Travel by Boat
What’s it Like to Float Alone in the Doldrums
This week, I had a great chat with Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras about what it’s like to be stuck in the Doldrums. When I say the Doldrums, I don’t mean depression, a funk or a case of the mid-winter blues. I’m talking about the capital D Doldrums, the windless stretch of the Atlantic Ocean on either side of the equator that’s known for trapping sailors for weeks at a time.
Sailing Back to Horses
I have not always traveled by mule. When I was thirty, I decided that sailing around the world would be more interesting than sticking with my office job. I bought an old boat named Sea Bird and notified my employer that I was going sailing. I had just enough money saved to get going but not enough to make the whole trip without working along the way. I went anyway.
Pickle Raft Crushed, Rebuilt and Refloated
Crunch! Last winter a tree crushed our beloved Pickle Raft. This week, we rebuilt it. Here’s a quick (30-sec) video of how that went followed by some pics.
Introducing the Pickle Raft
A few years ago, my wife Julia and I assembled what looked like a patio on top of a bunch of plastic barrels and pushed it in to our pond.
We christened it the Pickle Raft and life was good.
How to Rebuild a Katadyn Survivor 35 Desalinator
The email came from the Falkland Islands. “Do you have advice and information about watermakers?” It was from my friends, sailors Thies Matzen and and Kicki Ericson aboard Wanderer III. A new Katadyn Survivor 35, the one they were interested in, costs around $2,400. In this post, I show you how I rebuilt a surplus Katadyn Survivor 35 Desalinatorwatermaker I bought on eBay for $150. It worked fine.
Welcome to RiverEarth.com
Howdy. This is where I (Bernie Harberts) post about my travels by mule, boat and bike.
To join me for an authentic mule voyage, check out the Lost Sea Expedition, the Rocky Mountain PBS series about my 14 month mule voyage across America.
Stream the series on:
My wife Julia’s take on things at Considering Animals.com.
Happy Adventuring!
Bernie
65 Days at Sea
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In 2003 Bernie completed a solo circumnavigation of the world in a 35 foot steel cutter – "Sea Bird". During this voyage Bernie filmed what life at sea was like during the long passage (over 6,000 miles) from South Africa to the US Virgin Islands. Bring Bernie’s positive spirit and life at sea into your living room with this one hour… Continue reading
Pickle Barrel Raft
Some days, a man dreams of sailing away in a schooner, dolphins dodging the striker stay. Others he’s content with a pond and a pickle barrel. It’s okay to take a break from pursuing something big to take a shot at something a bit, well, tangential.
Thing is, there’s an… Continue reading
Putting to Sea
The day has come to put to sea. Tomorrow I sail from Stanley, in the Falklands Islands, to South Georgia island, off Antarctica. I’ll be traveling aboard Windora. She belongs to my friends Phil and Lynda Christiesen. We met years ago in New Zealand. It may be… Continue reading
Surviving the Southern Ocean Rock
“Below 40, there is no Law. Below 50, there is no God.” They saying comes from Southern Ocean voyagers. The 40 is the Roaring Forties, the 50 the… Continue reading
Falkland Shearing
I know. I told you I was sailing a wooden sailboat from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia. Somewhere along the way, I ended up going from my sea berth to chasing sheep.
I’m new to this sheep thing. Here are some photos. Hope this makes you appreciate that wool sweater you’re wearing!
Yes, I still plan to sail to South Georgia in early January.
