Team
The Team
Suzanne 🇳🇱
I didn’t grow up near the sea, but the call for adventure, freedom and nature pulled me into a life of diving, kitesurf, surfing, freediving and eventually sailing. I started with no boat, no budget, and no clue. Just a big curiosity to explore the big blue.
Two decades into nomadlife now, I’ve sailed 45,000+ miles, crossed the Atlantic 5 times, lived at sea for years, my campervan is my homebase and sometimes swap that for long trails. I authored Ocean Nomad and Salz auf der Haut, run expeditions, and learned that the hardest part is not the ocean… it’s finding the right people, and feeling at home.
Ocean Nomads is the community I needed (and still need) on my journey. Now it exists to support yours.
Brianna 🇺🇸
According to my mom, I swam before I could walk… I will take her word for it. I just spent my first winter outside the USA surfing, sailing, RVing, hiking/hitchhiking, and connecting with other Nomads along the way and I AM NEVER LOOKING BACK.
My main goal is to connect fellow nomads and help facilitate opportunities in all things sailing, environmental awareness, ocean sports and adventure, the way others have helped me.
Thomas 🇳🇱
Liveaboard, instructor, NGO founder and offshore sailing enthusiast.
A born and raised sailor, ocean activist, and passionate educator, Thomas brings a wealth of experience, energy, and dedication to our wild Ocean Nomads trips.
After years of preparation, this year Thomas sets sail with his own expedition vessel to the Artic. Our Canary Islands trip may be the last opportunity to sail with this legend He’s the best to learn all about liveaboard life and buying ocean worthy boats.
Jonatan 🇸🇪
Jonatan is an experienced outdoor adventurer and storyteller with over 10,000+ km. of long-distance hiking across islands and countries, like the PCT, Appalachian Trail and many more trails in the world, including the Canary Islands, and + 500 wildcamp nights.
He lives full-time in a van, kite and ski instructor, freedive fanatic and is training for his yachtmaster.
If he’s not wild camping or sailing, he lives in his self-built van and nomad beach home.
Jonatan is known for creating a communal hands-on vibe, sharing practical skills such as bread baking, outdoor living, resourcefulness and wild skills in nature.
You’ll find him guiding, sharing (hilarious) adventure stories, and making sure you’ll try something new and get ideas for a life lived differently.
Luca 🇮🇹
In 2019 I took a sabbatical and at a rainbow gathering on the river side I was listening to stories of hitching rides across oceans and of magical boats of performers and musicians dedicated to find healthy ways of living together at sea. Since then I have been exploring a nomadic ocean-infused lifestyle, sailed 35.000nm on more than 30 boats, crossed the atlantic twice, the pacific and soon hopefully the indian ocean, turned captain with the YM Offshore thingy, joined pirates, racers, hippies, yachties and other beautiful humans trying out alternatives to the nuclear, land based, urban life
Paula 🇪🇸
Paula is an explorer from the north of Spain who stepped into sailing through Ocean Nomads in 2021, starting with no real experience, just curiosity and a yes.
That first trip turned into months of life at sea and a path she has continued ever since. She has since crossed the Atlantic and sailed through places like the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Senegal, Brazil, and the Amazon.
For Paula, sailing is more than a skill. It’s a way to live, to explore, and to connect. She is growing into this lifestyle step by step, building experience, trust, and confidence along the way.
She brings a calm, open energy to the crew, and a natural ability to connect, adapt, and be part of something shared at sea.
Lovisa 🇳🇱
Ahoooy! I’m Lovisa and floating with my boat Misty in Scheveningen harbour, NL. Thomas & Khalid introduced me to ON & the sailing lifestyle 6 years ago and the new friends & connections I made via the network kept me around 💙
Whenever water adventures rise on the horizon it usually means that ON is involved or wants to get involved, if I see anyone struggling or searching for a water adventure I always recommend ON – it’s the network I turn to in these moments as well 🌊
Living & sailing on boats have changed my whole way of being & living, it has given me passion, changed my pace & priorities, my feeling within myself and my perspective towards nature and other humans.. the sea has given me so many special moments but it has mainly taught me to be patient, grateful and humble.
I try to live by to keep it small & simple and like Chillie always says – stay curious!
Hope to see and meet you all one day, somewhere 🫶🏽
Blair 🇦🇺
Blair started sailing at seven years old on dinghies and eventually, as an adult, moved on to fixed keel yachts. Blair has sailed many corners of the globe from the Caribbean to Indonesia to the Southern Oceans.
“My motivation for sailing are many-the horizon and being at sea for days on end enables one to commune with nature and develop a true blue mind.”
With many years of ocean racing experience and cruising, He now lives as a delivery skipper and trainer, and on his own steel vessel in Tasmania welcoming fellow Ocean Nomads members along the way. He has run many environmental campaigns in microplastic research and Forever chemicals, as well as worked in disaster relief and medical delivery. Having spent many years as an officer with Sea Shepherd on their beautiful 96ft ketch, the Martin Sheen as well as with other organizations such as YWAM in PNG. He also trained scuba divers and run a scuba boat in the Bass Strait for several years.
Julie 🇫🇷
Julie joined the Ocean Nomad expedition on Twister in 2022 between Amsterdam and the Canaries and has been hit by the sailing addiction since!
After Twister she hitch-hiked on a sailboat across the Atlantic, and worked as crew on several yachts in the Caribbean’s and in Europe afterwards.
She is now converting her van into a camper to experience the nomadic lifestyle on land in between jobs at sea on yachts and tallships, including SV Twister again for our upcoming Atlantic Crossing.
Tyler 🇺🇸
I believe that sailing is the last true form of exploration and connection with nature. I think Ocean Nomads shares those same values, as well as a commitment to sustainable sailing. Although brief, I loved my time sailing with the Ocean Nomads Community. I want everyone on my boat to walk away just as excited as I am about sailing.
You?
We always source our crew from the Ocean Nomads network. Eager to get involved? Come meet us!
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