Hey Steemit my name is Timmy, and I am travelholic. I go around the world in 80 years by sailboat, so it will be the slowest worldwide trip ever.
It is not just a plan. With a group of friends we have already begun to do so around 5 years ago, by a beautiful ship named “Rocinante”. Starting in Sweden and passing through 10 countries and 5 seas, doing a lot of different and important activities with our Dolce far Niente project such as; parties, sea cleaning, dreaming, whale watching, swimming, studying, photo video shooting, rum distillation of course... It is a long list.
Perhaps you have already read about our boat from my friend [ @zaebars ] but I guess all of us have a lot of different stories to tell. Here is my story, and I should say I'm not a such serious person. I will try to introduce myself shortly, but I'm afraid it will be not so easy for someone who wants to go on an 80 years trip. I will also answer a few of the most asked questions I get nearly every day.
* How did I get this brilliant idea to leave everything I had and become a sea gypsy?
I had dreamt about it from when I was a child, but school and society made me forget it for some years. Did I say I'm a Russian guy? You should hear it by my accent, I apologize for that. Before my sea adventure begun, I didn't speak English at all. I was born in Leningrad USSR Saint-Petersburg, a few days before Chernobyl catastrophe, and got my first education from nuclear physical scientist's Grandma and Grandpa. They never actually wanted to tell me about their job. Grandpa told me he was a cook on a pirate ship and because of some trauma he can't go to the sea anymore. When he returned from his real job, he told me that he had to go every day to crew meetings in the port and from this I got a fresh portion of salty stories.
After the hungry times of Perestroika, comes the Wild 90's “of my childhood clear eyes” said one Russian poet. The USSR just crushed and the new system had a hard birth. In these times the whole country was totally out of control: Alcoholics, junkies, drunk cops, prostitutes and millions of people who didn't know what to believe, so they jumped on anything from church to death metal. I spent my days, mostly on the street which made me a bit cynical. The streets taught me well how to survive in different situations and it was this colorful life around me that made me live more in dreams, books and movies. I can't say it was such bad time for me.
A famous photo from the end of 80's. A line of people wanting to buy vodka and it's not enough for everybody
I changed around 6 schools, spent some time in the circus and 1 year at an Actor Academy, (Never finished, sorry Mum). With 14 years old I started to work and went to my first RAVE. During 10 years I worked in more than 20 different kinds of jobs, sometimes 3 at one time, I never really felt at the right place, but some of them I really loved. Here are 3 my favorite jobs that I spent the longest time at, before the ship.
Working model of watermill made from a cable reel
- 1st: Movie business. Because I love movies, and dream to make some one day. If you want to know how this business works, nothing is better than starting from a most simple position like Hey Guy! Come Here! Go There! Bring Me That! Put It Back! Don't Disturb! Piss off! After a few projects like this I started to get more interesting jobs, creating decorations such as building this watermill, and a little swamp. I like this type of work because I can go to new places every day and meet new people.
A real swamp with natural marsh mud and snails which we move into a pool with warm water
Historical movie about WW2, where we worked on the surface of a frozen lake with temperatures of -30 C
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2nd: Bartender. I like this job because you hear a lot of funny stories and I like to try different kind of drinks from around the world. I had my first bartender experience when I was 14, my father had a little illegal business and in the summer we lived outside of the city in a little village where the nearest shop with vodka was 15 km away. My Father mixed 96% alcohol with clean water from the forest spring, and sold it to the local people. When he had tested it too much and went to sleep, I had to stay up all night, mix it myself and sell it to the neighbors. After, I worked at different restaurants, night clubs, and private events and now from time to time I do it at parties that we make with friends in my tropical bar
and continiue my disstilation expierience because it is the best way to get good quality buzz without money
- 3rd: Taxi Driver. I really like to drive, meet different people and hear their stories. With this job I went on lots of different adventures, I even sometimes lived in my car. It was good preparation before the ship.
I don't have a photo of my taxi job, but this one explains it well
Somehow, with 22 years old I was already married, got credits from banks, and worked in a damn big beer corporation 5 days week. I had a hobby with groups of friends making night club events, and internet radio. Although, something was wrong with that type of life. I started feel like an old man, I begun to forget the things I was dreamt about. I wasn't happy about myself and I really wanted to change that!
Ha-ha take care with your wishes! Bang! Financial collapse 2008, no job, banks on my ass. One day I was smoking a joint with friends and we got into a big discussion about freedom, borders and governments. We spoke about how cool it would be to have an island just for us and never have this hellish winter again. Few more joints and we decided to try to squat on some island in the pacific ocean. That was the beginning of Dolce Far Niente times, more about it in our website [ www.dfnisland.com ]
-Hey Ho, Lets Go! Said Ramones. Just one little question: How to get there? The answer was clear - we need a ship, many ships, a Fleet! OK lets begin with one, just to try. Decision was easy for me. I told myself dreams is an important thing and if you have a chance to make them true, go for it. When I said the same to my wife, she doesn't doubt much either, she packed her bags the next morning and left me to make a career in Moscow. Clever girl what I can say? It took us 2 more years to understand if we can live together or not, find a ship, study with one sea professor, make some parties and an internet radio station to talk about it.
We found in Sweden a crazy custom made ice crusher around 5o foot long, mooring in the port many years without any care, so it wasn't expensive to buy.
I sold everything I had, like my shitty flat, old car and PlayStation. It was enough to buy half of the boat. 2 of my friends got money for the other half and we finally managed to buy it. Cheap or not, our money run out even before we started going anywhere, and we didn't want to go alone. We made something like a travel club for friends inside of our partyisland project. Want to go with us? OK bring some money in a year, study and work. With these 3 little rules, the quantity of people who wanted to go dropped from 100 to 10. However, if it wasn't for these 10 people, this trip would have never even started.
Tallinn Estonia big repairs on a shore for one year long
Like that, at 25 years old I became one of the most youngest shipowners who was born in the biggest country in the world for the last century. In communism times nobody gets a private yacht, and still people don't believe it's really possible if you're not a rich bitch. I have to say, before this project none of us had real experience of sailing, for me it was only books like “Captain Blood” or “South Sea Tales”, and a short course of theory of the sea. For the practice part we were studying on the way, it was quite rough and was already too late to turn back. This was the best way to learn, especially if you try to pass Baltic and North sea at the end of autumn with not much diesel, in the tanks. We had an old captain who taught us what we needed t know first, but that was only 2 or 3 weeks practice in the summer and after we had to stay on our own. Start to fly it's easy, landing that is complicade part
What is idea of this “80 years trip”?
Nothing special, I just want to live, relax, swim every day, do what I like to do, make something good for this planet, travel, get fun, dance of course and never grow up! I want to show people it is technically possible. Looks like Steemit is a great platform to do it, so I start my 80 years blog here. I will explaine slowly in this blog what it is exactly to be in neverending trip. Here is the 1st rule to begin- don't be in a rush. I try to stay in one place for more than a month to slowly understand what is going on, how the people live and to see them for who they really are.
How the authorities look on it?
However, because of the politic situation of our beautiful times, the last 5 years wasn't easy for us. We are Russians without a visa and have the Police from these countries in our way thinking we are their main problem (I can't understand why). They are serious guys with big guns asking us to leave, if not, they try to deport us or block us on the ship without the possibility to go shopping or taking a shower. As we are constantly looked upon, we can't have an official job or a little business, you can forget it.
Meeting drunk musketeers with the cardinal guards
Once I asked one big police boss why they do this sort of things, and why he spoke to me like that..
- I'm a Human or not? I asked him
- Not you are not, he answered with a smile, -You are russian white nigga!
- What sir? I can't believe my ears - Really? It's one of the best jokes I ever heard Mr Officer sir! Can you write me that on paper, please? I'll show it for my friends just for memory... you know?
- I'm sorry my friend, this is not for the paper, this is just for you... And his smile started to reach his ears.
Thanks guys, now I have a real view of what is going on in “free” Europe, and I am afraid its everywhere like that, but on the other side of a bitcoin, we have met a lot of people who have really helped us. People gave us fire extinguishers when we had fire on board, gave materials for repair, and helped us to find a free lawyer (Queen of Netherlands for example payed big amount of euros every week to protect us from the police of the Netherlands) funny isn't it? Boats still give you possibility to get a bit more freedom to go to any country you want, then you try do it by horse, car or plane. We are really good examples
With this new wave of Cold War between Russia and Western World, the value of Russian money went down 2 times. Many friends who followed us from beginning, just can't visit us anymore. All this economic pressure of Europe and USA block the simple people inside of their country who want to travel or run away, like artists, musicians, or students. Politicians, rich bastards, or criminals don't care much about the quantity of money they have to get out of the “magic well”, but in this fairy tale “magic well” is a closed private society with government control.
But I want to say, I'm not political refugee, its about climate, I just can't live where there is snow and rain for more than 9 months of the year. Now people can change even gender if they don't feel comfortable, the need to change climate is just my human right!
How to survive without money and posibility to work, what to eat?
I can't answer really, somehow. little jobs, friends help, internet, making rum from fruits we find, hunting crabs or fish for food, recycling. We have a lot of great plans for future, but for now System don't make things easy and sure everybody is tired about our half legal situation. All we want is freedom, but for the last few years our boat has become a beautiful luxury prison. We can't go anywhere without her, and she is not ready to move for the moment. I think now you have a little view on my life before so i can finish with introducion part.
Eco Alcoholic Club
So Steemit, for a bonus I have one little deal for you. Look, if my friends and I are the big problem for the COPS, they not my only problems. I have Ship repairs, payments for the port, girls, ship repairs again, and the sea. Every country I pass by, I saw a lot of trash in the open ocean, on the beach and in the ports of course. Many beaches of Europe are just full of pieces of plastic, cigarette filters, fisherman nets and more. This shit makes my beautiful trip not so beautiful, it's not only my holiday that has been fucked up because of it.
I like to drink fresh beer on a beach (I'm pirate or what?), and I like to make this world a little cleaner. Why not connect it??? Look people, for each (vote + comment), I promise I'll drink one pint for your health and after I will fill this cup full of trash from the beach or from the sea around and make a photo of it. It will bring little more sense to my drinking, and probably I could find somebody who is intrested in this topic.
Its not local trash, this tiny pieces comes with the storms, Yes, now I'm in Europe and if you live in America or Japan or whatever, you can think it's not your problem, but streams exist in an ocean, and these streams make a trash islands. Canarian stream bring all european trash to USA and South America this is the closest trash island to me, and I can start to make a little difference without even moving from this place. Of course I understand my “Eco Alcoholic Club” its more like a joke than real work to clean the ocean, but already something to begin with, 100 beers its 50 liters of plastic out of the sea, fishes and birds don't eat it and trash islands get less shit on it.
We have plans to make real stuff like big cargo ships collecting and recycling plastic, or a machine to distillate plastic to make diesel for our boats. A Chinese guy once said -way of 1000 lies begin from one step. If my worldwide trip begins from a dream and a joint “Open Ocean Recycling and Rave Factory” can start from a pint of beer.
What's next?
I will continue my neverending trip any way with this ship or another and will have fun, dance and still clean the ocean. I told you we want a Fleet, a group of ships (can be spaceships also, one day) independent on each other, like a sea gypsy nation, a new nation under one flag.
I thought maybe internet libertarians with all this blockchain stuff can help sea gypsies to connect better and get a bit more free time to do some good offline, which is helpful for all of us..
I will be happy for all questions, advice and any ideas you have, please write in comments. Also, if you are interested to visit us please don't hesitate to ask.
PS
Some "doctors" say, it is clear that my way of life is a “Peter Pan syndrome” and I have to get out of this sickness. Me, I am quite happy with that, so I let them grow old, and think about. I believe, that one day I'll find my Neverland Island.
To be continued..
Wow, great intro! i already saw a couple of your posts, but this gives me a much better picture of what you are all about! I really feel your journey - the highs and lows, but you've made it further than most with less, and you are living the life that many only wish to live. Looking forward to more!
Btw, @knot govorit po russkiy :)
Hi @ipumba!
The idea of cleaning the oceans and seas are extremely relevant at all times. I do not think that this social platform will allow to execute your idea to life. Maybe you'll try to build your startup in the traditional locations for this?
thanks for your comment @kapelwa, maybe later cleaning project growing to startup platforms and such,but for now that is my point to do it. With fun and beer, by little movements of many people, and here I just trying to find some persons who can be interested of sea cleaning stuff so i think Steemit is a quite good place for start ,) anyway a pint for you coming soon
Welcome to Steemit @ipumba! Great photo's and a very fun and interesting post! :))
More sailors on Steemit! ⛵️
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thanks a lot Mr Better)
super - about plastic - it is very important!
nothing wrong with being Peter Pan - its Captain Hooks you need to worry about! ( all the rules) - great post and one i will be following.
Love the term'Sea Gypsy' has a sense of adventure about it ...Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum!
Captain Hook is not a problem, Crocodile is my pet, tic tak tic tak
wonderful photos
Great intro! Welcome on Steemit! :)
Uff guys I hope is not to big intro, just dont know how to do it shorter)
Great intro ! Welcome to Steemit ipumba the sea gypsy. Upvoted and followed!
Great post. When my Dad dies I will be taking to the high seas.
Following you, please keep us updated on your adventures.
Fair winds and following seas
thanks, sure i will update my adventure
) good luck with your future trip