An Inspiring letter from Indonesian Yachtwoman about her nomadic life at the sea and yet still find happiness.

(Courtesy of Youtube)

I am Ika Permatasari-Olsen, a woman from Surabaya who has lived a nomadic life on a yacht for five years. Since deciding to stay on the ship, many have questioned my choice to stay on the ship with my husband.

My husband and I, Oeyvind Olsen, who are Norwegian citizens, have been spending our daily time sailing European waters since 2018. We decided to go on an adventure by boat, even though we often get lots of 'sneaky' comments from people around us. I feel happy and comfortable living my sailing life on a ship.

Actually, on the first day of sailing and the ship was immediately hit by a storm, I wanted to go straight home. But, over time I discovered sailing on a sunny day, the experience turned out to be more enjoyable and addictive until now.

At first I commuted from Surabaya to Europe almost every month because of work demands. When not holding the steering wheel, I work remotely for a software company owned by Singapore, which has a branch in Surabaya.

My husband has been living on the ship longer, because he was looking for a place to live in Indonesia but could not find it, finally he thought about living on a ship and needed an open space too. My husband and I live on a 2004 Beneteau 57 model boat, called the North Eagle.

The size of the ship is 17x5m, with 4 minimalist cabins and complete facilities. On board there is also a living room, complete with sofas, pillows, benches and tables. The bedroom on our ship is in the main cabin with a queen bed and is equipped with a bathroom. On our ship there is also a kitchen set with a stove that can move according to the movement of the ship.

I have visited various countries in Europe with my husband, from Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. Several times we also visited uninhabited islands, to swim in the blue and clear sea water.

But, like the waves, my journey is full of ups and downs with my husband. When there was a storm outside, we always looked for a place to hide from the strong winds in some kind of bay area.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and many countries imposed restrictions, our ship was hit by a storm which damaged the ship. My husband and I were affected on a small island in France.

Because it was still in lockdown, the ship repair shop didn't accept new customers and I didn't want to be stranded in France, until we finally chose to go to the Netherlands because it's the only country that doesn't close its borders.

The pandemic also affected the world of shipping, because many national borders were closed, so we were not free to sail and decided to settle in Norwegian waters, where the ship is registered. Our ship dropped anchor.

Thanks to my husband's upbringing, I am now skilled at driving a ship. I'm learning by doing. Before leaving, my husband must give a briefing. I was taught the basics of driving a ship, reading navigation instruments, reading maps, reading signals, I wrote down all of that one by one so I remembered.

Source :https://www.cnnindonesia.com/gaya-hidup/20230211065246-269-911751/mengarungi-lautan-eropa-menemukan-kebahagiaan-di-atas-kapal/2

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