There’s an expression most people know: when you do what you love, you’ll never work another day in your life. In 2016, I left my corporate job at Nike and decided to find out if that was actually true.
It took some time. I started small — testing what I was capable of on my own. In 2018 I launched Ultimate Downwinder, organising all-inclusive kitesurf trips to Brazil, Madagascar, and Oman. It worked. But something was still missing.
What was missing was the sailboat. I grew up on the water — whenever the wind was right, my parents would take my brothers and me out on the lake in front of our house. That stillness when the engine cuts off and the sail fills. The water moving under you without noise. It’s one of the few places where your mind genuinely quiets down — not because you force it, but because there’s simply nothing else demanding your attention.
Everybody probably knows the expression “when you can make money with what you love to do, you won’t work another day in your life”. That is exactly how I started to live since I quite my corporate job at Nike in 2016. Started to listen very closely to my heart and focus on the things that truly make me happy in life and give me energy. Among them are travelling, kitesurfing, sailing, entrepreneurship and helping people.
I’ve started off with small projects that would test my entrepreneurial skills. Eventually combining two big passions by starting a travel company for kitesurfers in 2018. Organising all-inclusive package trips to Brazil, Madagascar and Oman. This company is named ‘Ultimate Downwinder’.
It didn’t scratch my itch completely, I was missing something. From a very young age I’ve been on the water with my parents and brothers. Whenever the right weather conditions were there, we would take the sailboat out and sail on the lake in front of our house. The feeling you get when sliding over the water using a natural element is amazing. It brings you into meditative state and calms the soul. This is what I wanted to integrate in the Sailing2Wellness experience.
Personal growth has played an important role in my life as well. Reading self-help books and listing to inspiring podcasts are part of my weekly routine. The exercises and rituals provided me with balance during the most challenging chapters in my life. I see them as an essential part of my personal development and made me a more grounded human being.
I sail every trip personally — through the Maddalena Archipelago, across the Bonifacio Strait, along the Dalmatian coast, into Turkish bays I’ve been visiting for years. I know these waters well, which means I can take you to the places that don’t appear in guides.
Every week, a professional private chef joins us on board. Meals are prepared fresh each day using local ingredients — Sardinian farmers, Corsican markets, Croatian fishermen. Nourishing, unpretentious, inspired by the Blue Zone principles of the Mediterranean.
Our wellness guide leads a daily session — yoga on a beach before the heat arrives, breathwork on deck at anchor, meditation as the sun goes down. These aren’t mandatory. They’re there if you want them, shaped around the group on board.
Sailing2Wellness is not a product. It’s a way of travelling I genuinely believe in. The guests who come back year after year — and many do — aren’t chasing luxury. They’re chasing that feeling of being truly off, truly present, truly well.
We sail in Dutch, English, and Spanish.
At Sailing2Wellness, we believe in the power of the sea to restore, inspire, and connect.
Vincent will be your skipper during the sailing experience, guiding you through some of the most beautiful and hidden places along the coast. With a passion for both sailing and wellness, he’s committed to creating a space where you can truly disconnect from the noise and reconnect with nature.
Every week, a professional private chef joins us on board to prepare delicious and wholesome meals using fresh, local ingredients — perfect for fueling your adventures and enhancing your sense of wellbeing.
Our dedicated wellness guide leads a daily activity such as yoga, meditation, or breathwork to help you reset, recharge, and stay present throughout your journey.
And don’t worry if you speak a different language — we welcome an international crowd and communicate in Dutch, English, and Spanish.
