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November 16, 2005
AROUND WORLD ADVENTURER KAYAKS INTO SINGAPORE
* * * MEDIA RELEASE - 16/11/05 * * *
The current leg of Expedition 360 - the first circumnavigation of the
world using only human power - arrives today (Wednesday 16th) in
Singapore by kayak.
Arrival Venue: Singapore Paddle Club, Tanjong Beach on Sentosa,
Arrival Time: 1500hrs local time (0800 GMT)
Jason Lewis (38, British, male), who has now travelled 35,000 miles
under his own steam since departing London over 11 years ago, has spent
the last six months using an ocean-going pedal boat, kayak and bicycle
to travel 2,600 miles from Darwin, Australia.
Jason has endured everything from heavy seas to deadly snakes to
highway robbers in his journey through the length of Indonesia. He had
to sacrifice one of his kayak paddles to the jaws of a 5-metre
saltwater crocodile, and spent a very anxious night keeping his
campfire going on Komodo Island, to ward off the notorious flesh-eating
'dragons'. He has also had to contend with sudden rainsqualls that
whipped up terrifying waves, monsoonal downpours and the dangerous 5-15
knot currents that flow through the narrow straits or 'selats'
between islands. These currents create giant whirlpools that have been
known to pull large fishing boats to the bottom of the ocean.
Today's final, 13-mile crossing from Batam Island to Singapore is the
world's busiest shipping lane. 500 super-freight and tanker vessels
pass through the Singapore Straits every single day. Piracy is also an
ever-present worry.
"Pedalling a 26ft boat across a massive body of the water like the
Pacific Ocean might seem incredibly dangerous, but to be honest I am
more apprehensive about this leg of the circumnavigation, mainly
because of the new 'human factor'. The ocean can be life-threatening if
you don't prepare properly and respect it, but people can be much more
unpredictable and dangerous."
Jason Lewis' arrival in Singapore completes the latest hurdle in his
quest to become the first person to circumnavigate the world using only
human power. 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 (the
starting point for Lewis and former pedalling partner Stevie Smith in
1994) sometime in 2007. It will have taken a total of 13 years to
complete the circumnavigation.
The team also visits schools en route in conjunction with UNESCO's
(United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization) Associated
Schools' Network. The team has recently raised $10,000 USD to rebuild a
youth recreational centre in the tsunami-affected region of Banda Aceh.
The Darwin-Singapore leg of the expedition is made possible by the
following sponsors:
http://www.expedition360.com/sponsors/indonesia_sponsors.htm
Speedo International www.speedo.com
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) www.lifelinebatteries.com/
**BACKGROUND**
Since departing the Greenwich Meridian Line in 1994, Lewis has
travelled 35,000 miles - two-thirds around the planet - without wind
or motor assistance; pedalling 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 pedalling partner Stevie Smith (author of
'Pedalling To Hawaii', his account of the adventure) 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
**INTERVIEWS** IMAGES**TV NEWS FOOTAGE
Contact Kenny Brown on 0777 563 7004
Non-urgent Email enquiries to t...@expedition360.com
Hi-res archive images are available direct from the website.
Contact:
UK PRESS OFFICER - contact Jim Carey:
c...@squall.co.uk
US PRESS OFFICER - contact Sharon Kessler:
smkessll...@mindspring.com
**DAILY UPDATES**
Regular updates and archived journals from this leg can be read from
here.
www.expedition360.com/x360_indonesia_journal/
Or you can find the link off the expedition360.com homepage
www.expedition360.com
**X360 SPOKESPERSON** - in the event of being unable to contact the
team direct, contact Stevie Smith for interviews and any other general
information regarding Expedition 360. He was the expedition founder in
1991 and has recently published an account of the adventure:
"Pedalling To Hawaii" (Published by Summersdale in the UK. £7.99)
"Pedaling To Hawaii" (To be published by Countryman Press in the
USA, May 2006)
Stevie Smith: tel +44 (0)7766 707012
Email: Stevie_sm...@onetel.com
Web: www.p2hi.com
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Posted by jason at November 16, 2005 12:18 PM