Freedom is a loose English translation of Vrijheid and it is the feeling of freedom and mobility that a "lifeafloat" gives the owners of this classic ship.
Bruce and Caroline are both New Zealanders but have lived in the UK for more years than they care to admit, most of them onboard Vrijheid. Currently moored in East London Vrijheid is 92ft (28m) long and built to a traditional Dutch barge design known as a Stijlsteven. During her working life she traded between Holland and Germany on the Rhine River carrying bulk food products and general cargo until she was retired in 1952. She was converted to living accommodation in the years that followed and Bruce and Caroline bought her in 1993 sailing from the Netherlands to the UK. Her interior and systems have been upgraded and modernised so they now own a luxurious and historically important ship.
Vrijheid is seen regularly on the river, her owners require little excuse to slip their moorings and head off on an adventure. They have taken her as far upstream as her size will allow - Dorchester - as well as regular trips to Whitstable and their favorite haunt Faversham Creek and the Swale at the mouth of the Thames.
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
- from "Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame.