I am doing a large portion of the trip through something called the WorldARC check out
World ARC for more information. A cool thing about the site is that you can actually see where ever our boat is in the entire world on their website.
Q: Who are you going with?
A: It will be me, and two other guys. Both of the guys are married and retired, and so the 3 of us will be sharing a 50 foot mono hull together. One is a retired Naval officer, and the other is a retired accounting professor. Then for the bulk of the trip we will meet up with a group of about 40 other boats though, and about 200 other people, so we will be traveling with in larger numbers.
Q: Is Christine going? (if you just stumbled upon this, Christine is my wife)
A: Regretfully, no. At this point in time she is really enjoying her job as a teacher, and is not wanting to leave it to sail with me. On the plus side, the trip is costing less than we initially imagined, so she is able to fly out to where ever we will be on most of her breaks and see me. The other guys I am sailing with have wives too, and they will be doing something similar. Although we are both really bummed about being apart for the time, she is supportive and happy for me that I am pursuing my dream, and even happier that once I return we will be starting family. (you it heard it here first!)
Q: What's the route?
A: Ok, so we will be taking a westward route around the world, and you can find more specific details at the above link, but here's the simple answer: We start in San Diego, and head down the coast until we get to Panama. Outside of Panama we will meet up with the other boats, and make our way to the Galapagos islands, then across the Pacific and do some island hopping (Fiji, Tahiti, and a ton of islands I've only heard of because of Survivor)- we get to see a ton of awesome places places in there, then Australia coast line to northern Australia, then Bali, then across the Indian Ocean to a little island outside of Madagascar, then down to South Africa, then across the Atlantic to Brazil, and up the coast to the Caribbean, then through the Panama canal, and out to Hawaii, where Christine will meet up with me for the completion of our trip.
Q:What kind of communication with the outside world will you have/can you receive mail?
A:The boat has a satellite phone, but it's pretty expensive so we will only use it for emergencies. Also it's possible to email through radio frequencies, but it's slower than dial-up, so we will limit that to short emails. Most communications will be done while at land, and various locations along the way. I will be able to receive mail though, and I will later post addresses if people want to mail stuff to me. Basically you put the boat name on the letter, and when we arrive at a port they have it for us.
Q:How safe is it?
A: So there are a few common concerns. First- real pirates: We are traveling in a large group, which tends to mean more safety, and also we are taking a longer route in order to avoid areas that have high risk for pirates. Weather: This is why it's going to take us so long to complete the trip, because we are taking our time to avoid stormy season in all of these locations. Boat: The Captain has been sailing for 40 years, and both the captain and first mate have extensive sailing experience. On top of that there is a replacement part for pretty much everything on the boat. The captain built most of everything on the boat, and knows how to fix it as well if things go wrong with it.
Q: What's the boat like?
A: It's a 50 foot mono hull. It's pretty rugged on the inside, but it's made to function under any circumstances. Here's a picture of the boat...
Q: What is your longest time at sea?
A: The longest stretch at sea is about 22 days crossing the Pacific ocean.
Q: How did you find out about this?
A: There will be a longer post later going into more detail about the whole story, but the simple answer is online. I was looking at a crew posting site on the World ARC website, and just day dreaming about sailing around the world, as I often tend to do, and these guys were looking for a 3rd person for their trip. It turned out the dates of departure, and required skill level (see next question) were a perfect fit.
Q: Can you sail?
A: Four years ago Christine, my friend, my brother, and I all took level 1 sailing course in Phuket, Thailand. Apart from that, no. These guys were more interested in someone with a sense of adventure, and someone they could have a good time with. They will teach me to sail, so in 18 months I should be a pretty competent sailor.
Well I think that hits all the most frequently asked questions. Feel free to write, and ask anything else. Also bookmark this page, as I will try to update the blog as frequently as possible. I will probably work on it while at sea, and then when at port I will upload it. Also, hopefully there will be some video eventually, but time will tell on that one.
