In September 2017, DMS Holland received a phone call from the Dutchman John Kappetijn who had been living in Germany for 30 years. Less than 6 months later, at the age of 57, he decided to give up part of his free time and become a stabiliser specialist in Germany. DMS Germany has now been a reality for several weeks. Following a period of detailed and thorough research and an analysis of each of the different companies and various stabilisation systems on the market, the choice for John quickly became clear. It had to be MagnusMaster stabilisers if life on board of MY “Thats my Way” stood any chance at all of becoming a lot more pleasant for his wife Doryn. “I was immediately very impressed with John’s resumé and life story. After I first met him in Den Bosch, it very quickly became clear that he was the right candidate to sow the seeds of DMS in Germany. When I proposed this to John and after he had consulted with his wife Doryn, he called me back a few days later: “We are going to do it. Tomorrow we will be at the Chamber of Commerce and we will start up DMS Germany “, says Patrick Noor, quoting John literally.

From 1974 to 1978 John Kappetijn underwent his first training in seafaring at the Rhine, coastal and inland shipping school, after which he went on to successfully complete the Higher Maritime Academy in 1979. In the period up to and including 1984, he then worked on smaller inland vessels as an engineer and later as a second mechanical engineer on board of ships. By the age of 25 he had already left the Netherlands and started his own company in Germany. He went on to experience a great deal more across a wide variety of sectors from agricultural drainage, asbestos, fire protection and renovations to demolition. John found a way of making money in everything. In 1999 he even started what has now become a very successful gym which was in fact taken over by his daughter in 2013. Through it all he has never lost his passion for sailing. His love of the water was to make a reappearance in 2015 when, together with his wife Doryn, he bought their 16 metre Lowland. “The fact that the search for a good stabilisation system for our boat ended up in the start of DMS Germany was of course something I never expected. However, once I heard the story of Patrick and Arnold and their ideas I quickly became very enthusiastic. Having free time is wonderful and we will continue to enjoy it. However what I find even more wonderful is to be able to combine this free time with your passion. “Thats my Way” will be used as a demo boat to convince potential customers who want to see and experience the system. And I am sure that this will work “, says John. In the meantime, a start has already been made with the retro-fit of the MagnusMaster system on John’s boat which is taking place in Barth. Once completed, the vessel will then head on to, as described by John, the most beautiful sailing area and spot in Germany: the island of Rügen.