A boating legacy

Born with a rare genetic condition, JT has faced challenges that might have reasonably limited his ambitions and passion for adventure. But his determination, faith and family support have allowed him to thrive in the face of adversity. Having established the JT Mestdagh Foundation, his mission is to help others facing similar physical and mental challenges.

Here, JT shares his unique life story, how medical challenges have led him to become a motivational figure, and how time on the water offers him a chance to recenter and explore the world with family.

Can you share a little about your boating story and how your family came to own a Z55?

We are from Detroit, Michigan on the Great Lakes and a number of years ago we acquired a Zeelander 44, which was a wonderful boat but over time we came to thinking that the Z55 would be more comfortable for the way we wanted to use a boat. Zeelander is a very family oriented company; from the build process all the way through to delivery, we had a feeling of being part of the family. I was fortunate to able to visit The Netherlands to be onboard during the yacht’s sea trials, which was a really fun experience. Our family’s passion for boating spans three generations – from my grandparents to my parents to me – so I already had a fairly good understanding of how the yacht would work. But to be able to sit with the engineers and designers who built the yacht themselves, and to hear first-hand how they came up with the various features, was remarkable and very fun.

Where do you usually use the yacht?

She was delivered to Baltimore, Maryland by a transporter ship in November 2019, after which we cruised through the Chesapeake Bay before I took her south with our captain, John Roberts, to the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, which is her homeport. We use the yacht in Florida a lot, but we also wanted to experience cruising on her closer to our home in Northern Michigan, so we brought her up here over the summer. She is now on her way back to the Florida Keys, as the hurricane season comes to an end. The boat is so entertaining, we just love spending time onboard.

What is the cruising like in your backyard, the Great Lakes of Michigan?

Northern Michigan, which is just three or four hours north of us in Detroit, has beautiful, crystal clear waters with rocky bottoms that you can see 30 to 40 feet down, just like the Bahamas. Across the shoreline there are beautiful beaches and sand dunes and to have the Zeelander here to explore it all was just incredible. Also, because the Great Lakes are freshwater, the boats love it and the people really love it, because you have less washing down to do!

Is there a special story behind her name, Dutch?

My family on my mother’s side is actually Dutch, and they have had so many boats over the years, from a classic Chris Craft to a 115-foot Benetti, which have all been named after my Grandma. So when it came to naming the Z55, my Grandpa said to her: “You know, I’m 91 years old, and this might be my last boat. This time I want to name it after me!” So he named it Dutch, both because the yacht was built in The Netherlands, and also because of his own ancestry there. It’s really gratifying to see his excitement when spending time onboard. It’s not just the general thrill of boating, but his appreciation of the artistry of this particular boat. He has a sense of wonder at the advanced systems, the technology and the design that have evolved so much since his earliest yachts. Zeelander has fully capitalized on these advances and he really loves it.

It must be nice to have that time as a family, over three generations, on the yacht

We are a tight knit family, and our favorite activities are undoubtedly boating and skiing. There’s something special and unique about how you are brought together on a boat, with a shared passion that transcends the generations. There’s also a real sense of the wider boating community being a big family, too. Ultimately, boat manufacturers are sell a lifestyle to the owner, not just a product, to allow them to realize and experience the joy of being on the water.

You have faced some tough medical challenges throughout your life. That must have built a lot of resilience into you from a young age?

The medical side of things in my life have been a challenge, yes. But I like to see it as an opportunity to learn and grow from. I feel it has put me in a position to help motivate and inspire others who are going through a tough time.

I was born with VATER syndrome, which is a condition of varying severity associated with genetic malformations of different organ systems. In my case, it mostly affects my gastrointestinal system and I also have what is called a tethered spinal cord. My spinal cord was attached to my sacrum and it became tighter and tighter as I grew, resulting in limb and lower urinary tract problems. I underwent two operations on this and am fortunate that I now have the ability to do whatever anyone else can do. My gastrointestinal issues are ongoing and they require me to keep to a daily bowel management program, and I am also dyslexic and have short term memory issues.

I have faced a lot of hurdles and people telling me I can’t do certain things my whole life. But I have realized that if I set goals, I can achieve whatever I want, and break down those imaginary barriers that were being put up against me. I have been fortunate to enjoy some great adventures both on land and at sea, from climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to boating through the locks into the Great Lakes, scuba diving and snorkeling. As someone who was told that they might never be able to read or write, it was very rewarding to write a motivational book of my journey, which I named Untethered.

Your Z55 recently featured in a video performance by celebrated Korean pianist YoungMin You, who played on board while it was underway. How did that come about?

Faith has always been a huge part of our family’s life and when we are in Northern Michigan we attend Bay Harbor Church, not far from where we keep the boat. One day, we were approached by YoungMin, who is the Worship Pianist at the church, as he was looking for someone to help provide a boat as a setting for one of his famously dramatic piano performance videos. My Dad volunteered our Z55, as he thought the idea of a piano on the extending swim platform would be really spectacular if it could work, and when we showed YoungMin the boat he fell in love with it. We didn’t have a lot of time to make the video, as the boat was due to head back to Detroit imminently but we managed to pull it all together in just four days using a keyboard built into a mini grand piano, which we were able to easily lift onto the boat with four guys. Having a Seakeeper stabilizer and Humphree trim tabs really helped, as we were confident to be able to travel at nine knots to add some drama to the video without the risk of YoungMin falling in the water! It turned out brilliantly in the end, and I also interviewed him about his inspiring life story for my YouTube channel JT Jester Speaks.

Click here for more information about the Zeelander Z55.

A BOATING LEGACY