Sailing has always been about discovery. Like the Americas were discovered by sailing ship centuries ago, we want to explore the American continent sailing – by land this time. Our mode of transport is the Whike: a recumbent bicycle with a sail. An invention that could only be done by a Dutchman (Fredjan Twigt). We want to advocate a new way of traveling; carbon neutral, adventurous and connected to local communities. Along the way we take stock of progress on the energy transition. By visiting projects and initiatives, talking to diverse people from different places and learning more about our own personal footprint and how we can mitigate it.

The dream of this trip originated a couple of years while living in India. Sitting in a tree house overlooking beautiful tea plantations in Kerala we thought of doing another year abroad – without working this time. The idea of doing the Pan America followed, but we want to do it in a sustainable and slow paced way. The idea to travel by bicycle followed and the discovery of the Whike on the internet was the last piece of the puzzle. We love the combination of harnessing wind power, peddle power and electric mobility.

Matthijs (31) has a degree in mathematical finance (Tilburg) and started his career with Shell working in the Netherlands and India. This brought him a passion for the energy system and the believe we need to change it. Motivated to dedicate a career to make a change in the energy transition, he moved to Dutch sustainable utility Eneco to learn more about development of renewable projects.

Jakoba (30) was born in the north of the Netherlands and studied Finance (Groningen). She moved to London after her studies to work in investment banking for JP Morgan and Pöyry Capital. In India she worked for an NGO developing social ventures. Back in Amsterdam she started working for a Japanese bank (SMBC) focusing on project finance for renewables.

Together we have worked on the development and financing of numerous onshore and offshore wind parks across the Netherlands and Belgium. In typical Dutch fashion we live on a houseboat on the water in Amsterdam. We would love to get in touch with you along the way and share your thoughts and ideas for a greener tomorrow! Oh, and in case you were wondering why Jakoba is wearing that dress: this trip is also our honeymoon!