A year and a half ago, Nikola set sail. Her logbook shows zero nautical miles, and at her helm are two occasional sailors with roughly 900 nautical miles of experience. As rookies, we set out to discover the world together.

By now, the logbook is full of entries and we should be tattooed like long-serving sailors. Not only have the boat and we gotten used to each other, we have become a well-coordinated team; we know our quirks and strengths. The 900 nautical miles traveled on various charter and training ships pale in comparison to the more than ten times that distance traveled together, along with the experiences that came with it.

Off the coast of Newfoundland, we have reached a milestone: we have 10,000 nautical miles in our wake. What a number, when you start with a small, modest fraction of that. Above all, however, it is not just a number. For us, it is a myriad of impressions and experiences. We look back on an ocean crossed and many different territories and situations mastered.

The learning process happened in small steps. First, there was a night sail in Brittany, then a longer trip across the English Channel, followed by a four-day sail across the Bay of Biscay, a week-long trip to Madeira, and finally, a two-week sail across the Atlantic. Now, we can cope with a variety of conditions, such as strong currents, rivers, unstable weather, extreme tides, reefs, open oceans, cliffs, shallow waters, shipping lanes, traffic separation zones, and remote regions.

We may not be newcomers anymore, but we still feel like it in everyday life. This is because the sailing area we find ourselves in, with all its peculiarities, is always new, as is the environment on land. Our main task is to constantly find our way around, orient ourselves, adapt, and learn.

The feeling changes depending on which direction we look. Ahead of us lie new adventures, new challenges, unforgettable moments, and new lessons that the Pacific Ocean will certainly teach us. Excitement, curiosity, and awe fill the air. However, when we look back, we can count on 10,000 nautical miles of experience that give us the confidence to master everything new together. And that’s a good thing, because who knows what the next 10,000 miles will bring.