23/4/14 - From Gallipoli, Turkey - 3 days to go, Time to kick this Blog off!

Been meaning to post on this Blog for weeks but Facebook has been main vehicle for info so far. It is my 'intention' to post up here every week or 2 after I set off  but wilI depend on such variables as time and internet availability. I don't want this journey to become too dominated by head in a computer downloading photos and thoughts to the detriment of the experience........Let's see how we go!

In just a few days, on Saturday 26 April, I'll push my kayak off the beach at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, push the right hand rudder pedal and head east toward Greece. mediterr année, a 12 month, 15000km human powered circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea, will begin.
 

After so many years in the mind and the planning, it is great to be here in Turkey. Staying at Cannakale (with many thanks to the Turkish Government), I've left a month in Europe behind along with various boxes and bags holding trekking, biking and skiing gear. Now I have only the sea kayak equipment; set for the next 2.5 months along the Greek, Albanian, Montenegran, Bosnian and Croatian coastlines to Slovenia.

 

On Friday I'll attend, along with a few thousand Australians and Kiwis, the Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli. 2015 is the Anzac Centenary and many, many planets - health, weather, political and more - will need to align to ensure I arrive back at Gallipoli by Anzac Day, 25 April 2015.

 

The busyness of the planning and life in general has left little time for 'how do I feel?' but now, just days away from departure, I'm a little daunted by the task at hand. Sure I've done plenty of long 3-4 month expeditions but 12 months? I have often reflected in the past how explorers only a couple of hundred years ago would disappear for 2-3 years with no communications back to family, friends or sponsors. And return (or not!) to glory (or not!). Even 25 years ago a scribbled aerogramme (those under 20 please Google this) or a 2 hour queue at a Telegraph office to make a phone call home was the go from many countries. Now of course we over communicate (sorry!) and indeed I have dipped my toes into the shark infested waters  (unlike the Med itself!) of social media for this little jaunt.

 

I recorded some thoughts in a 3 minute video last week sat upon a high pass in the Italian Alps. You can view it by clicking on this image

 

 

Fundraising for Save the Children.......

Partly this is to raise the profile of and hopefully a load of funds for Save the Children for the work they do with children affected by war in conflict in places such as Syria, one of the 20 countries I plan to travel through (hoping that the terrible situation there eases). I really hope you will consider donating - 100% of all donations go straight to Save the Children. It is as easy as following this link. You can make a donation of any amount or even buy a Country! I'd love to raise  $100,000 or more. There is over $25,000 in the bank so far so I hope you can move me toward that target.

 

Follow the journey.........

There are a few ways to keep tabs on the journey:

 

Facebook - has been the main portal in recent months for providing snippets of information about the journey. I'll continue to use this as the expedition rolls on. Don't forget that you can look at this page without being a member of Facebook (for all you social media shy types!)

 

The Blog - I plan, once I set off, to post reports up on this Blog, probably fortnightly or whenever I have a bit of time and a wifi connection. Let's see how it goes!

 

Track Me - Horror of horrors I plan in the interests of fundraising etc to let you know where I am every day - something I never did for my mother nor do for my wife! People seem to love following moving dots. So to this end I will carry a Spot Tracker. Each day I'll press the button on this and it will mark where I am in the Mediterreanean on the Spot Adventure website. So you can see if I get stuck in a bar on a Greek island for 2 weeks........In the next couple of days there should be a link for this on the website Home Page which i'll also publish on Facebook.

 

The Website - has lots of background info on the journey, the fundraising, sponsors, me etc. You can also link to the items above from it.

 

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far, thanks for all the many people involved in the project and of course a huge thanks to my sponsors

 

I'm off to enjoy what I hope will be a bloody good adventure!

Join the mediterr année MTB Team

Race Events; Ride for a Great Cause

Join the mediterr année MTB Team

As part of the fundraising we're forming The mediterr année MTB Team. You don't have to be an elite rider, you just need to commit to doing 10 of the participating events listed below in the period from Anzac Day 2014 to Anzac Day 2015; the period Huw is making his way around the Mediterranean for Save the Children.

Here's the deal (it's pretty simple really!):

1. Maximum of 10 rider spots available, all team members operating independently
2. Enter in at least 7 of the events listed below. Each event organizer has generously offered to donate 50% of your entry fee to Save the Children via mediterr année. So you pay full entry fee, they donate 50% of it.
3. You commit to raising a further amount during the 12 month period through your own fundraising efforts. The riders who commit to raising the 10 highest totals are selected for the team. Anyone who commits to raising a minimum of $1000 is automatically selected!
4. You will receive a mediterr année cycle jersey and a mediterr année T shirt.
5. The most important part - you get a very warm and fuzzy feeling for having made a great contribution to a great charity for the work they do with children affected by war and conflict in such places as Syria, Afghanistan and the Congo.

Participating Events

With thanks to Rocky Trail Entertainment, Rapid Ascent, AROC Sport, Wild Horizons, Self Propelled Enterprises, Southern Highlands Cycle Club.

Below is the current list of 15 events. A couple more will likely be added to the list.

2014 or 2015 Giant Odyssey

2014 Rocky Trail Shimano Grand Prix Series – Rounds 2, 3, 4, 5

2015 Rocky Trail Shimano Grand Prix Series – Round 1

2014 Jet Black 12 Hour

2014 3 Ring Circus

2014 Kowalski Classic

2014 CamelBak Highland Fling

2014 Jet Black 24 Hour

2015 Bike Buller

2015 Capital Punishment

2015 Willo Enduro

What happens if I don’t make it to 7 events?

Hopefully there are enough events spread throughout the year for you to select 7 from. If you do less than 7 then you’d be expected to donate $50 for each event less than the 7. So for example, if you completed 5 events, then you would have to donate $100.

To join the mediterr année MTB Team

Send an email to the Team Manager, Danien Beets, on danien@mediterrannee.com.au. Let us know you’re keen to to be part of this fundraising and how much additional money you commit to raising for Save the Children during the 12 months. Anyone who commits to raising $1000 or more automatically becomes a team member!

The 10 highest commitments become members of the mediterr année MTB Team!! 

A Taste of the Mediterranean - Corsica Circumnavigation

In June last year I enjoyed a 600km kayak circumnavigation of the rugged Mediterranean island of Corsica.
It was a magical trip and in some ways a little test for me as to how I might take to the 'Mediterranean life'. That life treated me well! The current (Jan/Feb) issue of Australian Geographic Outdoor magazine has an article on the paddle. You can read it here

Route Planning - Assistance from all quarters

The entry into 2014 whizzed past and now it's a mere 3 months until I kayak away from the beach at Gallipoli and turn right.............

"Projects, hopes and resolutions jostled in my brain. I could not wander from day to day; I had to plan" Peter Boardman

In the past few weeks I've been asking myself how do I prepare for 12 months of keeping on keeping on. The simple answer is you can't. I have the knowledge that I've completed remote, human powered journeys for 4 months+ and mediterr année is only 3 times as long! I think the main thing is to have an eye to the schedule that will get me back to Gallipoli in time but also to know that many things will serve to affect that schedule; weather, health, political situations. I'll need to remain flexible and not too distracted or disappointed when the inevitable changes occur.
Of course a powerful driver for me to keep going beyond my own willpower for such things is the fundraising for Save the Children.

I've spent days poring over trekking guides, marine pilots (even Google Earth!) checking route options. But whilst some of the route planning is rather simple (when paddling keep the coast on my right.....) others, such as the full trekking traverse through the European Alps, needs somewhat more detail. That said there is no point trying to plan every stage in detail given it will be over a year before I get to some of them.

An amazing array of people have been in contact offering help along the way. Nowadays the tentacles of the internet and social media is as likely to bring contacts your way as having to chase them down! Only this past week Dorijan was in touch to say that not only was he the spokesman for the UNHCR in Croatia but also the head of the Croatian mountain guides association. He noted I planned to sea kayak the Croatian coast but said it is his duty to ensure I also see the Croatian mountains. Bulent, who runs marine businesses in Turkey, has done everything from contacting Ministers in the Turkish Government regarding the journey to organizing emergency Smoke Flares for my kayak. Matilda, an Englishwoman based in Israel, has put  me in touch with an incredible array of contacts across the Middle East and North Africa, all eager to help. The list goes on as the jigsaw pieces find places to set.

Everyone assumes I must be in serious training now. Whilst I maintain a good base fitness, I've 12 months to get fit and in any case whatever fitness is in the legs when I start out will be lacking somewhat by the time I get to the end of the first two and half months sitting on my butt whilst kayaking through Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia. Those first few weeks trekking from Slovenia into the Alps are going to hurt!

And what of the 'problem' countries? Whilst I am optimistic that the terrible situation in Syria and the difficulties of entering Libya will improve, I'm also realistic enough to know that they could still be off limits when I plan to ride through them. One alternative hit me square in the face yesterday. There are 22 countries that border the Mediterranean Sea and mediterr année plans to pass through 20 of them. The 2 remaining countries are the island nations of Cyprus and (tiny) Malta. Should Syria be a no go option then I can bypass it and include Cyprus en route to Turkey. We'll see what happens

.......As I write this an email has just popped in from a kayaker in Gibraltar with some info on crossing to Morocco.

This Blog is now set up on the mediterr année website and accessed from the Home page there. I plan to post to it throughout the journey.

New Boat!

After some test paddles before Xmas, have selected sea kayak for the trip. Gone for a Tiderace Pace 17 Tour. Thanks to Dave at Tiderace in UK and Mark at Expedition Kayaks here in Oz. I used a Tiderace boat during my Corsica circumnav last year.

Buy someone a country for Christmas!

Sure it seems extravagant, but what better gift for the person who has everything.
They could have an island retreat. A goat or 2 in Africa. But in keeping with Christmas, why not get them Turkey?
The journey to the shops at this time as year is more daunting than my mediterr année journey - so we’ve made it easy to snap up one of the 20 countries I’ll travel through with just a quick click.
This Christmas give a gift that will help mediterr année help Save the Children. Check out the link below to see the details and buy the country you've always dreamed of - knowing 100% of the 'purchase' price goes to Save the Children.
The only country not available is Slovenia. Which is my Christmas gift from my beautiful wife Wendy. It's where we plan to meet up for the first time, three months into my journey.