Archive for December, 2009

I’ll be joinig the

Terra Santa Kayak Symposium in Israel

from January 8th to 16th as a guest speaker and teacher.

Thanks, Omer, Saggi and Karel, for inviting me!

I’m looking forward to meet my “weather man” Karel Vissel for the first time in person! Thanks very much, Karel, for your great reliable work on my Iceland, New Zealand and Australian trip!

Trip dates: 18.01.2009 – 15.12.2009

solo paddling all days

Trip days: 332

Paddling days: 245

Rest days: 87

Trip hrs: 7968

Paddling hrs: 2637,5

avg. hrs per paddling day: 10,8 hrs

33% water, 33% sleep, 33% land (incl. rest days)

loaded (unsupported) paddling days: 191 (78 %)

unloaded (supported) paddling days: 54 (22 %)

paddling distance: 13790 km (8565 miles)

Jörg Hofferbert, one of my most active blog readers, waited at Hamburg airport to greet me with a special made German x-mas ”Lebkuchenherz”. Thanks, Jörg!

my mom was another “fan”, waiting at the airport…

my mom’s creative artwork to greet me

my shop manager Ilona Sierks, mom and Ilona’s husband Udo preparing the arrival ceremony

(Thanks to Udo Beier, one of my very first sea kayaking teachers, for the pictures!)

Rob Mercer and Mark Sundin, organizers of my Sydney talk.

Thanks, Rob and Mark!

“Grashopper” Andre Janecki took a great series of pictures from my talk in Sydney on saturday night. Please have a look at his flickr album here. He allowed me to share my favourites here with you on my site.

Thanks, Andre!

Thanks to Mark Sundin’s mom, Susan, taking another batch of great pictures that night!

A BIG thanks to Phil Newman, maintenance manager of Bridge Climb Sydney !

Phil invited me alredy month ago to join a climb on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Now it was “THE” chance to give it a go on Saturday morning, as Greg and I were driving to Sydney on Friday anyway. 

It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and the experience was amazing, well worth the effort and time! A great final for my whole Australian year! Please check their website to get an impression and pictures about this awseome possibility.

Thanks to everyone joining me on my talk and final party in Melbourne, despite a naturally short term notice and approaching holidays!

I appreciated very much the love and effort the VSKC put in to organize everything.

 David Golightly and his team was happy to to stay flexible until the last week before my actual arrival. It was necessary to wait with setting the day for the formals until I could foresee the weather for the last seven days on www.buoyweather.com for the potential arrival date.

(More finishing pictures are now uploaded on the

“Finish in Queenscliff” blog entry!)

I’d really love to share as many pictures and links as possible from my trip, my arrival and talks. If you have anything on your camera which is great to post here, or if you have seen any interesting web publication about my trip which is worth sharing the link, please drop me an email.

Picture by Andy Skreiner

tuluak said:

“Please, keep us paddlers all over the world up to date even after the
big trip is over!”

This was the first of over 200 well wishing blog entries on my final post about my arrival.

A hearty THANKS to everybody who sent his/ her best wishes online! 

I’ll do.