Jack van Ommen Makes the Deal on a New ‘Fleetwood’

Our much-loved friend Jack van Ommen is once again the owner of a new boat. You may recall the story of Jack’s Fleetwood III, the 30-ft Waarschip that required three summers of refit before she was seaworthy. In September Jack had finally completed the work and immediately posted the Waarschip for sale and set about finding another boat. Well, Fleetwood III is still for sale, but that hasn’t stopped Jack from closing the deal on his newest boat, a 1986 Elan 31.

“This is a lifechanging experience,” Jack writes on his blog, “to go from wood to polyester.” All three of Jack’s Fleetwoods were wooden boats. “She is not a spring chicken, but, just like myself, well maintained and well equipped. This boat has an Icom SSB radio and a Pactor modem, just like I had on Fleetwood I; if I can recall the complicated procedures, I would be able to update my blogs, text only, from anywhere again and send and receive emails.”

This new boat hails from Slovenia and will need new registration and a new name. Another Fleetwood, perhaps? “I carry a set of identical decals of my previous two Fleetwoods. But that might be dishonest and a bad omen. I’m considering ‘WreckJack.’ Any other suggestions?” Clearly, Jack has not lost his sense of humor.

However, it sounds as if Jack isn’t 100 percent set on keeping this latest vessel. “I’m keeping the decals, just in case I find a proper wooden boat on the east side of the Atlantic. My new boat will be easier to sell in Europe where this model is better known and it is set up for 220 volt AC.”

Whatever he decides, we’re happy that Jack is continuing his quest to keep sailing the world and wish him all the best for his new boat and the new year.

You can read more about Jack’s sailing life in our previous stories and on his blog.