A while ago I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a small sailing boat with a group of people I had never met before. The journey started in the Canary Islands, continued south to Cape Verde, and eventually across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
The boat was a 45-foot Hallberg-Rassy, built for ocean sailing. There were six of us on board, including the captain’s young daughter. For about three months the boat became our small floating home.
At first it was just an adventure. A chance to see what life at sea was really like. But somewhere along the way I realized the experience felt too unique to slowly fade into memory. So I started writing it down.
Not because I planned to write a book. But mostly just so I wouldn’t forget.
Turning an Ocean Crossing Into a Story
At first I only wrote small notes about the trip. Moments that stood out and strange situations. Conversations during long night watches. The small details that make long journey like this memorable.
But the notes slowly turned into chapters. And the chapters eventually started to feel like a story.
The book follows the journey from the Canary Islands to Cape Verde and eventually across the Atlantic Ocean. It’s about life on a small sailing boat, the rhythm of the ocean, and the strange feeling of being completely surrounded by water for weeks.
A Small Piece From the Book
Here is a short excerpt from one of the early chapters:
My computer screen had slipped into sleep mode, and the default screensaver appeared again: a tropical beach. Palm trees swaying. Waves rolling gently onto the sand.
Out in the blue water, dolphins surfaced.
I stared at them longer than I should have. For a moment, the office disappeared. I wasn’t sitting behind a desk anymore. I was there, tasting salt in the air, sunlight warming my skin, the rhythm of the waves beneath me.
The dolphins moved like they didn’t know what it meant to be stuck. No schedules. No desks. No flickering fluorescent lights. Just open water and endless possibilities.
Then my phone lit up on the desk.
A message from Theo.
“Want to buy a sailboat with me?”
Why I Decided to Write It
I didn’t start writing this book because I wanted to publish something. It was simply a way to keep the memories alive.
When you travel or go on adventures, the intense moments stay with you. But the small details fade surprisingly quickly. Writing helped me remember things I had completely forgotten.
The smell of salt on deck in the morning. The quiet hours during night watch. The strange feeling of waking up in the middle of the ocean, realizing there was nothing around you for hundreds of miles.
Slowly, writing the story started to feel like reliving the journey again.
What It’s Like Writing a Book
At this point the manuscript is already around 55,000 words.
Writing it has been a strange experience in its own way. Some chapters came easily, while others took a lot longer to finish. Sometimes I would start writing about one event and suddenly remember something else that happened earlier in the trip.
It’s almost like traveling the route again, just from behind a keyboard.
What surprised me a lot is how many small moments I had forgotten until I started writing. I guess that’s how memory works. Sometimes it’s nice to sit still for a while and revisit those moments.
A Second Piece From the Book
Another Moment From the Journey:
The stars were out in full. Hundreds, maybe thousands scattered across the sky so bright they reflected on the surface of the water. It felt like we were sailing through the stars instead of under them.
For the first time in days the sea was calm. No storms, no nausea, no chaos. Just the slow rhythm of the ocean and the creak of the boom swinging gently with the swell.
I remember thinking how strange it was that this had become normal, steering a boat through the dark in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The radio suddenly cracked
At first it was only static. A faint hiss cutting through the quiet night. Luca leaned forward and adjusted the volume.
And then we heard a voice.
Broken by interference.
“…help… no water… engine broken…”
Who This Book Is For
I think this book will resonate with people who enjoy adventure stories. It’s not a guidebook or a technical sailing manual. It’s simply the story of a journey and the small moments that happen when you spend weeks at sea.
I also hope it might inspire people who feel the urge to do something a little different but find it difficult to take the first step. Sometimes it helps to see that these kinds of adventures are actually possible.
What Happens Next
Right now the book is still a work in progress.
I’m slowly editing chapters and shaping the story into something that hopefully captures the feeling of the trip.
Originally I only planned to write it for myself, just as a way to keep the memories alive. But if the story ends up inspiring someone else to chase an adventure of their own, that would be a pretty nice outcome.
For now I’ll probably share a few small excerpts here on Expedition Coconut while the book slowly takes shape.
So we’ll see where it goes.
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