"3 DURGERDAMMERS - Rudderless on an ice shoal"
On the 14th of January 1849 the Durgerdammers Klaas Bordingand his sons Klaas and Jacob came in a critical situation
when they were fishing with the so-called "botkloppen" way - see page 23 & 25 -
Bot (NL) Flounder (E) "Platichthys Flesus" - lays on the seabed
To find a suitable spot they went too far on the ice,a decision with deadly consequences,
only Jacob did survived. In the course of the day they caught hundreds of "botten",
and probably by this rich capture they did not see that
the ice floor on which they were themselves had come loose of the rest.
It was impossible to walk back to the safe Durgerdam, and due rising darkness
their problem was not noticed by other fishermen.
For 14 long cold days and nights the three men have floated rudderless on the Zuiderzee.
To stay alive they were eating raw bot / flounders.
Finally discovered the 27th near Vollenhove on a nearly melted ice shoal and brought to land.
In Vollenhove they took care of the three men, but for father Bording
and son Klaas it was too late, Klaas Bording died February 4th 1849 at the age of 19 and
his dad Klaas Klaasen Bording three weeks later - February 25th 1849 - at the age of 45,
both are buried in Vollenhove. Only the seventeen-year-old Jacob returned to Durgerdam.
A more detailed story is at the site of Henk van Heerde "Durgerdammers"
It's in Dutch but the images will say enough
"Veertien dagen op een ijsschots" - writer Simon Abramsz - is a small book about this true story
"Book" You can download it as a full-text pdf. There are images on page 23, 25, 49, 56 and 183
page 183 - the route on the Zuiderzee from Durgerdam to Vollenhove
page 184 - the "text" on the grave at the cemetery of Vollenhove - see images below
Headstone - Bordings - Cemetery Vollenhove
- image by PATS -
I took the photo of the monument near the harbour on March 2nd 2005 - see X-MIS(S) - 2005
2007 "KLEINE KERK" next image