Bonaire and Aruba
Oops, I meant to post something every week, but I now see I’ve skipped one. That’s partly because I’m sailing familiar waters – after the first Covid lockdown I spent 3 months in Aruba and 3 …
Cruising
Passage to Bonaire
Just a quick update. After two and a half days at sea we arrived in Bonaire without any problems. The Dutch Navy’s station ship was there too, as was an enormous cruise ship. On the way Abbie felt a bit queasy …
Grenada
Because of the situation in Venezuela we didn’t want to sail from Suriname to Bonaire in one go, so I’d decided on a pit stop in Grenada to see how things were looking from there. We had to go there now …
Suriname, you were enchanting once again
As I type this I’ve already left the country and am on my way to Grenada with Arnold. But in 23 days I never found the time to write down everything we got up to. A lot has happened! Kees, Tanneke, Kommer Jan and …
Crossing
Tomorrow morning we make landfall, Suriname in the first light, but my heart is still bobbing along on days made of nothing but water. Water everywhere, and yet never the same: from whispering ripples to waves flexing …
1800 miles down, 150 to go
It’s already the 9th and last full day at sea. We expect, with a high degree of certainty, to reach the fairway buoy sometime tomorrow morning. After that it’s still a decent stretch up the river, but …
Sinterklaas
Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a message from what I think was a female Sinterklaas helper … 🎁 A Sinterklaas Poem for the Men on the Boat 🎁 Dear sailors, gathered on this floating home, Sint greets you warmly, …
The Big Crossing
It’s now Wednesday afternoon, 3 December, and we left Mindelo at around half past ten, bound for Suriname (Paramaribo). The distance is still 1853 miles as the crow flies, and we expect to arrive in about 10 days. …
Mindelo!
At a quarter past five we arrived at the marina in Mindelo. Waiting for a marina guy, mooring to a buoy with the stern to the pontoon, dinghy off, Watt&Sea off, lines made fast, dinghy on deck, sail cover on. Now for …
Hooray, it's someone's birthday!
According to the calendar it’s Friday today. And since we left on Tuesday, that makes this our fourth day at sea already. The days run into one another. You stand a four-hour watch at night and you spend all the …
First Day and Night at Sea
First day and night out on the open sea, the wind lifts us up and we sail along free. Nine knots go singing past the bow, the land fades out, there’s only horizon now. Waves are rushing, whitecaps dance, …
On the way to Saudade
Right, we’ve just put on the album Miss Perfumada by Cesaria Evoria, because we’re almost out of Spanish waters. Tanneke and Kommer Jan arrived on Saturday evening after what was a pretty long flight. Lovely …