Next Week I Am Heading to the Netherlands to Film 7 Boats - Here Is What You Need to Know
Two brokerages, seven vessels ranging from a 1956 liveaboard to a one-of-a-kind Vripack ocean-going explorer yacht, and a trip funded entirely by you.
Next week I am flying back to the Netherlands!
I have arranged access to film seven boats across two De Valk brokerages - one in Loosdrecht and one in Sneek (via the Sneek Motor Boat Show). Seven vessels in two days, ranging from an entry-level classic that would make a fantastic first liveaboard to one of the most extraordinary purpose-built ocean-going yachts I have ever seen listed at this price point. I have been looking forward to this trip for months, as my last one was back in November so at least this time, I can leave the thermals at home!
Loosdrecht and Sneek are two of the most enjoyable places in the Netherlands to spend time around water, and the mix of boats I have lined up covers almost every type of buyer, from someone looking to get afloat for the first time to serious passagemakers with serious budgets. There is something genuinely for everyone in this lineup, and I think several of these vessels are going to generate a lot of conversation and interest from prospective buyers!
The full boat-by-boat breakdown, including names, prices, main specs, and my initial assessment of each vessel before I have even set foot aboard, is in the premium section below. But before we get to that, I want to explain something about how these trips actually happen.
Why These Trips Happen at All
I am self-employed. Every trip I make to film boats - the fuel, the ferry, the flights, the overnight stay, the time away from everything else - comes out of my own pocket. There is no production company behind Yacht Buoy, no corporate sponsor funding the travel, no editorial board deciding which boats I should cover.
That independence matters to me, and I protect it. It means I can give you my honest impressions of every vessel I visit, share what genuinely excites me about a boat, and be candid about the questions I would want answered if I were the buyer, without any agenda beyond giving you useful content.
That independence is funded by my paying Substack subscribers. Without their support, trips like this one happen less often, with less access, and with one eye on whether I can afford the flights and accommodation and time away from my other business. So if you are a free subscriber reading this and wondering why there is a premium section in the middle, that is exactly why. For just a few £/$/€ each month, your support keeps me on the water and keeps the content honest.
The Locations
Loosdrecht is a network of lakes and waterways south of Amsterdam, dotted with boatyards, marinas, and the kind of floating communities that make the Netherlands genuinely unique in Europe. The De Valk brokerage I am visiting there sits right on the water with access to a mix of listings that tend toward the larger, more serious end of the market.
Sneek is further north, in Friesland, the sailing heartland of the Netherlands. The town itself is worth the drive. The historic Waterpoort, a sixteenth-century water gate that still spans the canal in the centre of town, is one of those details that reminds you how long people have been building around water in this country. The brokerage there handles a different flavour of inventory, and the third stop nearby adds one more vessel to the lineup that I think is going to surprise a few people…..
The full breakdown of all seven boats, names, prices, specs, and what I am most looking forward to filming, is below for paid subscribers. If you would like to send me your questions before I go, upgrade below and I will do my best to cover them on camera or in the follow-up articles.
The Seven Boats
Here is the full lineup, location by location, with my honest pre-visit assessment of each vessel:
