1932 First engine

In the narrow waters where sailing is impossible, ships have to be towed or punted. There’s usually no money to rent a draught horse, so the whole family helps to tow the ship.

The Catrina gets her first engine, a 22 horsepower diesel that powers the so-called “lame arm”, a side propeller on a long shaft. It also powers the winch, making loading and unloading easier. Sailing remains the main means of propulsion though. Otter’s son Geert is the foresail mate at age twelve: “I’ve had plenty of spray on me head”, he tells us when he visits the ship more than fifty years later.