Curiosity as our Compass: Around the world in eight years

By Wietze van der Laan and Janneke Kuysters

Many people dream of letting go of everything and embarking on a journey around the world.

Dutch couple Wietze van der Laan and Janneke Kuysters succeeded in trading their stressful occupations for eight years of sailing around the world via the three great capes. Their 60,000 mile journey led them from the tropics to high latitudes and back, venturing into the wilderness and taking time to explore away from the coast as well. In 2021 they arrived back in the Netherlands, ready to continue cruising in the Baltic and North Atlantic. Their yacht Anna Caroline is a Bruce Roberts ’44.

Wietze and Janneke cruised along unfamiliar coasts and backpacked to ancient cities. Their difficult journey takes them to the deep south and the far north. Off the beaten track they explore Patagonia, Easter Island, Hawaii, Alaska, and Australia. They rounded the three great capes of the world against the wind and current: Cape Horn (South America), Cape Leeuwin (Australia), and Cape of Good Hope (South Africa). They also sail in the tropics along powdery white beaches in azure blue water.

The book is a contemporary adventure tale about two people with a relentless urge to explore outward. On each continent they visit, they mix long-distance sailing with interesting land travel. Always curious to find out more about the places they go and the people they encounter.

This is not the “typical” circumnavigation story and its translation from Dutch into English makes the story telling all the more beautiful. Wietze and Janneke fill their book with fascinating facts about the communities they visit, beautiful descriptions as well as a great deal of insight into the planning required for a voyage of this nature.

For those wanting to explore as much of the planet’s coastline as they can, or even if you are only considering cruising one of the regions that Wietze and Janneke ventured to on their global voyage, this book is well worth the read and one you’ll come back to over and over again.

Curiosity as our compass is also available in Dutch on Amazon.

By Janneke Kuysters & Wietze van der Laan
Publisher: Independently published (September 27, 2023)
ISBN-13: 979-8860688339

Related Links:

As well as writing a blog for the Dutch magazine Zeilen during their voyage, they had many articles from their circumnavigation published in Yachting World magazine (in English).

• Sailing to South Africa
• How to Sail across the Indian Ocean
• Using Google Imagery for Yacht Navigation
• Sun Protection for Sailors and a Guide to Staying Safe
• Sail the World – Future-Proof Bluewater Options
• Sailing Tasmania Across the Bass Strait
• Australia: Sailing Down Under