My first day of retirement was 1 Jan 2017 and things have been going well. My original retirement plan was to undertake a round-the-world trip. After I retired, I did do some extensive traveling in Europe and to some extent in the USA. At the time of COVID I was within days of departure for another trip to Europe which would have included stays in Russia and Ukraine. COVID derailed my travel plans and the Ukraine War and its side effects have continued to derail my original plans. Further, the world has become a much more unstable place which has been detrimental for travel.
There are three main paths for crossing the Eurasian landmass: (1) the Classic Overland Route through Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, (2) the Trans-Siberian Route, and (3) the Central Asia Route. For crossing oceans, the options have been dwindling, but there still remains the Queen Mary II ocean liner, passenger freighters, and repositioning cruise lines.
The classic route is closed due to geopolitical and safety concerns and has been closed for decades. The Ukraine War and resulting sanctions on Russia have closed the Trans-Siberian Route (Trans-Siberian Railway) and it is likely to remain closed for the remainder of my lifetime. The Central Asia Route remains open, but I have concluded this route would be extremely challenging. Further, I am uncertain if the Kazakhstan railway is operational. A Youtuber did this route and found the Kazakhstan trains were not running; in the end, they took the airplane. Azerbaijan had a short war; unclear about safety in that country. Finally, the Central Asia Route goes through China and the last time I checked China was classified by the USA as a Do Not Travel zone. The Central Asia Route is open, but questionable.
I have determined it is not possible for me to go round-the-world as I originally envisioned – by land without using airplanes. This objective has been a goal of mine for thirty-plus years ever since I completed an overland London-Cape Town trip in the mid-nineties. Consequently, I am executing an alternative plan and that will be the topic for this journal.
Since the land route is closed, I will do it by sea. Not very many people complete a circumnavigation. James Cornell estimates 200 boats complete a circumnavigation every year. Of those about 10% are singlehanded.
A singlehanded circumnavigation appears very daunting, and I wonder if I am up for the task. The first person to successfully complete a solo circumnavigation was Joshua Slocum and he did so in 1895-1898. He wrote a book about it, titled “Sailing Alone Around the World.” The second person was Harry Pidgeon in 1921-1925 and he also wrote a book about his travels, titled “Around the World Single-Handed; The Cruise of the ‘Islander’.” Joshua Slocum had decades of experience as a sea captain. Harry Pidgeon had zero experience and everything about sailing he learned from books. The Press called him the Library Navigator. I decided that if Harry could do it, I could do it. Additionally, I watched YouTube videos trying to assess three things: (1) Do I want to do this? (2) Can I do this? and (3) Can I afford to do this? I decided the answer to all three questions were YES.
On 12 March 2024 I closed on a 1985 Tayana 37. It is an off-shore cruiser and is well suited for the mission. Now, I just need to develop the skills of the skipper, so that he is as well suited for the mission as the boat.
I am no longer in the prime of life, so my major limiting factors will be my health and physical fitness. Today, my health and physical fitness are fine; however, the future is uncertain and the trend is downward. I am 61. I believe for health and fitness reasons I must complete this life-long goal before I turn 70. Two years preparation for the boat and myself plus three-four years for the circumnavigation itself means I will complete the circumnavigation aged 66-67. My father died aged 71. My maternal grandfather died aged 68 and the other died aged 59. Age 70 seems to be a hard stop.
For those interested, I can provide a discussion on boat costs.
W, this is an epic journey! I can appreciate the cognitive flexibility to find an alternate method to complete your round-the-world journey and the planning necessary to sail solo.
