From tall ships to warships: navy hunts new recruits at Sail

It's best known for the parades when traditionally-rigged “tall ships” from all around the world sail in and out of Amsterdam.

But this year's Sail festival from Wednesday to Sunday is also being weaponized as a recruitment tool for the Dutch marines.

Although the Dutch have a rich history as a seafaring – and warfaring – nation, the modern military faces stiff competition ranging from start-ups to social media to win new recruits. At the same time, said defense ministry spokesman Tim Kamman, it needs to expand its workforce by thousands as part of a drive to expand military personnel to 100,000 .

Walking along the massive deck of the HNLMS Karel Doorman – the largest ship in the Dutch navy – he explains that one of the goals of the Dutch marine presence at the Sail festival is to explain to people the joys of a career in the navy.

“On board the ship, it is a kind of floating city, where we have everything,” he tells Dutch News. “The food has to be provided, we have weapons systems and technical systems, we can take marines on board. [There are all kinds of jobs] but you need to be able to work at sea…We need a lot of personnel and that is why we are doing this.”

Pointing to four heaving platforms representing the effects of a “heavy storm”, he explains that this is one of the fun activities for 20,000 daily visitors to see whether they can find their sea legs. The skills on test include laying a table, screwing together a piece of equipment and coiling rope around several pegs while friendly marines make the floor rock alarmingly back and forth.

“He did it a bit less violently for me because I get seasick very quickly,” admitted Gerona Laeto, 31. “But it was okay. It was difficult to lay the table, but you could just about manage it. I don't think I could be a marine because I really can't deal with the water – and I get very seasick on holiday.”

Other visitors, however, thought work for the Dutch services could be very interesting. Stefan Dreverman, 50, an IT consultant, wasn't troubled by the 'find your sea legs' challenge. “It would interest me working for the army in an IT sense – but I don't think it's on a boat,” he said. “It's more logistics work, maybe at the end of my career.”

Sailor Kevin, 22, energetically demonstrated the best way to squat to keep stable while winding ropes in a storm, and told Dutch News a career at sea is exciting, once you get used to the movement. “You are often a bit unstable, but you just have to keep working,” he said. “It's very important to get recruits – but it's super fun. You are hard at work, enjoying work with your colleagues, and of course you travel the whole world which is a wonderful experience. I've been here for two years and I think I'll do it for the rest of my life!”

Although in theory all Dutch nationals from the age of 18 could be called up, mandatory military service has been scrapped – and with geopolitical threats rising in the world, the four vessels of the Dutch fleet including a submarine were accompanied by recruiting officers, navy divers and marines to woo potential new recruits. At a station next to a submarine, the “submarine service” submarine service was on hand to discuss sponsoring people's qualifications for a life under the sea.

The HNLMS Karel Doorman had a climbing tower, pull-up challenge, and tour showing the lives of some 130 sailors aboard, whose job is to supply maritime units at sea and offer logistical support. Kamman added that more recruits are part of the strategy to boost defense, in fluctuating geopolitical times: “There are about 75,000 people employed in defense, so there's growth of 25,000 men and women needed – and the message of the junior minister was that everyone is welcome,” he said. “We need people to man our ships and guarantee safety at sea.”

With some 800 ships , including the Dutch marine vessels, 40 “tall ships” and 650 heritage vessels, Sail 2025 aims to attract at least the two million visitors of the previous edition in 2015, before it ends on Sunday. And it is, said Kamman, a reminder of the seafaring roots of the Netherlands.

“Just like England, we are a seagoing country and you see that in our language and how our country was built,” he said. “It's a beautiful bit of history.”

The HNLMS Karel Doorman is part of the “orange” route, open free of charge to visitors from 10am on Sunday