Jaap is in business as a ship owner and captain since 1986 and he knows what's what. Jaap leads the life of a sailor. He started on the waves ... as a surfer. And a successful one at that. Three times he set a speed world record.
Not only does he know a lot about the elements wind and water but also about his material - a fact proven by his career at Ten Cate Sports, then the most important design business for surfboards.
His story as a charter ship owner began in 1986. The trained carpenter and restorer acquired an old clipper and converted her into his first charter sailing boat. In 1989 the Loth Loriën followed, built from the hull of an old herring lugger. In 1994, he acquired the tug Dierkow which he then turned into the J. R. Tolkien. Since 2007 he himself is the skipper of the Tolkien once again.
