During the night there was a big storm - the wind rocked my ArgoFram again and again, and when I stepped out of the cabin in the morning, I saw that my flag had been torn [...]

A shopping centre with fresh groceries next door, and an experienced sailor at the pier, together already make a good basis for a successful stay (especially in this weather). When we are told where the puffins [...]

As beautiful as it is here, with people and nature, I want to keep going. Bronnoysund is to be the next stop. - No sooner said than we are informed that on the way there we [...]

Into bed when it rains - up again when it rains, and onwards... Our neighbour, the kayak adventurer, is also already up, eats another hearty meal, squeezes into his dry suit, and pulls out into the [...]

The weather doesn't get any better... We drive past the mighty Queen Marry II to a petrol station to fill up with fuel. And meet an elderly gentleman with travel experience, who asks me interesting questions, [...]

There's something appealing about being off the main track like in Stadlandet, but now we're wishing for more 'life' again, more infrastructure, more civilisation. At least I do. Because travelling through the remote areas, as beautiful [...]

Today we face a striking point: Stad! Stad is probably the trickiest spot on this journey to get around. The internet is full of dramatic stories and incidents that must have happened there. - Basically, it's [...]

Basically, my northern journey begins just here, just now - from Bergen, a new, different world begins, not only geographically and economically, but also historically: Norway is thinly populated anyway, and will now be sparsely populated [...]

Today is Saturday and apparently a holiday - or several holidays here in Bergen: On the one hand, a kind of trade day/early summer market is celebrated in the old harbour, since ages a special event [...]

The departure from this sound is spectacular: adventurous-looking, partly huge special ships are waiting here to sail out into the unpredictable sea and do a good job. It's obvious: Norway can build ships... They're up to [...]

We wake up and realise: bad weather is approaching fast - we have to go! Lois is given a crash course to prepare her for the journey ahead. The weather data shows that strong winds are [...]

Short good sleep. Last night's trip has left a deep impression. Feel happy. Extremely connected to a loved one. - The two seas (if that even exists) visibly intertwine here at the northern end near Skagen, [...]

Surprising: here in Varberg, there were no significant personal contacts yesterday. Was I not in the mood? The encounters were a bit superficial, in my opinion. Or let's say: I was very interested in the topics [...]

Now I head into the Kattegat, northwards. Where I'm going today is not decided at the moment. Somewhere along the Swedish west coast I will spend the night; somewhere from where I can 'easily' get to [...]

We enjoy our freedom. But still, the farewell weighs on our hearts... I accompany Martina to the airport train, which takes her over the almost eight-kilometre-long bridge, across the strait between Malmö and Denmark, directly to [...]

The clouds have cleared and we enjoy our breakfast on the harbour quay between the harbour master's cottage and the ArgoFram. But how do we go on? Where do we want to go? We are toying [...]

We enjoy the amenities of this harbour in the middle of Kalmar - in general I would like to add that Sweden offers excellently developed guest harbours; we take a shower, prepare our breakfast and warm [...]

It was clear to both of us when we woke up that the journey would take us south around Sweden - as far as Martina can come along, we'll see. Cool! We refuel - me petrol [...]

A new day, and the sun is peeking through a bit... So we go to the little town (which was highly recommended to us to visit) and take in the lovely atmosphere - pretty little houses, [...]

Departure; we take another warm shower, ask the harbour master to be sure about the upcoming lock passage into the inland water (today's Lake Mälaren) to the island of Björkö, and say goodbye. Soon we reach [...]

When I wake up, it doesn't look good at all: Clouds of fog pass by. For half an hour you can't see anything, then it opens up until the next fog bank covers the island like [...]

The weather is good, the sea is clear, so I can navigate the islands without any problems. Intuitively, I decide to moor in the harbour of Degerby on the island of Föglö in the archipelago of [...]

Off we go. I sail out of the harbour of Miiduranna carefully - take another deep breath. I am ready, yes I want to, and my ArgoFram, this splendid example of a floating experimental laboratory, carries [...]

I've hardly arrived and I'm already rushing Marko... I want to see the 'new' ArgoFram! Marko has made some changes and additions: the roof frame has been newly welded, then the 'step' in the rear of [...]

Thanks to low-cost airlines, my flight to Tallinn went via Dublin, as it happens... But I gratefully accepted this coincidence, as I had been rudely turned back (Corona) when I entered Dublin last summer, or rather [...]

Sure, in 2022 I would like to tackle the second part of my circumnavigation of Europe. But now, in November 2021, everything is somehow open, unpredictable: A phantom called Corona continues to run riot in Europe, [...]

It's only been a few days since I arrived. It feels like only a few hours. And my life consists mainly of sleeping, sleeping and sleeping again. Then I go to Weil, to the ArgoFram, clean, [...]

Home. And yet not, somehow... Of course, I still have to pass through Basel with the ArgoFram, but without landing (for customs reasons). The Rhine is an international body of water, freely navigable, even through Basel, [...]

The bakeries open here at five in the morning! - I cycle there after waking up, pick this and that, and hole up in my sleeping tent again (and enjoy). It has become bitterly cold overnight; [...]

From now on, until I reach the Rhine, I ride exclusively in artificial water, in a waterway enclosed by dams and walls, a canal (which also serves as a bridge over small valleys). And soon I [...]

Well slept, freshly showered, and of course I enjoy the nicely served breakfast. What a start to the day. For once I don't even have to lift my little finger. The host understands his role and [...]

Early in the morning I go to the bakery here too - at least a sign of life in this paralysed village. The freshly baked bread tastes delicious. Only bread and nothing else (for now). A [...]

I wake up in a good mood, make a pilgrimage to the bakery and indeed discover (and enjoy) a local speciality. Afterwards I stroll through the village, buy some fresh food, but it is crumbling here [...]

Now the ArgoFram lies just outside Lyon, the second largest city in France. It too has a lot to offer - would have a lot to offer... architecture, for example. But I chug right through the [...]

Like the Rhine, the Rhone is a transport waterway; the long-tailed cargo ships sail day and night. Nevertheless, I find sleep. It is raining and it has become noticeably colder. As soon as day breaks, I [...]

I set off early, it's still dark. I want to and have to lock, a few centimetres of difference in altitude probably only as far as the Rhone... Everything works out (I'm the only one), and [...]

Then it's time to say goodbye. The days passed... No dream! - Martina has booked a flight from Barcelona back to Tallinn, we enjoy a last breakfast together. I accompany her to the bus, which like [...]

The conditions are very good; we leave early without saying goodbye (we didn't say goodbye to anyone last night) - we have more than 250 km to go, across the Mediterranean towards the mainland... We have [...]

Funny, we are in selected, almost exclusive holiday destinations, and yet nothing stops us. On we go to Mallorca... We drive along the east coast, visit one or two inlets, look for a nice spot, find [...]

The city, the harbour, the whole of Cartagena seems sleepy. We rub our eyes in disbelief - and cast off. The festivities will flare up again tonight, but for us it should be fine like this. [...]

The first look in the morning is out on the water - the sea is still choppy... Then we have breakfast and get going, driving from the mooring to the petrol station. And I notice, only [...]

The weather is beautiful, Mediterranean, pleasant, but the swell is still significant. Martina is not comfortable with it. Nevertheless, we set off, want to continue – and 'hop' over to Aguilas. In less than an hour [...]

We set off early and are soon in Almerimar, a nest off the coastline (in the positive sense). Actually, we are only here to refuel and to stretch our feet, but then something very strange happens: [...]

We leave Barbate, look across to Africa, and approach the 'Pillars of Heracles' (the Strait of Gibraltar). Below us, the water begins to push, to turn over. Rippling surface water alternates with seemingly oily, bare patches, [...]

Martina has arrived in Faro, wanted to come with me on the ArgoFram for a while - I'm happy, pick her up at the airport by bike (beautiful, natural shore path) and together we take a [...]

The day starts well. Sun everywhere. A swell of 3.8 metres has been announced on the weather wave apps (that means 70% of the 'waves' are under 3.8 metres high...), but as the water mounds are [...]

Conditions are visibly perfect, but I still check with the fishermen before heading out! - Everything is fine, so off I go towards Lisbon. I sail far away from the shore; I don't notice Nazaré and [...]

The break day was good for me; I recover quickly. It's supposed to be stupid on the sea outside, here on land it's wonderful: late summer sun, cheerful people (but not overcrowded, on the contrary, they [...]

It's an early start today, far too early because it's still dark... But I want to take advantage of the ideal conditions to get ahead. The exit from A Coruna is tremendous: first past the hypermodern [...]

Breakfast in one of the few coffee shops that open early - cocoa drink with sweet cake and curros, that's what everyone does here (except that only I drink cocoa). This time I may stay seated [...]

A morning ride with a new bike through Gijon is a completely new experience - distances hardly matter any more. Again I go to the Carrefour (where I bought the bike) and help myself to [...]

Today I want to have a Cantabrian breakfast in the harbour café, and write my texts during it. What starts well soon ends with a sharp intervention by the owner, who rudely turns me away [...]

This morning I go to a bakery I discovered the night before - and indeed: it is open early in the morning and tempts me with a fine selection. I stock up on various delicacies, [...]

During my morning walk in Port Joinville, I find a bakery that - finally - deserves the name. A little paradise! And next door, a charcuterie is already open, with delicacies so rich in fat [...]

I am much too early awake for the Capitainerie to be open yet... So I grab another bike and ride around the area a bit. I come across typical Breton churches, stony-grey, built in the [...]

The day starts grey. Newlyn is covered in clouds - ideal to get through my fitness programme before I set off. But I don't really have a programme any more; I always see what I [...]

In Milford Haven, too, I am invited for tea (and a chat) early in the morning by sailors who, like me, are moored on the floating quays. I gladly pass by and hardly recognise myself, [...]

This morning I have to refuel again... So I walk through the town with a trolley and six canisters for a total of 120 litres of petrol (always on slightly different routes) to have enough [...]

How can I put it? It's not really bustling in the harbour of Kilkeel, but it's still a constant coming and going; boats arrive, unload their cargo, others fill their bunkers with 'bait fish' for [...]

Belfast is quickly experienced. Makes me sad. So on to the next petrol station; I also urgently need an oil change - I've been on the water for just over 100 hours. My first oil [...]

After breakfast I go to the harbour master, pay, and am again very kindly served. Showers, toilet facilities etc., everything tiptop. The lady in the tourist office, who receives guests in the same building, also [...]

Ten more lock stages to the Atlantic, eight of them in one piece at Banavie. From one lock chamber I go straight into the next; after an hour and a half I come to the [...]

I set off in the early morning haze and make my way up to Loch Oich, the apex of the Caledonian Canal, about 40 m above sea level. The season seems to be over; the [...]

From the marina of the canal at Inverness, it's straight to the five-stage lock; each chamber brings the ArgoFram about three to four metres higher. Then follows one or two swing bridges and another lock [...]

My journey from Wick to Inverness goes smoothly: I say goodbye to all these impressively committed people in Wick harbour, cruise in a relaxed manner, moor up in front of the first lock to the [...]

The harbour master came by, as promised, and brought me the tide and current tables, and with this knowledge I quickly realised, when talking to the sailors in the harbour, that we are sailing in [...]

A glorious day is in the offing. I pass the harbour master's tower early, a last greeting and I set sail into the open sea. Soon I pass seemingly endless wind farms; far out, dozens [...]

Of course I didn't sleep much; I was far too curious as of the progress of the water level - when I woke up once again, the ArgoFram and logically all the boats with her [...]

Thanks to the detailed information from the harbour master of Amble, I schedule my departure so that I arrive at the intended Anstruther in Scotland at a high water level. Because here I can expect [...]

I also came to Whitby because there is a James Cook Museum here; James Cook, the navigator who not only discovered worlds but also opened them up, and whose sea charts were still in use [...]

Finally out of Lowestoft. Finally picking up speed again - even if the feeling for the rolling sea has to be found again after this forced break... Finally off to Whitby, the place I've been [...]

The exit from Texel is irritating - I seem to be stuck in the water! Fuel consumption is like 50 km/h, but the ArgoFram doesn't run more than 40. It is really noticeable that she [...]

There is something in the air today! - On the board at the harbour exit is the wind direction, southwest, and the wind force, 6 Beaufort. All the sailors stay in the marina, the motorboats [...]

After the morning shower, the Coronatest and breakfast, I say goodbye to the harbour master of Norderney. And drive from the yacht harbour to the fishing harbour. I walk to the petrol station. And fill [...]

I'm doubly lucky after a good night's sleep. In the morning, many ships leave the marina, heading for Hamburg on the up moving tide. Then I can moor directly at the jetty, because I don't [...]

If I'm ever in the area, I have to go to Haithabu! - You don't know Haithabu? Ohoh, then I'll help out a little: This is where one of the most important long-distance trading centres in Europe at the [...]

I'm awake before everyone else, showered and in the mood to set off. There's a gentle breeze today, which is immediately noticeable - today we're going to ride. But I have to clarify: Vitte is not on Rügen, but [...]

Now a few days went over, the storm seems to have passed (Martina has returned home 😉 and I don't like to wait any longer. I don't like, like many sailors here, to sit in [...]

Thanks to a tip from a group of sailors from Estonia, we do not sail directly from Gdansk to the Danish holiday island of Bornholm, as initially planned, but to an island north of it called Christiansø! Check the [...]

The crossing from Klaipeda to Gdansk is actually no problem, provided the sea is calm, if it weren't for the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in between - without this Russian bastion, Poland and the Baltic states would not have [...]

Today we have only a stone's throw to go: about 110 km or two hours to Klaipeda, a harbour and cultural city in Lithuania. Previously, we tried to moor at Palanga; Palanga is THE Lithuanian summer holiday destination with [...]

The journey to Liepaja, Latvia's third largest city with a population of around 80,000, proved to be a 'tough exercise': at first, the weather was wonderful with almost glassy seas, and we enjoyed doing nothing [...]

Another glorious summer morning awaits us; we stroll into the small 'old town' and indulge in specialities from a bakery that seems to have remained unchanged since Martina was a child. But then we set [...]

I am depressed and excited at the same time! - All plans are wastepaper: First, in early summer, Norway closed the borders because of 'Corona', consequently a trip around the North Cape to the White [...]