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Yesterday Captain Reid Stowe and Soanya Ahmad started on a hilarious Sailing Trip, which should lead them 3 times around the oceans of this planet in the period of 3 years. This is not only one ‘Round the World Trip’ (RTW), but 3 in 1 – even though only on water.
Sounds amazing? It surely is!
They are aboard a 70 ft schooner to leave dry land longer than anyone ever has. They will not refuel, they will not re-supply, and they will not pull into any harbor.
‘The first night they sailed out of Shipyard Marina in North Hoboken on medium NW breeze until early this morning when the wind stopped and they enjoyed a glass mirror ocean from horizon to horizon.’
Here some information from the press release:
Over a period of years, Reid and Soanya, along with numerous sponsors and friends, have refurbished and refitted the Anne to make her ready for this arduous journey. The boat contains more than three year’s worth of food and medical supplies, along with advanced satellite communications and media production equipment, which will allow Reid and Soanya to share the expedition with the world on a regular basis.
If Reid and Soanya complete their journey, they will have lived on the sea alone for a period longer than anyone has been recognized as having done, continually travelling in a high impact, isolated environment for years; thus extending the limits of human endurance and promoting a global message of inspiration, perseverance and sustainability. Because the voyage will involve a similar length of time as travel to Mars and poses similar human endurance issues, Reid sees the 1000 Days Non-Stop at Sea project as a space analogous expedition, and published an article in 1990 titled, “Seafarers of today can provide a role model for spacefarers of tomorrow.
My friend Steffen did a once-in-a-life-time trip driving Overland from Germany to India and back once. While that truly was a well-documented achievement, living 3 years on a sailing boat without solid ground to walk on is truly hilarious.
Here is the overview of this ‘1000 days at Sea’ trip, they have a blog with many pictures as well and the media coverage is just starting to warm up with articles here and here.
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April 24th, 2007 at 6:15 am
Your binary analogy of the jittery eyed puppet was hilarious! Committing to a life at sea for 1000 days, however, didn’t initially strike me as funny at all. It is only after it has stewed awhile in my subconscious that I could, eventually, think of it and laugh heartily but only from the standpoint of, “those two are nuts!” Initially I was just awestruck. Two of them alone at sea forever?… (1000 days is NOT forever? seems like forever to me. after 30 days is would seem like forever to me)…a conscious choice? I smell mushrooms. Well if they are not wise and mature now they certainly will become so. I didn’t see all of their “ground rules”. I’m hoping I didn’t. Hopefully they will allow others on board or meet people at sea via dinghy or whatnot…I mean Chris who is going to help Soanya deliver the child? and then who is going to be manning the ship…what was that Reid wrote about Anne “steering herself”?…yeah right! Did you read that? Plastic? They are going to store their waste?? No, tiny fire pits on board? No friendly sanitation pick ups allowed? To live on the water, on a boat is one thing…Like a condo apartment, a stone cottage near the sea, a castle in the hills, a floating/sometimes house in Denmark or somewhere…but to perform a feat just to perform a feat…no there has to be more to it. ..Now the moment of hilarity that came is gone again and my mind is simply BLOWN AWAY. Okay the next one Germany to India and back that was amazing amazing and that one I prefer because it’s less intense, I can pick up more Turkish, more Farsi, learn some Croatian, whatever, more people, more scenery and stuff that allows me to take a break for reaching nirvana or whatever that 60 year old man(say it isn’t so! that’s just weathering and genetics) and that 30 year old woman are doing out there…No I don’t know their ages and age is not THE issue. It’s your thing. Do what you want to. I can’t tell you who to sock it to! Is that James Brown? It is mind blowing…May they have strong psychic bridges to their guides and the loving beings they left behind. Me, one man, and the universe (devoid of other people)…yeah, I need more teachers than that. These two are probably really really deep…really really advanced beings…or committed to being all that! Amazing! Hilarious? Not. (Life IS what you make it. Say it again!) Did you really think it was funny? humorous? hilarious? I wonder if they think it’s funny or crazy or just an adventure that they can bail out of at anytime because they will be monitored constantly and they can call for help and if they seem to be floundering or in danger rescuers will be sent forthwith. AMAZING. The room I’m in seems to be gently bobbing and swaying now. No wonder I don’t own a television, I’m very impressionable!
April 24th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Hey Nia,
Thanks for your great post! I just love reading it over and over again. You are truly an inspiring and exciting character; all those questions I superficially never asked myself when reading about that trip for the first time. But now that you raised them – hell yeah! It’s tough to not wonder how they will manage! But I bet that we can read soon on their blog.
While I’m more a social person myself and could never imagine doing a trip like that myself, I really admire those 2 for their courage and their idea. It sounded more like a smart trick or fillip cheat, an experiment to top those professional world-circumventers in business class, their high-tech balloons or on their Larry-Ellison-Luxury-Yachts. Leaving civilization, reality and its perils behind.
So for me that great idea was hilarious in the first place – now after reading your comment and thinking more about the realities I frankly admit, that am not so sure about that anymore. Let’s agree on something like Amazing, Mind-Blowing, Crazy, Out-of-this-world, Unusual?
Cheers,
Chris
P.S. Am happy that you don’t own a TV, it’s too easy to get addicted to it – again. After 3 years without, one came with the house we rented here on Bali. Dangerous I can tell you! There are plenty of interesting shows on Discovery Channel, Travel & Living and National Geographic. I can understand now, why most people prefer to stay at home and watch these shows instead of travelling themselves. Arglglglg! Time to get moving again!
April 27th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
[…] Hilarious Sailing Trip 3 times around the world – 1000 Days at Sea […]
September 14th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Hilarious yes, but also perhaps tragic also. I am constantly amazed at the stupidity and utter lack of seamanship, planning or preparation for this “adventure.” Reading through the blog I see that they left port with over three years of accumulated bottom growth. This means he has not has a proper inspection of the hull below the waterline in over three years!
He referes to leaks in the hull that need fixing. They got the desalinator out of the box its been living for several years and were happy to discover that it works. They didn’t even test it or the life raft before leaving the dock. Soanya seams like a nice kid, but she doesn’t know event the basics of sailing or ship handling. His diesel tanks are leaking and he’s using up all his repair supplies fixing all the stuff that was broken before he ever left the dock.
They’ve already hit a freighter, been warned off a clearly charted US Navy testing range and have basically half drifting/half sailing at a walking pace ever since they left. When looking at the boat and reading the blog, it becomes abundantly clear that neither the vessel or the crew is prepared for the great southern ocean.
It is said that the Lord takes care of fools and children. Reid is certainly the one, and Soanya had better hope she doesn’t get any older…
October 7th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
I too am concerned with being witness to such an accident waiting to happen. If the collision with the container ship actually happened, it would have to be a serious case of “not keeping a proper lookout”, and has probably happened continuously since. The vessel has damaged standing rigging, dismissed as negligible by the principal participant who has no knowledge of structural engineering. I sincerely hope the pipe-dream idea of venturing into the Southern Ocean with the crippled vessel has been discarded. The Southern Ocean is no place for the unprepared or the foolish.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
He will make it
It’s something he is naturally prepared for
the ocean is no threat to his safety
stay positive