All is good.
tisdag 11 maj 2010
Vancouver
Been here about 5 weeks now preparing some stuff on the boat. Staying outside Vancouver, in the center of Vancouver, Granville island, been out on shorter trips around here, beautiful. "Nekton" 13 meter steel boat, built in Poland some 20+years ago. At the moment we're in Victoria, this is the last stop. In a few hours we sail towards the Marquesas islands, its about 3500 nautical miles, should take between 30 and 45 days. Me, Lukas, Rory and Karol. Then awaits months of cruising around in Polynesia, arriving in Australia in November or December..
All is good.
All is good.
Across America
Arriving in Miami i expected a quite complicated border procedure but it went quite smooth.. I took a commuter train a few stations and directly start hitching north, got a ride quite fast, just when the rain were starting to bother me. A girl had stopped and she were very friendly, the perfect first ride in a new country, she provided me with some food for the trip and i spend a few hours with her and her friends, getting a ride to a gasstation in the evening. Took me some hours but finally got a ride north. A couple of hours driving, i end up on a gasstation somewhere outside Orlando. Its getting late 2 - 3 in the morning. I still want to continue, atleast make it out of Florida but there my luck ends and a policeman askes me what im doing,
- Im hitchhiking i say with a happy smile.
- You cannot do that here he replies, its illegal on the turnpike. How did you get here bla bla bla, ends up with him saying
- I have to drive you to the next onramp, you cannot be on the turnpike.
He takes me a couple of onramps further and leaves me in the dark and quiet onramp. I try for some hour to get a ride but the cars are few and looks suspicious on me. Luckily there is a forest closeby and i set up my tent and wake up some some hours later with the sunrise realizing in such a beautiful leaf forest i am in, oranges growing wild..
Takes me some hours to get the first ride, the sun is hot and im almost out of water(only some cocacola the friendly gasstation clerk gave me the night before) Finally i get a ride, ending up a bit off track, i dont really wanna use the turnpike again, ending up in the same situation as the night before. Walking along the road, a smaller one, going north. I realize hitchhiking along the roadside in these areas is not easy. motorhomes, retired people, motorhomes, retired people who looks at me like im crazy and would never think of stopping. Walking, meeting some people selling strawberries along the road. After some time there and some mouldy strawberries they offer me to give me a ride, ending up in a gasstation and getting a ride quite quickly, the first truck in America, A guy from Georgia, Takes me to the border of Georgia that evening. A big truckstop. There i meet two older men trying to hitchhike to Alabama. In the last week they have made something like 200km, having long long waits between rides cause of their appearance. I spend the evening trying to get a ride with another truck, its getting late and i have problems finding a place to sleep, the forest that looked nice from distance is a swamp and have signs "WARNING ALLIGATORS". Finally i find a secret place to sleep, between some bushes. The next morning i get a ride north, a truckdriver making a truck delivery to Wisconsin, I go with him for several days all the way to St Louis outside Chicago. At this point i have given up hitchhiking with the cars, just jumping from truckstop to truckstop. There are some difficulties thought, some gasstation dont like when you ask the drivers and i even got yelled at from angry managers a few times. A safer way is to keep a low profile and holding a sign outside the truckers entrance, saying hello and talking to people.
In St louis i waited a couple of hours holding a sign saying "west". Got an absolutely amazing ride, two Canadian truck drivers driving in shifts.More or less non stop Quebec - Los Angeles. They offered me a ride to L.A, well, would be quicker route stopping in Cheyenne or Salt lake city, and go north from there but this long comfortable ride i just could'nt say no to, 44 hours, 3000 km. Nice ride with friendly people, i could sleep in the top bunk, they had food and everything in the truck. We only stopped about once a day for fuel..
Six days had passed and i were outside L.A just having some 2000 km to go to Vancouver. Went a bit slower suddently, got a couple of rides with trucks, some with cars. Snowstorm in Northern california, Rain in Oregon and Washington. One cold night in northern California the gasstation ladies let me sleep in the gasstation for some hours, the night was cold and the trucks few. Getting a longer ride to Portland, Now very close to the border, and so the speed of the hitchhiking is slower. Washington was the most complicated state to hitch in, There its forbidden to stand on the onramp to the highway. Got an angry policeman telling me that if i was caught one more time on the onramp in the state of Washington I would end up in jail(i didn't really believe him). Tried to avoid the onramps, had to use them a couple of times thought, hoping i would'nt get caught again.
In Seattle, or outside Seattle in a empty gas station between the highways i felt a bit stuck, met some people and went with them to the city for some beers, The first city i acually went in to and saw the downtown. Got hosted in a big house and got a ride north the day after. Very close to the border but only getting short 10 km rides. Until finally 10 km before the border i get a ride with a Canadian man who takes me across the border and to Vancouver, or Shelter island, where s/y Nekton were waiting. 9 days across USA, ~7000 km
- Im hitchhiking i say with a happy smile.
- You cannot do that here he replies, its illegal on the turnpike. How did you get here bla bla bla, ends up with him saying
- I have to drive you to the next onramp, you cannot be on the turnpike.
He takes me a couple of onramps further and leaves me in the dark and quiet onramp. I try for some hour to get a ride but the cars are few and looks suspicious on me. Luckily there is a forest closeby and i set up my tent and wake up some some hours later with the sunrise realizing in such a beautiful leaf forest i am in, oranges growing wild..
Takes me some hours to get the first ride, the sun is hot and im almost out of water(only some cocacola the friendly gasstation clerk gave me the night before) Finally i get a ride, ending up a bit off track, i dont really wanna use the turnpike again, ending up in the same situation as the night before. Walking along the road, a smaller one, going north. I realize hitchhiking along the roadside in these areas is not easy. motorhomes, retired people, motorhomes, retired people who looks at me like im crazy and would never think of stopping. Walking, meeting some people selling strawberries along the road. After some time there and some mouldy strawberries they offer me to give me a ride, ending up in a gasstation and getting a ride quite quickly, the first truck in America, A guy from Georgia, Takes me to the border of Georgia that evening. A big truckstop. There i meet two older men trying to hitchhike to Alabama. In the last week they have made something like 200km, having long long waits between rides cause of their appearance. I spend the evening trying to get a ride with another truck, its getting late and i have problems finding a place to sleep, the forest that looked nice from distance is a swamp and have signs "WARNING ALLIGATORS". Finally i find a secret place to sleep, between some bushes. The next morning i get a ride north, a truckdriver making a truck delivery to Wisconsin, I go with him for several days all the way to St Louis outside Chicago. At this point i have given up hitchhiking with the cars, just jumping from truckstop to truckstop. There are some difficulties thought, some gasstation dont like when you ask the drivers and i even got yelled at from angry managers a few times. A safer way is to keep a low profile and holding a sign outside the truckers entrance, saying hello and talking to people.
In St louis i waited a couple of hours holding a sign saying "west". Got an absolutely amazing ride, two Canadian truck drivers driving in shifts.More or less non stop Quebec - Los Angeles. They offered me a ride to L.A, well, would be quicker route stopping in Cheyenne or Salt lake city, and go north from there but this long comfortable ride i just could'nt say no to, 44 hours, 3000 km. Nice ride with friendly people, i could sleep in the top bunk, they had food and everything in the truck. We only stopped about once a day for fuel..
Six days had passed and i were outside L.A just having some 2000 km to go to Vancouver. Went a bit slower suddently, got a couple of rides with trucks, some with cars. Snowstorm in Northern california, Rain in Oregon and Washington. One cold night in northern California the gasstation ladies let me sleep in the gasstation for some hours, the night was cold and the trucks few. Getting a longer ride to Portland, Now very close to the border, and so the speed of the hitchhiking is slower. Washington was the most complicated state to hitch in, There its forbidden to stand on the onramp to the highway. Got an angry policeman telling me that if i was caught one more time on the onramp in the state of Washington I would end up in jail(i didn't really believe him). Tried to avoid the onramps, had to use them a couple of times thought, hoping i would'nt get caught again.
In Seattle, or outside Seattle in a empty gas station between the highways i felt a bit stuck, met some people and went with them to the city for some beers, The first city i acually went in to and saw the downtown. Got hosted in a big house and got a ride north the day after. Very close to the border but only getting short 10 km rides. Until finally 10 km before the border i get a ride with a Canadian man who takes me across the border and to Vancouver, or Shelter island, where s/y Nekton were waiting. 9 days across USA, ~7000 km
Carribean
Arriving in Martinique, Le marin. We expected the place to be full of energy and parties cause of the hundreds of boats anchoring and in the marina, but when arriving and taking the first steps on soil after 26 days we got a bit disappointed and ending up in a empty pizzeria with a expensive beer each. After a few days things felt better and we met many friends and enjoyed some good days. I were looking for a boat to go north, or to Panama, i had not really decided but finally found a big catamaran,(Sunreef 19 m) with a friendly Spanish captain, David. Another 5-6 days in Martinique before departure north. Next stop Dominica for a few days, much more interesting than Martinique. How can it be described,, a bit wilder perhaps. The nature more amazing and green. Met some nice people there.. Continued to Guadeloupe, or Les saints to be more precise, stayed only for some hours before sailing towards Antigua. In the morning we see Montserrat, the volcano there had an eruption some 20 days earlier. The big mountain were smoking and solid rivers of grey lava had reached the sea. The abandoned city of Plymouth probably looked the same, empty and grey.
17th of march, Arriving to Antigua, strange place , big boats, british people, party. Some beautiful beaches, bumped in to some familiar faces here and there, people i had met in Canaries or Kap verde months before. Few days in Antigua, seeing some beautiful beaches, snorkling and that kind of stuff people usually do in the Carribean. Spending some time, and time goes fast. Its allready the middle of march, i should be in Vancouver helping the others with the boat, still down here where days goes like hours. Few days later we sail to St. martin, final destination for me with the luxurous catamaran, the others are crossing the atlantic back to spain. I spend a week or so in St. Martin, meet some people, many late nights and more early mornings. Trying to find a boat going to Bahamas, there i planned to get the visa to US(needed when arriving with a private yacht) However it seems like the embassy in Bahamas is only for the locals, i need to go to Barbados or Trinidad to get the visa.. Impossible, there is no time for that, going south again, no way. I end up making a hard decicion, a kind of failure, but there is no other way. I take a flight from St.Martin to Miami. Saying goodbye to the captain and the crew, leaving in a few hours. First flight since 2007 and i hope hope for several years until the next one.
17th of march, Arriving to Antigua, strange place , big boats, british people, party. Some beautiful beaches, bumped in to some familiar faces here and there, people i had met in Canaries or Kap verde months before. Few days in Antigua, seeing some beautiful beaches, snorkling and that kind of stuff people usually do in the Carribean. Spending some time, and time goes fast. Its allready the middle of march, i should be in Vancouver helping the others with the boat, still down here where days goes like hours. Few days later we sail to St. martin, final destination for me with the luxurous catamaran, the others are crossing the atlantic back to spain. I spend a week or so in St. Martin, meet some people, many late nights and more early mornings. Trying to find a boat going to Bahamas, there i planned to get the visa to US(needed when arriving with a private yacht) However it seems like the embassy in Bahamas is only for the locals, i need to go to Barbados or Trinidad to get the visa.. Impossible, there is no time for that, going south again, no way. I end up making a hard decicion, a kind of failure, but there is no other way. I take a flight from St.Martin to Miami. Saying goodbye to the captain and the crew, leaving in a few hours. First flight since 2007 and i hope hope for several years until the next one.
Atlantic Crossing in 7 pictures
The crossing went well, took us abit longer than we expected but it was good times, after a few weeks at sea nothing is complicated and one see's time in a different perspective. 26 days from Kap Verde to Martinique.
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