In the spring of 2021, Laura Blom-Sipkens and her husband were chatting in their car when a thought suddenly struck her: we should take a break from work and take on an Atlantic crossing with the children.

Many people planning to sail across the Atlantic plan their adventure three, four or even five years ahead of time

Beginning their search for a suitable boat, the couple decided on aluminum or steel construction. After eight months of searching, they found a Van de Stadt-designed Samoa 47 laid up on the south coast of France, and bought it.

Passage to England

Her top speed is 16.3 kn and she boasts a maximum range of 5700.0 nm when navigating at cruising speed, with power coming from two MTU diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 staterooms, with 18 crew members. She has a gross tonnage of 1494.0 GT and a 12.2 m beam.

• Newport is as much a tourist town as it is a seafarer city
• The park is on the waterfront, which means boats can anchor out
• The most famous harbor on Narragansett Bay is the one Newport

The ship had a giant Soviet flag with a hammer and sickle waving in the wind. I shouted down to Hauk and Erling that they had to get on deck so that we could tack immediately. It was an intense experience to see a huge ship so close after not seeing anything out there for seven days. This was the last time I fell asleep on my watch.