tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350169582012-02-05T23:37:57.516+01:00Sailing adventures on our Breehorn 37.S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.comBlogger2571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-78500481726796158202012-02-04T14:26:00.000+01:002012-02-04T14:30:07.297+01:00

Wonend de wereld rond 27 maanden zijn Sebastiaan Ambtman (33) en Rhiannon Davies (40) met hun twee jonge kinderen Macsen (3) en Emma (5) weggeweest. Ze maakten een wereldreis met hun boot en wonen sinds een halfjaar weer in Nederland. In een huis. Op het vasteland. Voor de verandering. Rhiannon: 'Toen Sebastiaan en ik overwogen de wereldreis te maken, dachten we: nu moeten we gaan. En dat

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-49704901906052232882011-11-03T11:59:00.001+01:002012-01-31T13:50:42.565+01:00

OVER DE NOORD - ALTERNATIEVE THUISREIS VOOR RONDJE ATLANTIC Rhiannon en Sebastiaan Ambtman en hun twee kinderen Emma (5) en Macsen (3) vertrokken in 2009 voor een Rondje Atlantic van twee jaar. Deze zomer begon de Pjotter, een Breehorn 37, aan de thuisreis via een ongebruikelijke route… OVERWEGINGENAls we in mei 2011 op Cuba liggen, weten we dat we eind

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Over  the last 27 months we have traveled 25 000 nautical miles, visited 28 countries, completed two Atlantic Ocean crossings, sailed into the Arctic Circle and survived one near sinking in the Gambia, one hurricane in Nova Scotia, one lost propeller blade in the San Blas Islands, one terrifying run-in with heavily armed customs agents off the coast of Cuba, one storm that chased us between

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Jong gezin terug van twee jaar durende wereldreis Ze zwierven 27 maanden over zee, legden 25.000 mijl af en bezochten 28 landen. Maar zaterdag 20 augustus arriveerden Sebastiaan Ambtman, zijn vrouw Rhiannon en hun twee kinderen Emma (5) en Macsen (3) weer veilig in Den Helder. In Den Helder meerde de Pjotter, een Breehorn 37 van bijna 12 meter, af in Museumhaven Willemsoord. Daar wachtte hen

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Na twee jaar varen terug in Oudeschild Twee jaar geleden was Texel de eerste stop van hun rondreis over de Atlantische Oceaan. De plek om de laatste voorbereidingen te treffen en om afstand te nemen van het normale leven. Donderdag keerde de Pjotter terug in de haven van Oudeschild, met aan boord Rhiannon en Sebastiaan Ambtman uit Amsterdam en hun kinderen Emma en Macsen - en een schat aan

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-28714167569681556022011-08-25T17:20:00.003+02:002011-08-26T17:52:50.472+02:00

Sebastiaan, Rhiannon, Emma en Macsen Ambtman zijn na ruim twee jaar zeilen weer terug in Nederland   Alleen maar fantastische dingen doen door Bo-Anne van Egmond  DEN HELDER - ’Only do amazing things.’ Doe alleen maar fantastische dingen. Een vriend van Sebastiaan Ambtman (33) en Rhiannon Davies (41) zei het tegen ze, vlak voor ze met hun kinderen Emma (5) en Macsen (3) en hun zeilboot Pjotter

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-87617893495053743122011-08-18T08:28:00.001+02:002011-08-18T23:54:33.963+02:00

At 3am this morning, August 18th, we caught a glimpse of the flash of the Lange Jaap. This is the beautiful big red lighthouse of Den Helder with a light range of 30 nautical miles. Seb grew up in Den Helder and the Lange Jaap has been a large and visible symbol of home for him for his entire life. Rather emotional to see it again from our Pjotter after 27 months away. Just one of several

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After a 166 nautical mile motor sail through little wind along the dramatic coast we turned the Pjotter into the Sugandafjoerdur to the little town of Sudureyri.  In addition to the stunning location, sandwiched at the point of the 13 km long Sugandafjordur,  the town is also notable for being a forerunner in Iceland in sustainability.  Sudureyri gets all its energy and hot water supplies from

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On our way to a little island called Grimsey on the North of Iceland we were honoured by a visit from Neptune of the North. He joined us to celebrate our crossing of the polar circle (66 33 44N) and entry into the Arctic Ocean. Macsen was a little scared of him but remained polite throughout his visit. The appropriate libations (Laphroaig) were liberally poured overboard in thanks for our safe

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-26883875535352866052011-07-30T13:00:00.001+02:002011-07-30T13:09:39.328+02:00

Thanks to an abundance of geothermal heat, swimming is a national institution in Iceland, and nearly every town has at least one sundlaug (heated swimming pool).  In our first five days in Iceland we went swimming outside almost every day and ate a total of seven ice cream cones per person.  We never achieved this quantity of swimming and ice cream eating in our time in the warmth of the

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-52053648356346424962011-07-30T12:24:00.002+02:002011-07-30T12:24:20.372+02:00

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S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-40284947755785908632011-07-13T04:10:00.001+02:002011-07-13T04:10:14.613+02:00

Date: July 12th, 2011Time: 0000UTCPosition: 64.09.316N / 021.56.386WTrip: 1521nmUnderway: 228 hoursConditions: happy, tired and satisfied. Off to bed..----------radio email processed by SailMailfor information see: http://www.sailmail.com

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-12141299620328907392011-07-12T17:38:00.001+02:002011-07-12T17:38:20.869+02:00

Date: July 11th, 2011Time: 1200UTCPosition: 61.05.08N / 027.27.13WCOG/SOG: 35-40 degrees / 6.5-7knTrip: 1264nmDistance to go (DTG): 244nmUnderway: 192 hours24h distance: 164 nmConditions: SE 15-20, cloudy w brief sunny patches. Cabin 20 degrees, outside 13 degrees. Sea 2-3mSails: main single reef, genoa double reefToday a pod of pilot whales came to swim in our wake. Their glistening black

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-91220154168342565322011-07-11T03:50:00.001+02:002011-07-11T03:50:52.819+02:00

Date: July 10th, 2011Time: 1200UTCPosition: 59.08.27N / 031.01.11WCOG/SOG: 35-40 degrees / 7knTrip: 1100nmDistance to go (DTG): 400nmUnderway: 168 hours24h distance: 172nmConditions: SE 15-20, cloudy w brief sunny patches. Cabin 17 degrees, outside 13.2 degrees. Sea 2mSails: main single reef, genoa double reef, full cutterIt is 2230 as I write this and outside it looks like high noon. The sun

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-28819298477618230932011-07-09T22:23:00.001+02:002011-07-09T22:23:37.249+02:00

Date: July 9th, 2011Time: 1200UTCPosition: 56.54.46N / 034.19.43WCOG/SOG: 35-40 degrees / 7-7.5 knTrip: 928nmDistance to go (DTG): 571nmUnderway: 144 hours24h distance: 174nm (!)Conditions: SE 15-20kn, cloudy some sunshine, cabin 21 degrees, outside 9.7 degrees, sea 1.5-2mSails: main single reef, genoa double reef, full cutterThe sun popped out for a few hours this afternoon and that felt sooo

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-49858049466174543872011-07-09T21:59:00.001+02:002011-07-09T21:59:59.768+02:00

Date: July 8th, 2011Time: 1200UTCPosition: 54.53.10N / 037.52.14WCOG/SOG: 40 degrees / 5.5-6 knTrip: 754nmDistance to go (DTG): 740nmUnderway: 120 hours24h distance: 132nmConditions: light variable winds. overcast. Cabin 21 degrees, outside 8.5 degrees. Sea <1 mSails: full main and iron jib (motor)Provided that we do not have to make any significant course changes due to weather conditions, we

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-89157256578158628312011-07-08T08:22:00.000+02:002011-07-08T08:24:05.777+02:00

Time: 0600UTCPosition: 54.30.96N / 038.26.66WCOG/SOG: 35 degrees / 5-5.5 knTrip: 724nm (almost halfway)Distance to go (DTG): 769nmUnderway: 114 hours24h distance: 149nmConditions: light variable winds. overcast. Cabin 21 degrees, outside 8.4 degrees. calm seas (<1 m)Sails: full main and iron jib (motor)There is little sun and the stars have been clouded out by mist or clouds every night so we are

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-10145510453631948452011-07-07T07:24:00.000+02:002011-07-07T07:25:59.842+02:00

Time: 0500UTCPosition: 52.39.92N / 041.00.21WCOG/SOG: 35 degrees / 7 knTrip: 578nmDistance to go (DTG): 928nm (down to 3 digits)Underway: 89 hours24h distance: 164nm (!)Conditions: SW winds at 20 kn. Fog. Cabin 18 degrees, outside 11.9 degrees. Moderate seas (2-3 m)Sails: full main and reefed genoaThe fog seems to have settled over us and most of our time is spent inside at the moment, apart from

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-24686377099456245782011-07-06T03:37:00.001+02:002011-07-06T03:37:46.565+02:00

Time: 0130UTCPosition: 51.05.85N / 045.02.37WCOG/SOG: 60 degrees / 6.5-7.5 knTrip: 395nmDistance to go (DTG): 1140nmUnderway: 62 hours24h distance: 168nm (!)Conditions: SSE winds at 15-20 kn. Fog and rain. No moon. Cabin 20 degrees, outside 11 degrees. Moderate seas (2 m)Sails: full main and genoa + cutterBombing along at an average of 7 knots on relatively flat seas has been pleasing us for the

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-22769204559068667862011-07-05T03:57:00.000+02:002011-07-05T03:58:42.705+02:00

Time: 2000UTCPosition: 49.32.35N / 049.25.70WCOG/SOG: 60 degrees / 6.5-7.5 knTrip: 197nmDistance to go (DTG): 1340nm24h distance: 142nmConditions: SE winds at 15 kn. Sunny few fog banks. Cabin 20 degrees, outside 7.5 derees. Light to moderate seas (1-2 m)Leaving Newfoudland, the cosy marina and all of the wonderful people we'd met was a challenge, especially with a long, cold and blustery

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-13157833572544938012011-07-03T02:50:00.006+02:002011-07-03T02:57:24.923+02:00

You may have noticed that our website is, once again, not entirely up to date.  Apologies for that.  Although it appears that we are still enjoying the sunny weather of Cuba,  in fact we left Cuba on May  7th and are currently at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club just outside of St. John’s.   Our plan is to leave on July 3rd for a 1400 nautical mile passage to Reykavik, Iceland.   

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-43898522090804875632011-07-02T05:52:00.000+02:002011-07-02T05:52:20.727+02:00

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S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-68829852624218323032011-07-02T05:49:00.001+02:002011-07-02T05:50:47.062+02:00

The infamous pirate Henry Morgan used Providencia as a base for raiding the Spanish empire, and rumours suggest that much treasure remains hidden on the island.  The 4500 inhabitants are primarily English-speaking (many descendants of Morgan himself) and their pride in this swashbuckling Welshman is reflected in the names of the landmarks, Morgan’s Head,  the slightly ruder Morgan’s Crack and

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-80766539897716656662011-07-02T05:42:00.000+02:002011-07-02T05:42:36.482+02:00

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The final bus dropped us off at the Cashew Hill Jungle Cottages.  Our cottage was situated, as the name suggests, on a hill and thus had a wonderful view of the ocean yet was situated in the middle of the jungle.  A tiny swimming pool delighted the monkeys and helped them cool off in the 35 Celsius heat.  And two hammocks (which Seb and I absurdly tried to reserve for ourselves) on our porch

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-5890623328098761672011-07-02T05:26:00.000+02:002011-07-02T05:26:46.492+02:00

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S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-8938015163943536672011-07-01T05:41:00.002+02:002011-07-01T05:47:17.163+02:00

There is cruisers net in the Kuna Yala islands and one morning we heard that there was a party being organized for Laura Dekker, the Dutch single-handed sailor who is attempting to become the youngest solo circumnavigator.  She had just turned 15!  The party was to be held, appropriately, in the Holandse Cays so along with the R Sea Kat and the big Pjotter we hauled up our anchors and sailed to

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-74051468257416861612011-07-01T05:15:00.001+02:002011-07-01T05:16:04.855+02:00

The Kuna Indians are famous for their bright molas, a colourful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué.  Mola panels are used to make the blouses of the Kuna women's national dress.  The quality of the molas vary greatly based upon number of layers, size of stitches and design.  Every day that we anchored at least one mola seller (mostly women) would come

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-6214392874245392012011-07-01T05:10:00.000+02:002011-07-01T05:10:57.810+02:00

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S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-41701181397057580052011-07-01T05:03:00.002+02:002011-07-01T05:05:46.342+02:00

Customs and Immigration procedures in El Porvenir were uneventful and informal but relatively expensive and once again we were a little unsure of how much of the fees were actually official.   Following this we wandered around the small island and played airplane on the landing strip (there weren’t any flights coming in).  Apart from the run down landing strip and a very basic group of huts

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-77197567023040256772011-04-11T08:47:00.004+02:002011-04-11T09:23:22.650+02:00

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-71577337202556838732011-04-11T07:32:00.002+02:002011-07-01T05:11:27.860+02:00

‘Vroom ‘  is the sounds we expected to hear as we put the engine in reverse to maneuver into the anchorage next to Porvenir in the Kuna Yala (San Blas) Islands of Panama.  Instead the entire boat began to shake with great fury.  Yikes! This does NOT feel right!  We quickly shut down the engine and rolled out a little genoa to get ourselves into a good position to anchor.  Once the hook was down,

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-10021535285451550442011-04-11T07:30:00.001+02:002011-04-11T09:12:34.723+02:00

At 0900 in the morning there was a knock on the boat and two young women, Paula and Jessica,  were standing in a dinghy next to our boat offering to act as our agents to check in to Columbia (you need an agent).   We agreed a price with them and after cleaning up the boat and checking into the Club Nautico Marina, we handed our passports and boat documents over to these virtual strangers.  Scary,

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-67475983829214483602011-04-09T01:27:00.004+02:002011-04-11T09:21:23.804+02:00

The first leg of our voyage from Curacao to Cartagena was in the company of the s/v R Sea Kat, the catamaran with whom we shared the treacherous journey from Samana, DR.  They had decided to send Keiko (their very sweet cat) home for the remainder of their circumnavigation and had arranged for their daughter to pick her up in Aruba.  As such, after a pleasant and uneventful night they headed into

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-47479690087531031792011-04-09T01:26:00.002+02:002011-04-09T01:36:05.172+02:00

Seb’s Dad, his wife Rena, sisters Linda and Caroleijne and Linda’s boyfriend Rudolf picked us up on February 12 at the Kima Kalki marina in Spaanse Water in Curacao. We left our Pjotter at anchor before the marina in the excellent company of the Kees and Marta’s big Pjotter. They were off visiting family in the Netherlands while some of ours had come over to see us.  So we moved from our small

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-23366456223921145062011-04-07T07:42:00.003+02:002011-07-02T06:05:43.410+02:00

On February 8th we waved goodbye to Samana, DR and headed out for a 490 nautical mile passage to Curacao.  This route would take us 80 nautical miles straight into the 20 knot trade winds (unpleasant), through the Mona Passage (scary) and south in the Caribbean sea (windy and wavy).   Seb and I still argue about the intensity level of this particular trip.  I think it was the harshest to date but

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-64878251423328666922011-03-11T08:08:00.003+01:002011-04-09T01:38:07.149+02:00

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The sail to Luperon, Dominican Republic was as long and unpleasant as expected.  We were motor sailing for 3 days into 15 knot winds with 2 meter seas and a little current against us.  A slow and incredibly frustrating process taking us down to under 4 knots over ground for hours on end at full throttle with the engine gulping through our diesel. Ugh!  Luperon is a beautiful  harbor surrounded by

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After a quick provisioning stop in the chic Emerald Bay marina we headed off to Georgetown.  Georgetown in located on Great Exuma Island and is absolutely full of cruising boats.  Georgetown offers everything a cruisers wishes with yoga classes, chart and equipment swaps, beach volleyball tournaments, Trivia nights, poker games,  medical lectures, weather courses and much more all advertised

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-77310737587900421132011-02-03T04:21:00.003+01:002011-03-08T07:13:45.283+01:00

Staniel Cay is the home of  the Thunderball Grotto.  The James Bond film Thunderball was filmed there in the 70s.  It started as a puddle on a big rock.  Over time the puddle got deeper and deeper and the waves wore out the underside of the rock. They eventually met and formed Thunderball Cave.  Seb and I took turns snorekeling through this incredible cave.  The fish in and around the grotto are

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Shroud Cay is at the Northern border of the Exuma Land and Seas Park.  We arrived and dropped anchor in the still waters next to Shroud Cay in the late afternoon and settled in for dinner.  Just as it was getting dark a boat rowed by and invited us to a gathering on the beach.  We bundled into the Spikkle and rowed in to the dark beach.  Three boats had gathered on the beach (White Seal who had

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-36642106506949086742011-02-03T04:20:00.004+01:002011-03-08T07:15:18.641+01:00

Big Major’s spot is an anchorage with another lovely Exuma beach.  This beach has a special and extremely unexpected attraction in the form of...feral pigs.  Nobody seems entirely sure how these pigs came to be on the island. The most common theory is that a farmer from nearby Staniel Cay abandoned them there or left them for tourists to fatten with their treats.  We watched the pigs from the

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-30762855620105148942011-01-29T07:44:00.000+01:002011-01-29T07:46:07.405+01:00

Time: 01:23ESTPosition: 20.44.60N/071.34.693WHeading: 144 degreesSOG: 5.5 knotsTrip: 311nmDTG: 63nmSky: clear sky, lots of stars, no moonCabin temperature: 27.6CWind: light and variable 3-4 knotsSea state: calmDay 2 started with the 0630 weather update from weather guru Chris Parker on SSB. We have never been Chris Parker users before but most of the extensive American and Canadian yachting

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-64344130758247330202011-01-26T22:15:00.000+01:002011-01-26T22:16:33.407+01:00

Time: 1600 ESTPosition: 23.37.60N/075.27.680WHeading: 062 degreesTrip: 20nmDistance to go (DTG): 465nmSky: sunny with some cloudsCabin temperature: 31CWind: light south 9-11 knotsSea state: calm with light (4ft) long swell from NESails: genoa, cutter and mainAfter a great time in the Bahamas we left Georgetown at exactly noon today. We are currently underway to the Dominican Republic aiming for

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For the latest photos click here.

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From Nassua we embarked on an overnight trip to Allan’s Cay in the Exuma Cays.  The Exuma Cays are an almost unbroken chain of approximately 365 cays that span about 100 nautical miles. They are sparsely populated and a significant portion of the cays are included in the Exuma Cays Land and Seas Park, a area set aside 60 years ago for replenishment and nursery.   Arrived in the later afternoon

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In Nassau we met up with Andrya and Chris Shulte, friends of my parents (and now of ours) who have a summer house in St. Andrew’s.  We spent a lovely day with them learning about the island, enjoying their view, swimming in the pool (Emma and Macsen) and lazing about on the beach at their club, chatting and generally having a very nice time.  It was a lovely day and they took very good care of us

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Sailing into the azure blue Bahamian waters after the freezing cold Florida temperatures was a treat indeed.  We manoeuvred carefully through the waters leading up to Treasure Cay in the Abacos as the depths were little over (and occasionally ever so slightly under) our 1,90m draft.   My parents rented a house called the Pink Paradise in Treasure Cay for two weeks from December 21st.  My brother

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From Cape Canaveral we crossed over the gulf stream for a 231 nautical mile trip to Treasure Cay in the Bahamas.  We waited for a day of light winds as the gulf stream can be a mighty dangerous force particularly if northerly winds are fighting the northbound current.  We sailed down the coast to Fort Pierce and then tacked out into the gulf stream from there to ensure that we were hitting it at

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Fort Pierce promised a great deal.  Located about 320 nautical miles from Beaufort, SC its weather forecast showed steady temperatures in the mid 20s, a Manatee research centre and a location on the coast from which we could head straight across the gulf stream to the Bahamas at one of skinniest points of this turbulent current.  But Fort Pierce remained elusive for the Pjotter crew.   At

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-42814070654749286912011-01-20T15:10:00.001+01:002011-01-20T15:18:32.728+01:00

Leaving Beaufort, North Carolina we passed the Shackleford Banks and caught a glimpse of the feral horses that inhabit the island.  These horses are thought to be descendants of those brought over and abandoned by the Spaniards over 500 years ago and thus from the earliest horses ever documented in North America.   Our second visit to Charleston was as positive as the first.  This is a lovely

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-35597238530250501002011-01-19T04:26:00.001+01:002011-01-19T04:48:53.774+01:00

From Norfolk to Beaufort, NC (pronounced Bo-fort) is approximately 150 nautical miles and due to weather conditions we took the inside route along the ICW, stopping to anchor twice along the way.  We kept a close watch on our chart book, the ICW handbook and Bob’s anchorages but still managed to run aground lightly on two occasions.  We made loooooong days along the ICW from 0400 to 1700 (dark)

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-20057749674332350272011-01-19T04:25:00.002+01:002011-01-19T04:46:12.300+01:00

Our first pelican sighting was on the 25 nautical mile sail from Tangier to Deltaville.  Deltaville is a small place with a great marina.  It’s friendly, the facilities are great, they offer a courtesy car and lounge and they are the first marina that we have visited that has an herb garden.  “Don’t pay supermarket prices, have some free spices.” They also have the hugest swing set I have ever

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-14547274452902904472011-01-19T04:23:00.003+01:002011-01-19T04:43:42.297+01:00

Having run aground three times in the narrow entry channel we were feeling a little apprehensive as we approached the dock on the island of Tangier in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.  An elderly man surrounded by two dogs and several cats instructed us into a berth.  Thruuuugoooosh.  And we went aground again still at least 10 meters from the berth.  “I haven’t seen the waters this low in over

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-59510983003513021942011-01-19T04:19:00.002+01:002011-01-20T15:33:56.651+01:00

Washington, D.C. is only a 45 minute drive from Annapolis so we left the Pjotter in the Annapolis harbour and set out to spend the weekend in the Nation’s capital.  Our hotel was located about one block from the Whitehouse and had been chosen for its location and its promise of a full sized indoor swimming pool for the monkeys.  Anyone who has been to Washington knows that there is really a lot

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-13154606782798689152011-01-19T04:17:00.007+01:002011-01-19T04:35:07.423+01:00

There I was innocently putting my clothes in the washing machine in the (completely empty) men’s room in Annapolis City Docks marina when I was startled by a very angry dockmaster: Him: “You shouldn’t be in here ma’am” Me: “I’m sorry but the washing machine in the ladies room is not working. And there is no one in here.” Him: “Doesn’t matter, you should get your husband to do the laundry

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-59385874246945553462010-12-19T16:54:00.000+01:002010-12-19T16:54:47.022+01:00

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S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-57333810534646127442010-12-07T14:30:00.003+01:002010-12-08T06:18:48.586+01:00

My brother recommended that we stop in Mystic, Connecticut.  The wiggly and narrow Mystic river winds about 3 nautical miles inland before bringing you close to the town of Mystic.  At the end of the channel is an old drawbridge weighted with a huge cement block.  We decided to hole up in the Brewer’s marina outside of the bridge and take the dingy in a mile to Mystic Seaport.   Mystic

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-14227676760814413952010-11-27T03:41:00.000+01:002010-11-27T03:41:55.049+01:00

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S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-91764407771825705872010-11-26T04:55:00.001+01:002010-11-26T04:57:27.303+01:00

One thing I will not miss about Maine are the lobster pots! There must have been thousands of them in the small bay outside Freeport on the evening that we left. This meant one adult at the helm peering out to dodge the bobbing buoys one down below keeping the house in order. Seb now has a 7.5mm wetsuit with all of the fixings on board but swimming under the boat in the dark in wobbly waves in

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-44632424081426000682010-11-25T17:51:00.005+01:002010-11-25T18:18:09.258+01:00

Southwest harbour, about 100 nautical miles from St. Andrew’s was our first stop along the coast of Maine. This is the home of Hinckley Yachts and is thus a small community with a big boatbuilding reputation.  Boatwatching in this bay is a real pleasure.  The community has a lovely friendly coast of Maine feel and there is a great

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-49775763681427885202010-10-12T20:46:00.001+02:002010-10-12T21:06:32.991+02:00

Chrick met us in Liscomb Mills after the storm to sail with us overnight to Chester, Nova Scotia where he and Beth now live.  It was nice to have another person on board for the trip, sharing the watches and entertaining the monkeys especially as we had stayed up rather late on the evening of his arrival for a few welcome drinks and were all feeling a little bit 'tired.'   Arrived in Chester in

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-68539613556008453152010-10-07T20:51:00.000+02:002010-10-12T20:59:59.771+02:00

New Brunswick photosNova Scotia photosNewfoundland photos Click here to view the latest photos.

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+1 401 6620 657

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On the way to Halifax we stopped in Liscombe Mills as the weather forecasts were starting to look ominous.  Hurricane Earl was still in the southern Caribbean and it was unclear if it would make it up to Atlantic Canada. Liscombe Mills is seven nautical miles inland along the South-east coast of Nova Scotia.   There is a large lodge owned by the provincial government.  While looking for a safe

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-29537877558996564152010-09-07T03:11:00.002+02:002010-11-27T03:53:21.460+01:00

St. Pierre is separated from Miquelon by a 3 nautical mile wide strait with very fierce currents. Fishermen call this section of ocean "The Mouth of Hell". The waters around St. Pierre and Michelon are very treacherous, and there have been over 600 shipwrecks along the coasts of the islands.  We departed St Pierre through the Mouth of Hell in sustained 20-25 knot winds knowing that the first six

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-13493712688195132002010-09-07T03:09:00.006+02:002010-11-27T03:56:09.621+01:00

The two day sail from St. John’s around to St. Pierre was unpleasant.  The winds were 15-20 knots to start but coming from a good direction so we had a nice sail down the coast. By the time we reached Cape Race the wind had gone down and once again we motored around this notoriously windy cape.  From then on it was almost all fog and relatively light winds against us.  About 30 nautical miles

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“ I asked my colleagues where you should camp”  Vicky announced innocently on our second evening in St. John’s. “They said you shouldn’t camp in Newfoundland.”  Apparently the consensus at work was that the cold would freeze us and the mosquitoes would deal with the leftovers.  Only slightly daunted, we set off the next day with our brand new tent in the back of the car and a solid agreement to

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-67316298680521023182010-08-27T03:55:00.003+02:002010-08-27T03:58:39.136+02:00

After a brief stop in Trepassey on the South coast, to wait out some heavy winds, we headed of for a two day sail around Cape Race to Long Pond in Conception Bay just passed St John’s. Our weather checks were extra thorough before departing on this trip. Cape Race is famed for creating high winds, is located by the notorious Grand Banks of Newfoundland, has seen numerous shipwrecks in its history

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-50107569086920367662010-08-27T03:54:00.004+02:002010-08-27T04:07:45.318+02:00

From Grand Bruit we sailed on to Burgeo where we again encountered some incredible Newfoundland hospitality when a man named Jim took us for a two hour drive into the barren highlands of the Long Range Mountains. The rugged land was strewn with huge glacial erratics--pieces of rock left behind from the last ice age and full of lovely lakes (locally known as ponds).Two of the most beautiful spots

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Outports of Newfoundland are some of the oldest European settlements in Canada, many of them having been established by Portuguese, Spanish, Basque, French and English fishermen and whalers in the 1500s-1800s. Outports were settled where families could get shelter, fresh water and access to the fishing grounds and space to ‘make’ or salt process the fish. When all the existing shore space became

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-1864269863183665532010-07-31T03:24:00.009+02:002010-07-31T03:49:50.139+02:00

Our goal was to sail to Newfoundland as quickly as possible from Baddeck.  As such, we threw off the lines at 0300 in the morning of the 17th to catch the tidal current through the Great Bras D'Or channel expecting to arrive in Ingonish on the northern coast of Cape Breton by lunchtime.  The dock in Ingonish was deserted except for a few empty fishing boats.  We took a quick walk along the road

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-78982343376273941542010-07-30T05:06:00.001+02:002010-07-30T05:06:43.453+02:00

 Mom and Dad and the monkeys joined us in Baddeck, on the island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on July 10th. The Baddeck marina has good facilities (and good internet so we could watch the football finals) and we all stayed together on the Pjotter.  After a joyful reunion (Seb and I have not been apart from the kids for more than a few hours in months) we took a nice walk through the town and

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Since a few weeks we have a device called SPOT on board which reports our current location via a satellite connection. These updates can be viewed under 'position' or by clicking here.

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We are currently sailing in Newfoundland and have no coverage for our Dutch cell phone number. We do have limited coverage for our local Canadian number at +1 902 579 1186. Also internet access is very limited so we prefer email via Sailmail. Hope to hear from you. Pjotter standing by..---------- radio email processed by SailMail for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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Seb and I sailed the Pjotter out of the St Andrew's harbour on July 28th, leaving the monkeys behind to take care of their grandparents for a few days.  Our destination was Halifax, Nova Scotia and we expected to have a nice wind of 12-15 knots and take approximately 48 hours to get there.  Ohh, the folly of our optimism.  There was not a breath of wind, the fog was even thicker than pea soup and

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-8969791532725041262010-07-28T03:42:00.000+02:002010-07-28T03:42:35.030+02:00

 Macsen's birthday on June 6th was celebrated with an outing to the aquarium to watch the daily feeding performance of Loki and Snorkel, the resident seals. In addition to the seals, we admired the striking Delft blue coloured lobster and learned how slowly lobsters grow (they are still only 1,5cm after a year), that starfish have eyes at the end of their tentacles and that scallops are the only

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 The distance between Bristol, RI and St. Andrews, NB is 350nm.  Our plan was to sail up as quickly as weather and mood would allow in the hopes of arriving in time for Macsen's 2nd birthday on June 6th.  Apart from a five hour stop in Southwest Harbour we managed to move pretty quickly.  The stop was necessitated by a blown fuse in our radar.  Thick fog all along the coast made travelling

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-30943894769094509172010-07-05T04:17:00.002+02:002010-07-05T04:19:56.825+02:00

Arrived in the harbour of Bristol, RI on the morning of the 29th and threw out our anchor close to the Toad.  Toad is the sail boat that my brother and his wife lent to us to cruise down the coast of Maine for our honeymoon five years ago.  Jen and Rhys (sister-in-law and nephew) came down to the dock to greet us and we practically danced the five minute walk up to their house.  Emma and Macsen

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Click here to view the US photos (from Florida to Maine). And click here for the photos of Canada (New Brunswick).

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Departed Norfolk in settled weather expecting some cold and rainy conditions on the 3-day trip North to New York. The conditions were indeed very cold and we had our first thunderstorms, accompanied by 30+ knots of wind.  Not close enough to do any damage but close enough to make us feel very uncomfortable and nervous.  And this on Seb's watch in the middle of the night. For the entire way the

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-77330282000614675092010-06-18T03:25:00.003+02:002010-06-19T21:58:14.989+02:00

We met up with a Dutch boat called the Brandaan in Cape Canaveral and agreed to sail together from the North of Florida.  Toine and Mira and their two daughters Eline (10) and Marinthe (8) are travelling around the Atlantic for a year on their 40 foot Halberg Rassy.   They needed to be in the Chesapeake before April 25th so our rapid schedules matched and we travelled together in and out of the

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Our hope was to arrive in Bristol, RI on or before April 29th so that we could celebrate my birthday on May 1st with my brother and his family.  On April 10th , we were still in Cape Canaveral and thus needed to travel approximately 1200 nautical miles in 20 days to make it in time.  We knew that this would be possible if we took the outside route and were able to sail at night but a number of

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-8195438798891722472010-06-12T05:35:00.001+02:002010-06-12T05:37:41.734+02:00

BARB RAYNER barbrayn@nbnet.nb.ca (click on image above to view original online article) ST. ANDREWS – Just more than a year ago Rhiannon Davies and her husband Sebastiaan Ambtman set sail from the Netherlands for Canada with their two young children – and they finally arrived in St. Andrews Friday. Rhiannon is the daughter of Huw and Jessie Davies, who live in St. Andrews, and she said they had

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This was our first long sail of undetermined destination and length and our first voyage of more than three days that we had undertaken since our early-January sail from Suriname to Tobago . Our intention was to see how far we could sail before the weather forecast suggested that we head into harbour. Our minimum target was approximately three days towards the West to Great Abaco in the Bahamas

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-19600605461456906952010-04-15T05:15:00.005+02:002010-06-07T13:33:23.652+02:00

Lots of new photos online. St Vincent and Grenadines, Dominica, St Maarten, BVI's and Turks and Caicos. Click here to view the photos.

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-708417251776187222010-04-15T05:08:00.002+02:002010-04-15T05:10:18.622+02:00

Lovely trip up to the Turks and Caicos although it took us a while to get into the rhythm of a crossing after so many weeks of lisland hopping. We kept our eyes peeled on the horizon the entire trip as Navidad Bank and the Silver Bank are a key mating ground of humpback whales and there are approximately 3000 in the area between January and March. In fact, our pilot stated that you would

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-2106880867545447262010-04-15T05:07:00.004+02:002010-04-15T05:12:46.088+02:00

Left Sint Maarten on a clear evening with the wind behind us and headed with the Zilvermeeuw for a short overnight sail to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. We arrived early in the morning on March 20th and picked up a mooring buoy just next to The Baths. The Baths are a natural wonder consisting of a huge park of huge boulders some on land and some underwater. Jeroen and Seb took

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On Monday, March 8th we packed up the car and headed out for a day of discovery. We took our laptop with us as there was no internet in the apartment, this laptop is our working laptop with our navigation programs, current documents that we are working on and photos and movies of our trip.Our first stop was at the was at Pic Paradis, the highest point on the island. A short walk through

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-51154281194416838552010-04-15T05:01:00.004+02:002010-04-15T05:27:58.203+02:00

Sint Maarten/ St. Martin that is the smallest sea island divided between two nations, France and the Netherlands Antilles. Some say that the borders were defined in 1648, when a Frenchman and a Dutchman set out from opposite ends of the island, the Frenchman with a bottle of wine and the Dutchman with a bottle of gin and they agreed to place the border where they met in the middle. The

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“Um, where is the dingy?” was not a question I expected to ask on the evening of March 2nd. Our plan was to leave Dominica at 2030 just after putting the monkeys to bed and heading out for the 200 mile sail to Sint Maarten to meet Opa and Omi (Seb's father and his wife). The monkeys were in bed at 2000 as planned and the boat was ready. The last thing we needed to do was deflate the dingy and

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-29388145906265369432010-04-04T02:04:00.006+02:002010-04-04T03:24:55.153+02:00

We have really enjoyed the Turks & Caicos Islands and are now on our way to the US.

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-49224819610967729472010-03-19T05:20:00.003+01:002010-03-19T05:54:42.713+01:00

To date, our highest recommendation to anyone wishing to visit the Caribbean would be to visit Dominica. We found Dominica to be a friendly place with beautiful scenery and amazing plants to satisfy all appetites and medical ailments. Our guide, Stowe (who was the brother of the husband of a cousin of Leonie) took us around to some amazing sights. He drove around stopping frequently to pluck

S/Y Pjotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555104065039412808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35016958.post-67496158689157414712010-03-19T05:18:00.003+01:002010-03-19T05:50:27.311+01:00

Our last stop in St. Vincent and the Grenadines was the relatively unknown island of Bequai. The anchor bay was full of boats on moorings or lying at anchor. We cheerfully threw out our anchor in a small spot between the masts and waited for it to take hold. It didn’t. Try again, still no luck. We gamely moved to another spot ad tried again. Still no luck. After five tries the holding was

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Mustique is a private island known as a refuge for the rich and famous, Mick Jagger and Tommy Hilfiger have houses there among others. Access to the island is highly restricted to the 120 home owners and guests of two tiny and rather exclusive hotels. Yachts can anchor in the bay for a relatively low fee however. We met a lovely family of Dutch-Swiss origin in the playground on Mustique.

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The Tobago Keys are a small group f islands surrounded by reefs that have been designated as a national marine park. Navigation through the reefs takes some concentration and it is amazing to anchor seemingly in the middle of the open sea but protected from swell and heavy seas by the reefs. The area is absolutely beautiful, almost exactly like you would like a group of uninhabited islands in

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