Venera’s Transatlantic Adventures

from FLCN | Van der Valk Shipyard Magazine #2

Divine glory: the cathedral of Mallorca

ACROSS THE OCEANS:

THE VAN DER VALK EXPLORER VENERA’S TRANSATLANTIC ADVENTURES

The 28.5-metre motor yacht Venera has already had an eventful few years. First hitting the water in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she represents the third in Van der Valk’s new generation of long-range explorers, with her striking, modern, trawler-like design developed in collaboration with Guido de Groot Design, Diana Yacht Design and Ginton Naval Architects. By Georgia Tindale

Venera made headlines in May 2022 thanks to her successful sale in the US – completed by Eastwind Yachts and Edmiston – after which she was renamed Blondie. Prior to landing in the USA, however, Venera had embarked on her most substantial journey to date, travelling from Rotterdam to Barcelona, and then making the transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale.

Here, we hear directly from the captains who took charge of Venera to discover how this vessel fared during her longest trip so far, and the highs and lows of being at the helm.

Leg 1: Rotterdam to Barcelona with Captain Egor Krivonosov

What was your role on board Venera, and who accompanied you on the trip?

I was captain onboard Venera while she made her way from Rotterdam and Barcelona after leaving the Van der Valk shipyard – with our first stop being Cadiz, Spain. She can house a total of four crew on board – as well as up to 10 guests – but there was plenty of space during this period, as there were just three of us onboard: myself, a deckhand and the owner himself. The owner stayed onboard until Gibraltar.

Captain Egor Krivonosov (left) with deckhand

How were the conditions for your trip, and where did you visit when you were captain?

In terms of the weather on the trip itself, we managed okay, aside from one strong storm we faced on the way to Cadiz during which the winds reached up to 45 knots. Thankfully, we made it out to the other side and Venera fared very well. In our first season with Venera, we visited a diverse range of locations including Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Russia, France and Sicily.

Leg 2: Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale with Captain Tiago Palma

How did you first get involved with Venera?

A friend of mine called me out of the blue when I was spending Christmas in Cape Verde with my family and said: ‘I have this boat to take from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, I really need you to come because the owner has decided to move the boat here last minute in order to sell.’

Initially, I said no, but he called me again, a couple of hours later, saying he really needed me because he didn’t have a licence to cross the Atlantic and I do, and I agreed. The crossing took place in January and took us four weeks in total.

Where did you go and stop off on your trip?

We started off from a little port in Spain called Cambrils which is not far from Barcelona and from there we refilled in Gibraltar. We then stopped in São Vicente (Saint Vincent), in the Cape Verde islands, where the owner met us and joined us onboard. We then travelled to Saint Martin, where we stayed for about four days, before heading to the Dominican Republic. We were there for almost a week because of the weather and then travelled from there straight to Fort Lauderdale.

What were the most memorable aspects of the crossing for you?

I think it was probably the good weather, as we only had one night of bad weather on the whole trip, which was when we were between the Dominican Republic and Fort Lauderdale.

We are taking about 15-20 knots of wind on the bow, which is not comfortable, but it was not like a huge storm or anything. Venera managed just fine. The new owner is going to install fins, alongside the pre-existing VEEM 145 gyro stabilisers – this means that they will have two systems, offering even better stability in the most adverse conditions. Although I have been a captain for 24 years, Venera was my first crossing on board a motor yacht, so that makes it quite special to me!

Finally, how did the owner find the crossing?

It was like a dream come true for him. When we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, he took all of us out for dinner to say thank you for crewing the boat – he was very, very grateful for the whole trip and the crew, and being able to share this experience with us was really special for him. Also, as an added bonus, he really likes fishing, and we had fresh fish literally every day.