2 February 2024 – Bahamian Blues
We have an appointment in the Bahamas and little time to get there. Will we overcome the Bahamian Blues and still enjoy this unique country?
We have an appointment in the Bahamas and little time to get there. Will we overcome the Bahamian Blues and still enjoy this unique country?
We visit the Dutch Caribbean Islands Sint Eustatius, Saba, and Sint Maarten. Will they make us feel at home in the tropics?
We visit many Caribbean Islands and find that although they’re all tropical paradises, their diversity and rich history define the area’s many sides.
We combine cruising with doing boat maintenance on the Caribbean islands of Tobago, Grenada, and Carriacou.
With a little help we reach Suriname. It’s lovely people, amazing wildlife, rich history, and cultural diversity make our stay truly stunning.
We visit Brazil again and sail its northern coast. But before we can explore a stunning island and fishing community, we must repair our mainsail.
On our passage from Namibia to Brazil, we grief over a lost sail, recover on exciting St Helena, and celebrate having sailed around the world.
We sail to Namibia and learn about the many benefits of Sea Forests. We switch from sea to sand to explore the vast Namibian desert.
We sail along the hazardous South African coast and the Cape of Good Hope. Making it back to the Atlantic lifts our spirits, as does Ubuntu!
We deal with setbacks before exploring South Africa’s Imfolozi wildlife park. Our rewards come in the form of a unique experience and insight.
We are crossing the Indian Ocean from Cocos (Keeling) Islands to South Africa. Will we avoid storms and monster waves of the Agulhas current?
We sail to Australia’s Indian Ocean islands and learn that both wildlife and humans are threatened by plastic pollution and sea level rise.
We explore Australia and learn that there’s still hope for the Great Barrier Reef, especially if we apply the wisdom of the indigenous Aboriginals.
We sail to New Caledonia and find both a sacrifice zone and a tropical paradise. Could its future be a litmus test for the rest of the world?
With heavy hearts, we leave Aotearoa New Zealand after 17 months. But not without saying farewell to old and new friends.
We fight strong currents and winds to explore Stewart Island and wild Fiordland before completing our circumnavigation of New Zealand.
After almost a year, we’re sailing again. Via the Bay of Islands, we round the North Island and sail south in the wake of Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.
After exploring the fate of kauri trees and learning about enviroschools, our freedom is limited when Delta arrives. How long will the lockdown last?
We evaluate our options and decide to stay longer in New Zealand. Being stranded here turns out to be a blessing in disguise.
Bringing Luci back in shape takes more time and effort than we expected, but the result is well worth it.
The final leg of our road trip is chock-a-block with inspiring people, sustainable initiatives, natural beauty, and meeting new and old friends.
Our road trip in New Zealand continues on the South Island with more sustainable initiatives and stunning natural beauty.
Our road trip in New Zealand goes into full gear on the North Island: natural beauty, sustainable initiatives, wrapped in Kiwi hospitality.
Our goals of doing boat maintenance, exploring sustainable solutions, and travelling in New Zealand seem incompatible, until we meet Miss Nissy.
We’re halfway on our journey and reflect on our progress. We’re hopeful but there’s a lot to do. It’s all hands on deck to achieve sustainable change.
We undergo New Zealand’s quarantine procedures, start exploring this amazing country, and realize how privileged we are to have arrived just in time.
Our trip to New Zealand is 2,500 miles non-stop, our longest leg so far. Will we be able to stay clear of depressions and hurricanes?
While we wait for approval from New Zealand, we explore the Society’s Leeward islands. As time passes, we also make a plan B. Which plan will it be?
On Tahiti, our patience is being tested. In the meantime, we get new energy and enjoy the comforts of housesitting.
We find magic in Mo’orea as we hike its mountains, meet inspiring islanders who restore coral reefs, and swim with whales.
We explore Tahiti and are overwhelmed by the wild nature and pleasant luxuries of French Polynesia’s main island.
We visit the Tuamotus in French Polynesia and discover picturesque atolls teeming with underwater life.
During the lockdown in the Gambier archipelago in French Polynesia, we explore various forms of local resilience.
While exploring the Gambier archipelago in French Polynesia, the corona crisis reminds us of the importance of local resilience.
Pitcairn’s remoteness makes its people self-reliant. They live with what they have, nature blossoms, and consumerism is non-existent.
Our leg to isolated Easter Island is the longest so far. Its intriguing history and engaged residents provide important lessons on sustainability.
Together with guests we visit a nature restoration farm, before preparing our boat for the Pacific. We celebrate Christmas on a remarkable island.
We leave our floating home in Chile for a trip back home to reunite with family, friends, followers, and partners.
Our busses & backpacks tour continues through Peru and Chile. We discover stunning nature, indigenous culture, and many inspiring sustainable solutions.
To avoid the hurricane season in the South Pacific, we make a Plan B. We leave Luci behind to explore more of South America by bus with our backpacks.
More than three months we sail through the Patagonian wilderness, fighting headwinds, cold, and rain. The spectacular nature reinforces our conviction that it needs to be preserved for future generations.
In Ushuaia we visit an Earthship. With friends we test the Patagonian waters and explore stunning glaciers and bays. It leads to adjusted plans.
As we leave Mar del Plata and sail south to Ushuaia, we enter the notorious Furious Fifties, where challenging weather and spectacular nature await.
We discover Buenos Aires and make new friends. Also, our preparations for Patagonia come into full swing: we do boat maintenance, pick up trainee Lars and provision for the next months.
Friendly people, sunny spring weather, a laid-back atmosphere, an inspiring organic farm and a sustainable school. Uruguay truly was an unexpected gem!
We are running out of time in Brazil. Our 90-day visas are about to expire, but the weather isn't very cooperative. Will we be able to timely reach Uruguay?
Whales treat us to a spectacular show as we sail to Rio de Janeiro. On land we learn that agroecology is more than an environmentally sound farming method.
We sail along the Brazilian coast, enjoy its green vegetation but also learn of its destruction. And discover a farming method that cooperates with forests.
From Cape Verde we set sail for Brazil, our longest trip so far. As we cross the blue desert, we deal with varying weather and find a paradise-like oasis.
We sail to Cape Verde where we discover marine ecosystem restoration initiatives and learn how to build with recycled materials. A true taste of Africa!
We hop between the Canary Islands and discover their stunning natural beauty. We also learn about banana logic and a unique renewable energy storage system.
After almost two years at sea, it’s time for a trip back home to share the 30 sustainable solutions we discovered in Europe with our followers and partners.
We sail from Morocco to the Canary Islands. With friends we explore its volcanic landscapes. Luci gets hauled out for repairs and maintenance.
When we leave the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean welcomes us with calm weather and fresh fish! And brings us to another world...
Despite the strong headwinds, we make progress sailing west. We visit Malta, Tunisia and Sardinia. And celebrate a lively Christmas in Palma de Mallorca.
We sail alomg the west coast of Greece and to the island of Crete. We look for sustainable olive oil, enjoy nature's beauty, and immerse in history.
Sailing Croatia has ups and downs: strict immigration, thunderstorms, beautiful islands and a family birthday celebration. We clean beaches and visit Venice.
While sailing upwind into the Adriatic Sea, we discover sustainable initiatives, learn about history and meet old and new friends in Greece and Albania.
During our Italian summer, we find a way to deal with the peak holiday season and the extreme heat. But then Luci decides to start a journey on her own...
On Sardinia we visit the local currency Sardex, a good solution for a more local and stable economy? And friends and family also visit - and spoil - us.
We sail from Le Grazie to Elba and Corsica. And cross the notorious Bonifacio Straight to Sardinia, where we reflect on the first year of our sailing trip.
We sail from Nice to Le Grazie. Very slowly. We visit the Slow Food movement, and enjoy the beauty of Italy's Ligurian coast. And we surely prefer water to be outside the boat...
We sail from Ibiza to Nice, via Barcelona and the Cote d'Azur. On our way we meet family and friends, and encounter delicious and sustainable food and wine.
Ibiza a party island? In summer perhaps. We discover natural beauty, the lovely Greenheart Ibiza & Casita Verde people, and meet old and new friends.
On our sailing trip around the world in search of sustainable solutions we sail from Malaga to Ibiza. We are confronted by the "Levant" and an emergency.
We sail from the border between Portugal and Spain via Gibraltar to Málaga, have a family reunion, and visit to a solar power plant in Andalusia.
We leave Lisbon after Christmas to celebrate the New Year in Lagos with Margreet. Along the coast of the Algarve more friends join us and we research the sustainable qualities of cork.
From the Islas Cíes in Spain we sail south to Porto, where we meet sailing cargo ship Tres Hombres. They have no engine, so we help them move upriver and moor next to them in central Porto. We also go on a port wine expedition in the Douro valley before heading further south via Aveiro and Nazaré to Cascais and Lisbon.
In Galicia we visit the four Rías Bajas, adb take a trip to Santiago de Compostela to find out more about the sustainability aspects of hiking.
We cross the Bay of Biscay in late October, with a stopover at Île de Groix. In Spain we visit a company based on democracy and social responsibility.
From Scotland we sail to the Isle of Man and then to Cornwall. In "Transition Town" Totnes we meet Earth Lawyer Polly Higgins.
From Norway we sail west to visit marine energy projects on Orkney and am ecovillage in Findhorn. After passing through the Caledonian Canal we taste organic whisky on Islay.
We sail to Stavanger, where friends join us for a tour of the fjords. We also drive a Tesla to sail on the world's first electric ferry, Ampere, across the Sognefjord.
From Larvik we take a train to visit Oslo, then sail to Sandøya to spend time with new friends. Further down the Norwegian Riviera, friends we made last year welcome us again.
In Copenhagen we learn about the city's climate ambitions and how to reduce energy use. In Sweden we visit Kosterhavet National Park and a permaculture farm.
In Germany we visit a packaging-free store, and Europe's largest Community Supported Agriculture farm. We then sail to Samsø to learn about their renewable energy revolution.
Leaving The Netherlands proves to be not without technical challenges. As soon as Luci is ready we sail to Germany, our first foreign destination.
After many years of preparations, we celebrate our departure with a bittersweet farewell party in the Sixhaven. A film crew sails with us to Enkhuizen.
While our departure date comes closer, our to-do list is getting shorter. Will we be ready in time?
Preparing our boat continues to be a challenge. After many years of refitting and maintenance, will we finally be able to finish our technical to-do list?
Since medical help at sea isn't readily available, we prepare ourselves for medical emergencies.
Weather and wind are everything for sailors, so we decide to take a course in meteorology. What are our learnings?
How to survive at sea? And do we still feel like sailing around the world after this course?
Well ahead of our planned departure, we move to our floating tiny house aka Luci. Making everything fit involves some serious decluttering.
We reach an important milestone in our preparations: the creation of the Sailors for Sustainability FoundationWe're a Foundation!As of 11 December 2015 we are officially a foundation: Stichting…
Being able to repair our own sail and canvas helps to be more self-sufficient during our travels. But how to learn this?
Our time for the Test Run to Norway is coming to an end. Will the weather cooperate during our journey back home?
We explore the southeast coast of Norway and learn why it's also called the "Norwegian Riviera".
To give Luci a proper sea trial, we decide to head north to Norway.
After 15 months of refitting, we're thrilled to be able to sail again despite the winter weather. Let's go to awesome Terschelling!