Fons Oerlemans, a man of remarkable courage and determination, was raised in a German-occupied Belgium. Inspired by the war machines concealed in the woods and the 

scattered shrapnel, he became a pioneering inventor and adventurer. Turning discarded war materials into toys, Fons found he could create the extraordinary out of the ordinary. As soon as he was old enough to, driven by a thirst for adventure and a desire to inspire others, he travelled the world, refusing to accept the word ‘impossible’. Through incredible inventions, Fons constantly challenged boundaries with his imagination and redefined adventure, never giving up the pursuit of the spectacular. 

Fons’s collaboration with Nanni on his final project began after reading an article praising the reliability of Nanni engines. Further positive feedback from a friend reinforced his decision; they needed a reliable engine and Nanni was capable of providing just that. Consequently, Nanni became one of their sponsors, powering Fon’s final project, Message in a Bottle. The vessel served as the beautiful home for Fons and his wife, Kee, for over twenty years. Fon’s reported that they never encountered a single issue with the Nanni engine during this time. 

Where it all began 

Fons journey into daring inventions began with a venture into aviation, building balloons and designing gyrocopters, one of which ingeniously utilised a Volkswagen Beetle engine. 

Despite the risks to his own safety, he fearlessly piloted these incredible crafts in his leisure time, driven by a passion for exploration and discovery. 

Fon’s ultimate ambition was to cross the Atlantic ocean on a self-built raft, and in 1974, he navigated a treacherous route of 4,300 kilometres aboard an inflatable life raft modified to  his specifications. Devoid of any steering mechanisms, Fon’s journey was a testament to his indomitable spirit and unwavering determination. He continued to push the boundaries of 

maritime exploration, constructing additional vessels, including two more rafts known as Last Generation I and II, built primarily using rusty dredging pipes. Always conscious of his environmental impact, Fons tried to repurpose as much material as possible for his inventions. 

In 1981, Fons set sail in the innovative Seaview, a reclaimed steam boiler featuring an underwater observation chamber. Later, Fons even ventured to cross the Atlantic in a truck utilising the existing engine to drive a propeller with its gearbox and drive shaft, modifying the truck as little as possible. This became his most dangerous crossing yet attempted. 

Before embarking on his final project, Fons aimed to break the world record and win the Blue Riband award with a hydrofoil. Made from a 6m-long cylindrical tank with a diameter of 2m, Flying Bottle originally had a huge Detroit diesel 1,000hp engine and 60cm propeller. The goal was to traverse the 2,906 nautical mile route from New York to the Scilly Isles in three days, without refuelling, for the Blue Riband award. This ambitious project was ultimately not meant to be, though the creation of the Flying Bottle was still a great success. “I never attempted to win the Blue Riband – just knowing I had successfully created a vessel capable of winning was enough for me” (Fons Oerlemans, The Last Adventurer).