october 23st 2017: Say hello to Flerik van Veen, pictured here high on the mast of Cinderella IV. This is just one example of the many varied tasks that this talented engineer has undertaken over the past nine years in his job at Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology. His work has taken him as far afield as South Africa and he often works on some of the world’s finest superyachts in Palma.
My favourite thing about working for Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology is the fact that you never know what the day will bring. I been hear in the afternoon that I need to fly to Majorca the next day to work on a superyacht.
It might all sound very glamorous and jet setting (certainly considering the weather we’ve had in the Netherlands this year!), but there are also more routine days. For instance, this week I’m busy on a 30-year-old fishing vessel where we’re up to our elbows in grime while dealing with some rather old components.
Sometimes you know what the problem is and exactly how to fix it, but need to travel half way around the world to do so – not so long ago, for instance, I flew to South Africa for a two-hour repair job on a cargo vessel crane. Other times you don’t know what you’ll be doing until you get there and take a look around. And if the problem is something unfamiliar or unexpected, you step up and take care of it. What I like about this work is that we get things done. Generally speaking, Piet Brouwer Electrotechnology is very flexible and efficient. Clients know they can count on us to do what’s necessary at any time and place.
The photo which shows me perched on a mast is from the 39-metre sailing yacht Cinderella IV. I was working on the antenna electrics while she was in build at Vitters several years ago: this lovely lady is one of the largest sail yachts I’ve ever worked on. I was a bit scared at first and feeling the adrenaline; I was also worried I might drop something on the brand-new teak deck or a glass component. But after ten minutes I began to really enjoy myself – you don’t get to see the world from such an amazing vantage point every day. So, of course, I took the opportunity to take a picture or two!