Our crew
The only permanent crew member on board the SY Staatenlos is our skipper, Janosch, or “Josh” for short. Josh left Germany for good at the age of 18 and has been racking up nautical miles since 2012, when he sailed to the Caribbean via the Atlantic in a little steel boat. After living in Venezuela, Colombia and Panama for many years, Josh knows his way around the region between the San Blas Islands and Cartagena, where he operated charter boats and transport vessels on the usual backpacker route from Panama to Colombia.
Josh using the “Manta” recorded by our FyFish underwater drone
In 2019, Josh did an internship at Staatenlos.ch in Medellín, Colombia, and I was instantly captivated by his passion for sailing. Less than a year later, after a brief meeting and two test charter weeks in Croatia, he was named the captain of the SY Staatenlos. Every minute you spend on board the catamaran with Josh, you can see how committed he is to looking after her – I really couldn’t ask for a better skipper. Josh is also an excellent chef when it comes to Asian cuisine – and he carries out pretty much all the repairs himself.
Josh drives the dinghy at Playa Genoveses in Almeria, Spain
The SY Staatenlos is owned by me, Christoph Heuermann. I’m the guy who founded Staatenlos.ch and I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of exploring the world and its oceans – ever since I started devouring atlases and encyclopaedias as a little kid. From 2015 to the start of 2020, I travelled to 160 countries, including several faraway destinations that I could only reach by ship, such as Antarctica, the Galápagos Islands and even the Pitcairn Islands. My dream of visiting every country in the world by the age of 30 came to an abrupt halt in March 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-1984, but my ambitions have only been put on hold (not cancelled).
Christoph in his flamingo
I’ve always been drawn to the idea of sailing, but only with the comforts of an owner who can rely on his expert crew while he concentrates on dozens of other business projects. I’ve never been interested in being a regular crew member on other people’s boats – I even quit my first sailing course in Greece in June 2017. I’m all about getting my hands dirty on my own boat – and now I’m licensed to sail on the high seas and have thousands of nautical miles under my belt.
Christoph aboard baking Pizza
I’d only really thought about getting a multihull, partly because I’m a pretty lanky guy (2 metres), so the Lagoon 380 is the perfect first boat for me. It’s big enough for me to sail with all the modern comforts a young man needs, but small enough for me to buy at fairly short notice. I’m sure it won’t be my last boat – I’ve already set my sights on a larger and completely self-sufficient electric aluminium trimaran that will open up even the most remote polar regions – but until then I’ve still got a lot of nautical miles to cover on the SY Staatenlos.
The perfect new home – just escaping the lockdowns
In the long term, Christoph doesn’t want to spend the whole year on the SY Staatenlos, but around 4 months a year. But due to a lack of alternatives in the COVID-1984 period, he might have to spend more time on board. He’s more interested in exploring remote regions and islands that are almost impossible to reach by conventional means. But the catamaran isn’t just a tacky man-toy – she’s an investment in his future, as the vessel can be chartered out to his global community of online entrepreneurs and investors, who can explore the world with skipper Josh. Come and join us on board…
Josh with our crew during a visit of La Graciosa island in the Canaries, November 2020
The SY Staatenlos is also supported by various other crew members during her travels. We regularly advertise vacancies via popular online sailing groups, such as “Hand gegen Koje”, and their members can lend us a hand for a few days or weeks when necessary. This has even led to a few long-term friendships. However, we don’t accept applications for permanent crew members. In coastal waters, Josh and his girlfriend are perfectly capable of ensuring the safety and comfort of our guests on their own. After all, we want to provide our guests with as much space as possible!