AN ATLANTIC
ADVENTRUE IN
ART AND AMBITION
On 19 October, fifteen-year-old Dutch student and young artist Lotte Cobben set sail from the Netherlands aboard the tall ship Thalassa, embarking on a six-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.
Combining her love for the sea with her passion for painting, she set out to learn, grow and discover. Her journey embodies the Love Our Oceans spirit: curiosity, courage and care for our planet’s blue heart. Proud sponsor Damen Yachting shares that same belief: respect for the sea, learning by doing, and building together towards a sustainable future. We caught up with Lotte just before she set sail.
“It doesn’t quite feel real yet… Perhaps it will once I’m actually on board on 19 October. But I’m so looking forward to it.”
FROM THE DUTCH WADDEN SEA TO THE WORLD'S OCEANS
Lotte grew up surrounded by water. Summers on a flat-bottomed boat in the Wadden Sea and sailing trips with her father on a seven-metre yacht have shaped her love for life at sea.
“For me, sailing means being outdoors, feeling the sun on my face and finding peace of mind,” she says. “It calms me. And I just love being in nature.”
This time, however, she is taking a far greater leap, from week-long family holidays to half a year living on the ocean. “It’s strange,” she laughs. “Thirty times as long!”
LIFE AT SEA
The voyage is part of the School at Sea programme, which blends learning and life on board. Study days alternate with watch days. On study days, Lotte works independently on her coursework and exams; on watch days, she takes part in all aspects of shipboard life: steering, hoisting sails, cooking, cleaning and washing. “I’m a bit nervous about managing my time,” she admits. “How will I stay focused on my studies when dolphins swim by?”
One highlight she particularly looks forward to is the ‘ship takeover’, when the students form their own crew and apply for roles ranging from watch leader to captain. “Then we’ll really be running the ship together. You learn responsibility, teamwork and how to make decisions.”
12,000 MILES OF ADVENTURE
The first week is dedicated to sail training: safety manoeuvres, practice drills and, fear of heights or not, climbing the mast. “I’m definitely going up once. Precisely because it’s scary,” she says with determination. She’ll also celebrate her sixteenth birthday on 28 October, likely still on the North Sea.
The journey covers around 12,000 nautical miles, with stops that may include Tenerife, Dominica, Curaçao and Panama. “Nothing is ever completely fixed, the weather always decides with us.” Her likely favourite? “Probably Panama,” she smiles. “We’ll plan our own eight-day trip there as a group, within a set budget.”
TALL SHIP THALASSA
Life on board is both lively and intimate. With some fifty people on board, including thirty-seven students aged fifteen to seventeen, teamwork is key. “The ship is very practical; you really live closely together,” says Lotte. The Thalassa carries fourteen sails, a world apart from her small family boat. “During the photoshoot I stood on deck for the first time. It was amazing to see the ship in real life.”
TRAVELLING WITH RESPECT FOR THE OCEAN
Clear rules on board help minimise environmental impact: using the engine as little as possible, avoiding products with microplastics, and joining forces to clean beaches and islands. “It fits with what I care about most, respecting the sea,” says Lotte.
How does one prepare for something so vast and unpredictable? “By organising, planning, and letting go of expectations,” she says. She anticipates sore muscles and strong winds, but also moments requiring real mental resilience. “You have to push through even when you’re tired or miss home.”
ART INSPIRED BY THE SEA
Painting is Lotte’s second nature. As a child, she took art workshops at a local gallery, and in recent years her work has become more expressive, often capturing nautical scenes that reveal her deep bond with the sea.
To fund her voyage, she devised an original idea: offering bespoke watercolours in return for sponsorship. Her prints are now even available in the National Maritime Museum shop in Amsterdam.
For Damen Yachting, Lotte is creating a painting of the refit project Here Comes the Sun, a symbol of renewal, sustainability and forward thinking. “I love turning nothing into something,” she says. “Sometimes I switch off part of my brain… and suddenly, it’s finished.” She’ll take her sketchbook and small easel on the voyage.
A DIFFERENT PERSON AFTER 6 MONTHS AT SEA
What does she expect from herself after six months on the ocean? “That I’ll have changed,” Lotte says without hesitation. “You learn to work together, to take responsibility, and your world simply becomes bigger.”
She hopes to discover new sides of herself and to inspire others to treat the sea with care. “Because we are guests on the water,” she reflects, “one should always leave a place better than one found it.”
AT A GLANCE
- Age at departure: Fifteen (turned sixteen on 28 October).
- Duration: 19 October 2025 -18 April 2026.
- Crew: About fifty people, including thirty-seven students (aged fifteen to seventeen).
- Vessel: Thalassa, a tall ship with fourteen sails.
- Route (approx.): 12,000 nautical miles via Tenerife, Dominica, Curaçao and Panama.
- Sustainability on board: Minimal engine use, no microplastics, beach and island clean-ups.
LOVE OUR OCEANS
At Damen Yachting, we believe the ocean connects us all. It inspires joy, fuels adventure, and reminds us of our shared responsibility. With #LOVEOUROCEANS, we celebrate this connection and take action to protect its future. More than a campaign, Love Our Oceans is a movement. A platform where awareness becomes interaction, and interaction becomes action. It connects our community, partners and stakeholders to celebrate the beauty of the sea while supporting initiatives that deliver real and lasting impact.
By joining our community, you stay close to these moments and to the positive energy of a network that chooses both joy and responsibility. Want to join? Sign up for our community and stay updated on the latest events, challenges, and news.