mallorca."’
One thing led to another, and since then, Marja Kok and her husband have been at the helm of many a million-dollar yacht. "We prefer ships around thirty meters, because then you work with a small team. We don't really like scenes like in the TV series Below Deck, with very large ships and large crews. We prefer running a yacht with just a few people. As a superyacht skipper/first officer, you are a sort of manager, ensuring that everything on board runs smoothly organizationally and that the boat remains in top condition."’
Bubbles
The couple lives mostly on Mallorca, from where Marja currently aims to contribute to a better, cleaner world with her own small business, Water Without Waste. "I sell water purification systems to yacht owners. These ensure high-quality drinking water on board, chilled or sparkling if desired. This prevents the stocking of plastic water bottles on such a ship."’
Despite her life elsewhere, the seaside city holds a special place in her heart. "No, I will never forget Den Helder. As long as my parents are alive, I will love coming back here. And maybe even after that. It would be fantastic if Den Helder developed a bit further and made good use of its strengths. The sea, the dunes, the nautical character, the openness and the tranquility… the people who say hello to you on the street. You don't find that everywhere."’
RONALD DEN BOER
