At the moment too much happening and too much away from home to have guests... Sorry. You can still ask, but the probability is low for a while...
I live with my girlfriend on a 12 meter (40 foot) catamaran sailing boat. We sail it when we can and are planning a long trip. It’s a comfortable boat with 3 separate double cabins.

Current missions:
1. Developing my own catamaran designs into something you can buy.
2. Learn to fly without wings.
3. Try to get realistic.

I'm older than the average couch surfer, but you won't notice and I've done much fun, so I have stories to tell. I'm energetic, smile much and talk easy. Honest and tidy. Don't smoke. Drink rarely, but enjoy it when I do. Easy going positive person. Never moody. Life is good. :-)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The first time I properly couch surfed was 1982, long before the internet, hitchhiking around Europe, often was invited home. The best experiences of the trip. I've traveled this way many times, to experience places the right way. A place is its people more than its buildings.

The couch surfer app is perfect to get just that real experience of life and meet more nice people. Saved hotel money can be spent for experiencing the place with them. The magic of travel is the people you didn't think existed.

Interests

I love nature and sports. Doing, not watching . Sailing is "my" thing. Racing and cruising for 40 years, including across the Atlantic and at arctic Spitzbergen.
Cross country skiing is the best way to experience winter landscapes, along with kite skiing. Snowboarding since late eighties. Biking, especially in forests or mountains. History. Travelling means I learn more and see the connections.
I like the normal things too, music (girlfriend is a professional singer), food, books....

• books
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• flying
• traveling
• cars
• magic
• music
• cycling
• sailing
• skiing
• snowboarding
• sports
• history
• hitchhiking
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

"My music" growing up: Pink Floyd and actually the Beatles. I told you I'm old.
Later, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Dire Straits, Rage Against the Machine.
Now, newer music of the not cheapo pop type, plus jazz and classic music, but the oldies are still goldies. :-)

Movies: Jim Jarmush: "Down by law", the Cohen brothers: "O brother, where art thou", Taviani: "Cinema Paradiso".

BOOKS: Gabriel Garcia Marques: "One hundred years of silence", Tolkien: "Lord of the rings". And a long list....

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

On a fast 40-foot sailing catamaran, two days into a journey from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean towards Europe, across the north Atlantic Ocean, about midnight with a full Moon high on the sky, very bright, a squall rolled in with dark clouds, heavy wind and torrential rain.

During the squall, a shadow swept across the clouds and it got pitch black. Scary dark. I was alone on watch so I reduced sail area and prepared for the crazy heavy weather I assumed would hit us like an express train.

Nothing seemed to happen though, and after a while the wind even dropped and I saw stars through the clouds. Strange, as it was still pitch black. Gradually a night sky so clear it was hard to believe was revealed. I could see the full Moon again too, but just very dim. Then I understood: It was a lunar eclipse! The shadow of the Earth was on the Moon. The squall coming just before was a coincidence, but it made the impression stronger.

Lunar eclipses happen quite often, but I don't see them, and being in open sea, was special! No light from Sun, Moon or cities to fog the atmosphere. That starry sky was like nothing I've ever seen. All the stars seemed very much brighter, like they had jumped way closer, and there were so many! Everywhere there were stars. Staring at the darker spots, you could even see stars there too.

It lasted for a couple of hours I think, and I felt like I was on a spaceship in the depth of the open universe. Intoxicating and actually made me a bit dizzy. Thinking about it, still gives me the goose bumps.

Teach, Learn, Share

There are about 42 topics in the world I know nothing about, but everything else I know! :-) I've been curious all my life, so aside from being an annoying besserwisser, I might be able to widen your horizon, or at least entertain you.

Still, learning is my favorite hobby, so from you, I'll probably learn too. Host and guest, both of us learning and both of us teaching, if that's not proper sharing, nothing is!

What I Can Share with Hosts

All I got. :-) Mostly try to make a good time for all around me. Tell stories. Share my enthusiasm. Make a good mood. Discuss whatever topic. I can cook a nice meal. I'm no pro, but quite capable in the kitchen. I do the dishes too. :-)

I'm good at fixing stuff, real handyman, so maybe I can help you with some? Bicycles are a specialty. Was my work once. Can even do fairly major car repairs, at least on older cars, but I won't be bringing much of tools, so probably no use, but by all means, do ask me. I actually think it's fun to fix things.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Norway