Have you ever thought about just going out sailing and set aim for the horizon without looking back… well, at least not for a long time?
There are many people who dream about adventure and blue water cruising, not nearly as many who actually do something about it – well the Edholm family do not belong to the latter category. Last week the family, consisting of Sanna, Jonas, Axel (14), Alma (almost 11), and Atle (almost 9), docked out to embark on the journey of a lifetime onboard their Arcona 400, called Liv.
When did you start dreaming about blue water cruising?
“It has always been a childhood dream of mine” says Jonas, “but it became more tangible when we bought Liv 4 seasons ago. We bought her to be able to do longer trips with the family and to do some shorthanded racing, but initially I was thinking of more modest adventures like exploring the Baltic Sea and going down to Germany, but then things escalated.”
Sanna was a bit more hesitant, “I had never been on a boat before I met Jonas, and I was probably a bit more hesitant to just ‘pack up and leave’ – mainly for practical and logistical reasons – but then when I had had time to digest, and get used to the idea, I became the driving force in the project.”
“I had to ask myself the question: can I put my family through the risk of an Atlantic crossing? Then of course there was the financial aspect, you leave a safe everyday behind with a steady monetary income. But the possibility to share this adventure as a family… all the things we would be able to show the kids – in the end it outweighed the potential risks and the material things we would forgo!”
About the adventure
The Edholms will be gone for a year, and before they docked out they had three set days: the departure the 17th of June, the start of the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) 21st of November, and the start of the school year 18th of August 2022. Nothing else.
Your plans leave quite a bit of room for improvisation to say the least, do you have any bucket list destinations?
“I am happy as long as I get to sail” laughs Jonas.
“Tobago Cays and Barbuda (not to be confused with Bermuda) in the Caribbean and the Azores on the way home” says Sanna, “If everything goes according to plan, we will have the winter to explore the Caribbean before we have an opportune weather window to go back.”
“The kids will be setting the agenda, ideally we want to sail with other families, so that they have friends to hang with. All of them are really into animals, so that will also be a priority – destinations with a rich fauna” adds Jonas.
Speaking of the kids: how do they feel about the adventure?
“They are excited, of course they will miss their friends back home, but all of them have been on board (pun intended) since the start. They grew up sailing and have been living on the boat every summer.”
“We have taken all the kids out of the Swedish educational system, to circumvent the compulsory school attendance. Axel, the oldest, will do 8th grade through a Swedish school that specialises in remote education. The younger kids have gotten the curriculum from their previous school, and information about relevant materials and books, that we then have bought ourselves, so that Alma and Atle can mirror what their former classmates are doing at home. The plan is that we will keep in contact with the school throughout the year so that they can keep their friends posted about their adventure” Sanna explains.
What about the grown-ups? Sanna has been granted a leave of absence and Jonas quit his job – simple and uncomplicated!
Are you inspired?
We’ll be regularly following the Edholms journey onboard Liv on the seven seas (or, perhaps not all seven, but who knows?) on Arcona’s Facebook and Instagram – don’t forget to follow us there, and don’t forget to follow @LivSailing on Facebook and Instagram.
As I am writing this the family is in Swedish Arkösund and will then set sail towards Kalmar for a longer stop to visit family, but will they be there next week… stay tuned!