We're done with rides for 2011. We're fixing the boats and hope to see you in 2012! But legal troubles continue. Somebody has been trying to shut on down for over a decade. And they may be succeeding. We're still not certain what we're doing wrong, but a court just decided that we're a tour boat, which we're not. If we were a business, we sure would be a crappy one. If we're a business, why ain't we rich? But apparently we can't run without a license. But of course the city won't give us a license. A classic Catch-22.
The implications could go far beyond little ol' us. The court decision says that anybody who takes people out on a boat more than a few times a year is a tour boat. Seems like horrible decision not just for us but for all of boating in Amsterdam! Certainly it would also apply to the much loved Christiaan Brunings, who have no tour boat license and go out regularly.
What a shame it would be if all people were forbidden to take out friends and strangers on the water. And all because the Big Tour Boat companies fear our two little boats threaten their precious oligarchy (despite more than a decade of proof to the contrary)!
This is not the Amsterdam I knew and loved. Stop the vertrutting of Amsterdam!
What can we do? We honestly don't know.
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We dock at Mike's Bike Tours. Thank you, Mike's Bike Tours!
Mike's Bike Tours are located at Kerkstraat 134, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Please do *not* call Mike's Bikes with any boat-related question. They are nice enough to let us use their place for free. We really do not want to piss them off (besides, they can't answer your boat-related question anyway). If you have a question, please try and find the answer on this website or the FAQs. It's all we have.
We're near the Leidseplein and Rijksmuseum. And here we are on google maps.
The St. Nicolaas Boat Club of Amsterdam is a non-profit
organization dedicated to the preservation of historic boats
on the Amsterdam canals.
Founded in 1997, the stichting (non-profit club) has given boat rides to thousands of people. This is a unique
opportunity to see Amsterdam from the perspective of a
historic open-air tuindersvlet. These boats were traditionally
used to carry agricultural products to markets. They were
also used as general barges to shuttle materials around
cities.
Tuindersvletten are not glamorous boats, but they are
perfect for the canals. These are the iron boats on which the
city was built. They are characterized by their low sides and
flat bottom. They are great for carrying vegetables, cows,
bricks, and now... people.
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