About

Welcome to our floating home and how we came to change our high-paced lives for a more peaceful existence. Here you will find information about our boat Susie Jane, how we got to the point of moving our family and cat onto her, and the journey we are planning and undertaking. We look forward to sharing our moments with you.

Our Boat

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After two failed surveys on two other boats, our surveyor, Jim Pritchard, pointed us towards Susie Jane. She was lying on the hard close to Swanick marina in the United Kingdom. She was about £10 000 out of our budget, but Jim was confident that she would sail oceans and be a safe haven for our family. Susie Jane is a Dufour Gib’sea 43 built-in 2002. She is one of 60 designed by J & J Design between 2000 to 2004. She is just over 13 meters in length, with a draft of 1.7m and a beam of 4.27m. Her displacement on the book is 10.5 tonnes but weighed on the crane, 12.5. She has four cabins and two heads. Her galley consists of a gas stove and oven and a 200-liter fridge. Since purchasing her in June 2019, we have added solar panels that allow for 1300 watts and a Schenker Zen 30 watermaker that provides us with up to 30 liters per hour. We have changed most of the electronics from Raymarine to B&G and changed all lights to LED. Due to a lack of space for a blackwater holding tank, we have added an Air Head composting toilet. Her standing rigging was replaced in 2019, and all her running rigging is new. We have replaced her Genoa and a full service on her main and spinnaker sails. She has a new solar arch, sprayhood, sail bag cover with hood, and a lovely dinghy we have named ‘Billy Bob,’ with a 9.9 hp outboard. When sailing, she sits heavy and makes for a comfortable sail.

• Sailboat Specifications
  • Fin with Bulb and spade rudder
  • Masthead Sloop rigging
  • Fiberglass construction
  • Volvo Diesel 55 HP engine with 300-liter capacity
  • Headroom of 6.42 ft / 1.96 m
  • 150 gals / 568-liter water capacity

Our Story

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At the start of 2019, Sander and I realized that our life was not what we had imagined it to be. Our daughter Ava was two and a half, and our son William was seven months old. We needed a change, and we both agreed that we should do what we had planned to do nine years prior, travel the world by sailboat. By June, we purchased Susie Jane and gave away the possessions that would not be able to fit in our new 43 ft home. We decided on taking Susie Jane to Brighton Marina, as Sander’s office was close by and the marina (at this point) allowed for liveaboards. We would prepare the boat and ourselves for the adventure for the next three years. An essential item on the list was to learn how to sail. Sander had some knowledge, and I had little to non. We would invite sailors onto our boat to show us the ropes and complete the required theoretical and practical training at this time. We set up a budget and worked hard to ensure we could set sail without debt and something in the bank for the next three years. And in May 2022, we left Brighton Marina to see our dream through.

Our Journey

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When Sander was 12, he was inspired to see the Pacific Islands while reading, The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux. Based on this dream, we are setting a course for the Pacific. We will follow the English South coast down to Falmouth and cross over Biscay to Spain. We will head for the Mediterranean for a couple of months, then cross the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. We will sail through the Panama Canal to reach the Pacific Ocean. Whether this will be what happens, time will tell. Where we anchor and who we meet will be part of the adventure. And who knows, maybe happiness is out there or right where we started.