Santa is 37 years old and was born and raised in the beautiful Latvian countryside. However, she lived most of her adult life in Stockholm, Sweden. It was here that she met her husband Jonny who introduced her to boating life!
Santa describes herself as a positive and outgoing person.
“I’m curious, adventurous, and always ready to dive feet first into any new experience. I love nothing more than spending time with people!”
Boat life was not a thing for Santa in Latvia, but she loved nature and spent much of her childhood enjoying many outdoor activities with her family. In her mid-twenties, Santa moved to Sweden for her work in the aviation industry where she would spend the next 10 years.
Working as a check-in/gate agent, she went on to become a representative for a big international airline.
“I was based in Stockholm-Arlanda airport and responsible for coordinating flight operations on the ground. I have always had a passion for travelling, and whilst working at the airport I could share the excitement and the atmosphere of anticipation with the travellers!”
Santa explains that in Sweden, there is a huge traditional culture to go out on the water in the summer. In Stockholm, there is a beautiful archipelago with approximately 30,000 islands. During the summer months many people spend their holidays on the water and Santa and Jonny were amongst them! At the time, they had a small day cruiser but wanted to start spending more time on the water so after a few years, they bought and renovated a custom-built steel motorboat.
“Both of us really enjoy the whole process of fixing up boats. Working with our hands and turning ideas into reality. We never really considered getting a sailboat before but somewhere along the way, we started to watch YouTube sailors and were inspired by the freedom and travel! Our dreams of voyaging further out into the world were born, and we certainly knew that we’d need a sailboat for that. So, we sold our newly renovated motorboat and remained ‘boatless’ for the next few years.”
After the pandemic hit in 2020, their thoughts returned to sailboats. They wanted something simple, to escape onto the water. Ready-to-sail boats were obviously in huge demand so instead Santa and Jonny came across a beautiful Vindö 40 S/Y Sangapo, a Swedish classic from the 1970s… and they instantly fell in love with her.
This 31-foot sloop with a long keel, hull in fiberglass and a stunning mahogany cabin top with lots of shiny varnishwas to become their next home. The boat had been left outdoors and forgotten and Sangapo was in desperate need of some love and attention…and so her extensive refit began.
“Neither I nor my husband are professional craftsmen, but we were never afraid to try and learned the skills we needed along the way. So, with the help of articles, books, and YouTube videos, we slowly restored her back to her former glory!”
They loved sailing in the Baltic Sea but soon life took some new turns. Santa had to part ways with her job due to the pandemic’s impact on the aviation industry. However, in difficult times, she always tried to look on the bright side. They were fortunate enough to have the resources, so the question now was should Jonny quit his job?
“I had a sense that if we wanted to go sailing, we better take this opportunity now because who knows if it ever will come again. There will never be the right time or the perfect boat. Obviously, we were apprehensive, but Lin & Larry Pardey’s motto kept echoing in my head: “Go simple, go now!”
Santa and Jonny decided they didn’t want to wait anymore. They needed to ‘go now’ and the pair couldn’t wait to start making memories.
“We had a boat made for offshore cruising. She was small but strong and capable. We had been talking, dreaming, and planning this for six or seven years. And finally, we made the brave decision – Let’s do it! In many ways it felt liberating and exciting to be just a few short months away from our next big adventure. We completed the final works on board and set our course south. We both wanted to sail to warmer climates but there was no rush, we could take our time and savour every single moment of our journey.”
I’m pleased to report, six months later they had passed through the Kiel channel, crossed the North Sea, the Bay of Biscay and entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Straits of Gibraltar.
“The memories we made will last us a lifetime! All too many to even describe in this short interview!”
I was keen to know what made Santa make the jump from ship to shore.
Santa and Jonny reached Mallorca at the end of 2022 and liked it so much, they decided to stay and spend the winter months getting to know the Island better.
A few months later, their sailing adventure came to an end after Jonny received the job offer he had been waiting for, just before their plan to leave Mallorca, to sail onto Greece.
“Like everything in life, our plans suddenly changed, and we sold our beautiful boat. I knew from the beginning that this might happen eventually. I still remember how sad I felt about not being able to continue on with our adventure.”
Fate had intervened. Now it was important to them to find the right, future owner of Sangapo, the boat that they had cared for so much. Santa looked for a yacht broker that would help them with sales processes in Spain since they didn’t have any local knowledge. She came across Flensburger Yacht-Service, as they worked with classic yachts. They got a call from Anja Eckart who runs the Mallorca office saying that she would love to help them find a new owner. The boat was sold a month later. Santa knew it was time for her next phase in life, but she just wasn’t ready to leave Mallorca yet.
“During the sales process, I connected with Anja, and after getting to know each other, she offered me the opportunity to join her team as a yacht broker, an offer now I could not refuse! I have, over the years taught myself to be bold and show courage over fear when faced with life changing decisions. I believe this makes me grow as a person. Yes, it was very hard at the beginning to adopt to land life again and switch back to work mode. For me however, learning new skills, culture and language, even F hard is very rewarding! I thoroughly enjoy working as a yacht broker because it not only keeps me connected to the boat life that I love, but also to other sailors. I’m inspired by helping others find the boat they can fulfil their dreams on!”
Life at sea is certainly unique, so I asked Santa what she misses the most.
“I do miss the freedom of cruising and living on board. I was completely in charge of my own time. I loved planning our passages, enjoyed the peacefulness of night watches and then, as the sun rises, arriving in new magical places. I know that one day I will be able to set sail again. My dream is to cross the Atlantic and head into the Pacific, if (and when) the slightest of opportunity arises.”
Santa leaves us with one great piece of advice for any of you thinking of making the jump!
“Feel the fear but do it anyway!”
Thank you for reading!
