The last update should have brought you up to speed what I have been doing these past few months. In this post, which will hopefully be a bit shorter, I’ll address what my future plans are, because to put it mildly they have changed drastically.
Originally I cast off from Norway in September of 2008, with the intention of circumnavigating. For a number of reasons I’m abandoning that plan. I have decided that when I return to Aruba in November, I’ll set sail for Norway. It will be a slow sail, because I’m planning to spend around 5 months in the Caribbean before I sail back across the Atlantic in April/May. When I return to Norway my intention is to return to university to get a Bachelor of Science in Navigational Engineering or Nautikk as it is called in Norwegian. This will enable me to work on the bridge on the big ships. The bachelor will take 3 years, but I believe it is a smart investment in my future. I haven’t decided where to study yet, but right now Tromsø is a favorite, followed by Horten/Tønsberg and even Ålesund. We’ll see. Right now my focus is on finishing the job here in style, before I return to Aruba and really enjoy the Caribbean.
Things are working in the right direction, because I already have one crew-member for the entire trip home. Petar Pecanac, the Chief Photographer on the ship I’m working on, has already “signed on” for the journey home on my boat. Petar is new to sailing, but he brings excellent mountaineering and outdoor skills to our team, he has amongst other impressive tops, climbed Mount Everest, Cho Oyo and Mount McKinley.
An as of yet unconfirmed member for the homeward journey is my brother, Martin, who will finish his Masters Degree in New Zealand sometime at the end of this year (2009). He would be a most welcome member to the team, but we have to see how his plans pan out.
In preparation for the journey home, we are now investing in instruments to start a boat band. Petar is buying a saxophone, I’m buying a guitar and if my brother joins he’ll be joining the band as our percussionist. We are now looking for a bass player, preferably female, along the lines of Bolt Thrower’s legendary bass player Jo Bench.
My plan quite loosely is to finish my contract here on November 19th and fly to Miami for a debrief with Onboard Media (my current employer). This would also give me an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the cheap prices on boat things in Miami. I’d also meet up with Petar in Miami and from there we would go to Aruba. We’d spend the first two weeks getting the boat ready and have her on the water around December 10th – 12th. The plan then is to spend Christmas and New Years sailing around on the ABC’s (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao). I have good friends on Aruba that I want to hang out with and sail with before we continue onwards.
The 5 months in the Caribbean will be spent sailing slowly from the ABC’s to St. Maarten which will be the starting point across the Atlantic. The plan is to do the Caribbean properly and really see and explore the islands like I didn’t do when I first came across the Atlantic. We plan to do it in style: eating, drinking and exploring like there’s no tomorrow.
The trip across the Atlantic will take us to either Bermuda or the Azores and from there Ireland and Scotland, before we head to Stavanger, probably stopping by the Faeroe and Shetland Islands on the way.
Planned arrival date in Stavanger will be around the middle of June2010, though it could be later, depending on weather and how much time we want to spend in Ireland, Scotland and the various islands we pass.
The only minus with the crew, is that it’s turning into a sausage party, so I’m thinking about putting the following contact ad into circulation:
Looking for you!
You must be female, interested in sailing, traveling, the outdoors and music. Needs to be adventurous and ready for new challenges. Would be good if you’re either a doctor or an engineer of some sort. Cooking skills would be greatly appreciated, as would a figure that would do credit to small bikinis.
Am I asking for too much 😉
I’m really looking forward to the trip home. If it sounds interesting to be a part of a leg of the journey, let me know!