Hi everyone,

In my last newsletter, sent from Panama city last summer, I told you about the last moments I spent on the American continent.

Today, after almost 4 months spent in the Pacific, here is a brief summary of the crossing. You can find more details on my web site at www.ludovichubler.com

The crossing of the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean : This Ocean is by far the largest in the world. With a total area of over 165 million sq. Kilometers, it covers more than one third of the earth and is larger than all the landmasses of the world together. Its deepest point is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (6.896 miles).

Satellite photo of the Pacific ocean :

The crossing by boat-hitchhiking : After a long search, it was finally in Panama city where I found a skipper ready to take me onboard to progressively cross the Pacific Ocean. To do so, I went to several marinas and offered to the captains of each sail boat to work as a crew member (cooking, washing the dishes, peeling potatoes, deck hand...) in exchange for a free ride.

It was finally on the Venus, a 39 foot catamaran with a New Zealand flag, where I embarked and sailed for a little bit less than 4 months to reach New Zealand, where I currently find myself. The average speed was 5.5 knots (around 6 MPH) for a distance of about 6,500 nautical miles.

"Venus"

Boat-hitchhiking : Practical advice : Everything you always wanted to know about boat hitchhiking and the crew job but were too afraid to ask.

Except for a rough ocean off the coasts of New Zealand and 2 incidents that could have made the trip end in a completely different way, the crossing was overall very good. On the Island of Santa Cruz (Galapagos islands), the Venus hit a rock and got stuck for long seconds out of the water before a wave put it back on. In Aitutaki, Cook Islands, the Venus sat on the coral reefs for 12 hours before being salvaged by local people. She took a lot of damage but fortunately, no wreck. The adrenaline was however quite present in the two incidents.

Below, photo of the Venus on the reefs at low tide. Behind the boat, you will see the anchor, which was used to prevent the boat from moving forward again, which would have made the salvage more complicated.

2 accidents : Explanation of the 2 accidents..

The main discoveries during this leg of the journey were the following :

- Galapagos, land of Darwin : Situated off the coasts of Ecuador, these volcanic islands are fantastic and have unique landscapes, fauna and flora. It was precisely on those islands that the famous British naturalist Charles Darwin developed the theory of the evolution of the species.

The size of the necks of the giant tortoises, which varies according to the island on which they grew up and the accessibility of the food, and the only species of marine iguana in the world, helped Charles Darwin to develop his theory. Those tortoises often weigh more than 200 Kgs (440 pounds) and can sometimes live over 170 years. Impressive ! Photos below.

Photos of the kind of landscapes that can be found in the Galapagos islands.

Galapagos, land of Darwin : More details about my trip in the Galapagos islands

   Crossing of the « International Date line » : It was 1am on November 30th 2005 when I crossed this imaginary line. The next second, it was 1am on December 1st 2005. I will therefore remember this November 30th 2005 as a day which almost never existed in my life. Good thing I had no appointment scheduled !

   Kingdom of Tonga : The archipelago of Tonga has 176 islands, called the “friendly islands” by Captain Cook during his exploration trip in 1773, because of the great welcoming he received at the time. Tonga has beautiful landscapes and a very well-preserved culture. Below are a compilation of photos of some very nice local people I met, some of them wearing their traditional clothes.

Tonga, the friendly islands : Getting to know a very interesting and not touristy country Maeva i Polinesia : More details about my stay in French Polynesia

I now find myself in the town of Picton, at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. I am now going to try to find another boat in order to travel the last 1250 miles to finally reach Australia. There, I will give another lecture tour of 3 months before trying to reach the Asian continent from the city of Darwin (North of Australia).

Read also :
   3300 Kms hitchhiking between Mexico city and Panama city : Summary of the crossing of Central America by hitchhiking.
   The phenomenon of Universal church in Latin America : Report about a fast growing evangelist organization increasing its importance in Latin America.
   The separation of the worlds : A report from Tijuana at the border between 2 worlds->http://www.sekoyamag.com/nouveausite/SPIP/breve.php3 ?id_breve=335]

Through this newsletter I’d like to wish an excellent year 2006 to all those who have followed me in the first three years spent thumb up along the world’s roads. I hope this year will be filled with good health and the realization of your dreams.

At the global level, I hope this year will gather all the peoples of the world around a common objective : Peace and harmony between all and each one of them.

See you soon on the roads of Oceania and Asia. Ludo