APPOINTMENTS
5,500 kilometres in three days
Fons Oerlemans is every inch an adventurer. When he was
fourteen he predicted that one day he would make a
spectacular crossing over the Atlantic Ocean, and six years
later he hitch-hiked his way around the globe. He has fulfilled
that early prediction: meanwhile he has already crossed the
Atlantic five times. And each time his means of transport was
very unusual: three times he crossed on a self-built raft, once
in a lorry and once in a steam boiler. In June next year he
plans to cross the ocean for the sixth time: a hydrofoil in the
shape of a bottle should take him from New York to the Scilly
Isles in three days. A distance of 5,500 kilometres. Heineken
will be the main sponsor of this special happening.
Funboat
Lecture tours
Weather stations
Risks
Hannibal
HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NR. 17 PAGE 5
Across the Atlantic in a Heineken bottle
"I was fourteen when I told my
father that some day I'd cross the
ocean in a raft. I had that yearning
for adventure in me even then.
Now we're busy preparing for the
sixth crossing, but it's an adven
ture every time", says Mr. Oerle
mans.
Three years ago, immediately
after his crossing in the converted
steam boiler, Oerlemans had the
idea of making the trip once
more, but this time in a bottle. So
he put his thinking cap on, drew
This hydrofoil will be used for the
Atlantic crossing. It holds 15,000
litres: that's some bottle!
on his vast knowledge of
mechanics, and finally came to
the conclusion that the 'funboat'
had to be a combination of bottle
and hydrofoil. Together with his
close pal and travelling compan
ion Peter Schoonderwoerd, he
started building both the boat
itself and a scale model (scale 1:3)
which he could use to experiment
with. All the findings based on the
experimental scale model have
been and will be incorporated in
the construction of the actual
vessel.
The bottle which Fons Oerle
mans plans to use for his next
trans-Atlantic trip (when he will
be accompanied by his wife Kee
end Peter Schoonderwoerd) is
nothing short of gigantic. The
bottle itself has a capacity of 150
hectolitres and all that space is
really needed to house the 1,000-
hp engine and the fuel tanks. In
addition, some room has to be left
over for the cockpit, in which two
of the three crew members have
to be constantly present to steer
the vessel, and also for a bunk so
that the third passenger can take
a nap.
Mr. P. Hamers, factory
manager at the Heineken
brewery in 's-Hertogenbosch,
has been appointed regional
technical manager Africa. He
succeeds Mr. G. Slootweg, who
has been appointed general
manager of the Yimin Brewery
in Shanghai (China) with effect
from 1st January next. The new
factory manager in 's-Hertogen
bosch is Mr. A. de Voogd, until
recently technical manager of
New Zealand Brewery Ltd.
Mr. P. Lebru, formerly
marketing director of Bralima in
Zaïre, has been appointed
general manager of Brarudi in
Burundi. He takes over from Mr.
A. Verwilghen who has transfer
red to the post of financial direc
tor at Ibecor, Brussels. Mr. P.
Hottois has taken over Mr.
Lebru's marketing respon
sibilities. Th. M. Zwart is the
new technical director of
Bralima in Zaïre in succession to
Mr. Levèbvre.
Brasserie de Brazzaville is to
have a new general manager.
The post will be filled by Mr. J.L.
Home, whose previous job was
that of deputy financial director
at Frangaise de Brasserie.
The new marketing manager
at El Aguila in Spain is Mr. L.
Alcacer. He has succeeded Mr. F.
Bot who has been appointed
project manager within Coordi
nation Europe.
Newly appointed as factory
manager of the Heineken
brewery in Zoeterwoude is Mr.
H. de Goederen. He succeeds
Mr. H. Kloek who, as previously
announced, has been appointed
director of beer production for
the Netherlands. Mr. De
Goederen's former posts were as
brewery manager in Ghana,
Sierra Leone and Lagos
(Nigeria).
Countless trial voyages were made with the scale model in Amsterdam's dockland area.
Underneath the bottle the
hydrofoil construction is visible.
Oerlemans has adapted the
construction to meet the specific
demands of ocean sailing. For
instanceon the basis of trials with
the scale model, he has had to
mount some flaps. The system is
similar to the flaps you see on
aircraft wings, the moving parts
which are needed for steering.
Oerlemans has also planned
several trial voyages, including
trips on the North Sea to find out
how the bottle will handle in
rough seas. At the moment the
vessel has been housed for the
winter months in a room at the
former Heineken brewery in
Amsterdam.
Fons Oerlemans is taking
advantage of these dark winter
days to take up the many invita
tions he receives to give lectures.
He travels to towns throughout
the length and breadth of Holland
to tell his audience about his
experiences during his journeys.
Nor is he a stranger to making
documentary films. His filmed
adventures of one of the raft trips
won first prize in the documen
taries category at the television
film festival in Monte Carlo.
As soon as spring arrives the
daring threesome will start their
count-down. The final few
months before the crossing are
spent on installing advanced
navigation and communication
systems. During the crossing the
crew maintains radio contact with
the shore. Oerlemans is even
contemplating the possibility of
making a live radio or TV broad
cast during the trip.
The adventure will start in June
next year. Oerlemans can't give
the exact date. "Our departure
day depends entirely on the state
of the weather. We keep in touch
with weather stations in the
Unites States and Europe so that
we can use their forecasts to work
out the safest moment to start the
crossing."
After the start the Heineken
bottle will speed away at a rate of
about 80 kilometres an hour,
heading towards the Scilly Isles,
not far from Land's End off the
southernmost point of Great
Britain. To qualify for a world
record the distance has to be
covered within three days, ten
hours and forty minutes. Fons will
then receive the Blue Ribband,
the distinction held since 1952 by
the American liner, the S.S.
United States, for the fastest
trans-Atlantic crossing. But for
Fons Oerlemans more is involved
than just breaking the world
record. "It will also be the longest
distance ever covered by a
hydrofoil."
What about the risks of such an
undertaking? Oerlemans: "Risks
are unavoidable, let's get that
tages during the crossing. "We
are fully familiar with the
construction. We're on first name
terms with every nut and bolt.
That means that we can make any
necessary repairs ourselves
during the voyage."
Adventure is in Fons Oerle
mans' blood. His plans for
another year are already
complete. No trip across the
oceans this time, but a journey
into the past. "I've got this plan to
reconstruct Hannibal's trek over
the Alps with the elephants in 218
B.C. The historians doubt that
that journey ever took place, as
they don't think that the route
was suitable. I've found a route
that looks possible. We'll be
trying that out. With elephants!"
"But for the moment we're still
From left to right: Peter Schoonderwoerd, Heineken Holland's managing
director G. J. van Soest, and Fons and Kee Oerlemans.
straight for a start. It's up to us to
construct our vessel in such a way
that the risks are minimised.
Incidentally, we asked an
independent technical consul
tancy bureau in Great Britain for
its opinion on the bottle. The
bureau said that a crossing in the
bottle that we've built would be
safe."
The fact that Fons Oerlemans
and Peter Schoonderwoerd have
assembled the bottle all on their
own may perhaps have its advan
busy with the Heineken bottle.
We're really concentrating fully
on that now. And, thanks to
Heineken's sponsorship, we can
push our plans through faster."
Fons Oerlemans is eager to take
up the challenge, that's plain to
see.
mebin
