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May 25, 2005
HUMAN POWERED CIRCUMNAVIGATION CROSSES OCEAN by PEDAL BOAT to EAST TIMOR
* * * MEDIA RELEASE - 23/05/05 * * *
An historic attempt to be the first to circumnavigation of the world by
human power arrived in Dili, East Timor yesterday (22/5/05) by pedal
powered boat. Jason Lewis (37, British, male) and Lourdes Arango (43,
American, female) pedaled 450 nautical miles in 11 days across the
Timor Sea from Darwin, N. Australia in a 26ft pedal powered boat.
The pair encountered a near disaster after running aground in the
Apsley Strait, a narrow passage of water between Melville and Bathurst
Islands 40 miles north of Darwin. The pedal unit, one of the two
carried on the boat, was severely damaged necessitating an emergency
repair at night. This was hampered by the presence of a 4foot saltwater
crocodile that lurked just 20ft away.
"I was about to jump into the water and dislodge the rudder (that was
about to go aground also) when I saw a large orange eye gazing back at
me from the mangrove bushes when I shone my torch. I couldn't tell
how big the croc was as I couldn't see the spacing between the eyes
- an indication of its length. We'd been told by the local Tiwi
people not to go in the water at all in the area because of the large
numbers of 'salties'".
Later in the trip, while rounding the eastern edge of the island of
Timor, the pair encountered 35-knot winds and 15+ft waves that
threatened to blow them onto shore. The pedal boat's maximum speed is
2 knots, a fast walking pace.
And just 30 miles from Dili the pair found themselves pedaling against
a 1.5 knot counter-current that kept them in the same position for 12
hours.
"When winds were strong and the waves enormous the conditions on
board were dreadful but at least we were going forward and I could keep
the hope alive that we'd eventually make it to land. But when we were
pedaling on the spot for 12 hours, essentially going nowhere, I began
to lose hope quite quickly."
Their pair are currently recovering Dili. They are available for
interview by phone (see details below).
For next leg of the expedition will commence in a few days by kayak to
Singapore. sLewis and Arango will be joined by Christopher Tipper (39,
British) and April Abril (47, American), for a 2,600 mile kayak and
bike journey from East Timor up the Indonesian archipelago to
Singapore. The last section of the expedition, paddling through the
Riau Islands south of Singapore, will perhaps be the most hazardous;
the region being widely recognized as the domain of pirates preying on
ships that pass through the neighbouring Straits of Malacca between the
Southeast Asian mainland and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Along they way they will encounter strong ocean currents - some
flowing up to 8-knots - between the islands. Bad timing of a crossing
could mean the kayaks being swept south into the Indian Ocean where
rescue would be virtually impossible.
One island they will be using to rest on, for as short a time as
possible, is Komodo Island, home to the flesh-eating Komodo dragon. The
last human to be eaten was a Swedish tourist in 2001.
The team will also be visiting schools en route in conjunction with
UNESCO's (United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization)
Associated Schools' Network. A local Indonesian teenage will also
travel with the expedition for sections, acting as a international
ambassador to schools following on the internet worldwide.
In Sumatra the team will also use $10,000 USD of funds raised through
the x360 Non-for-Profit Organization to rebuild a youth recreation
centre in the December 2004 tsunami affected region of Banda Aceh.
The expedition is made possible by the following sponsors:
http://www.expedition360.com/sponsors/indonesia_sponsors.htm
Wenonah Canoe (kayaks) www.wenonah.com
Direct Container lines (shipping kayaks from US to Australia)
www.dclusa.com/
Iridium Satellite (Satellite phone + airtime) www.iridium.com
McMurdo UK (EPIRBS) www.mcmurdo.co.uk/
UK Hydrographic Office (Marine charts) www.hydro.gov.uk/
Ortlieb (water-storage solutions) www.ortlieb.de/
Lifeline Batteries (marine batteries) http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/
If successful the journey will signify the last major hurdle for Lewis
in his quest to become the first person to circumnavigate the world
using only human power. From Singapore he may bicycle the relatively
easy overland route back to Europe, using the pedal boat 'Moksha'
to cross the channel and up the River Thames to finish at the Greenwich
Meridian Line where he set out with former partner Steve Smith in 1994.
**BACKGROUND**
Since departing the Greenwich Meridian Line in 1994, Lewis has traveled
32,000 miles - two-thirds around the planet - without assistance from
either motors or the wind; pedaling a one-of-a-kind pedal boat
('Moksha', meaning liberation in Sanskrit) across the world's
oceans, bicycling and rollerblading over land. On August 18th 2000,
Lewis became the first in history to pedal across the Pacific Ocean
from San Francisco in the US to Port Douglas, Australia - 178 days and
8,000 nautical miles. In 1994, original pedal partner Steve Smith (now
retired from the expedition) and Lewis completed the first East-West
crossing of the Atlantic by pedal power, and a year later Lewis
completed the first unsupported crossing of the USA by roller blades.
www.expedition360.com
**FUTURE**
>From Singapore the expedition will involve bicycling through Thailand,
Laos into China then hike south over the Himalayas into India. From
this point, a 2,200-mile crossing of the Indian Ocean to East Africa is
being considered. The adventure will continue through North Africa and
Europe to finish at the Greenwich Meridian Line, it's original starting
point, sometime in 2007. It will have taken a total of 13 years to
complete the circumnavigation.
INTERVIEW DETAILS
Jason and Lourdes are available for interview by telephone. Call +670
723 8006 (local time East Timor - London +8hrs, UTC +9hrs).
PHOTOS
Call +670 723 8006 (local time East Timor - London +8hrs, UTC +9hrs).
UK PRESS OFFICER - contact Jim Carey: c...@squall.co.uk
US PRESS OFFICER - contact Sharon Kessler: smkessl...@mindspring.com
X360 SPOKESPERSON - contact Steve Smith for interviews and any other
general information regarding Expedition 360. He was the expedition
founder in 1991. stevie_sm...@onetel.com. He has written a book about
his adventures with the expedition so far - www.p2hi.com
VIDEO FOOTAGE - broadcast quality footage MAY be available. Contact
Kenny Brown t: +44 777 563 7004.
DAILY UPDATES - check out the journal updates from the voyage, sent
via satellite phone to the expedition website -
www.expedition360.com/x360_indonesia_journal/
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Posted by jason at 12:28 PM