Sailing under the name of ‘Jolles’ the Admiraal van Kinsbergen has carried goods to and from various harbours in the Netherlands and Germany from 1891 until the mid-fifties of the last century. The ship was built at Prins Shipyards near Arnhem. From the start the vessel had been the property of the Jansen family of the town of Elst.
Much of the ship's history has been lost during the 1960's. At one time the ship collided with another one and in the process the captain’s wife was swept overboard and subsequently drowned. The captain remarried and thoroughly rebuilt the vessel and turned it into a motor driven freighter with cabin. All things which reminded him of his departed wife he threw away.
In 2000 Willem Westerink bought the ship. Its hull was in very good shape. The upper part of the ship was restructured and in 2001 it set sail as a sailing charter ship. The masts and sails ensure the return of its original silhouette. Below decks a comfortable accommodation has been added.
On its maiden voyage the newly restored vessel went to Urk.
Willem Westerink clearly remembers that 26th of April 2001. ‘That day we had gale force 7. The harbour master directed me to a berth right at the back of the harbour. It really gave me the heebie jeebies. The harbour was full of little ships. Fortunately everything turned out all right, in the end I didn’t hit anything ‘.