the lifestyle
Learning the lifestyle , with or without kids
Before this sailing dream became a plan we had no experience with sailing. We used to own a powerboat and spent many holidays in Croatia, exploring the islands and anchorages by boat. So when we decided we liked this boating traveling lifestyle enough to do it permanently our first task was to learn how to sail!
We took sailing lessons, sold our powerboat and bought a Beneteau Oceanis 473 in August 2016 and after selling our first boat we bought a Lagoon 42 in April 2021.
Rene (1965) is the captain. He knows his way around pretty much all systems electronic and mechanical. Doesn’t believe in reading manuals or meticulous planning. He is a great cook and loves gadgets and is in charge of most of the “blue jobs”.
Joline (1982) is first mate. Loves meticulous planning, making lists and over analyses pretty much everything. Edits our videos and will do the majority of homeschooling the kids and is in charge of most of the “pink” jobs.
Robin (2010) is our eldest daughter. She loves animals and space and wants to be a scientist. Is very creative and outgoing.
Lauren (2013) is the youngest. She loves Elsa and playing dress up. Although she can be a bit shy at first, loves performing and being silly.
Are you dreaming about going long term cruising with your family ? , (but you do not know what you are getting yourself and your family into ?)
Or have you maybe already made the decision to go cruising but have not yet had the full ‘live aboard’ experience ? , why don’t you and your family join us on our beautiful spacious 2017 Lagoon 42 for 10 days, a fantastic confidence building experience !
We are not sailing instructors !!
we are not offering any sailing lessons , although you are welcome to take control of the boat and we will certainly give you tips. By now we have some 30.000 nautical miles between us and in the last 3 years we sailed from the Med , Spain , Balearic islands to Panama via Morocco , Canary Islands , Cape Verdes , French Guyana , Tobago, Trinidad , Tobago Cays , Grenada , St Lucia up the island chain to Dominica down to Bonaire , Colombia , Guna Yala / San Blas Panama , Aruba on our Blue Pearl and are now ready to start again from the East Med on our new to us “Blue Pearl Too” !
So what are we offering during your stay with us ?
* A true and great experience what it is like to cruise full time
* Catamaran manoeuvring and handling
* Regular maintenance on sailing yacht systems
* Tips on ‘power on board’ , how to do a ‘power audit’ to ensure you have enough power to comfortably cruise with solar, generator, wind, battery systems (lead vs lithium) , electrics etc
* Using the VHF
* Safety on board
* Night sailing and keeping watch
* We are actively sailing and frequently do longer passages
* Planning long passages and weather
* Checking in and out of countries
* Anchoring, mooring and docking skills
* Home/Boat schooling tips
* Provisioning , on board food storage and cooking tips
* Managing your waste on board
* Discuss your plans and we’ll try help you put together any missing pieces (we’ve been in the planning stage and know how tough it is!)
* Monohull vs Catamaran , we sailed both and can objectively discuss the differences
And of course beautiful surroundings , beaches , small villages and towns , and sailing where we are at the moment
Where are we so you can join us ?
2021 – Canary Islands , Senegal, Gambia , Cape Verdes done
2022 – January Cross the Atlantic from Cape Verdes to French Guyana, Suriname , Tobago , SVG , Aruba , Bonaire , Curacao , Colombia , San Blas Panama
2023 – San Blas Panama , ????
