The Best Mistake by Vivian Oskam

The Best Mistake is a rare kind of memoir: wildly entertaining on the surface, but quietly life-shifting underneath. It begins with a dream that turns instantly chaotic when 27-year-old Dutch couple Bram and Vivian buy their ‘perfect’ boat, Duende, only to discover it’s a floating disaster. Years of repairs follow, and when they finally set sail, they do it with money for one year and plans for six.

What follows isn’t just a sailing story, it’s a masterclass in courage, resilience and choosing the life you want, even when it’s messy and uncomfortable.

Now living in New Zealand, their final port after six years at sea, Vivian recounts an adventure covering more than 22,000 miles. The voyage quickly becomes a page-turning account of improvisation and endurance, navigating oceans, breakdowns, fear and uncertainty with determination, ingenuity and sheer refusal to quit.

The Best Mistake is packed with unforgettable moments: brutal storms that nearly end everything; the surreal practicality of building a trailer in the Argentine desert to save their boat; and the raw beauty (and risk) of sailing through Patagonia while Vivian is pregnant. When daughter Flora is born in Chile and the voyage continues across the South Pacific, the book becomes more than a travelogue. It’s a portrait of a family built in motion, shaped by self-reliance, partnership and constant negotiation with the sea.

What makes the memoir so compelling is its honesty. It never romanticises life at sea, instead capturing the relentless exhaustion and the way ‘adventure’ can feel like an ongoing series of mistakes. However, it balances breathtaking landscapes and real danger with humour and a deep interest in the places they encounter. It’s a story about learning as you go, the cost of chasing a dream, and the strange way the ‘wrong’ decision can become the one that gives you a life you wouldn’t trade. 

The real takeaway is the life lessons, packed into six years in a way that most people don’t experience in a lifetime. Vivian shows how courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the willingness to act alongside it. Together, their resilience is built through repetition; one repair, one near-miss and one hard day at a time. As a couple, their partnership is tested and strengthened under the pressure.

The Best Mistake is one of those rare memoirs that doesn’t just tell a good story, it makes you look at your own life a little differently. It’s inspiring in the truest sense: not glossy or effortless, but hard-won. Bram and Vivian’s journey is proof that you can choose an extraordinary path and that the ‘wrong’ decision can become the one that changes everything.

And here’s the thing: I’ve never had any desire to sail long distances. The idea of months at sea has never appealed, but I loved every minute of following Vivian’s dream! Her grit, humour and stubborn hope were addictive, and I found myself swept along by the sheer scale of their adventure. The Best Mistake isn’t just a sailing memoir; it’s a reminder of what can happen when you decide you’re going to do the thing, learn as you go and keep going when it gets hard.

Whether you’ve ever wanted to sail, or not, The Best Mistake is proof that you don’t need perfect timing, resources or confidence to begin. You just need to decide, start imperfectly, learn as you go and keep going when it gets hard. For readers who love true adventure, survival-by-ingenuity stories and memoirs that leave you feeling braver than when you started, The Best Mistake is a hugely satisfying read.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy

190 Degrees available via https://boatbooks.co.nz/product/the-best-mistake/