Adventurous family film set in the time of the Dutch East India Company. Director Steven de Jong appears in the beginning of his film as the helmsman who comes to a heroic end saving captain Bontekoe's ship from going down in a fierce storm. Understandably, the last thing his widow wants is that their son Hajo will also go out to sea, although she is unable to make ends meet. But of course, blood will tell. When he finds out that ship boy Rolf, like himself, is younger than the required age limit, Hajo manages to bluff himself aboard. His somewhat slow-witted friend Padde joins him more or less by accident. En route to Batavia, the threesome runs into one precarious situation after the other. But whether it involves scurvy or a disaster, they get away unscathed every time. Even when during a massive thunderstorm Hajo does exactly the same thing as his father did in his final hour. But whether they will reach Batavia...?
Adaptation of the book from 1923 that Johan Fabricius based on VOC captain Willem Ysbrandt Bontekoe's log.
selections & won prizes
NL - NFF Golden Film (100,000 visitors feature film)
