For this blog entry we shift focus to the unique group of
individuals that have found themselves together for this most
unusual and memorable voyage. First, you must understand that there
are nine of us here on board Spirit of Sydney who never met before
this event (except Leo and Isaac) and that have now been living
together in the space equivalent of a small urban studio apartment
since the 3 of February, eighteen days thus far. But beyond that
this place we live is a moving, living platform twenty-four hours a
day, completely self contained and self sufficient. It is as if we
are in a space station, only we are not restricted to being inside
this space. We have the most amazing environment on the planet
available to us just tree steps up the companionway ladder.
As I said, there are nine of us; four with sailing experience and
five without any prior time on a sail boat at sea. Leo is the
Captain of Spirit, Isac is the first mate, Lars has done
transoceanic passages and myself, who has also done transoceanic
passages. For the others, Annette, Arne, Dwight, Robert and Mehdi,
this is their first experience sailing. Together we have crossed
the Drake passage, one of the most challenging bodies of water in
the world, and cruised now for two weeks in what some would say is
the most spectacular coastal region in the world, the western
Antarctic Peninsula. So this is brief synopsis of the story of who
we are.
Leopold “Leo” Tabourel:
A highly talented and experienced sailor and Captain of Spirit of
Sydney. Leo describes himself as a post-modern adventurer who views
himself as citizen of the world. His passion is experiencing new
cultures and wild, remote places. Originally from the southwest of
France, where he retains strong family ties, Leo is at home wherever
he goes. He is a free spirit and inveterate traveler who seeks to
find deeper meaning in life through his travel experiences and to
see beyond the next horizon, never satisfied staying put in one
place for too long. He became interested in Antarctica through an
early relationship he had with his mentor in sailing, a very
experienced French sailor and mariner who Leo became involved with
at the age of eighteen. On Leo’s first transatlantic crossing from
Portugal to Rio Leo’s mentor decided then to go Puerto Montt on the
Chilean coast, ultimately spending ten months cruising from Puerto
Monntt to Cape Horn and then Antarctica, touching at Melchio
r, Vernadsky, Deception Island and to Puerto Montt. Leo has had
three extended experiences in Antarctica and Patagonia before his
current tour now as Captain of Spirit of Sydney. He has had many
enjoyable moments on this trip, but the most enjoyable part is
seeing the crew enjoying their experience and seeing the expressions
of wonder and enjoyment on our faces as we experience the incredible
beauty of this place. Leo has learned much from this most recent
voyage about how to keep cool, calm and collected even when events
unfold in unexpected ways. This he has done extremely well. He has
carried the weight of responsibility for the safety and well-being
of the boat and the whole crew admirably while enabling everyone to
keep a positive attitude because of his leadership and positive
approach to dealing with all the adverse and unanticipated
situations which arise on this kind of voyage.
Isaac Chambers
Isaac is the first mate aboard Spirit, but contributes far ore than
just his expertise at handling the chores of keeping Spirit afloat
and functioning. Isaac describes himself as “compact” referring to
stature, but he is a power house of energy and creativity. He loves
to laugh and to make people laugh, which he does frequently through
his extraordinary sense of humor and ability to mimic and satirize
almost any character imaginable. He is an intense student of human
nature, history, and has insatiable curiosity about all aspects of
life on this planet. His insight into the human predicament is
profound. He is a deeply talented and accomplished musician, and
connects with the world through his music. With all of his gifts
and talents he remains humble and easily approachable by all of us.
His best moments of this voyage have been the two incredible days we
spent drifting through the sunlit icebergs of Paradise Harbor ad
Hidden Bay. These were magical moments, beyond d
escription, which deeply affected all of us. The stillness
combined with the sounds of the glaciers, ice flows, rock falls,
birds, seals and wind were transformative and gave him a sense of
being part of the vast universe so unique compared to any other
experience he has had. He also enjoyed looking after the members of
the crew who were struggling during the Drake Passage, which was far
more challenging than anticipated or envisioned based on there lack
of previous time at sea. Isaac’s does not view any of his
experiences on this voyage as being a worst experience, but has
witnessed am uplifting that has come from the aftermath of each the
challenging experiences that is inspirational. He is learning
through this voyage, as in other experiences of his life, how to
promote collaboration by staying cool in the face of adversity and
by learning how to communicate clearly to releave anxiety in
others. He strives to avoid the reaction he describes as “throwing
yuor toys out
of the cot” as his way of thinking about keeping cool when the
going gets rough. There have been rough spots on this voyage, and
Isaac’s practice has shown itself to be effective many times.
Robert Joppa
Robert is one of the most experienced travelers of the group, having
spent time studying abroad in college and in the peace corps at a
young age, and ever since seeking opportunities to travel far and
experience many diverse cultures, perhaps more than any other member
of our team. Sailing on the ocean is, however, not an experience
Robert has had before, and he was surprised at the difficulty of
crossing the Drake Passage. He describes himself as quiet,
stubborn, and somewhat reticent, taking time to warm up to
strangers; and he also says he is “a little bit weird.” He loves to
travel and has now set foot on all seven continents, a long standing
goal of his. He is laid back, loves to cook but is “particular”
about what he chooses to eat(and never at a loss for advice on how
Isaac could improve his kitchen skills). His travel experience has
been broadened by time spent in the peace corps, which brought him
to Zimbabwe, and while working there various other places. He decid
ed to come to Antarctica based on a life long desire to set foot
on all seven continents. He found Spirit of Sydney through the TV
show Globe Trekker that featured Spirit of Sydney in 2010. He had a
strong desire to find an alternative to the cruise ship experience.
His best moment was the sunrise over the Antarctic Peninsula seen
from the deck of Spirit after the five day Drake Passage, and the
arrival at Melchior. Along with this, watching and listening to the
mountains in Paradise Harbor has left an indelible impression. The
worst moment he has experienced was the night landing in the zodiac
at the Chilean Base on rocks made slick by defecation of thousands
of penguins while trying to carry our prepared barbecue dinner up to
the base entry. He has learned much about “sailor stuff” including
what “crash jibe” means, and why it is something to be avoided in
forty five knots of wind on the midnight watch.
Lars Kjeldsen
Lars describes himself as “the opposite of Robert.” He is
impatient, pushy, stubborn, energetic, has a bawdy sense of humor,
is an experienced sailor and a very good cook. He had traveled to
Tierra Del Fuego before the present voyage, and made the decision to
pursue the passage on Spirit of Sydney after a conversation he had
with a Swiss gentlemen of sixty two in the famous floating derelict
ship bar in Port Williams. This person described his experience
crossing the Drake and sailing the west side of the peninsula in a
thirty two foot boat with a young couple he had recruited to
accompany him. The description of the voyaging was so vivid and
impressive that Lars decided he had to experience it himself. His
best moment was the afternoon we spent drifting south through the
Ferguson Channel below Port Lockroy amidst the ice bergs and seals,
with the clouds scudding over the mountain peaks thousands of feet
above, and low grazing afternoon Antarctic sun pressing through and
illuminating the glaciers and vertical peaks. His worst moment
was the day he had to spend on-board Spirit due to injuring his knee
and had to defer kayaking in Paradise Harbor. While Lars is an
experienced sailor how has tackled difficult ocean crossings befire,
the Drake was a particularly challenging but rewarding passage.
Through this and other experiences on-board Spirit he has had to
practice and master patience, as everything requires much more time
than on land, and his frustrations with what we refer to as FAFF,
which will be left as an exercise for the reader to figure out.
Mehdi Kasraoui
Mehdi is one of the most entertaining and exuberant members of our
crew. He describes himself as a “traveler chamelion” able to adapt
to whatever environment he finds himself in. He initially traveled
to Patagonia four years ago and began investigating the possibility
of getting aboard one of the sail boats in Ushuaia after meeting
Darrel Day. From this encounter he became firmly committed to
returning to the region and pursuing his interest in traveling to
the Antarctic on a Spirit of Sydney. While having virtually no prior
experience in sailing, Mehdi is an intrepid traveler and willing to
take on new challenges. The challenge of the sailing and shipboard
living attracted him from the outset. His return to Ushuaia was the
culmination of this interest and has been extraordinarily fulfilling
to him personally. His best moments have been the arrival in
Melchior after the strenuous Drake Passage, and the indescribable
beauty of the sunset over the mountains and glaciers in
Paradise Harbor. His worst moments were overcoming the
seasickness during the Drake Passage. He has never experienced
anything quite like this and felt he had achieved new meaning to his
personal notion of living in hell on earth. Mehdi has learned much
on this trip. He has acquired a deep appreciation of the meaning of
“boat life” which has brought into sharp focus the collaboration and
cooperation required to live with eight others persons sharing the
confined space and resources. He is most proud of having learned to
tie the bowline knot, essential to the existence of every sailor.
Dwight Law
Dwight finds it challenging to describe himself, but knows he has a
strong sense of visual aesthetics, is adventurous, curious and
avoids taking anything in life for granted. He feels there is always
more to learn and strives to learn through every experience in his
life. He came upon the Spirit of Sydney through his desire for a
different, more intimate and unusual experience upon realizing that
he was stemming from his overtaxing work commitments. He had
already traveled to the six other continents and was seeking to add
Antarctica to his list of travel accomplishments, but knew he did
not want a conventional cruise ship experience. He was seeking to
satisfy his sense of adventure, which describes in terms of the
Chinese adage that “a hungrier fish is a healthier fish.” His best
experiences of the trip have been the moments of laughter with the
whole group gathered around the table in Spirit of Sydney’s main
salon, sharing meals and stories of the days adventures, past e
xperiences and observations of each other. He is amazed at the
degree of positive energy coming from the group dynamic. His worst
moment was realizing in the midst of the Drake Passage that he was
too sea sick to eat his partner Melissa’s brownies, which were
lovingly and carefully prepared for him to take on the voyage *the
rest of the group assisted in consuming them, however!). He has
learned many things on this voyage: the challenges of coexistence
with others in the confined space of a boat at sea, how to adapt to
the changing situations being dictated by weather and other elements
beyond his personal control, end the history of antarctic
exploration about which there are many excellent books in Spirit’s
library, and which make our relatively short journey together seem
small in comparison to that which others before us have undertaken.
Annette Blum
Annette says “I hate that question” when asked to describe herself,
suffices to say that she has taken on the role of “boat mom” in
keeping an eye out for all of us as we progress along in this
extraordinary journey. I will speak on here behalf by saying that
she is very talented and capable; certainly as capable as any member
of our crew in standing up to the physical and emotional rigors of
this voyage. She is courageous, having not been intimidated or
scared by any challenge we have thus far faced. And she is an
intrepid traveler with a sense of adventure that inspires her to
pursue trekking and rigorous outdoor activities. Ten years ago she
visited Ushuaia and knew she wanted to return. Her interest was
piqued by two friends who relayed different experiences traveling to
Antarctica: one aboard a cruise ship and the other on a sail boat.
Her interest was to do the sailing voyage, but she was uncertain
about the necessity of knowing how to sail. Her friend who sailed
assured her she could master what would be required for abilities,
and she has been pleased with her decision to go with the sailing
option. Her partner Arne was traveling with her in Patagonia and had
discussed the possibility of extending their journey to include a
voyage to Antarctica. After contacting several of the boats
operating in this service, they found that Spirit was the only one
that could accommodate their schedule and desires for the
experience. So they made a somewhat impulsive decision to sign on
with the crew and have been pleased with the decision ever since.
Her best moment of the voyage was the experience of kayaking within
stones throw of enormous whales in Paradise and Skontrop harbors.
Arne Kittler
Arne describes himself as unemotional, fact oriented, not
prevoiously so interested in travel but now learning to enjoy
exploring the world and becoming more adventurous. One recent trip
was to Georgia, in the former soviet union, where he relished the
culture and scenery. While Arne considers himself to be a novice
traveler he brings many skills and talents to the team. He is an
experienced trekker, has done technical climbing, has good survival
skills and is an excellent cook. He and Annette have collaborate on
the most extraordinary meals served aboard the boat, and this has
been deeply appreciated by all of the crew. His current journey to
Patagonia with Annette became an opportunity to expand his travel
horizons. The idea of sailing to Antarctic became a discussion
which lead to a commitment to go on Spirit of Sydney that started
after they had arrived in Patagonia. Arne had never been on a sail
boat before joining the Spirit, and the decision to go on this voyage
required that he step far outside his comfort zone as it would be
a total new and decidedly different experience. His greatest
surprise and most enjoyable part of the voyage has been the
experience of kayaking in the extraordinary surroundings of the
peninsula. He has been within a few boat lengths of enormous
whales, had penguins leaping out of the water close by, and paddled
alongside thundering glaciers and majestic ice bergs taller than
most city buildings. These experiences he never could have imagined
having before this voyage. His “worst” experience was also had in a
kayak when he was confronted by a pack of about a dozen fur seals
which were moving as a group between ice bergs. Upon encountering
Arne in their path they moved ahead quite aggressively, coming high
out of the water and threatening to upset Arne’s kayak. James was
near by and the two of them paddled close to each other and the pack
of seals diverted at the last moment before coming in contact. A sc
ary experience, but at the same time also thrilling to observe the
behavior of these impressive and highly adapted creatures. Arne has
learned how to adapt himself to the uncertainties of the changing
environment and variability of what can happen aboard a small vessel
in this vast region. He has learned more than any other experience
of his life what it means to live in the present, as it has been
shown thus far that events always evolve differently than expected
in this extraordinary place.
James Bennett
Being the author of this blog, James (or “Jim”) describes himself as
a student of human nature, an adventurer, explorer, a person of deep
curiosity who relishes new experiences meeting new people. Before
the voyage, and based on my interception with Darrel, I was both
attracted by but a bit skeptical of the opportunity to sign on with
the Spirit of Sydney crew. This is because I am an experienced
sailor and knew the challenges we would face in the Drake. My
skepticism was based on myy concern over how the members of the crew
with no prior sailing eperienc would respond to the rigors of this
voyage, particularly the Drake Passage, and how this would affect
the relationships among us after arriving at the peninsula. Aside
from the extraordinary visual environment, what has surprised and
pleased me most about this voyage has been how positive human
interaction between us has been, and how well everyone on board has
responded to the rigors of this voyage. I attribute this to
many things: the diversity of the crew members and positive
attitude we all brought from the outset. But I would be remiss to
not also recognize the contribution Leo and Isaac have made to
keeping this crew focused, confident in their leadership and ability
to handle the boat in this challenging environment, and their true
compassion and caring for the comfort and safety of the crew. They
have done an amazing job and exceeded our expectations. The Worst
experience, for me, has been lack of space in the head, which for a
person of my size, makes every visit to this essential facility an
act of physical contortion. But consider what an insignificant
inconvenience this is to have suffered in exchange for this
invaluable experience. What I have learned abuot my self through
this that I still have much to learn and to experience in this
life. I have learned to appreciate the value of diversity in human
character and the extraordinary goodness that we all hold within us. I
can imagine no better way to experience this than by having taken
the chance of entering into this voyage. I hope this blog gives
you, the readers, an small but important appreciation for what we
all have experienced. We look forward to rejoining you the other
side of the Drake!