Hitching a ride across the Atlantic

[Guest]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

Probably you're right. No doubt when he gets back from his trip he'll sink into a humdrum existence as a commercial software engineer, or heating specialist or whatever and will spend the rest of his life trawling internet forums handing out unrequested bitter advice to those having a more fun time. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

But at least he will be able to look back on his moment of glory - after all, planning a bike trip round the world isn't such a bad start in the interesting stakes, is it?

TCM, please could you drop the resident git award in the post to me by FedEx? Thx /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tcm]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

Jimmy Cornells book is "World Cruising Routes" which gives info but ts bit expensive purchase just for this.

If (i think he will) want to bring a bike plus gear - it may be quite wait to find a windpowered yacht big enough - at least 70feet surely.

Eastwards US-europe the big boats mogve transat after the antigua etc week right time to deparrt is end april to may and june. Praps aim to be in Fort lauderdale in midapril and not be too picky about the boat being windpowered.

other sites inlcude 7knots.com altho a bit weirdish with lonely bloke seeks etc etc or google for crewseekers which is less weird tho more uk-based it seems.

Aren't we allowed make any gags at all?

 

[tcm]

Re: resident git award

unfortuantely, the package is far too big to send what with your resident git award, the Party Pooper Plaque, the Stony Faced Statuette, a Grimmy and so forth...

 

[Sammo]

Re:One flew over the cuckoo`s nest

Hello Simon

What are you doing, still here shuffling around talking to yourself.
Everyone went home hours ago.

I know your arse is still sore from your marathon bike ride but that`s no reason to be nasty to your friends.
Anyway the doctor said the bits of saddle will work their way out in time, you just have to be patient.
And you only did 4000, what`s Steve gonna be like after 7 years and 80,000.

It doesn`t bear thinking about

…………..

 

[Guest]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

He's human after all! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Guess couriering the bike would be necessary

 

[Guest]

Re:One flew over the cuckoo`s nest

Actually when I reached Moscow a very pretty young lady, Cambridge undergraduate, rang me up and asked me if I would accompany her cycling further, carrying on to Vladivostok. One of the several reasons I declined was the thought of what a couple more month's on the bike saddle might do to my future reproductive prospects.

 

[Guest]

Re: resident git award

Thx for all those, though best leave out the Party Pooper award - I think that on the contrary I rather got the party going! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[snowleopard]

Re: sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

Better than Jimmy Cornell's book for this case is 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Oceans'.

I'll add Simon's comments: there are no free rides, skippers want someone with enough experience to pull their weight and not be a safety liability.

 

[Abigail]

Re: hitching a trip

Well - what a thread! Well done Simon Cr and Real Ale for giving sme constructive feedback on a worthwhile (if as yet naively presented) idea to showcase an important issue!

The direct question - can you hitchike east about on a sailing yacht with a heavily laden bicycle? Not at all easily. Really you'd need a superyacht and they don't take hitchers. Like the kayaking, this part of the plan needs a bit more thought. Does it have to be the same bike all the way?!

 

[BrendanS]

Re: hitching a trip

I'd say that the bit that needs most thought is the South Pole part. The cycling bit could be achievable. The south pole bit would need huge amounts of planning, and considerable experience. The converted bike bit is pants quite frankly, and even getting there on foot would be a real challenge to the most experience explorer. If he wants to be taken credibly, he'd better dump this part.

 

[Joe_Cole]

Re: hitching a trip

........and if he wants sponsorship he'll have to do something better than spending 7 years on this trip. It works out at an average of only 31 miles a day which is mind shatteringly mundane. Thousands do this kind of mileage just commuting to work everyday. If he did it on a unicycle or a pogo-stick it might be a fraction more interesting.

He's planning a 7 year jolly. Still, it beats working for a living!

 

[tcm]

\"they don\'t take hitchers\"

This is a sweeping statement. Superyachts are like any other yacht insofar as they are whims. The skipper might not feel he can authorise a ride - but an owner could, easily. Seen it done on more than one ocassion.

 

[RealAle]

Re: hitching a trip

I feel privileged to be a contributer to this thread. In years to come it will dwarf such giants in literature as Goethe, Shakespeare and Mr. Bean in its contribution to the advance of English witicism and its coarse derivitives (Canadian, American, Essex etc.)

Why haven't we heard from good ol' Steve recently? Surely he must be grateful for the hours of energy we've expended on this? One more point, Steve. Which way round the globe will you be heading? This is an important consideration for your budget. If you come in my direction (somewhere south east/south west of Canada) your bike will almost certainly be stolen, so I hope you are budgeting for a replacement, along with the super home made panniers from your local seamstress.

Will get round to filling out my Bio soon, but must rush - Arsenal is trying to thrash Thun on my TV.

Abigail: I blush before your personal mention /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re: hitching a trip

If he wants to be taken credibly, he'd better dump this part.

After looking at his site it looks as if he is up to plan X already - also, mummy seems to be a bit contrary /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

John

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re: hitching a trip

I have had an email from a certain well worn and experienced traveler who appears frequently on TV.

He has identified a definite Monty Pythonesque streak in this thread and indeed also in the original poster's planned endeavor - his email then rambled into that of an old man reminiscing about the past, something about parrots in pet shops, Brian's life (whoever he was) and other strange goings on.

John

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Re: hitching a trip

This is actually more like

'Giles Wemmbley-Hogg 'Two M's two G's'

If you have never heard of him you should go looking, one of the funniest travel radio comedies ever written. He even cycled from London to Moscow, I could not help thinking of that when Simon was being so serious about his trip.

I have some mp3's I could send out to interested parties.

 

[CodStewart]

Re: hitching a trip

Do you think Simon is going to come through Japan? If he does, then his bike will surely get upgraded and replaced by the kindly natives.

 

[CodStewart]

Re: hitching a trip

After reading a bit deeper, it seems that Steve, not Simon, oops, started off thinking about himself. Ooh, I'll cycle to see some mates. Ooh, I'll cycle over to Mummy in Florida. Then along the way he probably bumped into the real hard assed websites of folks already doing it 'for a cause'. Hey, even I was going to do it! My motto was going to be 'Cycling Globally, Thinking Locally' - the 'local' of course being the local drinking hole at each destination. Anyway, I gave up on cycling around the world because it was too far and instead bought a boat.
I think Steve is a bit thick. I mean, you've got to be lacking a bit up there to consider 'cycling to the South Pole...it's not been done before, so I might as well give it a go'
Like, doh, Steve, there's a reason why it ain't be done before. Go figure.
My two yenneth. I reckon that Steve will end up moving to Florida, will open a pub on his mum's resort and then will talk about his planned trip around the world for the rest of his life.

 

[tcm]

At last! codstewart, simoncr, abigail...

completely agree. Of couse his plans are ridiculous and silly as they stand. I suppose some of us recognised the same in about five minutes rather than five days and responded in kind with ridiculous and silly arguments. Not at all constructive but then as you imply - but the current plan needs to be deconstructed. I wonder if SimonCR booked his return flight from Moscow before he set off? And so on.

Apologies to those who want to assume that all plans on this forum are totally seriously and well thought out. Not all will be like that. I'm afraid i couldn't resist mocking the intense earnestness yet daydreamy nature of the original post. If it was a real plan he can come back with the fact that his dad runs the scientific mission at the south pole, for example, but i don't think so. Apologies for any offence i caused, but it was fun, I'm afraid. Sorry again.

 

[Guest]

Re: hitching a trip

I think we all agree that the Antarctica bit is dumb, and demonstrates a hazy grasp of geography. Presumably it will go the way of the kayaking bit shortly. No doubt his geography will have improved by the time he gets back.

I don't find the bit about having him got the idea from his plan to cycle to see friends and family odd at all. The stupid things that I've done (nothing so ambituous as cycling round the world) have started either as a drunken conversation in a pub, or from planning to go and see someone, and then deciding to use an improbable form of transport to get there.

The idea of zig-zagging 80,000km will, I suspect go the same way at some point, probably after he sets off, IF he sets off. It's far enough as it is (I guess you'd end up doing about 15,000 - 20,000 miles after you've deducted the oceans and adding a bit for the fact you're not going in a straight line). He'll probably average about 150 miles a day if he's a good cyclist, so say 4 months' cycling. Plus some (lots of?) time to hang out places and more months to sail across the oceans. The main problem that he faces is how to pay for the food along the way, as that probably won't come from sponsorship (on the other hand, maybe some of it will - some foundation once gave me a couple of thousand pounds to go on some jolly).

TCM: about the return ticket from Moscow, actually I stayed there. Also, TCM you were right when you told him originally that it is a jolly. But so what? When we go sailing, we are on a jolly. If he wants to raise some money for charity along the way, I don't see the harm.

Maybe you're right and he'll never set off. If so, that's his problem. But I'd say that there's a decent chance that he does go, despite his naivety and whatever his IQ. But his chances of setting off won't have been helped at all by having been ridiculed on a public forum.