Guest of the week: Mads Poulsen and Lotta Logård, Round-the-world sailors.

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In May this year, Mads Poulsen and Lotta Logård left Stockholm in their sailboat S/Y Looma IV to embark on their longest ever sailing trip. In fact, we attended their farewell party held here in Pampas marina, where we live. Mads has lived in a houseboat here before and the last time before departure they had their nice sailboat lying right here. One early morning (so early that we didn't have time to wake up and wave) they glided past our houseboat and out towards the open waters.

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Mads and Lotta have now been living on their sailboat for 3.5 months and have managed to get down to southern Europe. But the journey is not coming to an end - on the contrary! Mads and Lotta's plan is to sail around the world. We have taken the opportunity to ask them how it has gone so far and about their plans for the future. If you want to follow Mads and Lotta's fascinating journey, you can do so on their blog. Sailing with S/Y Looma IV.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What were your lives like before you started long-distance sailing?

We lived a normal family life with a lot of work, children who moved away from home, training and sailing as much as we could on weekends and holidays. Lotta worked as an IT consultant and Mads with his own company with consulting in management and corporate issues.

What is your previous sailing experience?

We both started sailing only 8 years ago after a holiday week on a good friend's sailboat. It was something we both thought was absolutely fantastic and we immediately went home and bought a small sailboat, Ohlsson 22 feet, which we then kayaked around the archipelago for the rest of that holiday and then we were hooked.

Since then, they have gone at a furious pace with changes to larger boats, courses and training of various kinds and lots of sailing. Among other things, we have sailed to Denmark and crossed the Atlantic with friends in their sailboat.

Tell us about your sailing trip! How long do you plan to sail and what is the route?

We have no fixed plan of route or time frame, which is the beauty and essence of this trip. It is good tips from other sailors, money and desire that determine how long we stay out and where we end up. But right now the goal is to sail around the world!

We are currently in La Rochelle on the French Atlantic coast. Our journey here has taken us from Stockholm via Denmark, Germany and the Kiel Canal, the Dutch canals, northern France, southern England, the Channel Islands and along the Atlantic coast of France. Right now we are waiting for a weather window to cross the Biscayan to Spain.

We have not fully decided on the continuation but it could be via the Portugal and the Canary Islands across to Brazil and then up through the Caribbean to the east coast of the USA. Then we'll see how we do.

What is the best thing about living the life you are currently living? Have you experienced any special places?

The best thing about this life is being able to take the day as it comes and having stepped out of the consumer society. We don't need or have room for lots of stuff. Going to new places, meeting other sailors and the social life is tremendously inspiring and exciting. So far we think the Dutch canals have been a real highlight!

What are the toughest challenges during the sailing trip? Have you experienced any mishaps?

The toughest challenges are having only yourself to rely on for things like safety on the boat, deciding to go on longer ocean crossings based on a weather forecast, and not knowing when we'll see family and friends next. So far, we haven't experienced any mishaps. But the maintenance of the boat is a constant work in progress.

How did you prepare for this trip?

We have a large network through the Ocean Sailing Club whose members have or will be sailing around the world. Here we have received very good advice and learnt from the experiences of others. Then for a number of years we have sold first a houseboat, then an apartment and now we have sold everything we have and have nothing left in Sweden. We have also taken several courses in navigation, tides and currents etc.

What do you plan to do when you finish sailing?

We do not know that today because we do not know how long we will be out sailing. Our sailing is a lifestyle and not a project, and we always have the opportunity to take a break from sailing sometimes if we feel that we want to do something else for a while.

Finally, a question we ask everyone we interview: What is your dream destination, Mads Poulsen and Lotta Logård?

Deserted South Sea islands in the Pacific with palm trees and chalk-white sandy beaches, the Galapagos Islands with their amazing marine wildlife and the west coast of northern Canada towards Alaska for its nature and wildlife.

Thank you Mads Poulsen and Lotta Logård for sharing your experiences and thoughts!

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