Hans Mateboer

Hans Mateboer is a real sea captain, who spends half the year on board cruise ships sailing all over the world. Originally from the Netherlands, his interest in water, ships, and the sea was only natural. This was accelerated by the numerous nautical books he read as a child.

This led to his going to nautical school and joining a shipping line. After sailing on freighters, tankers, bulk carriers, and just about every other type of ship plying the oceans, he ”landed” on a cruise ship where he decided to stay. Over the years he moved up the ranks and was made Captain. Captain Hans was involved in the building of four new ships including the vessels for Disney Cruise Line, and now he is Captain with Holland America Line and sails on worldwide itineraries.

He comes from a long line of family writer’s, where it is quite normal to write, (an uncle holds the record at 42 books), to publish newspaper articles and to be involved in language. The many articles he wrote for Cruise Industry News, a trade magazine, were a great success and they were compiled in two books called The Captain's Log and The Captain's Journal. However, the desire to make a difference for young children kept nagging at him – the result being a happy cruise ship named Peter. Peter the Cruise Ship became the darling of thousands of children, with further adventures in Alaska and encountering pirates in the Caribbean.