I don’t know about you, but whenever I really need an extra dose of wanderlust, one of my favorite things to do is scroll through some of my favorite sailing Instagram accounts. Even though I already live on a sailboat and am currently traveling the Western Caribbean, I still love seeing some of the awesome places that other sailors are traveling.

These sailing Instagrammers keep me inspired, even on the hard days (when shit breaks, you’re sitting somewhere during hurricane season, or you’re just really craving cold Chinese leftovers and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s) and reminds me why we’re doing this in the first place.

This is not an exhaustive list, nor are they in any particular order. These are just a few of my personal favorites, and hopefully you’ll enjoy them and be inspired by them, too.

1: Sailing La Vagabonde – @elayna.carausu

Elayna and Riley are two young (and gorgeous) sailors from Australia who met in Greece and had no idea how to sail before setting out to sail around the world. They’ve since sailed over 30,000 nautical miles and have documented nearly all of their trip.

They have a drool-worthy Instagram account and a great blog, but most folks know them from their videos (which, as of this writing, bring them in over $8,000 each on their Patreon account). I binge watched almost all of their videos once I first discovered them and have been inspired by their travels ever since.

You can follow La Vagabonde on Instagram and get inspired, too!

2: MJ Sailing – @mattandjessicasailing

One thing I love about Matt and Jessica is that they aren’t afraid to show the good as well as the not-so-glamorous side of cruising. They started out several years ago on a Sabre 34 named Serendipity and sailed the Caribbean before crossing the Atlantic to spend some time in the Mediterranean. They arrived to Europe only to find their dream boat (of the aluminum variety) for sale at a can’t-pass-up price in Florida and promptly made an offer. The offer was accepted and shortly after, they sailed right back across the Atlantic to sell Serendipity and move onto their new boat which was going to need a complete refit.

They’ve since been in Florida working their asses off to get their new boat, Elements of Life, ready for full-time cruising. Their plan is to “check sail” to the Bahamas before venturing up to higher latitudes to do some cold-weather sailing in the North Passage.

If you’re looking for something other than the usual palm trees, sandy beaches, and swimming pool-esque waters, follow Matt and Jessica on Instagram or their blog for some fun (and funny) boat-work photos along with some dreamy photos of their past travels. Be on the lookout for some sure-to-be stunning glacial photos on Instagram in the near future.

3: Laura Corbe – @lauracorbe

If you want to see some of the most stunning underwater photography of some of the most amazing creatures in the sea, you’re in for a treat! Laura sails on s/v Sandy Feet along with her husband Andy and their two young daughters. She and her family are avid supporters of shark conservation as well as other marine life, and you might just find yourself double-tapping every single photo on Laura’s Instagram!

You won’t see too many of the typical sailing photos, but their interactions with shark, dolphin, and other marine life is even more exciting, and will inspire you to bust out your wetsuit, snorkel, and GoPro. Laura’s posts also share a ton of education (without being preachy) including fun facts, as well as some sad facts and how we can be better stewards of the ocean. Follow Laura on Instagram and help save the sharks.

4: Monday Never – @mondaynever

Will and Cat look like the kind of people you totally want to hang out and drink a beer with. In fact, their story begins, as so many good ones do, with spring break and decisions fueled by alcohol. (Their words, not mine.) They bought a boat sight-unseen and sailed the Caribbean for many months before returning, selling the boat, then heading to tour Europe on a Ural M70 motorcycle with sidecar.

Now, they’re back in the states working and saving for their next adventure, which may include more time on the water. Their Instagram account is still one worth following. I’m hoping they’ll get another boat and go sailing again. Follow Will and Cat on Instagram to see where their next adventure takes them.

5: Liz Clark – @captainlizclark

Liz Clark is a badass. And when she’s not badassing…nevermind. That never happens. She’s a surfer, conservationist, and captain, and helps raise awareness on all sorts of things like plastic in our oceans, the horrific culling of sharks, and the effects of sunscreen ingredients on the coral reefs (spoiler alert: it’s killing them).

She’s been sailing around the world for over 10 years now, just doing her thing (you know, being a badass), and helping educate us along the way. You can follow her on Instagram and see the adventures she shares along with her cat, aptly named Tropicat.

6: Jessie & Luke – @jessiebrave

Many of us first learned about Jessie when she was traveling with her best friend Katie on a Cal 27. When Jessie and Katie’s journey was over, Jessie met Luke, they fell in love, and decided to do the Atlantic Loop.

At the time of this writing, they just completed the Atlantic crossing to England where she shares photos of icebergs (stunning), life at sea, and tells a great story with her photos. She’s also a great writer. You can follow Jessie on Instagram here.

7: Abandon Comfort – @abandoncomfort

Ryan and Kelsey are two super-sweet twenty-somethings who have their eye on the prize. They were sailing a Hallberg-Rassy that they paid cash for after saving a bunch of money renting out a room in their former apartment via AirBnB, driving for Uber, and just plain-old saving. They sold that boat and purchased a Falmouth Cutter, and have other projects int he works as well. 

They’ve documented the process of searching for the right boat to buying the boat, and making her a “home” on their Instagram channel, sharing the things they’ve learned along the way. Follow Ryan and Kelsey on Instagram and watch as they cast off the lines in the near future and head for the Caribbean.

8: Sailing Totem – @sailingtotem

This family of five has been sailing around the world for almost 10 years. When it comes to sailing with kids, these guys wrote the book on it. Literally, they co-wrote the book Voyaging With Kids and what a life their kids must have.

They’ve got some amazing sailing shots as well as other nature and wildlife you don’t often see on other sailing Instagram accounts (like their safari in Africa). Their Instagram is definitely worth following, especially if you have kids.

9: Saving to Sail – @savingtosail

Me and my husband Chris, along with our 50 lb. Dutch Shepherd Jet, have sailed the Caribbean aboard our 35′ boat Vacilando. We’ve been traveling on a boat since 2012 and sailed up and down the East Coast of the United States and Western Florida for several years before I was able to quit my job (which I worked remotely for) and completely sail away for a while.

We are now on a Halberg Rassy Rasmus 35 and spend our time between the boat and land-traveling through Mexico.

We have no plans to quit anytime soon, and I’m sharing some of my favorite photos of our travels on my Instagram page, so go ahead and give me a follow!

Got a favorite sailing Instagram account that I didn’t mention, or have one of your own? Leave a comment so we can all find and follow each other!