Vikings

[nick]

As I'm sitting in my favourite bar, a guy next to me kicks up that the WIFI is slow and asks me what the problem is. I answered as I do with most problems around here: The problem is Spain. I pick up a Scandinavian accent, and ask where he's from. Norway he says, but he's been travelling for awhile. By boat? No, he is cycling around the world. Great! From Bolivia to Canada, in winter. Now he is going down to Gambia to ride Africa up to Egypt. His brother is sitting next to him, and they look similar, which makes sense, because I just learnt they're twins. He is the sailor, and had intended to pick up his cycling-mad brother from Canada, on a 31ft boat.

Being the sailing part of the duo, brother #2 had no idea how to sail. But, he said after buying the boat, he bought two books on sailing, a North Atlantic passage chart, and a windvane after asking a friend how exactly he was going to sleep while at sea. So there he is, setting off from Norway, about to sail direct and non-stop to Canada to pick up his viking brother. After four days of storms, he turns back, and decides to scrap Canada. Calling his brother up, who just had his bike stolen, he told him to take a flight to Europe, and they'd meet in Madeira. The sailing twin got all the way down to Madeira, met up with his cycling brother and headed for the Canaries. Tomorrow they sail to Dakar, and then Gambia.

Crazy makes the world go 'round.

nick.

[dnice]

gotta be this guy -> http://vikingsailor.blogspot.com/    ?

I read this blog a few weeks ago. Great guy, I loved reading it.
His blog has some good videos and some really funny stories.

I love the 'novice' sailing stories since that will probably be me in a few years 
doing the same crazy stuff ;D

its really worth going through, start from the 'bottom up'.

[Joe Pyrat]

Dnice, if you enjoyed that you will probably enjoy Tania Aebi's book Maiden Voyage.  She, perhaps has a bit more sailing experience when she departed, but not much more.

http://www.amazon.com/Maiden-Voyage-Tania-Aebi/dp/0345410122

[dnice]

Thanks Joe, I actually just bought that book! haven't got around to reading it yet though.
I have a pretty large stack to go through :) but its on the short list to read soon.

Nick: speaking of crazy  :o   Are you still planning on cycling to the pacific?