After a rest day in Smithers, I got back on the road, bracing myself for long stretches of solitude. Winter, which had been relatively...
December 18, 2017
Since the last trip I haven’t been posting so much, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been sitting doing nothing for the last couple of months.
The preparation for my next big adventure took a lot of work. I’m actually very happy that despite the disapointment I was able to convert it, just like my years on Everest. Every time I came back from a disapointment I was able to turn this over and see this as a new opportunity for a better preparation, it wasn’t differently this time.
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the new route to follow
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I trained harder, but more importantly I had lot more logistical and mental preparation. I followed some courses to improve my navigational skills at sea, scanned the entire Indonesian coast to the smallest detail in Google Earth to find villages, beaches to land on, etc. I tried to find as much information as possible of the whole area I’m going to, which isn’t that easy since many times Google searches showed zero to 3 results… A big resource of information I got from Sandy Robson, an Australian woman who kayaked solo from Germany to Australia, and Grant ‘axe’ Rawlinson who rowed from Singapore to Darwin on his Home2home expedition. They helped me out with their experiences in the area which I’m very thankfull of, but still little is described about currents and such. A lot of information I will have to try and obtain from dive resorts and local fishermen. Weather updates will be sent to me daily from another adventurer, Karel Vissel who supports kayakers around the world with his website kayakweather.com. Eelco Koudijs from Bali Sobek is also a great source of local help, the whole kayak community can help me find information about certain regions to come.
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Besides preparing my trip I’ve been doing presentations for sponsors and organisations. Secutec and Vayamundo are continuing their sponsorship and I’m very proud of being a part of their team. This is not justadventure but about trying to make a difference in the world and I’m very happy they support me in that, even more they give a bigger meaning to the project with core values like sustainability, international solidarity and multiculturalism. The money collected by the presentations goes completely to the Shangrilahome. This is a home for street children in Nepal for more than 20 years. Right now I can’t do them but you can always contact me for bookings next summer.
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Now I’m ready to continue my trip from Sumbawa to Papua, the next couple of days I will be preparing the boat for departure. The boat itself is made as sustainable as possible; the outer shells are made from Jute (a plant fibre) with a resin component and the inner layer is made out of recycled pet bottles. I’m very excited to start rowing on the Shangri-la again. It is the rain season in Indonesia but this means the wind and currents are mainly in our favour, but still I hope that we don’t get too much of a hassle with the rain. This time as well I’m not rowing alone, the first 3weeks my girlfriend will join me on the boat, this means we’ll most probably celebrate christmas and new year somewhere on an unhabited island. By the time she will return home a colleague and friend will join for the stretch along the coastline of flores and by the time we reach the bigger crossings Koen (the boat designer) and Gerhard will come to get these sections done with 3 rowers.
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presenting the dream team!
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I’m looking forward to this new adventure and I’m very excited to start this new adventure! Thank you all for following, the support and many thanks to my sponsors who make this ultimate adventure possible.
