About us – get to know us

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The story behind Ballerina Sailing

It sounds an awful lot like an old sailor’s yarn, and is the story of a small family, a big dream and an unexpected opportunity. A story of an incredible encounter, an amazing transformation, the coolest parents in the world, and the best way to put the cart before the horse.

A story best told when an exciting day of sailing is concluded with an anchorage in a stunningly beautiful bay, and the evening rounded off with a glass of delicious wine enjoyed in good company on deck. If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to ask us!

The people behind Ballerina Sailing

“Us” – that’s a small team of four people. Patrick, the skipper of the “Ballerina”, and Birgit, Hildegard and Gert, the family that owns the ship. Patrick has been working as a freelance skipper and diving instructor since 1995, and as a ship surveyor since 2006. La Palma is where he calls home, and he has been living and working on board the ship since September 2018. The three members of the Roloff family are natives of Frankfurt – yet Frankfurt

merely sits by the River Main and not the ocean, which is why the Roloffs have been visiting La Palma for many years. A shared day’s cruising was the beginning of “Us”. After an additional three sailing cruises together, this has grown into the great adventure that is Ballerina Sailing, which we now wish to share with you. We invite you to become a part of this incredible story.

We look forward to seeing you!

The skipper

Patrick Bertrand
  • A highly qualified and experienced skipper who knows his trade inside out
    • >100,000 nautical miles and 35 years of experience
    • Qualified skipper and sailing instructor (PPV, RYA Cruising Instructor, RYA Yachtmaster Offshore)
    • Diving instructor (VDST/CMAS)
    • Certified ship surveyor (CCI Var)
    • Languages: German, English, Spanish, French
  • Had already been sailing a long time before he realised that he was better at ‘parking’ a ship than he was a car
  • A proud specimen of “homo aquaticus” who wonders why the planet is called Earth, even though 70% of it is made up of water

The Roloff family

Hildegard
  • Charming, warm and smart
  • Is better at parking a car than a ship
  • Completely relies on the skills of the skipper and the excellence of the ship
Gert
  • Thinks it is never too late to live your dream
  • Happily retired engineer and best dad in the world
  • Is still astonished by Hildegard’s maritime transformation
Birgit
  • Has the wonderful feeling of having made the right decision
  • Because life is now
  • Sailing apprentice