After countless messages back and forth on where to meet our new visitors in the big train station in Amsterdam, we finally locked eyes with them. As my brother and his wife walked towards us, a warm feeling of family love rushed over me. It was only one month ago that we last saw them, but it felt so good to see them again. And I was so excited to show them around Lìv for the first time. After all, they had already heard countless stories about her.

We spent the evening wandering through Amsterdam, enjoying good food, a few beers, and plenty of conversations before leaving the city the next day to explore the Markermeer together.

Once we cleared the lock, we hoisted the sails and were greeted with perfect sailing conditions. My brother and his wife weren't complete beginners—they had spent time sailing and living aboard a friend's liveaboard boat before, so they already knew the basics and felt comfortable on the water.

My sister-in-law had struggled with seasickness in the past, which was one of the reasons we chose the sheltered waters of the Markermeer. The waves are much smaller than on the North Sea, making it a great place to enjoy sailing without the bigger swells.

Unfortunately, the combination of seasickness and her pregnancy still caught up with her, and she felt unwell during parts of the trip. That's why we made sure to spend each night in well-protected marinas so everyone could rest properly.

Having guests on board was a wonderful change, especially because we are normally pretty much only talking to each other—and the cats, of course. So it was very welcome to have them around. Spending a few days sharing stories, meals, and evening conversations with family reminded us how much we miss those simple moments while travelling.

A few days later, it was already time to say goodbye again. Watching them leave was bittersweet. Letting them go home, and knowing that the next time we’ll see them, they’ll have a little baby in their arms—or maybe that little one will even already be walking around?

That's probably one of the hardest parts of long-term travel. Just because we've stepped out of our normal lives doesn't mean everyone else's lives stand still. Back home, life keeps moving. Families grow, friends get married, children are born, people start new jobs, celebrate achievements, and sometimes experience heartbreaking losses. We miss many of those milestones simply because we're somewhere else.

That's why staying in touch with the people who matter most becomes so important. A phone call, a message, or a video chat can never fully replace being there in person, but it reminds the people we love that we're still thinking about them—a lot!

After saying our goodbyes, we sailed on to Enkhuizen, a charming little town on the IJsselmeer. Due to the weather and a few boat projects, we decided to stay there an extra day. We finally managed to get our diesel heater working again, which means a warm and cozy boat in the evenings! Staying an extra night also gave us a chance to slow down, recharge, and enjoy the town before setting off again.

We had an amazing sail to get to the Lorentzsluizen, which would bring us out into the open ocean again. It literally felt like a race when exiting the lock, because everyone around us wanted to be the first to hoist their sails and get moving. Even after we had all hoisted our sails, it was still a fight against each other to get to the harbour of Harlingen. When we arrived there, we understood why. The harbour was tight, and if you were too late, you had to tie up to other boats instead of the harbour wall itself. We managed to get the last spot directly on the wall, which meant easier access to land than if we had to climb over other boats.

Where our journey takes us next, and the frustrating experiences of sailing in tidal waters, will be written about in the next blog.

Day 9: Amsterdam NL