Notary boat: pocket-sized sailing heritage, against eavesdroppers

A notary’s boat is about the size of a yacht, but is more comfortable: it can best be compared to a floating saloon. It owes its name to the fact that in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Amsterdam notaries often had such a boat to deliver documents to their clients. “Think of it as a carriage, but on water,” says skipper Dirk Vael. The little boat also served as a venue for discreet meetings. Once out on the open water and with the doors closed – the skipper was outside the cabin – meetings could be held without potential eavesdroppers. The saloon could be closed so that the skipper could not follow private conversations. In fine weather, guests had the aft cockpit available as a ‘terrace’ where they could still sit outside, well sheltered from the wind and without the skipper being able to listen in on conversations.