Sailing has been an "on again - off again - on again" activity since I was a teenager. Twenty years ago, I owned my first sailboat on the lake of Zug in Switzerland and enjoyed it tremendously.

In 1999, hurricane Lothar destroyed the marina where I had moored my boat at and with it, most of the ships there. Without a boat or even a marina, I took the opportunity to start my offshore sailing education. Over the years, I have sailed in the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic Sea.

After almost ten years with no sailing whatsoever, I have started to look for a new boat earlier this year and spent some days on the Zwarte Valk.

It was during this sailing trip that I encountered a ship that I liked at first sight. When my wife and I were admiring the boat the man in the neighboring berth told us that she was for sale (there we no signs saying so).

After a few weeks of talking to the owner, the broker, and the ship surveyor, I have become the proud owner of a twenty-year young Puffin 42 sailboat.

For me, sailing is not primarily a sport it is living at sea. With the help of a shipyard, I have now started the necessary maintenance work and selected upgrades. It is an inspiring project, and there is so much to discover and learn.