Thursday, March 5, 2009

Life on and off the RMS St. Helena

Greetings from St. Helena! Perhaps the most beautiful thing about this island is that you can only get here by boat or ship. I spent 5 days at sea aboard the RMS St. Helena after seeing Zac off in Cape Town. Travel has been slow for him so I have been keeping myself busy exploring the Island and meeting new people from all over the world.

In this blog you will see photos of Bryson and Hugh who are from Vancouver traveling around the world exploring different surf spots. They are also doing environmental research along the way, focusing on educating young adults on where their trash ends up by documenting the trash they find on various beaches. Check out their website/Blog at http://www.oceangybe.com. They met Zac in Cocos Kealing and were hoping to be able to see him when he arrived. Alas, he has not arrived yet. Hopefully he will be here this afternoon. I enjoyed exploring the island with them for a few days and playing a round of golf at the St. Helena golf Course, definitely the most isolated golf course I have ever played on ;)

I am also introducing you to Rob ‘Bee’ Clark who is on a unique adventure of his own. Where to Next? Is his motto and he is sailing Single-handed around the world, guided (or misguided) by the dice! Check out his site http://www.w2n.co.uk for more information on this very unique story.

The last group of people I am introducing you to will be my crew for the next month. What? Crew? Huh? Well, as has been the nature of this story since I began shooting Zac in May 2008, things are constantly changing and I have to just roll with it. I was planning on being gone from the states for three weeks and have been gone for the past two months.

The other day I was walking down the main street in St. Helena and saw someone I recognized from Cape Town…you should have seen my face, shocked would be the proper word. I ran into Greg who is delivering a power cat to Ft. Lauderdale from Cape Town. One of his crew members needs to get back home so he has asked me to join their crew to help with the delivery. It just so happens that they are heading the same way Zac is and hopping on board with them saves me a LOT of money! So, I will be meeting them in Ascension and will be at sea for the next month until it is time to meet up with Zac in Grenada. We are making a stop in Brazil and Trinidad/Tobago.

I think this next month at sea will bring me closer to the story then I could ever be on land. Immersing myself in the world of sailing these past few months and meeting some amazing people with the most incredible stories has certainly given me a new perspective into Zac’s incredible journey. Being at sea, virtually neighbors with him for the next month will most certainly give me the insight I have been searching for. I am looking forward to the unexpected and thrilled to see what is lurking around the next corner…












































































4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow Jen, Great post. Thank you so much. Your story is great and your pictures awesome. I am such a visual person, it is nice to have your photos to give me that 3rd dimension to Zac's story. You and Zac are one in the same to me. i love you both for your courage in bringing us this story and for bringing us together as a "Pac".

What a blessing - your passage for the next leg will be awesome at best. So glad you were at the right place at the right time and open to the experience.

Love the golf shot. Amazing.

Fair Winds to you Jen and thanks again,
Kathy
Bend, OR

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen,

you are going to sail back alongside (more or less) with Zac? That is great and that journey may be a great story in itself. Now you get really into it though you are not really sailing since it is a power boat as I understand. Still I admire and envy or boldness to go wherever it takes you. Will you be able to blog from your ship. I will check back on your blog to see the story unfold.

All the best,
RK

Ehvee said...

Gorgeous pics, Jen... especially the on of the donkey with the guy way in the back. It tells so many stories and the colors are rich and swimming. I think its one you should set aside for competition somewhere.

Can't believe you're going to sail back on the cat.. have you every sailed that much expanse of ocean? You're amazing... :)

Jerry Critter said...

Hi Jen,

What a great adventure you are having. I am sure you will have many interesting stories to tell by the time you get back home.

Happy traveling and stay safe.