Fons Oerlemans

The life of Fons Oerlemans (b. 1938) — the Belgian adventurer who crossed the Atlantic five times in a self-built raft, a steam boiler, a truck, and a giant bottle. A war child turned explorer, filmmaker and record-breaker, who in his nineties still builds at Stormkop in Antwerp with his wife Kee Arens.

A chronological documentary of 22 moments spanning 1938–2024 on Loreline.

last updated 2026-07-21

1. 1938-07-12 — Fons Oerlemans — born in Nieuwmoer, 1938 (documentary opening). ) — from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
2. 1944-01-01 — Surviving the V1 and V2 bombardments as a child. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
3. 1952-01-01 — The boy who built his first raft at fourteen. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
4. 1960-01-01 — Building his own aircraft and flying machines. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
5. 1974-06-01 — The raft "Last Generation" mid-Atlantic (3 of 2). The raft "Last Generation" out on the open Atlantic during Fons Oerlemans's 1974 crossing.
6. 1974-06-01 — The raft "Last Generation" mid-Atlantic (2 of 2). The raft "Last Generation" out on the open Atlantic during Fons Oerlemans's 1974 crossing.
7. 1974-06-01 — The raft "Last Generation" mid-Atlantic (1 of 2). The raft "Last Generation" out on the open Atlantic during Fons Oerlemans's 1974 crossing.
8. 1974-06-01 — The raft "Last Generation" mid-Atlantic (4 of 2). The raft "Last Generation" out on the open Atlantic during Fons Oerlemans's 1974 crossing.
9. 1974-10-26 — 'De Laatste Generatie' — the 1974 Atlantic crossing from Safi, Morocco. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
10. 1974-12-01 — Three months on a raft across the Atlantic. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
11. 1979-01-01 — Gran Canaria to Barbados, 1979 — Kee Arens, first woman across the ocean on a raft (Guinness). ) — from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
12. 1980-01-01 — 'Seaview' — crossing the Atlantic in a converted steam boiler. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
13. 1983-08-17 — The truck on a raft: New York to Lisbon, 1983. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
14. 1985-01-01 — Filmmaker, author and record-breaker — a life of expeditions. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
15. 1989-06-01 — Fons Oerlemans with his wife and fellow adventurer Kee Arens
16. 1989-06-01 — Boats and beer bottles — the improvised, self-built world of. Fons Oerlemans (press archive).
17. 1990-01-01 — Fons Oerlemans and Kee Arens — a life of adventure together. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
18. 2007-01-01 — Crossing the Atlantic in a giant steel bottle. from the documentary "De Avonturen Van Fons Oerlemans".
19. 2007-06-01 — The model of the bottle. A scale model of the giant bottle Fons Oerlemans built to cross the Atlantic.
20. 2019-01-01 — Koos Hogeweg on Stormkop and Fons Oerlemans — Part One
21. 2019-01-02 — Koos Hogeweg on Stormkop and Fons Oerlemans — Part Two
22. 2024-01-01 — Een dag uit het leven van Fons (92) — VRT NWS

Full text archive: /loreline-text/fons-oerlemans.md