It was a difficult decision for us to make; not crossing the Atlantic Ocean in early 2022, but to postpone and go only after this summer. But with the decision to stay we also have the opportunity to deep dive into the Canaries (not literally, as the water is so much more chilly than it is in the Caribbean :-)). We explored every corner of La Gomera, spending way more time than 'sailors on a schedule' usually have. Therefore we kind of lost the feeling of traveling. Instead it feels more like our new lifestyle: living aboard Zeezot, climbing every mountain, smelling all the flowers we encounter during our walks, leaving footprints on all beaches. In this episode we share some of our 'little chunks of happiness' with Linda who visits us (remember her from Portugal?). After she leaves we feel ready for a new island? La Palma here we come! And La Palma for us just is paradise. Nature on this island is so incredibly diverse, abundant and amazing. Fruit trees everywhere you look (with yummy avocados, oranges and nispero's (Japanese loquat)), countless flowers blossoming in yellow, purple, pink,?, rain forests with waterfalls, wild and abandoned beaches, volcanoes, pine forests. And above all that you can find the cutest and colourful houses fringing the narrow cobbled streets of the capital Santa Cruz. In short: we fell in love with the island. And we seriously discuss to take all the savings for our journey, buy a small cute finca with some surrounding fruit trees and stay on La Palma forever. Watch to see what will be our decision... However, we strongly advise you to go visit the island to absorb the beauty yourself as pictures and videos just don't do justice to the abundance you will find here. But please do watch our video, just to have a little bit of voorpret / Vorfreude (pre-happiness; why isn't there a word in English for such a nice thing??) before you travel here ;-) And if you like it as much as we do, please leave us a thumbs up!

We had heard a lot about the free and easy-going life on La Gomera, even before our trip. The island has a mild, warm climate all year round, and is largely spared from mass tourism. The inhabitants are friendly and relaxed and you can find secluded, dreamlike bays all over the island. A paradise for the hippies and hedonists who visit and inhabit the island, in vans, in tents, huts, cars, houses, fincas ... and also in caves. And that's where we wanted to sail: to the cave-hippies of La Gomera. But stormy winds put a spoke in our wheel. So we first explored the interior of the island, which reminded us a bit of Jurassic Parc with its high mountains, steep forested valleys and the prehistorical cloud forest. When the weather finally cleared up, we set sail and headed out to explore the lonely anchorages in the south of the island. We dropped anchor in the Chinguarime Bay, just off the inhabited caves. A fantastic experience. But see for yourself.

After having enjoyed Tenerife to the max, it really is time to set sail again! But? The last weeks strong southerly winds have tormented the Canary Islands. This so called 'Calima' contains sand from the Sahara. It paints the sky, and Zeezot, orange-brownish. Sailing South was impossible. That's why we had to stay in Garachico a bit longer. But once the winds calmed down, we pulled up the sails and finally found our sea legs back!With still a lot of sand in the sky, the snow covered El Teide, though looking mystically pretty, soon disappeared behind a curtain of silk. Within a few miles we couldn't see land anymore and it looked like we were far out in the open ocean. The conditions for sailing into our first acceleration zone could have been better? Join us and discover where we sailed to!

Yes, we've been a bit silent, but we're ok! We just used our time in Garachico to let the feeling of freedom, of not having to go somewhere, simmer. We roamed around, developed new musical skills (ok, Marcel did ;-)), were busy with daily chores, had wonderful evenings with fellow boaties and often we just enjoyed our lives and the nice weather on deck. Very spontaneously we decided to make a surprise trip back home, where we've had a wonderful time with our friends and families that we didn't see for seven months. Back at Zeezot we immediately got into action mode: the remaining water in our tanks had gone foul, so in order to have clean drinking water these had to be cleaned. And enough with going nowhere, the travel jitters kicked in! Our next leg will be a huge one? Have we been at sea for a maximum of four (long!) days so far, in a few weeks we will be out there for over three whole weeks. Exciting!!!!That also means that you'll again have to wait a bit for our next video, but at least then we have some BIG adventures to share! We hope you enjoy our video (in that case please give a thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already :-)) and don't forget to leave us some useful advice in the comments!

Friends were already waiting for us on Tenerife, at the city of Garachico. As beautiful as it is there, unfortunately it is located at the lee-shore of the island where the high Atlantic swell hits the rocky coast line. However, we untied the lines, left Madeira and set course South. Only fifteen miles off Madeira we nearly bumped into a group of sperm whales. We were so overwhelmed that we almost dropped the camera. During the next two days we had the best Atlantic-sailing so far: calm seas, good to moderate wind from broad reach, the night with clear skies and a shining moon. In the early morning hours of day 2 we could see the peak of the volcano Teide sticking out of the clouds at the horizon. When at starboard side dark clouds appeared we suddenly got a very strange navigational warning on VHF. Anyway, when we approached the lee-shore coast of Tenerife, it got a bit tricky to navigate between the rocks through the swell.

On our way to Porto Santo our engine broke down in the middle of the night. We had to anchor under sail in a bay that lies underneath the cliffs of Porto Santo; with wind funnelling through the mountains that was kind of a struggle. Luckily we were helped by fellow sailors that gathered in their dinghies. After a day of rest and a bit of sightseeing we dive into our engine problem. In one of our books an almost too simple solution is described. We try it, of course, but it almost seems to good to be true. Will it work?? We get a visit from an old friend and explore the island (and its food & drinks!). After almost two weeks we head sail to Madeira: a completely different island. Opposite to the dry Porto Santo, Madeira is very green. We go high up in the mountains to get a taste of autumn. We follow the running water in the levada's and stretch our sea legs. But soon it's time to sail further South to Tenerife. Follow us along!

After almost three months of day trips along the Spanish and Portuguese coast, we prepare again for a longer passage: sailing four days and nights to Porto Santo and Madeira. We start relaxed: light winds, long waves and dolphins playing with Zeezot (and Anne's feet!). But in the first night the wind increases, the waves become higher and things are starting to get more uncomfortable. In the second night a loud beep from the motor induces total silence; the engine dies completely and therefore we have no electricity anymore. With winds up to 30 knots, waves up to three meter and sometimes confused seas, the sailing varies from awesome to challenging. As we approach Porto Santo in the morning of the fifth day, we are happy and nervous at the same time. Approaching a new place without a working engine (and after four nights of hardly any sleep) is not something we look forward to. Watch us sail into the anchor bay under full sails!

While waiting for good winds to sail further South we are living the good boat-life in Cascais, Portugal. From here we explore Lisboa together with our guest Linda, who also comes in really handy with the girly stuff and she convinces Anne to plunge into the water, finally! More and more sailing friends arrive at the anchorage, so when Linda leaves we don't feel too lonely. We catch up with the crew of Esperanza who narrowly escaped an Orca-attack (visit them on Insta: yasc_sailingesperanza). With the crew of Ocean Monkey we discover a remote beach after a hike that we felt in our legs for days (their Insta: sv.oceanmonkey). One night we all came together for a crazy pole-party! ? Next time, we will fill our sails with wind again and head towards either the Algarve or Madeira. It will be a surprise, even for us.

Did you know the highest surfable waves in the world are to be found in Nazare, Portugal? And we sailed there! Did we actually encounter these up to 30 meter high waves? Find out in our latest episode in which we set sail for Portugal. We strolled through the narrow streets of colourful Porto, enjoyed some good Portwine, and a guest hopped onboard to sail with us further South to Lisboa. Curious what it's like to sail with a crew of two girls? Join us!

Slowly we are making our way down the coast of Galicia into the last Ria before sailing off to Portugal. Although we do want to take it slow, being held back because of technical issues is not what we meant with 'despacito' :-) But we are able to solve the problem and service our hard working engine while we are in the harbor anyway. We are rewarded with nice weather, gorgeous beaches and the visit of a dolphin!

After crossing the Bay of Biscay we immediately absorbed the relaxed Spanish way of living - The cute old lady selling her veggies on the Monday market of Avilés stole our hearts and we could only attempt to get our pimientos (peppers) just as delicious as we had them at the Jamoneria in A Coruña - It was too difficult to choose between all the Ria's, so we decided to take a look into almost everyone of them and dropped anchor wherever we found a remote bay with a white beach - We really took our time to explore the gorgeous coast of Asturia and the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) If you are interested in the music used in this video, please see the credits at the end of the video.

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. Mid of July we crossed the Bay of Biscay with our sailboat. And the Atlantic showed us two faces; a beautiful one and an ugly one. But it was all worth it. Especially when at the other end of the Biscay Spain is welcoming us and we can sail the awesome Rias and cast anchor in remote bays.

We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". End of May 2021we untied the lines and sailed the English Channel with the plan to cross the bay of Biscay from Camaret sur Mer to A Coruña in July 2021. Watch in this episode why we changed the plan and watch us island-hopping at the Atlantic coast of France, like a butterfly fluttering from flower to flower. :-)

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. House and apartment are sold and unrented. We quit our jobs and gained back our freedom; to travel the world by pulling up sails and let the wind do the hard work. Following the sun towards an endless summer. We untied the lines beginning of May 2021. Our boat will carry us, our devotion will guide us, the wind will push and pull us; you are invited to accompany us.

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! In this episode we are leaving The Netherlands, sailing along Belgium and the coast of Normandy. We are enjoying the beautiful turquoise sea, the white cliffs and we are trying the catch our first fish by ourselves. We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. House and apartment are sold and unrented. We quit our jobs and gained back our freedom; to travel the world by pulling up sails and let the wind do the hard work. Following the sun towards an endless summer. We are planning to untie the lines beginning of May 2021. Our boat will carry us, our devotion will guide us, the wind will push and pull us; you are invited to accompany us.

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. House and apartment are sold and unrented. We quit our jobs and gained back our freedom; to travel the world by pulling up sails and let the wind do the hard work. Following the sun towards an endless summer. We untied the lines beginning of May 2021. Our boat will carry us, our devotion will guide us, the wind will push and pull us; you are invited to accompany us.

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. House and apartment are sold and unrented. We quit our jobs and gained back our freedom; to travel the world by pulling up sails and let the wind do the hard work. Following the sun towards an endless summer. We untied the lines beginning of May 2021. Our boat will carry us, our devotion will guide us, the wind will push and pull us; you are invited to accompany us.

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. House and apartment are sold and unrented. We quit our jobs and gained back our freedom; to travel the world by pulling up sails and let the wind do the hard work. Following the sun towards an endless summer. We are planning to untie the lines beginning of May 2021. Our boat will carry us, our devotion will guide us, the wind will push and pull us; you are invited to accompany us.

Accompany us sailing around the world from the very beginning! We are Anne & Marcel, liveaboards on a small sailboat called "Zeezot". We gave away all our possessions that found no place onboard or which are no longer of any use in our new travelling life style. House and apartment are sold and unrented. We quit our jobs and gained back our freedom; to travel the world by pulling up sails and let the wind do the hard work. Following the sun towards an endless summer. We are planning to untie the lines beginning of May 2021. Our boat will carry us, our devotion will guide us, the wind will push and pull us; you are invited to accompany us.

Living aboard a sailboat in wintertime is .. special, but so cool, warmer than you might think and always surprising with crispy situations. We played a bit with the camera and put together some shots for you, still learning and searching for our own way to document our journey on YouTube. Right now we are still working in our paid jobs, Anne being a vet and Marcel having an office job as an accountant, so no film making pros. Please leave us your comments and your thumbs-up if you liked it. It's like applause for a street artist who is still improving his skills ;-). And yes, of course subscribe if you want to see us preparing the boat in early spring and see us untie the lines in May 2021. Anne & Marcel