Groote Beer is a 52 foot long (LOD) wooden sailing barge, built in Huizen, the Netherlands during World War II. Rumored to be built for German Air Marshall; Hermann Goering. (Actual customer was a German industrialist named Temmler profiting from the war efforts) The design is based on the shallow draft, leeboard equipped, sailing vessels designed as work boats in the North Sea and capable of carrying goods far inland on the canals of the Netherlands and elsewhere. WWII ended before the boat was completed, awaiting a new customer. In 1947, it was sold to William Greeve, who completed the stunningly ornate construction to match the original design rumors, sailed the boat, and eventually sold it to Charles M. Donnelly (Director of Feadship, Inc.). It was shipped across the Atlantic to the East Coast of the United States to be used to show the talents of Dutch ship builders. During his ownership it was seen in a number of events and ports, but also was involved in a storm incident which damaged a few beach houses and the boat.
Sold in 1955 to Robert Johnson who sailed it through the Panama Canal, eventually bringing it to Portland, Oregon.
Robert donated the Groote Beer to the St.Elisabeth Parish "Youth Afloat" program in 1958. The "Program" had been created around the donation but did not materialize into a successful sail training or youth development program.
Bought by Howard Luray, who lived in Malibu, California, at the time who enjoyed the boat for three years. Sold to Mrs. Robbie Keating of Santa Monica, California, who bought the boat as a gift to her husband. Only two years later she sold the boat to Dale Cooper of Irvine, California. Cooper kept the boat until 1973 when he sold it to Stuart Anderson who brought the boat to the Pacific Northwest.
Donated in 1978 by Stuart Anderson (Restaurateur) to the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Entrusted to Explorer Scout post 818 (Primarily a Search & Rescue Explorer Post) from December 25, 1978 until late 1983. During that period, the Groote Beer sailed the inland waters of the Salish Sea and participated in wooden boat shows from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, to Port Townsend, and Seattle, Washington.
Purchased from the Boy Scouts by Cliff & Ruth Ann Fremstad, who resold the boat in 2001 to current owner Jan Willem de la Porte. The years had been hard on the wooden boat so the Groote Beer was shipped back to Huizen and enjoyed a complete restoration, then sailed a few times after restoration in the waters off the Netherlands. Unfortunately, while being transported within a shipyard for seasonal servicing, the 38 ton Groote Beer dropped from the lift both damaging itself and crushing a parked car. As of early 2015, the boat repair was still in court awaiting resolution.