In 1962 the North Sea cutter "Gerrie" was launched at the Boomsma shipyard in Lemmer. The ship was built on behalf of the Ruizendaal family from Spakenburg. At that time, the family moved to Urk. And so it came to pass the name "UK 148".

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The owner fished for a number of years in the North Sea with the ship, but because the engines had too little power to fish well with them, they decided to buy a ship with heavier engines. The "Gerrie" was sold, ended up in Zeebrugge (Belgium) and continued sailing under the name "Mermaid" and fishing boat number Z 256.

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She had been doing her service for many years when a disaster occurred off the Belgian coast.

The ship capsized during fishing and one of the fishermen drowned.

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After the ship was hoisted above water again, it came into the hands of the Van Eekelen family from Den Oever (Holland). The new owner bought the ship because of the fishing quotas. The family made plans to rebuild the ship, which was then called WR 286, into a recreational ship.

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But it turned out differently. In 2003, the current owner Jan Hoeven bought the wreck with the intention of converting it into a sailing houseboat for himself. Plans were adjusted during the renovation. He chose to rent the ship and make day trips.

 

Jan christened the ship the "Deo Annuente (EH1)" which in Latin means "if God wants it".

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Length: 18 meters

Width: 5.10 meters

Weight: 74 tons