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Gypsy Rose in Dili
I say restricted, as it was my initial wish to bring over a container load of wheelchairs, however this is not an easy task, unless you have a system in place and a means to bring in the equipment.
Distributing Chairs
First thing we did was find a place for Shannon the camera man, to bunk ashore as my "Gypsy Rose" as anybody who has followed my journey so far would know, is only 26ft and doing a long journey. The boat is designed to carry one and all my equipment, so it's more comfortable to have some space and I needed to stay aboard for security reasons.
Once this was achieved we booked ourselves into customs and immigration with the help of John Hughan, a person who over the next few weeks went over and beyond helping me not only with Language difficulties, but transport and various issues concerning my boat. John also introduced me to Daniel, Who comes from Athuro Island, some twenty miles north of Dili harbor, and Timorese Territory. "Danny" as I knew him became my man Friday; I employed Danny to watch my boat for security reasons and to assist me ashore.
He was very happy to have the employment, and was employed by several ex pat's to watch over boats at anchor. Then it was up to the "Harbor View" café, to drink a nice cold bottle of "Bintang Beer", and meet the local Ex Pat's. John then drove us to meet with Fiona Hamilton, and the very helpful and friendly staff at the "World Vision" compound Along the way John pointed out a spot on the road covered in drying flowers surrounding what looked to be like an oil spill on the tar. John explained this was where ten policemen had been gunned down by an opposing faction; it was located right outside the compound we were driving to. I realized then that all that frustration and anger I had felt to be stopped by "World Vision" in May, from coming over had been for very good reason.
I must make a public statement in this web log as I have in past issues, that I have felt not only frustration but anger at bodies running both "World Vision" and the "Wheelchairs for Kids" charities, created by logistic difficulties they threw up in front of me.
What the public reading this must also understand is I put this sailing project together on pretty much all my savings and a lot of work finding over 38 sponsors to help me? I am not a wealthy man, and prior this experience I was a commercial fisherman and a yacht delivery and charter skipper. Not an educated office environment type of person, very little skills in these issues. So having extra work shoved in front of me by systems irritated me, however in all fairness it's about education, and I am learning.
Over the Next two days, Fiona and her merry crew drove us from one Child or family to another. Jerry is a Timorese Man who runs the Pharmacy in the "World Vision" compound. And he proved invaluable as his English was impeccable. Fiona who speaks Tetun very well helped along with a group of volunteers. Young Timorese who work in these Aid compounds for three meals a day, mostly free until a paid position is created.
Fantastic people.
Shannon got his footage and flew back to Australia to edit it.
I must take this opportunity to heart fully thank Shannon for his efforts and skill. I have no doubt he will produce an exciting Documentary that will demonstrate the harshness that people suffer in as we sit back in our comfort.
My main concern was pressure areas, and muscle fatigue by having the child sit for the first time in an upright position all day, but not in a chair made for the child's disability.
However most I found were very suited and it was a win/ win situation for all of us.
John Hughan was fantastic, he is starting Timor Sailability, and both him and Trees his partner are like many ex pats living in Timor. These foreign charity workers, battle on despite the violence and difficulties. John and Trees, like many ex pat's living in Dili had to evacuate when the shootings and burnings occurred in May 2006.
They came back to an empty house looted, again they suffered when thieves broke into their boat and stole items including a valuable laptop with Cmap charts. And recently John got mugged whilst launching his dinghy at night, I am happy to announce the would be's went away with broken noses John is not a small or timid character. Why stay you say-because all this mayhem I describe is firstly perpetuated by minority groups. Street gangs of disillusioned youth, no prospects, no guiding government, no hope. Battered by the left over's of Portuguese Colonials and 25 years of harsh military Indonesian rule.
To easy a solution and no solution, these folk deserve a break, most of them are hoping and praying and suffering in silence each day that one day, the sun will shine again in the Republic of Timor Leste.
I met beautiful people, simple people, and a land stained in grief but hoping for a start.
Many kind people have helped once more yes there is a kind world -there are unselfish people, companies preferring to remain unnamed have helped as have institutions.
This Odyssey of mine is into its third year afloat and fourth from its onset, it's had many twists and turns. It grows and changes. On the first of March 2007 I return to Timor, "Gypsy Rosé", Danny and Klibur Domin a respite home for disabled.
I plan to work in the home for three months, distributing this equipment I sourced and researching how I can use the next leg of my sail to improve the homes facilities.
Yes, I am going to finish my sail-and complete the circle.
Until the next time. Mike the Mariner.
Oh you're wondering where the "tattoos" fit in? At 48 years, after half a lifetime as a sailor I finally got my left arm Tattooed by a local Timorese artist Steve, over time he will cover most of my left arm in a Polynesian/Timorese style design-crazy-maybe!
Two youth have since died and a third seriously injured.
I have been severely warned not to return as yet -I was due to fly up this coming Thursday March the 1st.
As Australians are being targeted, so sad but very worrying time for me as my little "Gypsy Rose" now sits alone, vulnerable to angry youths. I certainly don't expect Danny to risk his life to protect my vessel. I cannot run for Darwin as some larger vessels have, due to the fact its peak cyclone season in the Timor Sea. This will affect my plans of working in the home, but may also impact on the continuation of the entire circumnavigation I had planned for this year.
I am angry, I am sorry for all those innocent people I came to know.
Who now will suffer even more as foreign help loses faith in the country.
I ask you all again, spare a thought for Timor Leste
Yet another twist in this journey I am on.
From the pen of a very sad Mike.
It was a big disappointment after months of work for myself, but also camera man Shannon O'Donohue. Shannon was keen to sail across with me to capture the life on board and also the Timor experience-I was very lucky to find a person like Shannon who stayed with me through the setbacks, and put up with a lot.
So in late May 2006 I left my boat once more and traveled to the Cygnet Bay Pearl farm, located in the heart of the Kimberly region of Western Australia.
It's a wild rugged and untamed area. Very sparsely populated, and have some of the most beautiful land and seascapes I have seen. I spent three months in this pristine area living in the pearl camp, and traveling every day out to the seeding shed to begin my apprenticeship in the art of cultured pearl seeding and reseeding. A process, that creates the next generation of pearls.
Finally late August, the pearl harvest came to an end, and so my work. I returned to Darwin, feeling a little nervous about how things were in Timor. This of course was fueled by media transmissions. But I was determined to set sail.
Shannon arrived on the 1st of September 2006, and I had been hoping to set sail for Timor on a Neap tide on the 3rd of September. In the North I only make my moves in the Neap tide, a far less powerful tide than the Spring tide. Once again Chris, Daniel and Liz Carr'Smith, a yachting family in Darwin took me in and treated me like a part of the furniture.
Gypsy Rose had been one year sitting-so I found a lot of deterioration of wiring etc-and it was only on the 16th of September that she was ship shape and Bristol clean enough to consider leaving I am grateful to Shannon and the Australian Customs service for the patience shown.
However my monkey wasn't prepared to even make that easy. And that morning of departure, I had a stress when my auto pilot decided to die.
However determined to leave, I took money out of my food budget and rushed with Chris's help to a local chandler, and purchased a new one. It was a great feeling after a year off to finally leave the lock gates, Pete the lockkeeper and Chris and a number of yachties waving us off
We shot out of the large harbor, using the tide and a good south easterly trade wind, our course was to the west of Bathurst Island, part of the Tiwi group lying due north of Darwin. While filming about this time, Shannon slipped, luckily didn't go over or drop the camera, but kicked the tiller, which in turn ripped the pilot mounting out of the deck.
I looked back I could still clearly see the towers of Darwin's high rise. In that few minutes as I watched a broken mount, a sorry camera man. I must say I came close to quitting I had to constantly dig inside myself for energy to continue, and in my pockets to find cash or ways to keep the idea which hatched on a yacht race in 2002 alive.
But like many times before I took a deep breath and started thinking how to fix the problem. This time at least I had Shannon on board to help. With the help of amazing epoxy, we set the bracket back, and from then on we had an event free trip.
We had 18 knot south east trade winds for two days, with not much swell. And then as Australia began to fade away both in sight and in our minds, the wind began a North West /South West pattern, morning and afternoon. And the morning of the third day shifted due South. This wind shift meant the sun beat in the cockpit. So I decided the Main sail down and canopy up was a better choice.
The southerly wind was mostly around the ten knot mark and less. So we goose winged the storm jib and Genoa and idled along. We worked out good shifts nothing rigid -I tried to take the graveyard shift, giving Shannon a decent night's sleep. I prefer to remain awake all night; it's a time when one must be alert at sea.
We had to motor a fair bit and put up with the heat that gets created via the motor running. It frequently would wind shift, this allowed us to sail for parts of the day using the Main. Our line trailing off the back of the boat took off; we both leapt to action me to the reel and Shannon to the camera. If a little window could have popped up above our heads, it would have read = Mackerel dinner. But as my luck would have it, it was a small Black tip shark-how it was living in 2000 plus meters of water baffles me. I was determined to retrieve my lure, however two very large sharks leapt out from the depths and chased the smaller Blacktip. The line went slack and I like to think the little bugger got away.
Finally in the late afternoon of the third day we spotted the mountains of Timor. The first signs as always were flotsam and birds and clouds piled up in one area. It's a very mountainous Island -which seems to plummet out of the very deep ocean. That night we spotted very badly lighted fishing boats, which later I found they were mostly Indonesian Timor is very poor, and most fishermen work out of dugout canoes along the coastal reef. We had few close calls that night.
Gypsy Rose in Dili
Finally we spotted the statue of Jesus, built on top of a overlooking hill above Dili Harbor, It's a huge statue which must stand over 100 feet high, built by the Portuguese Colonization time. The fifth day was almost over when we wound our way through the reef and sunken barges left by the Indonesians in their invasion in 1974. And finally after 5 days, I sunk my trustee Delta into good Dili mud.
Dili streetscape
John Hughan a fellow Australian and yachtsman was waiting for us. And once we were settled he left us to take in the smell first off. Then the chatter of strange tongues, coming out of brightly colored wooden fishing boats at anchor all around us. This peaceful setting of huge Banyan trees and coconuts, which was back dropped by colored buildings of Portuguese architecture and generation.
Dili architecture
Was suddenly shattered by a loud buzzing of a Australian Military Helicopter hovering above the Town. And a marching political group campaigning on the streets of the foreshore-this was backed by the rumbling of an armored car following them. I realized that moment I had finally landed in Timor.