From sailing the world’s oceans aboard the majestic Stad Amsterdam to running luxury yachts with her partner Arthur, Michal Fonville has enjoyed a wonderfully varied career at sea. Today, with two young children and a home in Mallorca, life looks rather different. But the sea is never far away.

Michal, where are you from, and how did you find your way into professional sailing?

I’m originally from the Netherlands. After working ashore for a few years, I started wondering: is this it? Am I really going to spend the rest of my life sitting in an office?

Looking for adventure, I joined the service team aboard the Clipper Stad Amsterdam, a square-rigged passenger sailing ship that travels the world.

I fell in love with the freedom, endless horizons, adventure and connections you make with people on board. And with the first officer, Arthur. What a cliché, I know!

Stad Amsterdam is hardly a luxury yacht. How did that experience prepare you for superyachting?

For me, it was the perfect place to start. I’ve met people who entered yachting for the money and luxury lifestyle, but Stad Amsterdam is different. People earn normal salaries, many have maritime academy backgrounds, and most are genuinely passionate about sailing.

It also taught us to deal with very different guests. One voyage might involve youth sail training, the next we’d have royalty aboard.

We learned to read people and adapt. Not every superyacht owner wants crew standing stiffly to attention, following strict protocols. Sometimes a relaxed, genuine approach is exactly what’s needed.

I think understanding those little details made us successful on luxury yachts. Stad Amsterdam gave me a down-to-earth perspective that helped me keep both feet on the ground.

You and Arthur then moved into luxury sailing yachts. What attracted you to that change?

We wanted a new challenge and were curious about yachting. The idea of running a smaller yacht, around 21 metres, just the two of us, sounded fantastic. Being responsible for absolutely everything together!

We went on to work as a chef/stew and captain/engineer team aboard yachts including a Contest 67, a 38-metre Holland Jachtbouw and a Hoek Truly Classic 78.

I’m convinced we’re still benefiting from that experience today. We became a really good team, knowing exactly how the other works. Which, as it turns out, is pretty useful when you have two small children!

Eventually you traded professional yachting for life aboard your own yacht, Bubblegum. How did that adventure lead you to Mallorca?

After several years working on yachts, we refitted our own 43-foot Contessa, Bubblegum, and spent a season sailing from Denmark to the Mediterranean.

She eventually brought us to Mallorca, where we lived aboard for a few years at the Real Club Náutico de Palma while continuing to work in yachting.

Then Covid happened, and our plans to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean were put on hold. I became pregnant, and that was when we decided to move ashore.

Was swapping life afloat for life ashore another challenging transition?

Definitely! We both had to build new careers on land, and it took a few years to find our feet.

But we’ve found our way. Arthur has come full circle and is now Operations Manager for Stad Amsterdam. I work for a yacht brokerage as well as a real estate brokerage here on Mallorca.

Our careers are still connected to the sea, although mine has now taken a step into real estate too.

With two young children and a new home in Mallorca, are your seafaring adventures behind you, or might the next generation join you one day?

We’ve just bought a house in Santa Eugènia, and we’re very happy to have our feet firmly planted on the island for now.

But the dream of sharing life at sea with our children is still there. When they’re older, and if life allows it, we’d absolutely love to spend some time living aboard again.

I believe life at sea teaches incredibly valuable lessons: self-reliance, respect for nature, confidence, creativity and making the most of what you have.

I’d love to pass some of that on to our children one day.