Home coming

Last night was quite exciting, it felt like reading the last pages of a thrilling adventure novel, sitting at home, watching the AIS as the signal of the Tecla started to come in more and more frequently. Nine knots, so you start calculating, thirty miles, nine knots, they could be at the fairway buoy of Schulpengat around 22:00!! That would mean they will catch the last bit of tide in!! Ok dark… Ok lots of wind, but they might make it to Den Oever just after midnight!! 

Gijs sends a message, “I can see the light of Lange Jaap” 

Instant goosebumps.

That tall red lighthouse has been our beacon for so many years — a symbol of homecoming, even if Den Helder wasn’t their final stop this time. Seeing its light means you’ve made it.

I went to bed, even before they made it past Den Helder, seeing their last speed at ten knots, I knew the mainsail was still set. 

And then this morning. I set an alarm, but that was not necessary! Waking up 5 minutes to 6, getting my coffee ready, packing my bag, maybe one more coffee.. and then on my bike to the bus, to head to Den Oever. Elections are nearly here in the Netherlands, so a good political podcast on my headphones and before I knew it, I could see her proud masts sticking up from behind the wall of the Afsluitdijk! There she is!! 

Quick stop in the supermarket for stroopwafels, pepernoten and Dutch cheese and then straight to the Tecla. 

And there she lay, moored at the quayside, like it was 16 months ago. She looked good! After her third round around the Americas, four oceans, three seas, many straits and even more gulfs later, here she was flags flying and deck shining. Many pebbles left behind along the way — maybe enough to shape a little beach and catch the next wave we can ride.

Gijs was in the back, so I went there for a welcome hug first, second was Jasmijn, who just walked in with coffee. Then downstairs to see Daniel, then Kristin, who had been on board since Dutch Harbor! And to see Peter and Sheila, with whom I have sailed so many miles on other voyages. It really felt like coming home. I met the rest of the group, grabbed a cup of coffee and went to the back to make a plan with Gijs. 

And with that, everything was back to normal. Did we ever leave? 

Now back home I imagine them having their last evening together tonight. After such an adventurous voyage, such challenges in weather, such stories to tell! But Ulriche said it right, “it is October, this is exactly what we signed up for!”.

And tomorrow we continue our work list, our plans for 10 days of maintenance. And we work on finetuning our 2027 sailing season – stay tuned and sign up for our newsletter if you don’t want to miss out!