Caroline Meffert
Born 1st  of November 1958 in Tiel (The Netherlands), grew up in a family with father, mother and a sister. My youth I spent in Heemstede and Leersum. Later on in life I moved to Delft, Voorschoten and Leiden.
From my early youth on I was acquainted with sailing. In my family, everybody took to sailing: grandparents, uncles, aunts, even our ancestors were at sea for generations.
In my younger years my parents first had a Wibo and later on we finished a steel frame of a Dutch Dandy ourselves. My sister and I learned our first lessons in a very small wooden boat, called a ‘pirate’, with 1 sail.
After that we bought a Vauriën, a wooden racing boat, very much suited to sail pretty fast.
Everything I learned about sailing was mostly by practice and what my parents taught me.
Unfortunately, my then boyfriend ( and later: husband) did not share my passion for sailing, so my sister and I sold the boat.
After the divorce I got to know Fred (in 2008) and found love again, both in him and in sailing. Pretty soon we started renting a small boat, called a Falk,  in the weekends. Thus I could get used to sailing again. The ‘feeling’ was quickly restored; once it’s in your blood…..
When Fred told me he was planning to leave the Netherlands in a couple of years and spend the rest of his life sailing, in warmer locations, I felt a ‘zing’ inside. That’s what I wanted too!
And so, “his” plan became “our” plan.

 
Fred Gödecke
Born 4th  of September 1956 in The Hague. Grew up in a family with father, mother, sister and brother. I passed my youth in The Hague and later on moved to Alphen aan de Rijn.
The sailing ‘bug’ caught me only later on in my life. In the beginning of the ‘70’s I got acquainted with sailing through friends. My former spouse and me liked it very much and so we bought a Vivacity 24 in 1989. Together with our 2 children we roamed about the Netherlands a lot in the holidays. Sailed the IJssellake, the Waddensea and the lakes in Friesland (north NL).
While I wanted to continue, but my former spouse did not, we decided to sell the boat. But the sailingbug kept with me, so I turned to seasailing. I got my license I and II, Marcom B and CWO seasailing. Twice I joined the SeaSailers to gain experience.  At the same time I decided to, when I would quit working, I would buy a seaworthy yacht and leave the Netherlands, alone.
Because I came to know Caroline, this plan has become a joint venture.
 

Kit
Born 29th of July 2014 in Hazerswoude-Dorp on a farm, together with a brother and a sister. My mother is a single mum, my father left before our birth, without a trace.
I’m a European Shorthair, brown-black striped, 3 white paws and white chin. My ears resemble that of a lynx; they have little plumes on them. I’m big, strong and muscular and have b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l big eyes!
Op the 12th of September 2014, Caroline and Fred took me in to their home in Alphen aan de Rijn. I’m then only 6 weeks and 3 days old and weigh only 650 grams. They named me Kitty, because they assumed I was female, but I knew better! On the 5th of December 2014 I bursted their bubble and showed them that I’m a real tomcat. And so they changed my name from Kitty to Kit. Sounds much more robust and suits me better anyway….

About my character:
I  like to play and do my little tricks, for instance in the climbing net. I like to sit in someone’s lap and grouse a lot. In houses, I like the windowsills; there is so much to see outside! I loooove visitors, love snuggling, but I am clear about when I have had enough.

I’m preparing to be sea-and travelworthy, learn to walk on a leash and come running up quickly when my captains use the ‘clicker’. Our boat is no longer strange territory for me. I’m running up and down the deck, jump on and off things and investigate. My captains sometimes are a bit scared and are afraid I might slip in my enthusiasm and end up in the water. NO WAY! Much too cold for me!
I and my captains (that’s the order of things, right?) are going to sail the seven seas and explore countries. Sounds very exciting to me, I’m a sucker for adventure.
I’ll keep you informed of my whereabouts and experiences!