Boat on Land

Moving to Canada on relatively short notice made me lift my boat out of the water in the Netherlands. This will allow me to do some maintenance work, which is more difficult in the water. Moving the vessel to New Orleans and going up the Mississippi may be an option. So far, this is only an idea. It depends on whether the transport is feasible, and I need to do more research on the shipping conditions in Mississippi. The "Wanderlust" is only motorized with a Yamaha 9,9 High Thrust at 5,5 tons. That's very efficient with fuel consumption of only 2,5 litres at a causing speed of 6 km/h, and it gives me the thrust of about a 15 bhp engine. However, whether this is suitable and safe for going against the big river's currents and strong winds, at times, needs further assessment. A possible engine failure would render the boat uncontrollable. And what was a harmless surprise on the Dutch canals could turn catastrophic on the Mississippi with cargo vessels around. Furthermore, I have no feeling how safe it is to, at times, cross through industrial and port areas in the USA with a slow boat, which would be an easy target for any thugs. It needs more primary local intelligence to asses this in the end.

Before moving the boat to the crane, I still made a small turn on the Maas River and enjoyed it very much. I have fond memories of my boat; even though I could not proceed to take it through Belgium and the French Canals as planned. Let's see what life will throw at us and what the future looks like. Now, "Wanderlust" stands safely on land in the Netherlands at Van der Laan Yachting Marina. This is, by the way, a great marina. I like it: nothing fancy, but very well managed and everybody knows what they do. I always enjoy professionalism, and when "can do" is "done".

Settling down in my New World

Life is easy in Canada. Sure, moving to a new place across an ocean has challenges. But Toronto is a good place to settle in. It’s a vast land, and there is not much infrastructure. So, one of the next tasks will be to find a good 4x4. But the main challenge lies not in Canada but still back in Europe. There is a boat to store and potentially transport over to the new world. There is a “Dacha” to finish and a home to dissolve. It is funny that the main administrative challenges are not to settle in Canada, but to leave Germany.

Where I live, East of Toronto (pronounce “Tronno”) people are very friendly. That’s the reputation of Canadians and it really is true. But who is Canadian, really? It’s such a mélange, and it feels just natural to be an immigrant and much as it is to be born in Canada or being the descendant of those living here for many centuries. I consider it a great privilege to have the opportunity to spend a part of my life in this country - a little unprepared, but this is how it always was.

I always say, that if you want to know how friendly people really are, then look at their dogs. They are such a good mirror of society. Dogs here are a playful, peaceful, but of the tough type. When I watch my 28 kg Australian Shepherd, playing in the morning on the beach of Lake Ontario with a 90 kg sled dog that looks like just coming from Iditarod, I sometimes hold my breath. But, except a few scratches, it always goes well.

I listen to the French Radio on 90.30 MHz (FM) and I love it. It is a different kind of French. It’s not what you would call sophisticated, but it’s super cool. But who am I to judge French accents? I also will brush up my Chinese. Like in many former British Colonies, it’s not easy to get quality food supplies. So, I stroll to Chinatown for shopping, and it’s wonderful.

But I am not in Canada, to dwell in a city. It’s a frontier country. It is a country rich of beauty, minerals, natural gas, coal, even gold. It’s time to make plans how to explore all this.

Index of Economic Freedom

It’s finally getting chilly in Toronto, and I decided to get shoes for my dog. Not so much because of the cold but more because of the defrosting agents on the paths. This morning, while walking along the Northern side of Lake Ontario, I heard some comments on the Index of Economic Freedom provided annually by the Heritage Foundation (click here). Like all rankings, you may be critical about the factors and methodology used. Also, of course, economic freedom in itself is not personal freedom. But it “kinda rhymes”. And then there are a lot of details to account for, like which part of the economy and what businesses are affected. You may be very free because your competitors are regulated, for example. Still, the trend shows that the world is getting less free. The top three countries are now Singapore (1), Switzerland (2), Ireland (3) and the region Taiwan (4). I can support this from my own experience in Singapore and Switzerland. It was one of the reasons why Swissforecast has been set up in Switzerland. Then follows New Zealand (5), Estonia (6), Luxembourg (7), and the Netherlands (8), all of which I conducted business myself in the latter three and found the environment and business culture very pleasant. Some people say EU countries tend to be dragged down by Bruxelles’ bureaucracy. It is a pity that the European Union, which started as such a great vision, is now merely perceived as a bureaucratic and undemocratic moloch. But it also has, of course, substantial cross-border advantages inside the union. That’s, I guess, what my British friends are feeling now.

In any case, if you can operate well in a less free environment, then you may turn this into a competitive advantage. For example, that’s what I think about doing business in China (154). I have seen so many successful entrepreneurs and companies in China that the complaints may come predominantly from the game’s losers.

On the other hand, Germany (14) is ranked predominantly free but has been turned latest since 2021 economically and socially into a nightmare. I regard countries. with a personal income tax above 15 % as communism. And then life depends on how much a government can deliver services and infrastructure. In the case of Germany, tax money is not employed so much to serve its citizens but to make them troubled by overburdened bureaucracy. The most significant budget is a redistribution into a social system, which gives opportunity for misuse. The opposition leader was once scolded for using the term “social tourism”, but it is obvious that there is a lot of abuse really happening. Germany is a fallen superstar like the whole country would be Franz Beckenbauer.

Now, I am in Canada (16) and looking over Lake Ontario to the USA (25). I was surprised to see Canada ranking higher than the US. For example, I thought the relatively high prices of mobile phone services may result from entry barriers into Canada. But I am just starting my North American journey, and up to now, I would not say I am really knowledgeable.

Birthday South of Greenland

I started my birthday on an Air Canada flight, up in the air over the Atlantic, South of Greenland. In the afternoon, I drove to visit my parents in Westerwald and crossed farmers’ protests on the way. This was one of the most friendly and well-organized protests I have ever seen, with strong support from the public. For the police, this was a pure traffic management job. No riot gear, no water canons, no teargas. Instead, the protesting farmers arranged, together with the police, emergency lanes in case something would be needed for rescue services. People still have in their minds the recent protest in Berlin, where an ambulance was blocked by climate activists glueing themselves on the roads, where rescue services could not reach an unrelated accident site, and subsequently, a woman died. Members of the current German government have preemptively discredited the farmer’s protests unfairly. Discontent with this government is extreme, and all hope is the call for a vote of no confidence and opening up the path for new elections. The question just is how the political landscape changed and what reasonable and competent coalitions could emerge. At the moment, it feels like it can’t get worse. But who knows?

This morning I had an early start driving to Tilburg. Train staff started striking today, so I was taking the car and passed through commuting hotspots before the rush hour. Still, the drive was slow because of the many construction sites until I reached the Dutch border. Infrastructure in Germany is a complete mess. I had lunch on the University campus and will start teaching a strategy course at TIAS tomorrow. This is a very nice business school co-owned by Tilburg and Eindhoven Universities. It will be long days with 12 hours of “stage time” per day. But I am looking forward to it. It’s an MBA programme, but unlike some other programmes, these students are special as they are already very experienced. So, it’s more like Executive Education, which is what I like doing.

Merry Christmas and a Wise New Year

Oh, what a year this has been! Now it’s ending, and I wish everyone a peaceful Christmas time, happy holidays, and all the best for 2024. It will be a year to make it or break it. What worries me, with my parents at very old age, it is the loss of this generation of witnesses to war and famine and how fragile societies are. At the same time, we experience conflicts where innocent people are slaughtered, unprecedented collateral damage among civilians is happening, and young men and women are thrown into a meat grinder by the thousands. In the streets and on University campuses, naive people cheer in support of terrorism, violence, war and a misguided and dangerous way of making necessary changes to battle environmental degradation. Then you have “military experts” in talk shows who have never spent a day in a trench, have never been under fire, nor shot a bullet, never seen a casualty or carried one to medics only to see them die. They make war entertainment. They speak for a “Think tank” but never heard the sound of a tank’s rear door opening and the infantry boots hitting the ground. And these two sounds are the scariest ones because this is the silence before the storm. I don’t think the world needs more agitation. It requires wisdom, competence and practical leadership on ethical grounds.

There will be elections in many countries in 2024, and last but not least, in the USA. For my German friends who are still in the country, I also wish you a good hand there for 2024 or a smooth way out. I know it’s not easy to leave a place you call home, but you may lose it anyway and leaving is the better option, not just regarding your perspectives but also about the impact you can have.

So, happy holidays and my greetings from The Beaches at Lake Ontario. And for 2024, stay strong and stay human. Whatever may come.

Welcome to Canada

It has been a few days now, since I arrived in Canada. Eddie had to stay in his transport box for 14 hours but took it with ease, in both airports and then in the pressurized luggage space. On the advice of my vet, I did not sedate him. She told me, that it may happen that dogs even panic more when they feel the non-familiar impact of medications. To enter Canada from Europe, dogs need proof of rabies vaccination and a health certificate in English or French. There is no quarantine required. All is pretty straightforward in Canada. Not so at Frankfurt airport. The Air Canada ground staff was still very helpful. Also the security check. But then you get with your dog into the rude and incompetent hands of the Frankfurt airport staff.

Coming from this place, it felt wonderful to arrive at YYZ - Toronto Pearson Airport. People are friendly, welcoming and helpful. I had a call with a friend, and we formed the hypothesis that cultures in former “frontier countries” tend to develop a practical and friendly culture. That may be true, and at least it is supported by my observations in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Funny, everyday things also happened. For example, I took a stroll with my dog to Lake Ontario. Suddenly, another dog shot at us and barked. The owner apologised friendly, and I said: “No worries, my dog is a stoic”. “Really?” he responded, “I thought it was an Australian Shepherd”. Another man stood with a Voigtländer at the beach of Lake Ontario. So, we really had something to talk about. A Voigtländer in Ontario. That’s not what you would expect.

“Panta Rhei – Everything Flows”

Last night, I had the pleasure of joining the vernissage of the solo exhibition of Rosette Bonello at Rudy Buhler’s Art Gallery in Marsaskala. I walked along the coast from Kalkara, at the end of a stormy day, which expanded into the night. It is always impressive to see how the rock has been able to withstand the waves for ages. Rudy was a Swiss banker for most of his professional life and now manages to bring a cultural spotlight to this village in Southern Malta. This exhibition is called “Panta Rhei – Everything Flows” and runs until December 22nd at Quayside Court, 58 Triq Is-Salini.

During the day before, I went through many of my things in Malta and sorted and maintained what needed to be done. Besides the practicalities, I also found my old calendars, especially the 2014 one, caught my attention. This was my last year living in China, and the beginning of a world trip and my European adventure. It is great to have these calendars and be able to move back in time and even sense life’s atmosphere. Back then, it ended 12 years in China and started for new horizons. It was a similar time to what it is now. But a lot has changed also. Some people, yes, but also how the world works.

Back in the day, it was, for example, possible to share exact plans and locations online. There were people writing back and asking questions very specific questions and the exchange was light-hearted. Since then, also the online world has become a more hostile place, and comments reflect less inspiration but greed. That’s why I am not on social media except LinkedIn, which hopefully maintains professionalism. Running this blog feels already anachronistic and untouched of that.

Re-inspired by browsing through my paper diaries, notebooks and calendars, I obtained a 5-year diary. Here, you have the same day on one page, and by “scrolling up” with your eyes, you have a direct comparison over time. It would not make sense today to have a paper calendar anymore because coordination and scheduling have become more of a life tool than a lifestyle. But such diaries run parallel to the office world in a nice way.

Also, I re-plenished myself from my local stock of small notebooks. I always carry these to capture information and impressions. In recent years, with being less mobile, I have switched to larger formats. But now, it will be more of the small Moleskine type again, and Riteintherain for the tougher outdoor notes. Given that I cannot carry many books, I also re-set my Amazon Kindle. That’s the only reason to keep my Amazon account open. But for the coming trip to Canada, I will take a paper copy of Joan Didion’s "Slouching Towards Bethlehem". She had something to say about how to use notebooks as a tool but even more about the chaotic and rapidly changing cultural landscape in the USA of the 1960s. And of course, I will put more American authors now on my reading list. Suggestions are welcome.

My 2014 calendar, which marks the last of 12 years living in China. Recovered (and cleaned thoroughly) in Malta.

From Turkey to Germany

I am always amazed by Turkey. The economic fundamentals of the country should be pretty strong. This is why I am puzzled by the economic turmoil it has been in for decades. Sure, there are some political decisions which are mind-boggling, like the interest rate policies of the Turkish Central Bank. But it should not be hard to get Turkey well on its feet. It is already a very attractive location to move production and other industries. It has competitive energy prices, a well-trained workforce and a young demography. The location is a strategic advantage, and so is the foreign relations, which are very much developed for the benefit of Turkey.

Terrorism by the PKK is still a problem, but thanks to the recent strikes against their infrastructure and manpower, capabilities have been diminished. Like other terrorist organisations, the PKK uses their people as human shields so that civil tragedies tragically happen and are exploited by some “human rights groups”, putting themselves into the service of terrorism. This is a strategy I have also seen in Palestinian protests in Israel, where children were positioned in the front. And to the extreme, it is used now by Hamas. Hezbollah seems to do this less. But I also have only met Hezbollah in North Lebanon, so I am not in a conflict zone.

In Turkey, it was great to see the celebrations and decorations on October 29th, celebrating 100 years of the foundation of the Republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Unfortunately, I was not in Ankara, but I would have loved to see that.

Back in Germany for an administrative stopover, how fast this country goes down is frightening. Especially in larger cities, it became Zombieland. Voting the current German government into power was the “German Brexit”. Like the UK, Germany became a complete laughing stock. Society is split between socialist Lala-Land and a rising right wing, with little in between. For most Germans, I know, it’s time to leave. Today, the police found an M52 hand grenade in a public central place in Frankfurt / Main. That’s still Yougoslave-made, cheap and flooding the black market since the end of the Balkan wars in the 1990s. I can imagine what kind of arsenal we will get into criminal hands when the Ukrainian arms reach Western Europe the Ukrainian mafia. I guess the Germans will get back their guns soon. It is unclear to me how the Ukraine airspace will ever be safe for civil aviation again. The odds that somebody keeps a shoulder-fired ground-to-air missile for decades to shoot down a plane are pretty high, I guess.

Hong Kong after Covid and the 1999 riots

My time in Hong Kong was very condensed this year. My apologies to the friends I could not meet this time. Thanks also to the great students from the MBA programme of Hong Kong University and the GBA stream coming in from Shenzhen to participate in a 5-day intensive course on Turn Around Management and Corporate Restructuring. I had only one day to explore an Outer Island and chose Peng Chao to visit a long-time friend. The rest of the time I spent predominantly in Central. It was great to see fireworks again on National Day, celebrating the 74th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. Also, it is good to see Hong Kong’s economic situation slowly picking up. However, the city has a very narrow spectrum of industries and capabilities, which does not make it easy. Luckily, the connection to Shenzhen, the Pearl River Delta and Guangdong Province is fully open again. Furthermore, enthusiasm for the Greater Bay Area Development is picking up, and thanks to efficient management, the internal border between Hong Kong SAR and the rest of Guangdong is not so much an obstacle. Soon, taking your private car over from Hong Kong to the Mainland will also be possible. A friend told me how happy he is that he can then just drive over the bridge to his retirement apartment in Zhuhai. Less than 1 hour door to door.

The 1999 riots seem overcome. Without much drama, the local government could reinstall law and order, of course, with the support of Beijing. And I guess, Covid also played a role. Some people left on British Overseas Passports to the UK. But many tell quite miserable stories. Just imagine, instead of being in one of the centres of global innovation and growth, you decided to move to a semi-detached house in a shithole like Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool or Glasgow. I would be miserable too. What worried me, was that many people told me that they expect a war with the US within the coming 5 years. The hope of many is that this can be contained in a naval conflict in the Pacific and outside the First Island Chain. The best option, of course, would be, not to have such a conflict at all. And I really hope at least the rhetoric could come down to make talks easier.

I ended my stay in Hong Kong, on the news of the horrendous attack of Hamas on Israel on October 7th. I was really surprised that they were able to prepare such a large-scale attack without being noticed. Also, in my mind, the cooperation between UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia was just going into a positive new phase. Hopefully, the safety in the invaded districts can be restored quickly. Then I assume Hamas will be ended now and forever. I just can’t imagine how terrible this will be in the densely populated Gaza Strip. And, of course, it could be possible that other players open a second front, like for example Hezbollah. Hoping for the best for my friends in Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. Especially those who just left Ukraine and Russia to make Israel their new home.

My trip ended with a Typhoon coming to Hong Kong. Signal number 8 is hoisted, potentially moveable structures are tied to the ground, windows are taped, and the city is waiting for the cyclone’s landfall nearby.

September Campus Stroll at Tilburg University

This week, we kicked off the new round of the Tilburg University Master of International Management. I have been teaching a course on Management Consulting in this program for a couple of years. Today, we had the first lecture, and from tomorrow on, it will be project work on cases in smaller groups. The group of students is a nice one. They engage in discussions only very carefully at the beginning. But that will change once they know what they are up for. The class is far less international than in the past. This may have to do with the very tight housing situation in Tilburg at the moment. For international students, finding a place to stay is even more challenging. The campus is lively again. Covid-19 and all the restrictions are history now. And we all hope it stays like that. Since 2015, I come to Tilburg at the same time of the year, and it is always the start of the first signs of autumn. It is a wonderfully green campus, and leaves will start turning yellow somewhere in mid-September. Some years a week early, some years a week later. This year was quite a good mix of sunshine and rainfall. So, all looks very well and the start of fall is not twisted in one direction.

For me, the opportunities to “hang out” on university campuses are probably getting much less in the future because my “daytime job” is asking for tribute. That’s also good because, without a large proportion of up-to-date practical knowledge, teaching advanced courses in a relevant form is nearly impossible. Ultimately, “management” is not (!) a science; it’s a craft. So, I am especially enjoying campus time this year and will try keeping a mix of activities, just with a different proportion.

How to prepare if you have to use the German Railway

I embarked a train trip from Germany to Switzerland and unfortunately there was no Swiss train matching my schedule. So, there was no other choice than using a connection supplied and operated by the German Railway Company, called Deutsche Bahn. I really like travelling by train, and I did so in many parts of the World. But it’s always important to know what to expect so you can best prepare for the journey. And in the case of Germany, you may go in with the misconception, that you can experience a certain standard in one of the world’s richest countries.

I better give you a few tips below.

1. Plan direct connections where you don’t have to change trains on the way. It is likely you will miss your connection and get stranded somewhere in a filthy train station for hours.

2. Have nice words ready for the train staff. They are mostly very friendly and take any situation with good humour trying to keep the spirit high. They often go more than the “extra mile” to help, whatever happens. And it’s always better, to crack a few jokes together than complain.

3. If you still have hand sanitiser from the Covid times, take it with you. For example, this journey started in Wiesbaden with a drug addict vomiting all over the place.

4. When you wash your hands in the bathroom, always check first whether the water is running before using soap. Otherwise, you may find yourself with soap in your hands and no way to wash it off. Anybody who travelled in developing countries knows the situation.

5. Don’t wear light colour clothes, because the trains may be really dirty. Perhaps even consider bringing something to cover the seats. People eat, drink, crumble and spill everywhere. I even developed a theory of why Germans like to travel with backpacks. Then they still have both hands to keep eating Chicken McNuggets while they walk. At the same time, they will jam their backpacks into your ribs.

6. In summer, the air conditioning notoriously malfunctions. So, carry a small hand fan. I got used to this when I travelled on the Columbo-Kandy train in Sri Lanka. And it comes in handy in Germany too.

7. There are actually quiet compartments where passengers are not supposed to use their phones. But some people don’t care and yell into their phones. Take some noise-cancellation earphones not to be forced to participate in their conversations. Here it comes in handy if you don’t understand German because at least the dull content will not bother you, and it’s just noise.

8. Some fellow passengers may watch movie clips or listen to music without headphones. Or, in the worst case, they blast you with a computer game. What helps here is a Wifi and GSM jammer, which interrupt the internet connection. You can buy these Shenzen. As a result, your fellow passengers will get very upset for a few minutes, because they first have to develop an alternative to what to do with their little lives in the time to come. Then they order alcohol, gaze out of the window and fall asleep. Job done.

9. Should you plan to work with a Laptop, synch your files and Outlook client to a local drive. There is wireless internet, in theory, but it’s patchy and slow.

10. Last but not least. Most of these tips refer to long haul trains which are relatively safe. But should you ever come into the situation that you have to take a local train (e.g. “S-Bahn”), you also have to consider repelling real troublemakers. Of course, de-escalation is the best first response. But even if this is successful, still consider informing the police. People who are really looking for trouble, will continue harassing others who maybe even more vulnerable. Should it come to the worst, in such confined spaces the application of teargas will cause more harm than good. Also, I learned recently that CS does not stop effectively somebody who is on drugs. So the methods of choice pacifying a Zombie are electroshock, stun grenades and cable binders for the aftermath. Besides the omnipresence of drugs, also knifes make such incidents really dangerous. On the positive side, luckily, Germany has relatively strict regulations for firearms and they are usually not involved. But better stay away from local public transport and take an Uber or rent a car.

The Deutsche Bahn has announced that they will fix all these issues by 2070. So, not in my lifetime. For me, should I have to procure the services of Deutsche Bahn again, I will take it as an adventure and with a smile, a backpack, Chicken McNuggets in one hand and a stun grenade in the other.

Hippie jetty

On my way back up the Maas, I stopped over at the Linne jetty at the end of a dead river arm. The small town has a shop where I needed to get some supplies. Also, there were good reviews on “google maps”. But it turned out to be a “hippie jetty”. I am unsure whether “hippie” is the correct term, as we are in 2023. They were friendly and seemed to have made a lifestyle of it to hop in simple small boats from one free spot to the next. Among themselves, they had quite a hierarchy, funnily based on who found a better way of running some little business and making an income. I expected a different dimension, frankly. Also, men were telling off the women for using the wrong knot and patronising them by asking questions about how to operate some details on the boat. They also had some strange cults and beliefs, mainly about “the system”, which appeared to be some spiritual god-like concept. But “the system” was not their god. Instead, it is an evil power manipulating humankind for some small group of beneficiaries. So they, the “hippies”, gathered wisdom to trick “the system”. One of these tricks was selling marijuana in Germany, which they smuggle over the border in their boats. That business model may soon fade, as in Germany the current government is now in the process of legalizing these substances in some kind of “drugs for votes” deal. Anyways, the setting in Linne reminded me of the movie scene in “Fizzcaraldo”.

In any case, I left early in the morning, slowly navigating through the fog covering the river arm. Then turned left for the Linne lock, which I entered with a few other boats in the early morning. I became quite skilful passing these locks single-handed. Eddie, the dog, though has to stay on a short leash during the time in the lock chamber. Should he fall overboard, it would probably be the end of him. That day we moored early and I needed to get some work done with my laptop. That’s one thing different from the Amazon of Fizzcaraldo. I have 5G.

"Passantenhaven" missing

A “Passantenhaven” is the Dutch name for marinas which allow guest boats for a limited of time to stay. On the way to Roermond, I had difficulties finding such. For the first attempt, I followed a recommendation to turn right straight downstream the “big bridge”. But no, this was a Yacht Club, not offing guest stays. Then I entered Roermond city, where you can keep your boat only between sunrise and sunset. Next stop: Roermond City Marina, which only has eight spots, and they were all taken. But the harbour master was amiable and pointed me at some piers where I could stay in the lake just opposite. And this was a perfect choice. Luckily I have everything on board and don’t need port infrastructure. So, this is where I went and found a place immediately, set up a picnic table on the grass and especially my dog enjoyed having a nap with nothing shaky under his four paws. I think these are the kind of places I will explore more. If you encounter the same issue, this one is at N51.19837 / E5.94948. Another one is just w few hundred meters South. It’s not very busy, but spots tend to fill up in the evening. I just had for some time difficulties connecting to the internet. But I figured that when I switched down to 4G, it would work. Still more enough for working on the “boat office” - the maritime form of the home office. Electric power I get from 5 m² photovoltaic on the roof. On a sunny day, that’s enough to run everything with 6 kWh traction batteries. I still have two power banks for shady days, one with 280 Wh and 150 Wh, which I tend to keep packed in reserve, and I also have 120 W and 50 W peak solar panels.

Eddie having a nap on solid ground

Meandering Maas

Between Venlo and Maastricht, the Maas River splits into some sections of straight canals and besides those, there are the quiet arms and lakes of Maas, also called Meuse. You still can’t go along them to avoid the humongous locks, as you will hit the wall at some point, keeping the water levels straight between lock levels. I decided to stay in this region and found a winter mooring place. In the old days of the internet, I would have posted my geo-log and described much more about the details. Now, I prefer keeping my location off the public charts. But should you take or plan to take this route, please get in touch. I am happy to share what I know one to one. I subscribed to a new GPS tracking system which is excellent. It’s “Gaja” and you can download the application for Android or iOS by clicking here. There is also a free version. But once I was convinced, I signed up for the annual subscription. It is about the same price as 1 (!) nautical paper chart. I fear this started the end of my old Garmin (which I love). I think I will have to download my World of Waypoints once, take out the batteries and put it in my treasure box for the days to look back on the years when this machine guided me around the globe.

I also ventured into Belgium by following the meanders; when there is time, I will probably continue to Liege. The original plan to bring the boat to Alscace has to wait. There is too much work and also family arrangements.

The boat is performing very well. I see more of the kind here in the South of the Netherlands. And everywhere, these boats now get a lot of attention. It’s just a very smart concept. Even the engine, with just 10 BHP does not let me down and allows a decent cruise speed of 6 km/h at around 3500 rpm and a fuel consumption of about 2 liters per hour. It’s a Yamaha 9,9 High Thrust. That’s all that’s needed. And it is super comfortable. Even home office works. The only shortcoming is manoeuvring in tight ports, when there is strong wind. And as there are sometimes sports boats on the Maas, which could not care less, it needs closing doors when hitting the waves from a bad angle.

I will continue exploring the “Passantenhaven” for a few more days and then the boat will also be my base for a course I will teach in September at Tilburg University. Then it gets ready for winter. And there the plans are completely different. I still go to Hong Kong in October and need to finish my Dacha before it gets really cold and a big move is on the horizon.

This gras is not greener somewhere else

After all the earth works were done for the construction of my “Dacha” in Hunsrück the ground was really bare. The ground in some places also became a mix of soil and gravel, as the excavator left it’s heavy traces of turmoil. To get things green again, I bought 40 kg of horse meadow seeds online at Agrarshop. I just spread it thinly on the soil and gravel and went my way, expecting not too much. But, wow, after 6 weeks even gras was growing in places where I did not expect anything to boom. I was lucky with the weather, as it was a mild and humid July.

There is still a lot to do on the construction site. But if I am lucky, it will all focus on inside decoration until winter. What’s still pending is water supply, bathroom and kitchen appliances, fire place and chimney, electrical installation, and sewage pump. Then also the terrace and getting pebbles to fill up the wall fringes, so that the rain water does not splash up mud. The rain rater tank is already on the ground. An then I also need to find somebody to help me disposing the construction waste.

Maasbracht

After a quick trip to Germany, I moved the boat further the short way to Maasbracht. These Lakes are really pretty and they give a bit of the feeling I had last in Biesbosch. I was lucky, because the easily morning was still calm and I could moor the boat safely in the harbour. Later in the afternoon, quite strong wind came up and continues through the night with strong rain. The rain sustained for days and only yesterday it became friendly again. There is always something to do on a boat, so I kept busy with the water installation. Actually, the sensor for the fresh water tank corroded, because I added choline in the tank before. I tried to fix it, but needed to order a spare online.

It is not easy to find mooring places, but I was lucky to get a winter spot in the Van der Laan Yachting Marina. It is run by outstandingly competent and friendly people, and given that other marinas near Roermond which I visited for enquiries were quite snobbish, I like this one a lot. Also there is a crane up to 75 tons, storage halls, working halls and everything you need for proper maintenance. So, I will be calling as a passant at some other places and stroll around the lakes during summer. I am also teaching a coure in Tilburg University in September, which comes at a handy commuting distance. Then I get the boat ready for winter “hybernation” and continue to Hong Kong.

South Holland - Limburg

It takes about three days with my boat to go from Tilburg down the Wilhelmina Canal to the Maas River. I was lucky to find a “Passantenhaven” just up the river when leaving the Panheel Lock at the end of the “Kanaal Wessem - Nederwert”. There is a small number of berths, and you register at the “Gasterie de Knip”. They are very friendly and helpful with anything you may need (including an excellent dinner). There seem to be berths available at the moment without having to call before. This stands a bit in contrast to the other marinas around which are often full.

This last lock is quite a high one, by the way. And I was against a straight wall going down 9 meters or so, with no way to hold. You can slide down a pole at the lock chamber’s beginning and end. Make sure you get there, should you go up or down this lock.

It seems that the marinas in this region are packed. There are not many people, but many boats. So, I may struggle to find a mooring place, as I plan to stay in the region until winter stalling. Meanwhile, the weather turned a bit volatile. Anything from sunshine to heavy rain and strong winds comes within 30 minutes.

I refuelled 150 litres at 2.03 EUR/litre. As my engine is super efficient with just below 2 l/hour consumption, this will take me around to explore the region. I took the car today but learned that the land and water perspectives are completely different. It’s good to stay on the water.

Kalkara Festa

From May to September, the Maltese villages proudly celebrate their Festas to honour their patron saints. It’s quite competitive among villages: decorating with flags and statues, traditional music bands parading the streets, sweets and food, and amazing fireworks. And you better clean up your house before the festa and decorate your windows at least. Processions will follow, and church bells will keep going. However you stand to the religious aspects, the Festas are just nice and happy.

Kalkara got a new waterside promenade. It isn’t completely finished yet, but it’s for sure a construction project upgrading the whole village. Whether finished or not, it is already an integral part of the party in front of the Kalkara church.

There is no sign that the “heatwave” will stop people from having a good time. It is the hottest time of the year, and in August, there will likely be additional humidity kicking in. But that’s how it has been every year, and there maybe, of course, a trend that things get hotter. But nobody complains here, but just switch activities to before and after sunset.

Luxury revisited

I have been recently volunteering at the Academy of Fashion and Design (AMD). Neither fashion nor design is my field, but I filled some gaps in necessary management disciplines. To my surprise, a student of fashion management, Ms Mia Just, chose me as a second reader for her thesis on the ambiguity between creativity and commerce in fashion. It led me back to many of the thoughts I had when looking closer at the contemporary art space, but it also brought me back to the time the Volkswagen Group bought Rolls-Royce - Bentley. We were the “Beetle-people” now owning the holy grail of luxury cars and thinking of what to do with them. To prepare myself for reading the thesis, I also revisited my notes on the exhibition “What is Luxury?” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015. And I took two books out from the shelf again: Soetsu Yanagi’s The Beauty of Everyday Things and Junichiro Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows.

With all the definitions of Luxury given, I found that I have my own one, which is about the people’s view on the object. I don’t mean that luxury is in the eyes of the beholder and that everything can be luxury—quite the opposite. Luxury products are defined for me by the “connaisseur”, meaning the one who knows what he looks at and recognises its qualities in material, design, craftsmanship or symbolic value. This is why, for example, Porsche is not a luxury car anymore, because it’s a Volkswagen. This is why many luxury fashion brands are not luxury, as most buyers have no clue what they look at and only see the logo. Recently, a colleague of mine told me that she lost a diamond bracelet in a Sauna in the Netherlands, but that “these people”, for sure, can not distinguish diamonds from glass.

Contemporary luxury branding, I find, often has more of the task of explaining to ignorant people that the thing they look at may be something special. In the better cases, it really is. In many, it isn’t. I was recently looking at “luxury apartments” in Toronto. What’s “luxury” about a concrete frame building with triple glazing and an expensive toilet?

That also changes what a status symbol is. Many years ago, as a young manager at Volkswagen in the German headquarters, I had a new boss for a short period of time. He was a European Business School (EPS) graduate who gained significant corporate experience in the US before returning to Germany to run the group’s strategic marketing unit. Joining a meeting once, he educated me that the first thing he looks at in a person is the watch, then the shoes, then the suit (it wasn’t the same sequence for women, by the way). Then he knows what person he has in front of him! I looked at his pocket calculator on the meeting table, which did not even have trigonometric functions. So, I knew what kind of person I had in front of me! I picked up the calculator and looked at it, then at him, then at the calculator, put it in front of him and asked: “Yours?” This meeting did not end up being very productive.

Fortunately, we live in a world where money is only one of a number of factors defining status. So, also, the symbols change.

If luxury products and the connoisseur come together, then my understanding of luxury has a strategic disadvantage. With education levels plummeting in the Western world and people interacting less and less intensely with things, the degree of understanding and appreciation also will disappear. Who can pull an old Ferrari into a barn and restore it step by step with a glass of wine and classical music as evening entertainment? Who can even repair his home appliances without “service”? So, if nobody is willing to interact with things, then also nobody will know the quirks, and nobody will appreciate their qualities and beauty. And it maybe even the same dealing not with things, but with people.

“Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation”

Recently, reading the news this quote by the American Journalist Edward Roscoe Murrow came to my mind: “Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation”. If I remember right, he coined it as a war correspondent in Vietnam. Who thought a few years ago in Europe that the world would come back to these times? Did we have an attempted coup in Russia yesterday? … I guess it may be getting more chaotic.

I returned from a field trip to Germany and France with a group of MBA students from the University of Hong Kong. Then I was working on the construction site in Hundsrück, where the little house gets anything from praise to “it looks like an alcoholic’s family took half of their inheritance and built a dog shed.” People in Germany are not very kind to each other. The new German National Trinity is: “Schlagloch, Funkloch, Arschloch”. Now I am mooring in Tilburg after moving the boat from Biesbosch a little down South. I even received a welcome pack when entering Piushaven. It’s funny to be on a boat in an urban setting. It’s a very friendly place. Temperatures are a little high, reaching 32°C. But that’s supposed to change by tomorrow.