25 Years of the Elling Club, Part II: Life on board the Elling: How the ‘Fortuna’ became a home

Text: Antonia von Lamezan

​The official part of the Elling owners’ meeting begins in the afternoon. A communal buffet is set up beneath colourful parasols. Everyone brings something: cheese, pastries, canapés. Between the tables, people clink glasses, laugh and chat. Frank Herman is still on board his ‘Fortuna’, getting ready for the afternoon.

Together with his wife Wafaa, he is one of those for whom the boat has long been more of a home than a leisure craft. The couple have not had a permanent marina since 2015. Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Balearic Islands, Greece, the Adriatic or the Canary Islands – the ‘Fortuna’ has covered many thousands of nautical miles in recent years. Frank and Wafaa have spent around 80 per cent of the last eleven years on board.

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The Belgian had a clear vision of his dream boat from an early stage: it had to be capable of sailing both on inland waterways and on the high seas, pass under low bridges, be sturdily built and, above all, be used regularly. “It should be capable of everything and not be constantly breaking down.” When Frank sold his company, the time was right. The Elling seemed to combine everything he’d been looking for.

​The toilet roll trick

These days, the ‘Fortuna’ is home to experienced long-term travellers. Alongside crockery, glasses and provisions, there are rolls of toilet paper in almost every cupboard. Frank says with a smile:

"It might look a bit daft, but then nothing rattles when the sea’s rough."

He has plenty to say about rough seas: about currents, headwinds and the short, steep waves off Cap de la Hague, which drove the boat dangerously close to the cliffs. About the crossing to Agadir in Morocco, Wafaa’s home, where a pitch-black Atlantic night, devoid of stars and horizon, robbed them of any sense of space and made them seasick.

Yet these horrors are offset by the most wonderful memories. Like the trip along the Douro in Portugal, past those kilometres-long steep terraces carved into the slate, where the grapes for port wine ripen.

​What owners really use to gauge quality

For Frank, the quality of a boat isn’t measured by glossy brochures; for him, it’s all about how well it stands up to everyday use: “After twelve years of intensive use, everything here still works perfectly. We spend most of our time on board, and yet nothing looks worn out. That really stands out.”

Whilst new conversations spring up at the buffet and old stories are revived, it becomes clear just how varied the lifestyles are within the Elling community. Some only use their boats for a few weeks a year, whilst others, like Frank and Wafaa, make them the centre of their lives. Nevertheless, the Elling owners naturally find common ground with one another.

Series: 25 Years of the Elling Club

Part 2 of this series explains why the ‘Fortuna’ became a home for its owners. Part 1 tells the story of the meeting in Antwerp; Part 3 focuses on technology and safety on board.

​Would you like to live on a motor yacht for several months of the year? Let us know in the comments.