Some boats are designed to travel long distances, and some people are determined to take them as far as possible. Tom and Jan Newman, aboard their Nordhavn 41 Meraki, are a perfect example. Lifelong sailors, they decided about ten years ago that they wanted to retire aboard and see as much of the world as they could: the canals of France, the Baltic, the Caribbean — they wanted it all.
They took delivery of Meraki in December 2022, picking her up in Istanbul, and since then have been bringing her home to Alaska at a pace that suits them. “That’s our story and we’re sticking to it,” Jan says. “We’re slowly — over many, many years — heading west. We spent two years circling the Mediterranean. This spring we crossed the center of France and now we’re in northern Europe, cruising Denmark and Sweden. We’ll winter in the U.K., maybe cruise Norway and Sweden next summer, then cross from the Faroe Islands to Greenland, onto Iceland, and finally Labrador.”
The French canals pushed the N41 to its limits. The trawler is larger than most canal boats, yet its robust construction let it handle tight passages and locks without trouble. Tom recalls stripping equipment from the roof to clear bridges with less than eight inches of clearance, disconnecting and laying down the mast when a hinge wouldn’t suffice, and sometimes pushing the hull through mud. They carried a dozen fenders and fender boards for lock passages where concrete walls could be only six inches away. Even after all that, Meraki emerged without a scratch.
“The remarkable thing is the N41 did it, and we were able to do it,” Tom says. “When we started, the first lock we navigated in France was the first lock we’d ever run on our own boat. Now we’ve gone through nearly 200 of them.”
Their only serious question is whether they’ll keep Meraki once they finally return to Alaska. “It’s not about our age,” Jan explains. “It’s about how much of the world we can still see before we head home.”
Onward from Orlando
For Orita and Laurent Issartel, passagemaking is tied to lifestyle and timing. Orita is 68 and Laurent 62; she manages properties and he runs an events business. They recently bought a 2021 Aquila 44 and have been cruising north from Florida toward New York, planning to explore the Bahamas this winter and the Down East Circle Loop in New England next year. They’re considering living aboard full time and continuing to work from the boat.
Orita laughs when she remembers how her son teases her about convincing Laurent to embrace this life. “Before I met my husband I lived on a sailboat for two years in the Caribbean. I’d do that again in a heartbeat,” she says. But Laurent doesn’t want to sail, and Orita admits she’s too old for a sailboat’s constant upkeep — which made the Aquila’s powerboat layout with three staterooms, three heads, and a spacious salon an easy choice.
They’ve committed to the journey: they sold their car, overcame a delayed start due to business issues, and decided there was never a perfect moment to leave shore life behind, so they simply cast off. The transition hasn’t been without bumps — Orita injured her rib and knee after a fall from an electric bike — but they press on. They prefer anchoring out to marinas, finding the peace of starlit nights and quiet towns more satisfying than big-city stops. Laurent enjoys navigation and being on the water, and together they embrace the cruising life.
Looking for America
Frank and Sandy De Heer chose ports with history while cruising aboard their North Pacific 45 Proost — “cheers” in Dutch — beginning their long-distance travels in spring 2022. For Frank, who grew up in the Netherlands, visiting U.S. and Canadian sites has been an education: places Americans consider routine carry new stories and perspectives for him, from the War of 1812 to colonial history.
After spending about three years exploring at a relaxed pace along the Great Loop in their 45, they’ve ordered a North Pacific 59 for delivery this fall. The couple prefers slow travel — lingering for days or weeks in places like Washington, D.C., and New York — and they anticipate the 59 will be a more comfortable long-term home. Frank notes that the extra length brings greater height and width, more living space, a proper galley, and the ability to customize layouts to better suit their needs.
With no children and retirement giving them freedom, they tried returning to a land base in Orlando several times but found the boat consistently felt like home. Their plans for the new 59 include cruising the Northeast Loop to Montreal, Quebec City, and Maine’s coast, spending winters where the season fits their schedule, and perhaps transiting the Panama Canal. They’re customizing the layout to replace one small cabin with an expanded bathroom and other liveaboard comforts, creating three comfortable staterooms and three heads tailored to their lifestyle.
It’s All About the Ice
Sam Devlin, a veteran boat designer, is focused on navigation and sleep as he helps run the Northwest Passage aboard Sarah-Sarah, Hull No. 2 of Circa Marine’s FPB-64 designed by Steve and Linda Dashew. He had dreamed of making the passage since childhood and joined this trip after the boat’s owner, Scott Evangelista, sought a way to return his vessel to the Northwest after a Panama Canal transit.
Devlin has been impressed by the vessel’s capabilities and surprised by the ice conditions encountered. He expected extensive “rotten” ice — small, melting chunks — but found instead a variety of medium and large bergs with fewer of the slushy, breakup conditions he’d imagined. Wildlife sightings have been fewer than hoped, which disappointed him given his early studies in wildlife, though the geological scenery has been fascinating and constantly changing.
Navigating the Northwest Passage demands urgency when openings appear: “If the ice is going to open up, it doesn’t really open up until certain weeks in August,” he says. The crew watches ice reports closely and moves quickly when passages emerge, often running through daylight hours and anchoring late at night. They rarely sit idle waiting for ice to clear; when they do, they make cautious probes and reset anchors until conditions allow them to push on. For Devlin, timing and ice, more than weather, dictate the rhythm of the trip.
November 2025