Update Maarten

27 February 2021

Just like in many other sectors, Covid-19 is hitting the sailing world hard. What to do when no one is sailing and I don’t have any assignments, just when I started as a freelancer. My first thought was that I could not have chosen a worse time to end my permanent contract (at the end of 2019) and continue as a freelancer. But there is no point in sobbing, you have to keep looking ahead. This was going to be a challenge!

As I once learned at school in economics, it is important to keep investing in bad times. So I had to invest in myself. It was the right time to go back to school to expand my license. In addition, I refreshed a number of courses and did a few new ones.

And suddenly a request came along to bring a newly built ship from Turkey to the Netherlands. It was great because I earned a bit of money and I could experience the world of commercial shipping. Afterall that is what I am studying for. I have now completed the first exams and another job request came along. That is why I am now in the Caribbean on one of the few sailing ships that is still sailing. So while everyone is at home in the lock-down I sail over blue water under the warm sun ..