Ed Kastelein

“There’s a lot of water in my family history,” laughs Ed Kastelein, owner of the groundbreaking modern classic Atlantic. “All the family on my father’s side were fishermen. You can trace them back to the 1600s.” Another branch of Kastelein’s family founded the Holland-America Line. From 1873, this shipping service carried a million passengers from Rotterdam to New York in search of better lives in the West. Holland-America later pioneered palatial voyages to the Caribbean and Mediterranean. It’s a legacy that lives in Rotterdam native Kastelein, who built his first canoe from wooden planks aged 12, started working on classic yachts at the age of 16 – and today has some of the world’s most important yacht restorations to his name. “I like being on the water and I like creating things,” he says. “My passion is just a combination of the two.”

Kastelein made his money fairly early in life, working in the restaurant and hotels sector predominantly in the Rotterdam area. His first major restoration project was 119ft . Her white hull was launched on the River Clyde slid into decline following World War II. Kastelein tracked her down in 1988, and after a refit she was returned to form as a transatlantic race winner. “It’s a pleasure for myself and the crew to sail in a wonderful boat,” he says. “I think it’s also great for the public to see sailing history.”