Friday, December 23, 2011

Home for the Holidays




Something amazing about this cruising lifestyle is moving frequently. Every few weeks or so, there is a new Island to visit and within that Island, there are new anchorages. Every time you visit a new place you have to figure out where things are, for example, the Immigration office, where to find internet, a local market, marine store, where to get propane, water and so forth. It didn’t take long for these two Earthlings to settle in St. Martin. It feels like home here already. Large anchorage sites where many cruisers visit and stay for a longer time, such as St. Martin, have a VHF radio Channel just for cruiser’s. It’s called the “Cruiser’s Net”. On the Cruiser’s Net the weather forecast is given, there is an exchange of goods or services, general info, and they usually announce arrivals and departures. In other words it’s a networking community for cruisers. We have listened and engaged in the cruiser’s net since we were in George Town, Bahamas. The Cruiser’s Net has been very useful for us, we get local information and/or exchange things. Since we’ve gotten to Simpson Lagoon, Channel 14 has been on at 7:30 am every morning. We listen to Mike, the host of the Cruiser’s Net in St. Martin. Kelly has been offering haircuts for cruisers on the net and Mike has offered her  to use his establishment, “Shrimpy’s Laundry & Yachting Center” to cut hair. We row to shore, then bike to Shrimpy’s every day.  We’ve really gotten to know Mike, Sally, and Meme. They have been sailing and cruising before we were born.  They are wonderful people who have been very welcoming, and helpful to us. Offering haircuts also helps us meet new people and cruisers that have a plethora of information to share. Today we are invited for dinner aboard Elaine and Bob’s boat M/V “Mar Azul”. They have been cruising just since April and are going the same route as us down through the Leeward Islands.

We have been here for a week now and are already settled in. We could live here for a long time if we wanted to. Now we know where most of the things are and have already been anchored in 3 different sites. The other day we biked all the way around the lagoon to the Dutch side. What makes it feel most like home is that we made friends.  

St. Martin is a major boating and yachting center in the Caribbean. It’s a great place to fix and upgrade your vessel. Caribbean’s biggest boating stores, Budget Marine and Water World have warehouses here and are located almost next to each other. You can find anything for your marine needs in St. Maarten. Furthermore, you see the biggest yachts you have ever seen, which reminds me of Monaco. There are many 100+ foot yachts in the lagoon. The masts of these mega sailing yachts are so tall that they have red anchor lights, which I believe is for the safety of aircraft traffic. There are at least 10 masts with red lights on their stick. We caught a moment on video of a super yacht when we were waiting in Simpson Bay for the bridge to open. Check out the video here!

Caribbean Christmas spirit comes with the Christmas winds. The past few days it has been blowing 20 to 30 miles per hour. The windgenerator has been turning off frequently since the batteries are topped off and with the combination of solar panels there is no need to start the engine at all. It’s all about being as sufficient and resourceful as possible in this life style. In addition, Santa doesn’t ride in on a sleigh here, he zooms through on a jet ski! The Holiday’s are here and we wish all our followers and friends a Merry Christmas, God Jul, Happy Solstice, and Happy Hanukkah!

Love from Simpson Lagoon
           

Saturday, December 17, 2011

St. Martin

It’s surreal to be in France after a night passage from St. Croix. The mainland of France is far a way from here, but you get the taste of it in St. Martin. You see Citroens and Peugeots, which make it European and feels like home to me. The fresh smell from bakeries making baguettes and croissants is wonderful. Moreover, French wine is present everywhere and all you want to do is drink slightly cooled Chardonnay during the warm sunny days and Bordeaux at night. The radio stations play great music here and the locals dress more tastefully in this part of the Caribbean. Nevertheless, this Island is not only french, it’s also Dutch. We entered St. Martin on the French side, Marigot, since it’s a few Euros cheaper to check in and out here and there are no anchorage fees in most sites. As most of our followers and friends know, this adventure is happening with very limited resources. This Island is less than 50 square miles and it’s easy to dinghy, walk, or bike from the French to the Dutch side. There is a lovely story about the division of this island. It is not supported by historical fact, but according to Chris Doyle’s Cruising Guide, “The French and Dutch were so civilized that, rather than fight over the island, they had a Frenchman armed with a bottle of wine walk in one direction and a Dutchman equipped with a flask of gin take the other. Where they met became the boundary, and the French ended up with a bit more because the gin was stronger than the Wine”.

The 92 mile night passage from St. Croix to St. Martin was smooth. The heading was 92 degrees and wind NE at 6-10 with moderate seas. We sailed on a close reach all the way to Marigot. Being strictly under sail going East in the Caribbean is very rare, because of the trade winds. But we were very lucky with the weather window. This was the first night passage for this leg and we were missing the tranquility. To most people it might be frightening to be on the water in the dark, where you can’t see anything but the sky. Even so, there is a feeling involved with this experience that is exceptional. Being alone in the middle of nowhere under darkness brings you closer to your higher self! It’s great meditation time. A few hours after total darkness, where we couldn’t even see the water, the almost full moon rose with enough light to see the swells and still all the stars. Nonetheless, you can’t wait for the sun to rise and bring light to all!

One of the difficulties in a cruising life style is access to information. In other words, lack of internet. We forget how comfortable we have it on land. When you live in a permanent place, it’s easy to have access to internet endlessly, but when you are traveling from one place to another in different countries, it’s impossible to have internet at all times. Mostly, we find wifi signals from the boat with an antenna, still most are locked and sometimes you can purchase the password. What we usually do is to go ashore to find wifi in a bar or coffee shop and that requires that you purchase something to be able to use the wifi.  It requires time and effort to have a blog update or post pictures and keep in touch. So please don’t be worried and be patient if you don’t hear from us every few days or so. One amazing device aboard now is the spot connect. Anytime we set sail, the spot connect will be activated and keep a track of Earthling’s passages and actual location. We are looking forward to the day where internet wifi covers the whole planet free of charge for everyone.      
Love from St. Martin

Monday, December 12, 2011

Typical Earthling Life

How would you feel and what would you do, when you have an uninvited visitor fly into your boat?

It’s morning, the current is pushing the boat one way and the wind the other. Suddenly the oil lamp in the cockpit gets knocked down, Kelly starts screaming, and a big fish is flapping around in the cockpit. It all happened within few seconds. The shock and excitement was incredible. What should we do?! Grab the camera is the first thing that comes to mind. The young wahoo flapped around and made the floor slimy and stinky, until it was tired and then it went into the bucket (Check out the video). To me it just looked like great dinner! Thank you god for sending us a fish without ever needing to put out a line. This is what we do with unexpected visitors, we let them flap around till they are dead, filet them, grill them and eat them!

Life on Earthling is becoming more and more self sufficient. Beside the Wahoo jumping  in the boat for dinner, we also make our own bread. Kelly made some delicious bread in the pressure cooker. Making bread aboard costs us 1/5 of buying it in the store, and it can be made to personal preference. It requires time, but hey, as a cruiser, you have the time of the world and why not make your own food from scratch? Kelly also made my favorite brownies mixed with Persian walnuts. The baking experience is still in the beginning stages and will be improved as we go. Maybe we’ll start trading Earthling bread for a bottle of Rum soon! We catch rain for drinking water, get energy from the sun and wind, make own food, and grow sprouts for salads and sandwiches. In other words, we are trying to live in a small utopia. 

The last event in Christiansted for us, was the Christmas boat parade. Down here in the Caribbean, Christmas spirit is somehow absent, at least to us. We grew up in the northern climates, where there is snow in December and Christmas is associated with that. Down here in the Caribbean, it’s always summer and Christmas is never in summer! Anyhow, during the Christmas boat parade aboard Tony’s motorboat, “Sweet Pepper”, the Christmas spirit was finally felt. Twenty plus boats from 15ft to 50ft were dressed in lights and did a parade by the boardwalk. There were thousands of spectators and aboard Sweet Pepper, there was a trio of trumpets playing Christmas music. Sweet Pepper won the prize in it’s class and it was great to have dinner with the crew, afterward, at Green Cay Marina.


There have been 3 anchorages for us in Christiansted, St. Croix. The last one is right by the Seaborne Airlines dock. There are seaplanes landing, taking off, and turning around from early morning to sunset just 50 yards from here. One of the pilots is Wayne, we have raced on Cayennita Grande. We are waving at eachother everyday and it feels totally like home here in Christiansted. Tonight he gave a private farewell show for us, you can check out the video on Youtube!



The next blog update should feasibly be from St. Martin/St. Marteen. You can follow our trail on spot connect on Tuesday Dec 13th after 6pm Eastern Standard time.   

Love from Christiansted

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Mixed-Up World


Cayennita Grande
In our lives we have no control over other peoples actions and sometimes shocking things happen. This time it was not one of those unfortunate, unexpected incidents, but everything happens for a reason. We must keep an open mind and stay positive.

The Gustav Wilmerding Regatta in West End Tortola was one of the funnest  races ever. We crewed aboard our friend Tony's boat, Cayennita Grande. It started with the east wind on our back, flying the spinnaker around Great Thatch island, then around little Thatch. Next, up and around Sandy Cay, around great Thatch again and finally, back to West End. This course was approximately 27 miles and very exciting. It's such a better experience to race around islands, instead of buoys. The wind blows between theses islands like they would blow through a tunnel and change direction very frequently. 
We came in 3rd place, which was to everyone's satisfaction! That night, Tony invited the crew for dinner at Jolly Roger, where the awards ceremony was held. Great dinner, great company, and a great day... but it didn't end that way. After dinner, Tony and Kelly were on the dance floor and a heavily intoxicated man, named Justin, who is supposedly from Steel Point, Tortola, walked up to get between Tony and Kelly. Nobody pushes Tony away. He didn't move and stood there strong while the troubled guy Justin raised his Heineken glass bottle and it shattered against Tony's face. He fell down and blood was everywhere! The music stopped and everybody was in shock. We ended up riding with Tony in the ambulance to the emergency room. We waited with our friends Mike & Diane Kirk till early morning. Tony got 17 stitches along his eyebrows and a stitch on his knee. He had to spend the night for an eye doctor to examine him before they could discharge him. Most of the day after was spent at the hopital and police station to give statements.

Di, Tony, & Mike in entrance of West End Police Station


Tony had planned to singlehand Cayennita Grande to St Croix, but with one patched eye and a swollen face, it was our duty to help him to deliver Cayennita Grande. Now we are back in Christiansted again. The good news is that the solar panels arrived! We will be ready to sail to St Marteen within the next week.
What we've learned from this is that there are good people and bad people in this world and we have no control over what can happen. We just have to stay calm and positive and know that everything works itself out in the end.
Love from a Mixed-Up World

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Energies

What's so wonderful about the energies of this world
is that they are always being transferred,
from one thing
to another.
The beautiful souls
and open loving people,
are destined to meet if you put yourself out there.
Love them,
they will love you back.
We will meet ,
for this first time,
and again there after,
it is also hopeful.
You are the one I want to cross in my life,
as perpendicular lines
intersecting and then becoming one for a time
but still continuing on...
and meeting again in the future.
The web, circle, tree of life,
we call it.
The 6 degrees of separation...
The true meaning
with puzzle pieces missing,
even when you know and are sure,
you still continue on.
What is it that we are all thriving for,
lust, love, security, serentiny, peace, hatred, tranquillity, bad, good.
Without one there is not the other.
We shall see.

Written by: Kelly Bailey Dalton

Friday, December 2, 2011

Salamati

Approaching St. John, Virgin Islands
It feels great to be moving on and sailing to new ports. Earthling’s way of cruising is to move on every few days, to not be anchored in one certain place more than 10 days. However, sometimes you have to stop in one place for longer, to repair your vessel or just work. We had to stay in St. Croix for one month to get the boat “a little more ready”, and even though all the things on the list are not accomplished, time is up and we have to move on. Our friend Tony Sanpere, has his race boat, Cayennita Grande, stored in Nanny Cay, BVI and it will be launched soon. We will then sail to East End, Tortola, to do a race with him. We better get first place, because Tony always comes in first! Cayennita Grande was just freshly painted white on the hull and bottom with a nice thin red water line. She looks super sharp!
It is also great to have a guest aboard here on the mothership Earthling. We haven’t had many guests aboard since returning to the boat after hurricane season.  Tony is here now and we are pleased to have him aboard. 
Even though Earthling is yearning to sail south to St. Maarten and further, we can’t do it quite yet, since solar panels that were purchased a month ago, have still not arrived in St. Croix. So we must return there to pick them up within the next couple weeks. Meanwhile, we are going to cruise to explore and take advantage of the time we have further in this area. There are many places that we have not seen yet, such as the island of Culebra, which leads us to new crossroad.

Love for Nanny Cay

View photos on the facebook page

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Jump Up


There are different kinds of ceremonies held annually in Christiansted, St. Croix. Yesterday was Jump Up, where we saw the most people ever on the streets of Christiansted. Jump Up is a carnival kind of a party held four times a year, there are bands and musicians playing along the board walk and the street corners. Street vendors selling different merchandise and food, and the Mocko Jumbies dancing around. A Moko Jumbie is a dancer that walks on stilts (pillars) attached to their leg. The Moko Jumbies we saw were really tall, they were standing on 8-10 feet stilts. They have been part of the Caribbean culture for 200 years.
The hot dog vendor crew
And then there was a hot dog vendor and our friend Ryan was craving for one, so we stopped there. Standing there reminded me of my time in that business, selling hot dogs and brats on the street of Gothenburg in Sweden. I did that for a few years, employed over 10 people and made a pretty successful business. In 1995, during the World Championship of Athletics in Gothenburg, we sold around 15,000 hot dogs and brats in 8 days! It didn’t take long time before I was behind the hot dog stand in St. Croix, grilling and serving customers. And It all came back like it was yesterday, I took over the grill for an hour and served at least 30 hotdogs, and Kelly, Ryan and I ate 6, free of charge. The lady that was running the business wanted me to work for her, if I’m here next time I will work a full shift for you, I said.   
The night was full of excitement, we ran into almost everyone we know on the Island. Rain poured down a few times and one storm lasted for an hour. It didn’t even cross our mind if we had closed the hatches on the boat or not! As we got off the dinghy and walked onto the boat, we see everything drenched. All the hatches were open. We had to sleep in the v-berth on wet cushions and that was a lesson learned. November is the rainiest month in the Caribbean and it has poured rain at least once a day for the last few weeks. Every time we leave the boat, all the hatches and windows have to be closed, even if we leave only for an hour. But yesterday we forgot. Now floor mats, rugs, and sheets are hanging out side in the cockpit, just like a typical gypsy home.

Love from Jump up    

Monday, November 21, 2011

The World Awaits

Sunrise
It is astonishing to get visited by a big white, spotted stingray everyday. He is here below our boat swimming in these waters as if he owns them. He has been here the longest and this is his home more than ours. Thank you Mr. Ray for visiting us and letting us stay in your home. How does it feel to see a Falcon flying around, and sit on the spreaders of different boats every night and occasionally make noise at sunset? It’s breathtaking! The Falcon and Mr. Ray are some of our Earthling neighbors. Others are the live-aboards at this anchorage, whom seem not to move or sail their vessels much. Like the old man that is so weak that he can’t even row to shore, or some of the boats around that don’t even have a mast, or a boom, or sails. Then there is “Mendocino Queen”, which is owned by Allen and Kate from California, and they have been sailing and cruising around the world on and off for 20 years. I can see cruising around the world for that long. We have been invited to Mendocino Queen but unfortunately have been so busy working on the boat that there has not been enough time to visit them.
Projects are never ending, and you can be working on your boat for years before you feel it's ready to set sail. Since we got down here to the Caribbean we have been working on the boat as a full time job. You mention it, wiring, reinforcing, sanding, cleaning, caulking, varnishing, painting, installing, changing, eliminating, polishing, and many more doings. Still, we haven’t installed the solar panels since they seemed lost in the mail and we don’t have them yet. Neither have we gotten all the tow rails sealed. There is still so much to do on Earthling before it is ready to sail off again. Sometimes you just have to get up and go, otherwise you might never take off. I could still be in Chicago dreaming about this adventure if I wanted everything as perfect as I desire. Sometimes we get so caught in the moment and comfortable in one place that we lose sight of our goals and missions. It requires a certain courage to break ties loose, pick up your anchor, and move on, like a Gypsy does! We are the Gypsies and in a few days it’s time to leave this beautiful home and anchorage to a new destination. The rest of the world is waiting and we will be there.

Love from Christiansted

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Protestant Cay Anchorage

The boardwalk in Christiansted. 


It has been raining on and off for the past few days, which put us behind on our deck work. But it's all good, there is plenty of work to do inside. I made new shelving and connected some new instruments such as a battery monitor and fixed the oven and so forth. Kelly has been sewing new pillows and canvas storage pockets. This non-commercial mooring field we are in is wonderful! It's right in front of the boardwalk, protected by an island, & has great water circulation. It's 8-10 ft deep and you can see the bottom. Last night the full moon was reflecting off the ocean floor. 
This is one of the cleanest mooring fields in front of a big city in the Caribbean so far that we've experienced. Although, things will still grow on the bottom of your boat. Not so much on Earthling, but lots on the boats around. Tony has been letting us use this mooring for the time we are here. On the north side of where we are is Seaborne Airlines,  seaplane landing strip. On the east we have the little island of Protestant Cay, with a hotel and bar on it, and on the south is the town of Christiansted. 

Full Moon over the beach
 at Protestant Cay.

Kelly describes our life here in a poem: 

With a full moon as my only light,
Reflecting off the ocean floor,
My deep thoughts are about this beautiful world. 
We only know but one. 
On land these thoughts mean nothing. 
The soft whispering breeze running across every little hair on my body,
so warm and comfortable. 
Why can't we all experience this?
The peaceful rocking of the boat at anchor, 
swaying back and forth.
As you close your eyes it makes you feel a weightlessness. 
The sounds of the calm land breeze, sweeping across us,
Making harmonious music between halyards on the main and ripples in the water. 
I'm at peace within. 
The lights from afar on shore twinkle, 
But not as good as the stars. 
In and out, on and off.
Love from Protestant Cay

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Varnishing time

Starboard handrail and trim
Port hand rail and trim
Storing your boat over hurricane season or winter can sometimes cost you more than living on it. Especially down here in the Salt waters where everything corrodes. Currently our outboard and stereo system is out of order. The stereo is half fixed, it worked for several hours last night. Humidity and salt must have corroded something in the unit. A boat needs constant maintenance and if you put things on hold, they might cost and require more work in the long run.
The last couple of days we have been sanding, varnishing, and sealing handrails and trim. This project is time consuming. First you have to take the rail off, then clean the old caulk, sand the wood trim, apply one layer at a time of epoxy, mask, and then put new caulk and screw the pieces back into deck, sand the epoxy, and apply one layer of varnish at a time. Phew! All this hard work will pay off when the wooden rail will looks like new after it's done. We are applying 3 coats of epoxy and 3 layers of varnish.  The epoxy should protect the wood from moisture better than anything else. This is the first time I'm using the epoxy and varnish combination and I think it will have great durability.
So far we have just done hand rails and the trim on the starboard side. There is an equal amount of work for the wood on the port, bow and stern of the boat. The good news is that if we apply a couple layers of varnish once a year, we would never need to go through all the steps again next time. Compared to some classic boats, Earthling don't have lots of wood work, teak deck and floors. If you are going to purchase a boat and you fall in love with the wood work and teak deck, keep in mind that keeping up with the wood maintenance might break your back or pocket over the long run. And next time you see that beautiful shinny wooden ketch, remember that the owner put lots of love into her!


Love from varnishing world
 

Monday, October 31, 2011

Back In The Saddle


Earthling is launched and it feels great. The bottom is clean with a new layer of paint, the top part of the hull is waxed, the zincs on the prop are changed and all the through hulls are inspected. We have lots of mosquito bites on our legs and arms, since Earthling was stored by a swamp! But when she was launched and as soon as we left the marina and got to our anchorage, it was all worth it. There is a lot of work involved to keep a vessel maintained, especially when you have very limited access to resources. When this is the case, you have to do it yourself.  And if you are not handy or rich then forget about it!

Our first overnight anchorage by Norman Island, BVI was quiet, beautiful, calm, and excellent weather. It was a little taste of this adventure before we had to get to work on the boat again.
The first passage from Norman Island to St. Croix involved some 8-10 ft waves and wind gusts up to 27 knots, a few wash-overs and we are salted again.  Now we are in our Caribbean home, St. Croix. We call it this mostly because our friends Tony and  Ellen live here and St. Croix is also part of the US.  As we are pulling into the anchorage area in St. Croix, I'm taking down the main sail and Kelly is behind helm, and next to us is Ron & Karyn on Equinox... these are friends we met 8 months ago in Turks and Caicos. What a small world! Tomorrow we are invited for dinner aboard Equinox.

We will be staying here in St. Croix for the next few weeks to work on Earthling, which involves installing new equipment and repairing. The biggest project is sealing the toe rails and stanchions. This project is estimated to take 7-10 days.

Aboard we have had visitors since we got here. The 2 visitors have been keeping us entertained and they made us throw some of our food away. They must have helped themselves to the boat during the last 4 months. These mice were on the boat before we got back and they thought we were visitors! I like pets but so sorry, not mice. A couple nights in a row we couldn't really sleep peacefully because as soon as we went to sleep these guys would come out and play around in the galley and jump around up and down the stairs. Finally,  we had to get a mousetrap and capture these creatures and feed them to the fish.

The last few days it has been windy. They call them the "Christmas Winds", which is good for us because the wind generator is keeping the batteries charged. No need for fossil fuels to generate energy!

Love from St. Croix

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Barnacle Bottom



Bottom paint is the paint applied to the part of the boat that is always in the water. Many things can grow on that part of the boat. On Earthling's bottom we had an barnacle bed growing after we left Luperon in Dominican Republic. This caused the motor to over heat and slowed us down at least a knot in average. It took a few weeks of underwater scraping till it completely was cleaned. On the propeller there was an barnacle an inch wide! First time I looked at the barnacle bed, the bottom of the boat looked like a breathing dinosaur, it was so gross and disgusting, but it had to be cleaned, and I was the one to do it! I was so disappointed that the paint we applied less than a year ago didn't survive this situation. I guess you have to use paint with a lot of 
poisonous chemicals in it to not get any growth on the bottom. But then again, the very strong paints are banned in many countries, and this is probably hurting the nature! This is a dilemma many boaters have. For the last 3 days we have been scraping off the oyster bed's residue and light sanding and then it's ready to paint. We heard of other boats that had the same experience in Luperon. A lesson learned to not anchor for a long time in isolated mangrove areas. If you do, make sure to keep her bottom clean. 

Love from Spanish town        

Friday, October 21, 2011

Back to Earthling life

The weather in Chicago is getting cold and it is time to get back to Earthling life. I love friends and family in the U.S and Iran but I couldn't wait to get back on Earthling and live a stress-free and simple life. Chicago layover was supposed to be only one week but some of the land life responsiblities (work, taxes, business, papers) needed attention so I had to stay 10 days longer. 
Left: Marty Right: Roy 
A few days ago I attended the memorial service for my friend Marty Hastings. Marty was my sailing father in Chicago. He was one of the people that helped me a lot with this adventure. A few years ago I told Marty that I was going to set sail from Chicago with the goal of sailing around the world. Marty believed in me, he helped me with the purchase of Earthling, repairs, and new equipment. The last four years I have been racing on Marty and Donna Hasting's boat, Joie De Vie.  Marty also joined Earthling down in Florida for a week. His positive energy will always be behind my sailing adventures and I will always remember him. Marty will be missed. May he rest in peace. 
Full Moon Party
I missed the Full Moon Party in Tortola last week, which is a big deal down here in the Caribbean, but I happened to attend one of the coolest full moon parties in my neighborhood by Foster beach with my friends Hiba and Asma. It was so amazing to experiance the Rastafarian "hippie" Caribbean Culture in Chicago. Chicago has lots of culture and diversity, you'll find all kinds of ethnic restaurants and that's something I admire about this city, especially with my background.

Kelly & I are with Earthling now on Virgin Gorda, BVI. We are getting her ready for the 3rd leg of this voyage. After a new layer of bottom paint and wax, she will be ready to be launched. We will sail to St. Croix next week and stay there until we're done installing all new equipment and do some repairs. We are looking forward to meet our cruiser friends and other new people in the next months to come.

Love from Virgin Gorda 

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Farewell Iran

Tabatabaei House, Kashan
The Iran trip came to an end and time went by so fast. I've traveled within Iran and got to do some things that I like. It feels like I haven't had time to absorb everything yet. I’m glad I take lots of pictures and that I write about my experiences so I can go back to it and relive it.

One amazing experience during this trip, which has been a dream of mine for a long time was to Para glide. Para gliding is flying in a kite off a mountain. We drove 3500ft up the Alborz Mountains on the north side of Tehran and flew down like an eagle with the city below us. I've realized I really enjoy to fly, I must been a bird in the past! I would love to do more Para gliding and get certified. 

Furthermore, I got to do a little project in my parents cottage close to Astaneh Ashrafieh in Gilan. Since I am a water person, I thought our orchard needed a little fountain. A fountain in a little pool would create a sound effect of water running down the stones and it would be a great add on to our home. The fountain project was a good learning experience. I made a 2 feet tall fountain wall with different size river rocks that I collected. This project will be 100% completed next time I visit my parents.

Fin Garden
 I also had the opportunity to give a day visit to "Kashan" with my close friend Peggy. Kashan is located couple hundred kilometers ( 120miles) south of Tehran. Kashan's history goes back to few thousand years as well as many other cities in Iran. Recently in Kashan archeologists found a human mummy, which is estimated to be 7000 years old. This city has many beautiful old architecture. In Fin garden you see water running from a well through creeks among tall pine trees with a classic persian home in the middle of the garden. Kashan is a place worth to see in Iran.

Iran is such a beautiful country with so many resources. Iran lies in a strategic geographical location and it has been the connection between east to west. This land and it's people has been under many different powers and ruled by many different government. This country has been taken advantage off and robbed so many times throughout history. Few weeks ago news released that $3billion is missing in the central bank system. Last week CEOs from 3 major banks resigned. Iran has become an extreme materialistic society. You are judged by who your parents are, what kind of car you are driving, where you live, what you do and how much you own. I have been trying to detach myself from this materialistic world and live only by my needs. I like beautiful things and comfort, but I don't want to find happiness with the things under my possession. I simply have nothing to show, it's just me! In Iran you can't just be you, you have to be somebody else!

People on our planet right now live in controlled societies. We live in a police world and the degree of that is really high on the scale in Iran. Today the situation in the Middle East is in chaos. All the countries in this region are very tense and concerned. In Iran the communication system is controlled. News and social websites like, BBC, Blogspot, and Facebook are filtered. The phone lines between major cities in Iran get interrupted and internet gets shut down during special events. Subconsciously, people in Iran are under constant fear. People are worried about their future and their children's future. People are worried about health care, work, and education. It's kind of part of the culture to be worried.

When you practice compassion, you can feel other people's pain or happiness. In some situations I think I feel worse than the other person since they don't really know in what degree of closed society they live in. For example, when I see a 10 year old girl covered head to toe in black "chador" I feel sorry and wish she could live just a 10 year old child life and had the opportunity to live in a less controlled world. Many people in this society are used to the system and don't realize the little cubical they live in. We all live in a cubical. Our cubical world has different thickness. The walls are very thick in Iran. I hope we can break these walls and let some light in and find peace and freedom. As an Earthling we don't need any borders between the countries on our planet. Everybody should be able to go wherever they like to whenever they like to. When we are not allowed to cross a line then we are more eager to see what's on the other side. I feel bad for many people in Iran and other countries in the world that can't get permission to go to other countries and see the world outside.  When the amount of resources available on our planet is equally distributed between everyone and it’s in harmony with nature then we can live where ever our hearts take us. Then we would not fight, kill, steal, lie, and we all would live better lives in a better world. I am looking forward to that day in my life time.
Love from Iran
View more photos on Earthlingsailor's facebook page

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Taarof world

Taarof is a Persian way of being hospitable, polite, and respectful. It's about sacrificing yourself for your guest and to be humble, generous, and a servant. It is a beautiful part of the Persian culture.
Examples of Taarof:
When few people try to enter a door way that permits only one at the time the respectful approach is to let the oldest person enter first, then the guest, and last the host. It's common to see people at doorways insisting each other to enter first and they go back and forth and sometimes this ritual can repeat itself for a long time and can become somehow annoying.
Iranians sometimes get in fight over who is going to pay in restaurants. Everybody is taking their money out and try to tell the cashier to take their money and seldom we threaten the cashier if he/she takes money from the counterpart.
When you shop merchandise at a store in Iran, the cashier quotes the price and also tells you that it's on the house and don't mention it (Ghabel nadare). But at the end you have to pay for the merchandise.
At least but not last, when you are sitting in a gathering and a new person that you know enters, you get up of respect and greet. If the person is older no matter if you know the person or not,  it would be disrespectful to not stand up! Sometimes I think it's better to go to a gathering later than sooner otherwise you have to get up over and over again.

There are so many vocabulary used in Tarof that cannot be translated to english, I don't understand many of the words either. Some of the words are, "Ghabel nadare", which means it's not worth it for you to pay. In Iran you hear ghabe nadare everywhere. If you tell a friend what a beautiful watch she/he has, they usually say Ghabel nadare.
When somebody ask me to say hello to my parents I'll be polite and respond: I will send your greatness (bozorgitoon ro miresoonam). When you talk to someone that hosted you last, you start the conversation with: how are you dealing with our burdan!( ba zahmat ma chetorin)

As a person grown up in a western culture, sometimes Taarof becomes very challenging. You don't know if people really mean what they are offering or it's just a taarof. I usually tell people that I don't taarof, but that itself can be a type of taarof!

I also recognized that subconsciously I have been carrying the taarof culture in my life.
I faced complicated situations outside Iran and offered to pay for things in many situations where nobody else offered so I end up with the whole bill myself.
I would say we do have more of the Taarof culture in the U.S than in Sweden. I like to keep beautiful parts of each culture that I grew up in. There are certainly beautiful parts of Taarof. In the Taarof world I believe you have to mean what you are offering. Don't offer your watch to someone unless you are ready to give it away and don't offer to pay for a whole table unless you mean it and you can afford it!

Love from Taarof world

Sunday, September 4, 2011

TABRIZ


Friends and family are so nice and hospitable to me. Everybody want to get together and some want to travel and there are so many places to see.
My best friend Mehdi in Iran, offered to fly me to Tabriz to visit his spouse's family and this ancient city. This was a great opportunity for me to visit Tabriz for the first time. And I had a great time staying with Mehranfar's family and I'm grateful for their hospitality.

Tabriz is in the East Azerbaijan province,  which is the Turkish part of Iran. The first language here is Turkish but everybody speak Farsi as well.  It feels foreign since everybody speak a language that I don't understand.
Tabriz is the 4th largest city in Iran and it use to be the capital of Persia during the Qajar period. The history of Tabriz goes back over 2500 years.
Qajaar House
Everything I ate in Tabriz from fresh Cantaloupe fruit Juice to the Baklava tasted great. I think the food products here in Tabriz are of a better quality than many other places.
Silky cream cheese topped with honey on fresh barbari bread along with tea is the best breakfast you can imagine.
The old Tabriz Bazaar is a must see, it's enormous and one of the largest and oldest in the middle east. It is actually the oldest covered Bazaar in the world.

Kandovan
Another site we visited is Kandovan, which is a village in the outskirts of Tabriz. The homes in Kandovan are carved inside large cone shaped rocks and some are as old as 800 years old. This village is just surreal. These cone shaped rocks must been reefs under water many many years ago.
Furthermore, you don't see as many homeless or panhandlers in this city. The air here in Tabriz is also much cleaner than Tehran or Mashhad.
To see the photo album of Iran please visit earthling sailor page.

Love from Tabriz

Monday, August 29, 2011

Alborz Mountains



So far during the time in Iran I've been on road trips east to Mashhad and north to AstanehMashhad is the second biggest and a holy city in Iran. This city is a religious tourist destination. Many people from all over Iran & Middle east come to visit Imam Reza's shrine in Mashhad. My mother is originally from here and I visit my grandparents and family in Mashhad every time I am in Iran. 
There are several routes leading to Mashhad and to the Caspian Sea on the north. The nature on each road is scenic and unique. The roads go through mountains, desert, and forests . I love the mountains in Iran. The Alborz mountains separates the tropical caspian sea area from the lower Tehran plateau. It reaches several hundred miles east to west and its only few tens of miles wide. You definitely see some spectacular views when crossing these mountains. They are similar to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
The tallest mountain in the Alborz Range is Mt. Damavand at 18400ft (5600meters) elevation. A lot of  people hike in the Alborz mountains. Hiking in the mountains is one of my activities now, and I always been wanting to clime up to the peak of Mt. Damavand. I will make that dream come true in the near future. 

In addition to the nature, It's the month of Ramadan right now. During this month Muslims don't drink or eat from sunrise to sunset. Nobody is supposed to consume food or drinks in public and restaurants and coffee shops are not serving food for lunch. I would assume restaurant industry's low season in muslim countries is during the month of Ramadan, which ends in few days and it's celebrated as Eyd e Fetr. 
Astaneh Ashrafiyyeh is a town in the Gilan province by the Caspian Sea. The nature here is tropical and you see palm trees around. My parents have a get away home on the country side of Astaneh. In their little orchard here life is peaceful and pleasant. It's far from the city chaos and it's quiet. I like spend my quality time here next to the outdoor fire place and among fruit trees and rose bushes.     
Yesterday we drove back from Astaneh to Tehran and tomorrow we are going to Tabriz in Azerbaijan. 
Love from Alborz Mountains  

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Welcome to Tehran


There is so much going on in Tehran. I have been in a slight culture shock since I got here. When you travel to diverse countries in the world, you experience a sense of confusion. I also know that I will be feeling this way when I go back to Chicago or the Caribbean. For me it takes 2-5 days to adjust.
Tehran is the biggest cosmopolitan city and the capital of Iran. Metro Tehran's population is over 13 million people and there are cars and people everywhere.  Many move from all over Iran to Tehran to find better opportunities. Tehran is the sophisticated city in Iran and the class difference is clear and big. You see people driving Porsches that cost 3-4 times more than in the U.S and there are children on the streets begging for money.

One thing that is amazing in Iran is the tasteful fruits. All fruits have certain sweet taste unique to themselves. Now is the season for melons, grapes, cherries, pears peaches, nectarines, berries, apricots,  plums, prunes, apples and so forth. Furthermore, there are different kind of each fruit, like watermelons, honey melons, musk melons(Kharbozeh), cantaloupes and others. In addition, the Kharbozeh from Mashhad tastes different than the ones from Isfahan. We eat fruits like snacks in Iran. There is definitely something unique about the soil in this part of the planet.

Persian culture is ancient, it has been around for few thousands of years. It also has changed throughout history, there has been lots of influence from external forces that has been affecting and changing it. One thing that Persians are holding tight to is their poetry. We are very proud of our poetry and it is a corner stone of our culture. Poets like Hafez, Rumi, Omar Khayyam, Sadi, Ferdosi, and others have a significant meaning in Iran. You find Rumi's and Hafez's books in almost any Iranian household. Their poems are framed on walls and part of everyday expressions. We actually have a divan of Hafez on Earthling.
I just opened a random page in the Robaiyat of Khayyam and it says:

"With them the seed of wisdom did I sow,
and with my own hand labored it to grow,
and this was all the harvest that I reaped,
I came like water, and like wind I go"

Love from Tehran

Friday, August 5, 2011

Time for another home




Time for Chicago visit has come to an end and another destination across the globe is waiting for my arrival.
There has been lots to do in the last six weeks in Chicago. The biggest task was to find someone to take over my business and luckily I did accomplish that within this short period of time.  Furthermore, my passport, driver's license, & residency card was expired and now they are all renewed. On top of that I did the sailing race from Chicago to Mackinac Island and delivered Joie De Vie back to Chicago. I also got an opportunity to fly in a helicopter for the first time with my friend Johnny Wanda last week. Johnny is a chopper pilot, he flew us from Kenosha to downtown Chicago and back. Flying in a helicopter is like being a bird. I never realized that you can fly really low with a helicopter. We were flying as low as the mansions on the lake front and lower than sears tower over Chicago. It was an amazing experience.



I have many friends & loved ones in Chicago and I have been socializing almost every night. Last night we had a go-away party and I got to see many friends. The last few days I have been very overwhelmed and slept very little. Right now I'm flying with Lufthansa airline to Frankfurt, luckily nobody is sitting next to me so I'm laying down on all three seats. There is a gentleman sitting in the middle isles, he is double my size and looks at me like he would love to trade seats. I should tell him I haven't slept for 40 hrs, maybe that makes him less envious. 


Earth is our home planet and within this big picture I have 3 permanent homes and a mobile home. I have lived equal amount of 12 years in each of the permanent homes and started living aboard Earthling a year ago. I was born in Tehran, Iran, grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden and been in Chicago the last 12 years.
As the child to my parents I have a duty to see and stay with them at least once a year. And now they live in Tehran, a place diverse from Chicago & the Caribbean. I will be spending time in the land of Persia for the next 2 months, longest ever since I was 12 yrs old. I will share my experiences with you and I'm hoping to share stories other than what we hear in the media. A more positive aspect of Iran.
Love from the skies over Germany
 

Friday, July 22, 2011

Aboard Joie De Vie

The 103rd Mac race was a race to remember. This Mac race was one of the fastest and the most tragic. No one ever has lost life in this event, but unfortunately this year we had 2 fatal incidents. May them rest in peace.
The race started with south winds and we had the spinnaker up for most of the 49 hrs 20min, we recorded the highest speed of 12.6 knots and almost never saw any speeds below five. After a day of racing the halyard to the spinnaker broke and we almost dropped it in the water.
Thirty hrs into the race we were informed that a storm is coming our way. Now we have to get ready for the storm. There are two main helms men aboard, Randy Hastings and Jim Clauser. Randy has 23 Mac races under his belt and Jim 27. Both very experienced skippers. Jim is so talented behind helm, he sailed through 60-80 mph wind with full main & a small Jib. The storm hit us with heavy rain and high winds. It was like a wall of wind hitting the boat. The winds were so strong that you would think the mast and rigs would come down anytime. My shift on deck ended 20 min before the storm but I liked to be on deck & experience heavy weather. While I'm laying down & looking at the lightning outside I thought I should put my gear on & go up! But then why should I, to get wet and put myself in danger. We have enough people on deck anyway. It was lightning continuously for few minutes, the whole lake and sky was lit up. You almost needed sunglasses, that's how strong it was. From inside the cabin it looked like we were struck by a star war in the space.
Right after the storm, we heard on the VHF radio that a boat was capsized and 2 people were lost. It was a very surreal moment of chock and sorrow.
Some boats were hit so hard that they drifted 10 miles backwards. We finished in the middle of the fleet, part of the faster pack. I look at it as we all won since we accomplished the race. It's not about taking the first place, you can be a winner without being first. Aboard Joie De Vie, we had 8 crew members, next to Randy, Jim, Lee & I, there were also Duane, Kerry, Ilya, & Garret. The crew worked great together and we all had a good time racing.
Mackinac Island, MI

Mackinac Island is a beautiful island. There are no cars or motor driven vehicles on the island. The main form of transportation is horse carriages and bicycles. I bicycled around the Island 13 years ago (first year I moved to the U.S, Kalamazoo, MI).

Grand Hotel's Carriage
This island has a strategic location on the strait of Mackinaw between Lake Michigan and lake Huron and lays between the lower and upper Michigan. The Grand hotel is a must see on the Island and the Rum party for the Chicago-Mac race is held in the hotel's front yard every year. You can not miss the Mackinac Fudge during your visit on the Island. Being on Mackinac feels like stepping back in time.

The delivery of Joie De Vie back to Chicago is a also a highlight. Lee, Jim, & I left Mackinac Island Wednesday morning. First port was Leeland, MI, & then Manistee, and now we are crossing Lake Michigan to Sheboygan, WI.
The sand dunes on the eastern coast of Michigan is spectacular. It's hard to believe that there are so many beautiful beaches and dunes in Michigan. View the full photo album on Earthlingsailor's facebook page
Love from Joie De Vie

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Chicago-Mackinac Race


Chicago-Mackinac Sailing Race is one of the longest annual fresh water Races in the world. This year is the 103rd Mac race and Chicago Yacht club sponsors this event every year. The Race starts in Chicago and ends in Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. The distance is 333 miles and it will take us 45 to 70 hours to finish. This event has been one of my highlights in the summer in Chicago for the last 3 years. I’m crewing on Joie De Vie, a Beneteau First 36.7 owned by Martin and Donna Hastings. Marty has accomplished 23 Mac Races so far, and he took first place in the section in the year 2000 on the previous Joie De Vie (J105). Unfortunately Marty is not able to participate in this year’s race because of health issues. We are praying that he will be back on Joie De Vie racing the Mac next year. There are over 350 sailboats participating in this event every year.
I have gained most of my sailing experience on Joie De Vie and this has helped me to do what I’m doing, be a free bird and sail off to cruise around the world.
How is racing different than cruising. When we race, we can not have unnecessary weight on the boat, which means, limited clothing, electronics, water tanks are low on water, no laptops, only 8gallon of drinking water for 8 people in 2-3 days and so forth. On Joie De Vie, we do have the luxury of a refrigerator and a stove/oven, but many race boats in this race don’t even have that. I’m very excited to be part of this race and most likely I will do the Mac’s in the future. 
Love from the Mac Race      

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wasteful World

A thought worth to share.

Since I came back to land, I've been running into so many situations where things gets wasted. We waste a lot in our daily life. We waste important resources, such as fresh water, food, paper(trees) and we don't even care about electricity. We use so much fresh water to wash dishes, taking showers, and many other things. 
In the U.S. we have plenty of fresh water. But there are many countries in the world that don't have any fresh water, many places we visited in the Caribbean didn't have a
great deal of fresh water. Living on a boat with limited access to resources, makes one more resourceful! 
Now on land, my conscious bothers me when the water is running wastefully.

It hurts me to see how much food we buy at the grocery stores and restaurants and a lot of it goes in the garbage.
We live in a over-consumption society, way beyond our needs and desires. That's what our system is based on. It's part of our life and such a routine that we don't even see it. We live in a small bubble and feel so secure and so comfortable that we don't want to change. I've been fortunate and got the opportunity to slightly step out of this bubble and this is how I see it! We have to act now as each individual and become more resourceful. 

Love from the wasteful world

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Quick Road Trip

As many of you know by now, I love to travel. And I love to travel in a personal vehicle where I'm in charge of my direction and stops. Before I was a sailor I had the dream of driving around the world. I've had this dream since I was in my teens. And I have driven to and through many countries in my life so far. Nothing and nobody should stop one from dreaming!

Swedish Embassy in DC
My Swedish passport was expired on June 13th and that's the day I entered United States from the BVIs. In order to renew it I must go to the House of Sweden in Washington DC. And that is a great reason for a quick road trip and a visit to relatives in the east coast. The overnight passage from Chicago to Winchester, Virginia, took 16 hrs with 4 hours of sleep in the car. This is similar to an overnight passage on Earthling. But sailing 650 miles would taken 10 times longer. Driving and sailing is a form of meditation to me, sailing is more in tune with nature though.
This quick road trip was a great opportunity to give Varaminis in Winchester VA,  Lancaster PA, & Pittsburg PA, a fast visit. They always follow on my journeys and are very supportive. The east cost route is a regular route in my road trip calendar. I have driven this path more than handful times in the last 12 years.

Sunrise on Lake Michigan at the moment of return to Chicago
When I drive long distances alone, I get a chance to connect easier to higher self and channel new ideas and get answers to challenges in life. I think everybody needs to have self time on regular basis.
There will be other road trips on regular and new routes this summer. I will keep you updated.
Love from the Road

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Land life

It has been 10 days since we got back to land life in the windy city. The first couple of days I felt lost. There is so much activity and energy around at all the time. You hear lots of noises in a big city. The sounds of combustion engines from cars and buses gets topped off by the police, ambulance, & fire truck sirens 24/7. First time my father visit Chicago 10 years ago, he woke up in the morning & told me to turn on the news because he thought something must been up last night. He heard ambulances and police sirens last night. I said; dad, welcome to Chicago, you will get used to it, and soon you will not even realize it.  
I think, the sirens in big cities puts people in a subconscious plane of fear. Fear factor is a driving force in our world right now, when we fear, we are being controlled easier and we consume more, a perfect approach for a capitalistic system. 

It's almost impossible to reach the tranquility we have on water on land. I already miss the peaceful and non stressful life on water. On water, my "stress" is; the wind direction and it's strength, a good anchorage, if the anchor is set properly, are the batteries charged, and what am I going to make for dinner? The stress on land is time, time and time. I drive fast to get to work on time, no time to make food, no time to do laundry, no time to step out of our daily routine, no time for self, no time for friends, we don't have time because we work all the time. On water, time don't really exist. On water there are two times, daytime and nighttime. Regularly, we have to be anchored before night time and we have to set sail to next port as soon as it's daytime. It seems like on land there is not enough time and on water there is abundance of time. 
I love Chicago and I am really good at living the land life, that's what I've done most my life anyways, but I prefer to live on water. 
Love from Land