November 2024
During the construction of the Artemis in 2000/2001, Jan and Jelle commissioned artist Annemarie Visser to create a figurehead for the ship. A former whaling vessel, of course, deserves a whale as its figurehead. Annemarie enthusiastically set to work on the whale figurehead, resulting in a magnificent piece: robust in shape yet meticulously detailed.
The Sting in the Tail
The saying "the sting is in the tail" applies both literally and figuratively here. The tail of the figurehead could not be made of wood, as it would be too fragile. This part had to be crafted from stainless steel. Amidst the hectic process of bringing the Artemis into service, this task was left undone. The figurehead, tailless, ended up in Jelle’s attic. Thus, the Artemis sailed without a figurehead.
In 2015, Annemarie Visser reached out regarding the whale. The artist had an exhibition on Texel and wanted to display the piece to visitors. The figurehead was relocated and then vanished completely from the radar.
The Whale resurfaces
Until autumn 2024! A visit to the whaling community in Larvik, part of the celebrations for the Artemis’ centennial, reignited the conversation about the figurehead. It was time for action. An online search led me to the artist's name. A noteworthy detail: Annemarie turned out to be a participant in my favorite guilty pleasure TV show, B&B Vol Liefde. A minor celebrity! By October, I got in touch with Annemarie, who now goes by the name Ammarie. That’s how it goes with artists 😉.
The Whale's Hiding Place
The figurehead turned out to be lying in a garden at a campsite in North Holland, Annemarie Visser’s former workplace. We were warned about wet conditions, so Jan and I set off, with rain boots in the car, on Saturday November 16, heading across the Afsluitdijk. In the middle of nowhere stood a little farmhouse with an adjoining campsite. Amidst the nettles, we spotted a stranded whale.
A je to!
Like true "Pat and Mat," we got to work. Naturally, we suffered our fair share of nettle stings, and Jan ended up knee-deep in water, but the whale was captured. Satisfied with our mission, we drove her back to Franeker. There, we cleaned the figurehead and gave it a spot in the ‘loods’. Step one of the Figurehead project is now complete.
The whale will get its tail, and this story will also have a sequel!
