Sailor Jan Wandelaar saves the ship Fortuna from sinking and is rewarded with a free education as first mate. After marrying his sweetheart Nellie, Jan sets sail on the Jan van Gent with Captain Sjemonow.

Sailor Jan Wandelaar saves the ship Fortuna from sinking and is rewarded with a free education as first mate. After marrying his sweetheart Nellie, Jan sets sail on the Jan van Gent with Captain Sjemonow.

Jan is frustrated at having to miss the birth of his first child on account of a new course. As they travel the world, the good ship Jan van Gent loses it's shipmate Meester, who chokes on his desert. They are invited to a posh diner party in Rio de Janeiro.

Two competing shipping magnates have decided to merge. The crew of the Jan van Gent is dismayed to find themselves working for a former competitor and receiving new orders. Jan gets a telegram concerning the birth of his son. After returning home at last, the sailors are confronted with a cut in payment by the new conglomerate.

Wandelaar has been fired by Kwel & Van Munster for insubordination's and finds himself owing them money. He takes a job on the freight ship Klazientje, who's Captain, Minnema writes a letter to the government indicating the injustice done to Jan. When Kwel asks him back as skipper on a tugboat Amelant, he immediately accepts and finds himself reunited with most of his former shipmates.

The Ameland proves to be unseaworthy and it's captain dies in bed, leaving first mate Wandelaar in charge. The ship goes down, taking 10 men with it and the survivors end up in Newfoundland. They are left to their own devices to find the way home. But back in Holland, more bad news awaits Jan Wandelaar.

Jan is thrown in jail after blaming Kwel for the death of his wife. Afterwards he decides to acquire his own ship and get the old crew together again. Out at sea he rescues a girl from the water.

Jan picks up a couple of Belgian tourists who decide to sail along all the way to Brazil and pay a good price for the trip. With this extra money earned, Jan decides to buy his own ship from Kiers, the father of the girl he saved from the sea.

Jan Wandelaar has set up his own shipping company, but fails to entice other 'Reders' to join him in the fight against Kwel and son. He finally decides to brave the worst weather possible on a job. Kees de Kaap falls overboard and is eaten by sharks.

On the way back from Indonesia, the Furie takes on Captain Rang as a passenger who wants to go to tow a burned out ship to Australia. But Jan and his crew do not like what Rang has in mind with the native Papoea's.

Having finally returned to the Netherlands, Jan declares his love for Riekie and marries her. Young Kwel is trying to make a deal with the other shipping companies against Wandelaar. His fiancée Conny Stuwe visits Riekie, supposedly to interview her.

Thanks to a talk with Riekie, Conny now knows exactly what kind of a man her fiancée Nol Kwel Jr. really is. Riekie stows away on the Fury and insists on staying aboard for the entire trip. All goes well until a new crewmen, Marconist, begins to suffer from the heat.