Going back to my roots

For the past ten years the 1965 Feadship Lucia has been a popular sight in her home berth of Antwerp and much further afield. Michel Permeke spent much of his childhood on his father’s Feadship and, as he explains here, buying Lucia was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream.

In my young years, I spent a lot of time on Gannet, my father’s Feadship. Not only did my dad teach me how to sail during these summers, long weekends and extended trips, he also taught me how to live (and survive) on board. I think my most memorable experience was when we crossed the North Sea to the South of England in 1976 and encountered bad weather and various technical issues. It was a great life lesson and one that stays with me still.

I remember looking at a photo of Gannet just after a Christmas dinner in 2005, and realising how important she had been to me. It was then that I understood I wanted to reconnect to my roots and own a yacht myself, and preferably from the same yard that built the boat from my youth: Van Lent.

Remarkably, the first yacht I saw for sale was the ‘sister yacht’ of my father’s Gannet; this was unique, as Van Lent was known for only building one-off custom yachts. This specific vessel had been the property of the yard’s owner for 25 years and Lucia was named after his beloved wife. He sailed the yacht for a quarter of a century until the Van Lent yard built him a new Lucia in 1995.

During our first tour of the yacht, in Ireland, I found the interior details exactly as I remembered them on Gannet thirty years ago, even down to the light switches in the engine room. And I have to admit, I was sold, and soon found myself owning a Feadship! When my father stepped on board Lucia for the first time and said: “She even smells like Gannet,” I knew then I had made the right choice. I can honestly say, my wife Nancy and I have had a wonderful ten years at the helm of this fabulous yacht.

The 16.20-metre Lucia was launched as Ruo Serahs (Our Shares backwards!) in 1965 and bought by Jan van Lent in 1976. She has a stunning flared bow, with characteristic wooden toerail, classic portholes and a wooden superstructure. Her wide gangways offer access to the spacious aft deck with steering position and plenty of seating space. The high level of comfort on board is further enhanced by a ceiling height of 1.90 metres throughout. The fully equipped galley is situated starboard with the dinette opposite, while the large cabin fore includes a luxury bathroom. Lucia is powered by twin Vetus-Deutz diesel engines.

Lucia has just been put up for sale. For a viewing, please contact Bart De Ven International Yacht Brokerage.