Already almost two months since we left and so much has happened…

We have travelled around 1200 nm which is the equivalent of 2200 km, mostly in daytrips (sometimes very long ones) apart from the crossing of the Bay of Biscay. We have visited 20 new places, in Belgium, France, the Channel Islands and Spain. And we are loving our new way of life.

New rhythm

It did take us some time to get into the new rhythm and destress from departing. Going from a very normal and complete daily life of a family of three, with both parents working practically fulltime, going to school and living in a spacious home to liveaboards, spending 24/7 together in a tiny home on the water.

Also leaving everything behind, and prepping the boat and ourselves for the journey, asked a lot of our energy. Emotionally, it is a true rollercoaster, especially saying goodbye to loved ones (Mirjam’s father even permanently) and taking our little Philou with us along the way.

But we did it!

Going South

We started touring the Atlantic Coast, going more and more South. We did not really plan the trip, just started, we left, and South was where we were going. So hopping from city to city in France and bay to bay in Spain.

It was great to have our dear friend Karel with us for the crossing of the Bay of Biscay, since we are doing this for the first time, with for us still a new boat and having our kid with us. It went so well, and gave us the courage for the rest of our journey.

Sailing in Spain gave us some new challenges, which actually already started in France. Orcas. We didn’t want to focus on the fear of meeting them too much, but we did prepare ourselves, in case of. The most important thing to do is not to encounter them. So we follow the different platforms of sightings and hug the Spanish coast as much as we can.

The latter is not as easy as it sounds, since the North of Spain is beautiful but capricious at the same time, nature in all it glory. Which basically means, rocks, many rocks, beautiful to look at, but a big threat in shallow areas. Furthermore the Atlantic also creates a large, sometimes, huge, swell, which resonates when you stick to the coastline. And finally the shallow areas is also where the fishermen fish… so many nets along the way.

You can image that sailing is not the main priority anymore. We try to sail when we can, when the route allows us to. But very often we motor sail, which means we have a sail up for stability, but use the engine as main propulsion. Mainly because we can stick to our track, control the shallow area’s and keep our trips as short as possible.

We’ll enjoy sailing again later…

Daily life

This does not mean we are not enjoying the Spanish coast, on the contrary. Arriving in Spain helped us a lot in getting into our new lifestyle, embracing the change and getting more relaxed. Sun does that to you… not that it was sunny all the time, we did have a lot of grey skies and even rain, but the Southern lifestyle feels differently. This is what makes the Spanish Ria’s so special to travelers like ourselves, nature, great food, beautiful but rural villages… it all helps in getting closer to yourselves.

Our daily life basically evolves around the boat. Simon Hendrick is our home, our companion, our mode of transport, our shelter, our garden, swimming pool and terrace. We love our ship and cherish it a lot, we trust its strength and feel very comfortable living on board. It is so much more then just a home…

For Philou life on board comes very natural. She walks around, or shall I say swings around, like she has never know differently. She enjoys the attention she gets, and is a sponge when it comes to learning. So eager to know and understand everything. Asking questions the whole day, talking different languages (of which we don’t understand a word) and getting to know so many new people.

And not only people, but also nature, wildlife and food. She is surrounded with new impressions every minute of the day. And we as parents, enjoy seeing the world through her eyes!

Community

We are meeting many new people on the water, living the same kind of life. It is so hard warming to see how this community develops and how open and warm everybody is. So we are enjoying a lot of drinks, meet-ups and bonfires.

Where in the beginning Philou was shy at first, now she becomes chatty very quickly. Making friends is a new sport, and she loves it! Unfortunately we haven’t met many kids yet, but we know to find them when they are around. And she seems to be very happy in the current situation, connecting to people, where age is not the main priority.

Day to day life at the moment, means that not one day is the same. We do groceries, work on boat jobs, eat, sleep, play, clean the boat, do some washing, meet new people, have drinks and occasionally we go to a restaurant… like at home, but all with more challenges.

The only thing that is not into the equation yet is swimming… as the water is so cold (around 15C), it is impossible. We are so much looking forward to jump in!

Work mode

And since yesterday Mirjam started to do some remote work, which is exciting and scarry at the same time… will she get a routine in making some hours available for work and will Edwin & Philou make the space and time available? We will see. For now it does give Mirjam the opportunity to create time to do something differently and get the family separated sometimes. As until now we do tent to do a lot with the three of us, which is great, but can be intense…

So working on a new balance and slowly moving South. Looking forward to some visits the coming months. Starting with our dearest friends Janneke & Teuntje in Lisboa at the start of next month.