Autumn's Last Sail

Summer has come to an end. It is time to bring our boat back to the boat yard, for the necessary winter maintenance. It's a two-day trip from our home port to the boat yard, so we get to enjoy one last sailing trip before our season ends. Around Mid-October, the forecasts predict two last days of sunny weather. A great opportunity for us to sail to the boat yard.

Those peaceful nights

In the Netherlands, sailing is big. Really big. Or perhaps, the country is just a tad too small to fit all those sailors in. But on hot summer days, everybody seems to get out on the water. In the evenings, even the smaller natural harbors and inlets are packed full of boats. There's the smell of barbeques, dinghy-racing kiddo's and the five other boats you have to climb over to get ashore. Mass tourism, Waterworld-style.

Winter sailing, winter quietness

Often, I hear people say: such a shame that summer is over, I enjoyed sailing so much! Or: ‘I am glad that I live in California/Malaysia/some other warm country, so I can continue sailing all year long. Some people seem to assume that sailing is impossible during the wintertime! But they couldn’t be more wrong...

The cruising life? Oh, if only we could afford that!

You guys sailed to the Channel Islands? With your own boat? For ten weeks? Wow guys, that’s really cool! And look at those pictures you took! Amazing.. This is quite different from our holidays. Two weeks in some Spanish beach resort, that’s it. Some people are just so lucky. I gotta admit I’m kinda jealous here.

Indian summer sailing

Officially, summer has been over for about three weeks now. But we've been given some beautiful warm, sunny autumn days to enjoy. And enjoy them we did! Last weekend, we sailed off for a club meeting with Euros, the student sailing association that built our boat.

A Holland Holiday Getaway..

This year, we have been spending a lot of time fixing our boat. Last week, all this work finally paid off, when we finished the last repairs. Time to take that hard-earned holiday break! We had about eight days, so no overly ambitious sailing goals this time. We spent the week on our country's sweet water lakes.

When you sail, the quietness is never far away...

I made this drawing from a photo I took during a winter sailing trip. It is a picture of a lock in the Wieden-Weerriben National park.

First time solo!

Last weekend, I did a crazy thing. I went on a solo sailing trip for the first time of my life... in another boat than my own. And it was great!

Little Big Adventures

At anchor in Beauport Bay, Jersey. 

In this post I'll be telling some more about me, my boyfriend, our little sailboat and the big adventures we had with her.

It all started some nine years ago, when me and my boyfriend Ivo decided we wanted to explore the world on a sailing boat. We were students at that time, with no boat, no money and no prior sailing experience. So that dream seemed miles away... 

A winter fairy tale

Last year, we took a two-day trip, from the town of Lemmer to Giethoorn. Just an ordinary weekend trip, but it turned out to be really amazing..