Happy New Year to everyone.
It has been a long time since I last did an entry. Had a great Christmas and New Years and will post photos in the next few days.
Well the plans are made. They have changed several times over the last 4 weeks but a decision has been made and flights are booked. During my search for a paying boat job an opportunity came my way that I just could not pass up. Not a paying job but a crew spot where the captain is footing the bill. So my living expenses are all covered and I will be reimbursed my half of my airfare (to get to the boat) during the trip in order to supply me with going ashore cash. Now you want to know about the boat and trip.
I received a message from a fellow in Cape Town, South Africa who is on an eastward circumnavigation. He needs a crew member and, after much emailing and phoning, I have decided to be it.
The boat is a traditional, wood 38' ketch. A Colin Archer double ender, full keel, very heavy displacement (20 tons) style designed by the well known naval architect, William Garden. A very comfortable and seaworth vessel that John built some 30 years ago. He has sailed over 100,000 miles in her and has (from the sound of things) kept her well maintained. The captain, John Williams, is from Sitka, Alaska where he lives on his island home and owns a sawmill that specializes in bevelled cedar siding milled from salvaged cedar beach logs. He left Sitka in August 2001 on this voyage and has returned periodically to earn some money (run the sawmill). He has sent me lots of detailed info about the boat and himself along with references. I feel confident that he is a good person and a well seasoned sea-going captain.
The route will take us about 4-6 months depending on how long we decide to spend on it. Weather will play a predominant role in these decisions as with all sailing voyages. Here is a likely itinerary:
Cape Town toRichards Bay to Europa 630 miles 7 days
Europa to Madagascar Central coastal islands 110 miles 1 day
Madagascar Central coastal islands to Cape St. Andre 350 miles 10 days
St. Andre to Majunga 120 miles 3 days
Majunga to Nosy Be 180 miles 7 days
Nosy Be 5 days
Nosy Be to Cape de Ambre 80 miles 4 days
Cape de Ambre to Seychelles 600 miles 7-10 days
(via Comorros and east Africa)
Nosy Be to Comorros 170 miles 2 days
Mayotte 5 days
Mayotte to Cape Delgado 300 miles 3 days
Cape Delgado to Zanzibar 300 miles 13 days
Zanzibar 3 days
Zanzibar to Seychelles 900 miles 9 days
Seychelles 5 days
Seychelles to Addu (Maldives) 1080 miles 10 days
Addu to Male (Maldives) 300 miles 13 days
Male to Sri Lanka 410 miles
Sri Lanka 7 days
Sri Lanka to Lankawi (Malaysia) 1040 miles 10 days
Without the east Africa, Comorros option:
Total passage time - 62 days
Total rest/interior travel time - 34 days
With the east-Africa, Comorros option included: (from Nosy Be via Zanzibar)
Total passage time - 73 days
Total rest/interior travel - 48 days
So about 3 months by the most direct route and around 4 months if east Africa is included.
Of course my preference is to include east Africa and Comorros.
My flights are as follows although the return route is still not carved in stone:
Depart Ottawa Jan 12 23:25, arrive London Heathrow Jan 13 11:15
(may go into London for the afternoon by train)
Depart London Heathrow Jan 13 20:15, arrive Cape Town Jan 14 09:50
Then returning:
Depart Kuala Lampur (Malaysia) July 13 02:00, arrive Dubai (United Arab Emirates) July 13 04:40
Depart Dubai July 13 07:45, arrive London Heathrow July 13 12:15
Depart London Heathrow July 13 15:15, arrive Ottawa July 13 17:45
That return trip seems shorter (about 15 hours) than it really is due to the westward travel. The jet lag on the trip back will be a killer. But I will have had 6 months of fabulous adventure travel to keep my mind upbeat and my body tired enough to sleep on the planes. I am getting used to airports and how to get about in them. I've been through some of the best and a few of the worst. Strangely, it is the ones that are the smallest that can be the worst. Dominican republic airports are horrible because of all the porters and taxi jerks with their hands out. Sometimes you have to wrestle your luggage away from them. One guy who claimed to have supplied me with a taxi (he practically knocked the driver out of the way to open the door for me) wanted a tip! He did not get one. I have become a tough customer in these things.
I will be flying on Air Canada, South African and Emirates Airlines. If you have had experience on either of the last two let me know.
John has also suggested the possibility of me working at the sawmill in the summer. So after a couple or three weeks in Ottawa I may head up to Alaska to earn a bit of money to replenish the coffers. That is not yet decided and much will depend on the five or six months spent aboard S/V Faraway. If all goes well, John has asked that I continue to crew for him for the rest of the circumnavigation. He will be returning to the boat in Southeast Asia in October 2004 to sail through the Asian Pacific (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Indies, northern Australia) to the South Pacific and New Zealand. That would be another 4-6 month journey. But it is still not carved in stone. The last part of his sailing venture will take him across the Pacific to South America and northward back to Alaska.
As far as my career plans for the future go. I believe that my mind is pretty much made up. I will be returning to school to study Interior Design or Decorating. The school and exact course has not yet been chosen. I may decide to study abroad. Then I'll use the training to start a new business. The idea is to do personal environment consultations. More details about that later as they unfold.
So that is it for now. Wish me luck on this next phase of my personal journey and world travels. Keep your eye on this blog for further updates. I may (if the guy gets it up and running on time) also be doing entries in the cruising log (CLOG) that I've been asked to do as a test case. When it is ready I'll let you know the website address.
Posted by gailene at January 3, 2004 12:21 PM