Blue water: Three friends on a cruise: the round-the-world voyage of "Blue Horizon"

Travelling the world - sure! But how? That was the big question that Leonie Maßmann, Thilo Ernst and Jonas Manke asked themselves long before the start of their big trip. The fact that the three young friends from Kamen in North Rhine-Westphalia ultimately chose an old steel ship as their travel vehicle almost surprised them, as they had little to do with sailing and the sea before.

"Many people thought we wouldn't make it," says Leonie Maßmann in an interview with YACHT. And the three of them also often doubted their plans themselves. But they are now determined to sail around the world. They use their savings to buy an old twelve-metre steel yacht in the Netherlands. The first trip on their own keel takes them across the Rhine to their home country, where they spend the following months getting the ship ready for the trip of a lifetime.

Even the refit turns into an adventure - they gather knowledge about boat technology and ask themselves question after question. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020 also complicates the project and even jeopardises the planned departure date in summer.

But Maßmann, Ernst and Manke are sticking to their plan. Not only that, they are documenting their adventure on Instagram and YouTube. Their channel "Blue Horizon" are already followed by over 25,000 spectators six months after their departure.

In the meantime, the trio has not only refitted and started their journey in turbulent times, but has also travelled across the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic in their wake. They reached the Brazilian coast just a few days ago.

Skipper Leonie Maßmann reports on the start of her life's adventure, rookie mistakes, bizarre encounters and great moments in the new YACHT 5/2021. The magazine is available in stores and online from today and can be downloaded as a digital edition.