Below are the routes of our longer sailing trips.
For routes for shorter sailing summer holidays in Northern Europe, click HERE
For routes and stories of travels on land, click HERE.
2025 – travelling “around the world” for an indefinite period
Since March 2025, we have been travelling “around the world” for an indefinite period. Our first year started in our home port of Bruinisse and we spent it in Norway and Svalbard. We are spending the winter in northern Norway because in 2026 we want to sail from east to west via Iceland and Greenland to Canada/USA via the Viking route. And that is not possible in the same season as visiting Svalbard.
Click HERE for the logbook 2025 with all the places we stopped for the night and the amount of miles sailed per day.
In total we have sailed 4.855 nm . That's not much for us. We haven't sailed very much; in Norway between the high mountains and also in Svalbard, it wasn't always easy and we used the engine quite a lot. Because we've been moored in the harbour of Finnsnes in northern Norway for almost three months, we spend a lot of time in harbours.
2017-2018 – from Bermuda to Florida and back via Canada
In October 2017 we sail from Bermuda to Florida in 6 days (after the PYD crew sailed the SeaQuest from the Netherlands via Spain and the Azores to Bermuda in 6 weeks).
Distance: 930 nm
In the summer of 2018 we sail back home from Florida in 10 weeks. Via the east coast of America (Charleston, Cape Cod and Maine-Frenchboro) to Nova Scotia in Canada. From Nova Scotia to the Azores and from the Azores to southern Brittany. Then back to Bruinisse in short hops.
Distance: 5.000 nm
2009-2010 – North Atlantic Ocean tour
A dream has come true... From 19 July 2009 to 21 August 2010, we travelled with the Brandaan We completed a “grand tour of the Atlantic”. It was a fantastic experience, travelling as a family, spending a year outdoors, with plenty of time and attention for each other and closely witnessing the girls' development. We had had this dream for some time, actually since the beginning of our relationship (1997). The dream became feasible when we bought the Brandaan in 2006 and also got the cooperation of employers and school. It is an experience we will never forget. The travel reports are HERE.
The first part of our trip takes us along the coast of Belgium and France or England to the northern point of Spain (La Coruna). Then we 'hop' along the coasts of Spain and Portugal and via Madeira we arrive in the Canary Islands. After a very short stop at La Gomera, the second part of our trip takes us to the Gambia River to start the big crossing to Surinam via the Cape Verde Islands. We sail from the south of the Caribbean along the most beautiful islands to the north. Because we have been here before, we do this area a little faster than other sailors. We also go to Cuba, the Bahamas and the east coast of North America. Finally we sail from New York via New Port back to Europe, to the Azores. The last part of our trip takes us from the Azores via England and a detour through Scotland back to our home port Bruinisse.
In the map you can see our route. Each blue balloon is a place to stay.
We regularly get the question whether such a big round is good to do and what choices you have to make. That's mainly in the choices that have to be made in the second half of the year. The first half of the year you are reasonably bound not to start the Atlantic crossing until the beginning of December. So up to and including the crossing you can sail the same route as those who do a smaller round. With choices via Madeira or Marocco to the Canary Islands. Then choose between short trips to the Canary Islands to visit Gambia and Cape Verde. Or stay longer in the Canary Islands and cross over from there to Suriname or to one of the Caribbean islands.
Whether or not you can do a big round is mainly determined by the amount of time you want to spend in the Caribbean. We had already spent holidays in the Caribbean with rented boats before and had therefore already seen almost everything. We therefore consciously chose what we wanted to do and what we didn't want to do, based on previous experiences. If you've never been to the Caribbean before, it's quite difficult and even a pity to be so short. We've only been there 6 weeks in total. And that's why we were able to do 5 days Dominican Republic, one week Cuba, two weeks Bahamas and two months USA before we started crossing to the Azores again at the beginning of June. In the Caribbean, the water is great for swimming. In the Bahamas, too, it's fine, but it's a bit colder. In the USA, we didn't really swim anymore. A big round means less time for swimming in warm water. But you get a lot of other things in return. In front of us, Cuba, Bahamas and o
For those who want to stay a little longer in the Caribbean, we definitely recommend to go via the Bahamas to the Azores. We found it very nice there. Nice anchorages and good snorkeling and still a bit less crowded than the Caribbean. If you want to stay a little longer in the Caribbean and still go via New York to the Azores, you could also skip Suriname and Cuba, go faster from Florida to New York and be in New York a little later than us. After NY we went another week in the Long Island Sound, but that wasn't really a highlight. Few other boats and not really the sailing season yet.
We started the crossing to the Azores on June 6th. Going later is not recommended because of the hurricane season. We have been on the Azores for 4 weeks in total and loved it there. A big round is very easy to do, especially if you don't mind sailing nights and making some more miles. We have never experienced it as too much sailing. It's mainly about making choices about what you want to see and do and how long you want to stay somewhere. If you are going to America you do have to apply for a visa. It is most convenient to do this in advance at the embassy in Amsterdam. It can also be done on the road in Barbados and in the US Virgin Islands.
See also the publication in Silver magazine 51.
Distance: 14,500 nm