On March 1, Twister will pick you up again. After stops in Grenada and Martinique, where the ship is provisioned and prepared for the big crossing, we choose the open sea and turn the bow to the east.
We sail to the Azores, a unique archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This time we sail much further north than on the way there. Again we have the current with us and tacking between high and low pressure areas we find our way to Europe. This is the longest crossing of the entire journey: 20 days at sea!

On the way we have to navigate and steer. Because the wind does not always blow from the same direction, the sails have to be adjusted regularly. The temperature is pleasant and there is enough time for a good conversation, a book or a bit of lazing around. The watches and meals give structure to your day.
Chased by a tuna, a school of flying fish occasionally shoots out of a wave. Sometimes one falls to the deck and the fish is literally there for the taking.

Hop off in Lisbon (PT), A Coruna (ESP), Fowey (UK) or Amsterdam (NL)

We sail from Belém to Europe, an epic journey across the Atlantic Ocean!
During this journey we take into account the seasons and weather systems of mother earth. At the end of November it is too early to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an easterly direction. First we sail from Belém to the Caribbean island of Trinidad where we arrive on December 10th. In March the conditions on the Atlantic Ocean are considerably better and tall ship Twister will pick you up from Trinidad to start the big crossing.

We use the leg from Belém to Trinidad to decompress after a busy conference and to process the results together. On the way we visit the Devil's Islands in French Guyana (known from the film Papillon) and make a stop in Paramaribo. From there it is another two days to Trinidad, the largest windward island. Here you can disembark for a staycation (to be organized by yourself) or you sail along to Grenada or Martinique for a longer stay.

And then we see the outlines of the Azores vaguely looming on the horizon. The archipelago is known for its nature and the many whales that you see here. Tradition dictates that we stop at Café Peter Sport here to drink a gin and tonic and paint a stone on the harbour wall to commemorate that we are here with the Twister. The more quickly we complete the part to the Azores, the longer we can stay there. But after a few days we embark again to sail to Lisbon.

When we reach the continental shelf, the swell changes, and we also notice from the temperature that we are getting closer to home.
After about a week, land suddenly comes into view! After having been at sea for a long time, this is a very special experience. At such a moment you can also imagine how special this must have been for sailors who crossed the ocean without good maps or navigation equipment. We have reached the mainland of Europe.

On our way north, we still have a nice stretch of sailing ahead of us. Twister smells her home port in the distance and sails with great speed towards the Channel. But we are not there yet. When we see land we visit Fowey (UK). Here we make a short stopover to celebrate that we have crossed the ocean, an achievement to be proud of! From here it is a few more days of sailing to Amsterdam where we hug our friends and family again and brag about our adventures.