As a boy of 16 years old, I started sailing on the Dutch lakes. It was then and there I had my dream of once sailing around the whole world! Family life did cause a relay of my plans, but Icould not get them out of my head.

Through the years I bought several bigger and bigger sailboats until I could realise sponsoring a 57 feet Ocean Racer to participate in the WhitbreadRound the World Race in 1985 and again in 1989 with the same boat (Rucanor Tristar).

 

At the age of 50 I sold my shares in our family business. Three years later Red Max was born, custom built in the Netherlands and baptized in Breskens. In the meantime we cruised the Atlantic Ocean and back several times, we spent four years allover the Mediterranean sea and one year around the Baltic sea, Denmark, Norway and back for another Atlantic crossing to Curacao, Cuba and most Caribbean isles.
 

When in 2012 Monique for the first time joined me for a crossing from Florida via the Bermudas and the Azores to Portugal, she was so in love with life on board Red Max, she just said “why not” to my dream of a circumnavigation together.
So we prepared the boat and lived our dream all around the world, rounding the most southern capes, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope.
We spent eight years in Patagonia, the Pacific, New Zealand, Figi, Vanuatu, Indonesia and Malaysia, the Seychelles, South Africa, St Helena, Surinam, the Caribbean, Cuba, the East Coast of the USA and Canada until in total Red Max now has 162.000 sea miles under her keel without any serious damage.
 

Now I reached the age of 77,  it is time to say good bye to our beloved lady in Red, who deserves a new dedicated skipper to enjoy and take care of our baby for who knows another circumnavigation?

​

It's up to you to make your dream come true as I did and Red Max is absolutely the best companion you can wish for.

Bastiaan