When Captain Goeran Met His First Mate: From a Goodbye to a Shared Horizon

We first met back in Sweden, both deeply involved in our own boat projects and driven by the same love for sailing, building, and living life off-grid. At the time, we were just two individuals crossing paths in a harbour, each focused on our own journey. Thirteen years later, after very different lives apart, we found ourselves side by side. Here’s the story of how it all began, what happened in between, and how we ended up as partners both on deck and in life.

Captain Goeran and Hilda in Cartagena, Colombia

Goeran: I first met Hilda around 2008 or 2009. She had just bought her first yacht, a small Leisure 23, which she lived on for about a year before moving on to a bigger project. We met in the industrial harbour in Malmö, Sweden — she had come to see me, or rather Quest, and was introduced by a mutual acquaintance.

Some time later, I was out running the engine on my new dinghy, touring the different harbours, when I spotted her again. This time, she was flat on the deck of her 43-foot yacht, sanding it down, covered in fiberglass dust. I remember thinking, “Now that’s a seriously cool girl.”

Hilda's 43-foot yacht in Lagunen, Malmö, Sweden

Hilda: I remember when Goeran taught me knots. What struck me even more was his dedication to building Quest — from the ground up. I was working on my own boat back then. The first year I was in my last year of highschool so I was very young when I started. Then it took nearly four years of grinding, working full-time as a truck driver to fund the project, then spending every spare hour on the boat. I love creating and working with my hands. But building a yacht entirely from scratch? That was something else. It deeply impressed me.

We saw each other during this time, as friends, but we were both completely immersed in our own missions. However, despite that, or maybe because of it, we had a very strong unspoken bond. I think we are very similar like that. Like Goeran, I have always had a very strong self-discipline.

Pictures taken 2011 onboard Quest, right before Goeran sailed for the Arctic

Goeran: Just before I set sail for the Arctic, I left my dock and anchored outside the harbour Lagunen in Malmö — my last night ashore. I wanted to say goodbye to a few people. And who came out to Quest that evening? Hilda.

She came onboard, we had a beer together, and I remember thinking about asking her to come with me. But I didn’t. Then we said goodbye and I left — and honestly, I never expected to see her again. But 13 years later, she appeared in Cartagena. It was… surreal.

Hilda: It really was. In those 13 years I sold my boat, bought farmland and forest, refurbished my house, worked in the woods producing firewood, and started a property company where I worked on my properties around the clock (I still do when I’m back in Sweden), spent 7 years at university during all of this because I love to study, took my teacher’s exam, worked as a teacher, got married and divorced, and had 14 cats at one point. I lived a whole life; then out of the blue I contacted Goeran again after 13 years. I asked if he knew someone who could offer me a teaching job abroad because I wanted to do something new.

Hilda and her Deutz-Fahr back at her farm

Goeran: I didn’t know anyone hiring teachers… but I did need a cook at some point. So instead, I asked her if she’d like to join me on Quest as first mate and cook.

Hilda: I said yes instantly. I quit my job and landed in Cartagena two weeks later, on Christmas Day.

Goeran: Since then, we’ve been running Quest side by side. We’re not just a couple; we’re true teammates, the best ones in every aspect.

Hilda: The skills I gained renovating the boat, and my properties, and living off-grid have given me confidence throughout the years when it comes to all kind of practical things. And with Goeran’s thorough experience, I learn a lot that I have not yet mastered. We complement each other very well. I do a lot of our online marketing, the food obviously, and Goeran does what he does best, run Quest. We tackle refurbishing projects and so much more as a team. And we have so much fun together!

Photo of us in San Blas, taken by a passenger

Goeran built up Quest and launched her charter adventures single-handedly. When Hilda came aboard, she stepped into a journey already underway. Now, for the first time, we’re creating something from the ground up together — a new chapter of high-latitude sailing, with future Arctic expeditions, and beyond!