Experienced crew looking for transat Caribbean to Europe 2025 (2 crew available)
Free from the 25th of March 2025 in Grenada. My idea is to make my way north from Grenada with at least one stop in Antigua (to cross my own track in English Harbour and officially cross my own track!), with the intention to cross the Atlantic West to East to Europe this season.
I'm Sonja, 26 years old and on the last stretch of my circumnavigation!
My educational background is air- and spacecraft engineering, but I have been full time cruising for the last three years now. In this time, I have logged >30k nm on a broad variety of both recreational and professional boats, including crossing the Atlantic twice and Pacific and Indian once.
I grew up dinghy racing in mainland Germany and have the german boating licences SBF Binnen and SBF See, the short range and long range radio certificates SRC and LRC, the licence for handling pyrotechnical distress signals FKN. For the last year I have been essentially running a 60ft Oyster, officially as first mate but in reality taking over more and more skipper's duties. I am proficient in first aid and all kinds of maintenance, refitting, jury-rigging, manual-reading, passage planning and creative problem solving on board, I can sail, cook and clean and can of course do solo night watches - I am not perfect, but I have learned a lot over these last few years.
Happy to be around kids and pets. I also have some experience tutoring in both school and university courses and would be happy to help out with home schooling or language lessons if needed.
No medical or seasickness issues, have health insurance including transportation back home, European passport (no US B2 yet but will see if I can get to that on the way).
Bringing my own safety gear.
My native language is German, but I am fluent in English and Spanish and working on my French.
I am easygoing and enthusiastic about life, almost always a source of good mood on board, happy to join board games, make some music together (I come with a tiny guitar) and give you a hand in whatever else comes up.
There are lots of fair and valid financial agreements on boats depending on experience, workload and vibes on board, with a wide range between 'paying significantly to be sailed around' and 'being paid significantly to sail someone around'. While I am not looking for a professional position this time around, I expect boat expenses including food to be covered. Subject to discussion in both directions depending on what your expectations are, but that's my baseline.
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Now on to the potential second crew:
My mother, Charlotte, has asked me to see if I can find a boat that would take her on too, to "bring me home" and be a part of my circumnavigation journey - and yes, before you ask, she is a sailor too ?
Sailing comes from her side of the family. Her father had boats all his life and she grew up spending almost all the time outside school sailing around northern Europe. Later in uni she did pretty much all sailing licenses that existed in Germany back then (A, BR, BK, C, radio licences etc, and later the SBFs just to have them too), and she was an examiner for up to the high seas sailing licence I think. We had a family boat when I grew up too (H-Boot). The last larger trip she has done was this summer with my sister, sailing my sister's little Mini Pogo 650 (the mini Transat boats) around the Baltic to Finland and back, but she has not crossed an ocean yet.
She is 61, a medical Dr, but has worked as the bridge between Controlling and Medical personnel/head of Controlling for the last few years. She also did an art history degree and a master of business health administration when I was a teenager.
Nowadays she officially works 3 days a week, and partly remote. She has requested time off in the time window the ARC Europe plans for Bermuda to Azores because I told her that's the most likely time I'd find us a boat across, but this can be adjusted if needed.
No seasickness, no health complications, German passport, rarely drinks, can cook (best with veggies because she doesn't usually eat meat often), speaks English and German and a little French, Dutch and Swedish.
As a person she is a tinkerer, "jack of all trades" type, very creative, technical mind and was the one with the tool collection in my family. Sailing wise she is definitely more on the cautious side and I reckon it's because she sailed with us kids a lot. She has a nice singing voice, loves her garden and walks in nature and is generally almost always smiling and a pool of sunshine and good mood
The idea was to see if we can do the transat together on a boat that needs 2 crew, but she would be willing to just do the stretch Azores - mainland Europe if I found an otherwise perfect boat that would only take me on for the big bad north Atlantic.
She is okay with paying her part of food.
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I am happy to provide references on request, or to just have a chat and see if we get along on a personal level, which is the most important of all.
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