About us- About this Website
This is not a discourse about "How to create a website". My knowledge about this is absolutely rudimentary, my CMS- Software
(D- Tools Webdesigner) to create this site was an outsale- maybe ten years ago!! So if you feel like criticising some of it-
forgive me, I can´t do any better!
Two things I want to talk about:
1) The people behind this website
2) How it began- how this big baby was born.
First, I would like to thank the people who have provided this site with such interesting, amazing, exciting and funny stuff- the crew members of the
Phoenicia who wrote much of the material for this site:
Philip Beale- years ago he gave birth to the idea for this expedition - and it needs people like him to bring a dream into real life. He invested years
of his life for this (and also much more I´m sure) to live on a nutshell on the ocean month after month...
unbelievable!
Nick Burningham, Richard Kellie and Eric Hebert who spend much of their time writing for us.
Abdul Aziz and Niklas Andersson who are on board the Phoenicia down to Richards Bay right now- both told me they would also provide some information for us if they find some time.
And all who will follow in future...
Thanks to you!
And sure- this website needs a lot of work. And the main important character behind this site is a young woman:
Katja- just 19 years old, born in Germany, raised in Gascogny, France; German and French as mother tongues, also English and Spanish, now back in Germany for study. Absolutely everything you read here in French, also every translation from English to German is her work! But that wasn´t enough for a young, "spontaneousflexible" woman like her- when I started to create this website she criticised my work... and showed me the correct layout of this site!
You can reach Katja here: Email: katja@boudrac.de Facebook: Katja Castelnau
Rod- Many years ago he gave up his job as a teacher, sold his house in England, threw his suitcase in his MGB Convertible and emigrated to the amazing Gascogny, France. Rod is 'do it yourselfer' par excellence- he restored his old farm very nicely, plays sousaphone in a jazz band that has gigs all around the local area, and grows much of his own food. Rod's grammar school education enables him to correct my less-than perfect English, without which you might have difficulty understanding my text!
Mike- Not much to say about myself, just this: The main part of my work is to motivate other people to do all the work. Its a nice job! I´m specialised in motivation on teacher and students!
So I have enough time for a good wine or some tea- on picture in Sidi Bou Said.
You can reach me here: Email: mikepiller@boudrac.de Facebook: Michael Piller
How all this began...
I´m a member of a German travel forum who regularly contributes on various themes.On 12 August I saw a small notice in our press forum:
Around Africa in a Phoenician boat
Lina Sinjab
BBC News- Damscus
My eyes flew over this message... a prickling feeling came over my body..
What an exciting story! A few people wanted to build an old Phoenician ship, from knowledge based only on some ancient, rotten planks from a similar ship
which maybe circuumnavigated Africa 2600 years ago.
And much better is to come: they want to USE this ship to do the same- sailing around Africa and afterwards to London!
Crazy!
I love stories like this, people who do things like this.
So I adopted this baby and began to investigate- but there wasn't much more.
A little later when the expedition was getting started, I copied the blog on their official website, also the Satellit- pictures for the actually position and translated it into German.The blog mostly sounds like this:
"We have some problems with the wind..."
"We have some problems with the rudder..."
"But we caught a fish today!"
A little later I read in their blog, that the Phoenicia today was completely rudderless...an oilplatform lay ahead...another ship towed the Phoenicia out of danger... just a short message like this, not one word more.
"Oh and yes, we caught a fish!"
That's all.
Another day it must have been really dramatic on board:
"We DIDN'T catch a fish today!"
Are all British people as laid back as this?
Hey!
This was an international crew, different people on a small boat like a nutshell with the comfort of an earthhole in Afghanistan, always a lot of problems, a battleship has to tow them just minutes before crashing into an oil platform...
this is Macbeth on the Sea!!!
And all they wrote was:
Today we caught a really big fish!
You know what I mean?
(If you like to learn more about this " British old school Expeditioneering" you must read "Water Music" from T.C. Boyle. Its the story about Mungo Park,
the British Africa- Explorer in 1795-1806...crazy! He was born in Scotland... double crazy :-))
Okay, all I thought was: I have to try to find out some more information- I'm sure the Phoenicians were also great Fishermen!
So I tried to find out who is/was involved in the Phoenician Ship Expedition, try to find a contact....
and I found Nick- and I sent him a message : Nick, I´m writing about the expedition in our German travel forum...can you give us some information?
And Nick give me answer- not one word about my ugly English, just a very friendly "Yes, I will give you some information"
And he wrote for us.
Great!!
Fully motivated, I looked for the next one- I found Richard Kellie. Same message: Richard, can you give us some information?
And he sent me his complete travel diary and his pictures- 'take whatever you like, Mike!'
Wow!
Gradually, it looks more and more professional...
And the next unlucky man was Eric- and his answer to me: Nice idea, give me some time...
and after a few days he sent his report- around eight sides full of detailed information, exciting and humorously written.
And he told me: This is part one of four!
He'd never even met me! And he took the time to write a small book about his experience during the long section, starting in Arwad
(the Phoenicia wasn't finished at this time) down to Al Hudaydah through the Red Sea- exactly the time with all the problems, the time when many people
were thinking:
This Expedition will sink on the waves of the Red Sea!
Excellent!
NOW we know what's happening on board all the time they are not trying to catch a fish!
Thanks to you all!
Yeah.....January 2010 I got two messages from Beira, Mozambique where the Phoenicia made a stop-
contact from Abdul Aziz and Niklas Andersson on board!
And at the same time Philip Beale made his first contact to us.
It seems they all know about our work in the German travel forum.
And it looks to get bigger- Niklas wants to write something for us, Abdul sent me his report written for an Indonesian Journal...
Now we are getting close to the Phoenicia- this amazing ship which started like a sick elephant and is now sailing like the Alinghi in the Americas Cup!
And in my opinion this ship and the crew need a new basis for the reports they spend- more internationall, better sorted-
it needs a new dress, custom made for the wooden princess.
Here it is
enjoy it!
Mike
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"Support for the expedition is growing by the day and it is fantastic to see
how a project like this can inspire people of all ages, cultures and nationalities."
Philip Beale- Expedition leader
in Dorset Echo