Crew

Toine is de schipper van de SeaQuest. Nu 58 jaar en met veel zeilervaring. Al jong was hij te vinden in valkjes op de Friese meren. In het dagelijkse leven is hij werkzaam bij een pensioen bedrijf als IT verantwoordelijke. Toine’s specialiteit is alles wat met techniek te maken heeft; uiteraard zeiltechniek, maar ook de elektra, motor en ICT aan boord is zijn hobby. Hij kan uren bezig zijn met het repareren van zaken die kapot gaan en het continue verbeteren van zaken voor meer gemak of om te voorkomen dat ze kapot gaan.

Mira is de tweede schipper van de SeaQuest. Ook 58 jaar en heeft ook al aardig wat zeilervaring. Niet alleen het zeilen maar juist ook het aandoen van nieuwe bestemmingen heeft haar interesse. In het dagelijkse leven is ze werkzaam als programmamanager bij een grote verzekeringsmaatschappij. Mira’s specialiteit is alles wat met planning te maken heeft; reis- en tochten planning, bevoorrading van de boot en het koken. En het maken van deze website. Als hobby leest ze veel zeilblogs waardoor ze veel kennis heeft van zeilbestemmingen met bijbehorende uitdagingen.

Our daughters Eline and Marinthe are "out of the house already" and are students with lives of their own. But regularly they 'come home' and enjoy sailing with us.

What draws us to life on and travel by sailboat? Since the beginning of our relationship (in 1997), it has been clear that we would like to travel on a sailboat for an extended period of time, without a concrete plan.
This becomes more concrete when in the fall of 2005 we decide to buy a boat after several years of chartering, mostly in the Caribbean. So in 2006 we buy the Brandaan and then immediately make the plan to travel with our family for a year in 2009/2010 for a tour of Atlantic. Our daughters will be 8 and 10 by then. We like that immensely and taste for more 😊.
In 2014, we will exchange the Brandaan for the SeaQuest. With the goal of taking this on a longer trip when we retire early. But it is also a great boat for weekends in Zeeland and summer vacations in Northern Europe with our family.

During all these years of sailing, it is clear that we are true touring sailors. We go for safety and comfort at sea en route to beautiful new destinations, and not for maximum speed. We are not afraid to sail through the night. We don't mind motoring even in calm weather as long as it serves the purpose of reaching a beautiful destination on time. The boat is for us a means to travel in a pleasant way to beautiful areas and late anchor bays. Naturally, we also enjoy sailing at sea, especially for several days and nights in a row. But we focus on comfort and a conservative trim of the sails.

In 2017/2018 we have the opportunity to live in Florida for a few months and take the boat with us. On the trip back home from Florida through Canada, it again becomes very clear that we really like the migratory life with a sailboat. We get along very well and have plenty of each other. We don't mind having family and friends at a distance for a while. We greatly enjoy visiting unknown and somewhat more difficult to reach areas.

The plan will take another step further when we sell our house and live on the boat in early 2021. Now there is not much stopping us from 'leaving' 😎. We have now set the 'departure date' to April 2025. Of course, all in life and limb, we always say. Where will we go then? That too is an open plan and will probably change frequently. But Patagonia, Alaska and New Zealand are high on the list 😊.