Sinterklaas komt met de boot aan in Nederland

What is the Dutch “pakjesboot”?

The pakjesboot is the steamboat that, in Dutch Sinterklaas mythology, sails Sinterklaas and his Pieten from Spain to the Netherlands every mid-November. The actual boat shows up at the national intocht and runs along Dutch canals and harbours during the multi-week Sinterklaas season. Pakjesboot 12 is the canonical name (made famous by Het Sinterklaasjournaal), and a real motorised replica tours Dutch towns each November. The mythology says Sinterklaas sails from Madrid (despite Madrid being landlocked, a detail Dutch kids learn to forgive). Dutch Sinterklaasliedjes mention the boat in nearly every verse: “Zie ginds komt de stoomboot uit Spanje weer aan.”

In this clip, kids race to watch the boat dock: “We gaan even kijken hoe die boot aanlegt. Sinterklaas is in de buurt.”