Jannette’s Sailing motives

Every year the Tecla comes up with a new sailing plan. A new sailing area or some amazing race to compete in. On this side of the world, or the other. But who comes up with these idea’s, who are these sailors who have been running the Tecla for the last 10 years.

The Tecla family consists of Jan, Jannette, Gijs and Jet. Jan and Jannette started sailing in 1990 on a traditional ship on the inshore waters of the Netherlands. In 2005 they decided to start a business together with their two children, Gijs and Jet. Since starting to work the Tecla as a family, they have sailed to almost 30 countries, crossing 5 oceans and over 100.000 Nautical Miles.

Introducing Jannette’s sailing motives

Jannette is the women behind the info@tecla.nl email, the Tecla phone and the booking form ánd she is the person behind the amazing scones, cakes and long walks with the dog when on board.

Teclas kitchen

When you ask Jannette’s sailing motives and why they bought the Tecla 10 years ago, she will answer that it was the only ship the family had always dreamed off. It breathed Adventure. Exploring new places, just leaving the Netherlands behind and setting sail for a new horizon. Jannette says “The size of the groups on board is perfect. We can take up to 16 people, which is a group size that you can actually take with you when you start exploring new places. This year we will take groups up to 12 persons in Iceland. Which is perfect to have that personal connection, really get to know the person and take them with you into this new world of travel.”

The Tecla sails mainly with individual people or those traveling with two or three (and groups when there is a request). Normally the crew plans a sailing season and sets out the dates and places where the voyage crew can join and those wanting to join, book their trip online or by phone. The voyage crew consist of people of ages between 15 to 75, but mostly between 30 and 60 years. The level of experience of those joining is about as divers as their ages. The Tecla sails with people who have never sailed before, but the crew is also very competent in training people who need to make miles for their yacht masters or other papers.

“I really like the mixed groups where younger and older people can actually still learn from each other” Jannette says “on board everybody helps out, to their own ability. The young and strong might be busy setting the sails while someone who wants to take it a little slow is at the helm or downstairs making tea and coffee. On board we work with a Sail Training Program. During youth education projects it is a tool to develop young personalities. During one of our Expedition voyages, Sail Training will not have the upper hand, but it will be present in how we run the ship. The voyage crew will be instructed in handling the ship, steering her, helping with the trim of our sails and navigating her from A to B. But there will also be a lot of time to go explore and enjoy long walks in uninhabited places or along shore lines where birds nest.”

This next season will start in Amsterdam sailing to Scotland and then continue onwards to Iceland. A new sailing area for the Tecla – Jannette believes it is one of those rare places in Europe that speaks to the imagination and where you can still explore and feel like an explorer with nobody but the Tecla crew around. “We are looking for voyage crew that is up for a nice challenge. People who want to explore Iceland and look at the land from a different perspective, from the sea. Looking up at the cliff’s, sailing past changing coastlines, looking for the best anchorages and visiting small fishing towns with just one road leading in or out. And every day there is the chance of seeing whales and dolphins. I have seen many dolphins over the last 10 years and still it is so amazing to see them play in the bow wave. Between May and September there are all kinds of whales that can be spotted around Iceland. I think we live in a time where people want more out of their holiday then just relaxing, I think people want to experience something real. I think this is one of those REAL experiences.”

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