74 news items
New reports, talks, trade fair dates and news from along the way.
A new report, No. 32, “High Coast”, is finished and can again be ordered by email from harald-paul@haraldpaul.com. This report has plenty of photos, so that you can take in the beautiful nature and already get a foretaste of the coming season.
A report like this also makes a small present for a friend. So I wish you a lot of enjoyment reading it and looking at the photos.
A happy Christmas and a good start to the new year.
Greetings, The Pauls
A new report, “A Quiet Spell”, is finished. Anyone who has known us for a while knows that the title sounds paradoxical, because a winter with ships in the ice can only mean work and short hours of sleep. Yes, in a certain sense I have to agree with that, but we want to be free. And that simply means making sacrifices too. The few hours of sunshine, the wind, snow, ice and the dominating darkness really are parameters that some people find hard to digest. On top of that, the night-time sleep pattern of at most three to four hours at a stretch does gnaw a little at your stamina. Even so, the winter up here at 63° latitude is rather mild compared with Greenland, Iceland or Labrador. We are not so far away from civilisation and we have a vehicle for transport – now even with a trailer. All parameters that make things in the wilderness a little less hard. On top of that we have added a Finnish member to our crew, which of course also takes up time. The new resident brings a great deal of joy and variety into our daily life and keeps us properly on the go. So the time flies by and not a minute is boring. So there is no sitting out the cold temperatures of the darkness in the warm cabin; instead you are out there, active in what is going on – that is the reality up here. Not a day goes by without a full programme. Just let the text and photos carry you along. It is certainly an experience of a different kind.
Enjoy it!
This is how you get the reports: may I ask you to send me an email to harald-paul@haraldpaul.com with the title of the file you would like. You will receive my bank details, to which I would ask you to transfer the contribution towards costs. Once the amount has arrived I will send you the file by email. Over time all the files together make up a work covering the most varied subjects and the most varied photos, which you would not otherwise get like that in a conventional book or photo book. The contribution towards costs is 3 €.
“Northbound Again” is my thirtieth report for you. As usual, plenty of photos to illustrate it and plenty of text. Many of you know that this was not actually the plan. We wanted to carry on to France and perhaps also stir things up here and there in the Mediterranean. But the circumstances, with the restriction of our freedom that went with them and the constantly changing laws which we are no longer able to keep up with that quickly, made such a step urgently necessary. So we had no choice but to withdraw once again to familiar parts. Northbound again: anyone who can perhaps think back two decades will remember that we had already headed north once before. Back then it was a five-month journey with a 7.10 metre cabin boat from Hamburg to Spitsbergen. At that time, three years before that voyage, we had already tested material and crew here in the Baltic in many adverse weather conditions, right up to the highest possible load. After 23 years we had almost the same situation to cope with. Ship sinking – what can we do? This time it is just that the sinking ship is being towed along about 50 metres behind the main ship, so we have no direct influence on it. Waves short and steep on the nose, a stiff wind. The bow of the WRB9 full of water, so that it stands as high as the door handle on the cabin door. Are we going to lose our workshop ship???
The new report “Under Way” is finished: I describe the onward journey of our rig without having any particular destination in mind. We decide spontaneously and according to whichever situation restricts our freedom the least, so that control over our own health stays in our hands. In this report I have taken explicit care that not a syllable is written about “C”, because a great many people have told me that they can no longer read or hear about it. Plenty of fine photos with text will certainly take your mind off things and perhaps draw you into a new spell of pleasure. I may also point out that this entry closes the logbook “Heat Instead of Ice”. I had in any case stopped making entries some months ago. Now I would like to describe our three-year southern tour in a few sentences, since people are used to getting some sort of conclusion from me after an expedition or a voyage like this. One sentence comes to mind straight away. “You have to pay for the sun.” Readers of the website will not quite understand it, since they are a little behind the report subscribers when it comes to information. It was a wonderful voyage that we would not want to have missed. It was more like a holiday, and yet there were quite a few ups and downs that we did not know from the northern voyages. In the north, as far as the middle of France, they were rather trivial little things to do with people’s mentality. Although I should say that the easy-going, carefree attitude appealed to me a great deal compared with the familiar German mentality. The further south we pushed, however, the more prickly the behaviour of the inhabitants became. People tried to take the law into their own hands and to confront you with it. The authorities, too, tried to apply the law very precisely, even though there was no reason at all for it. It was not only us who noticed this, but also others who really only wanted to live quietly. On top of that came the peculiar attitude towards medical care, which one often had to put down to a plain lack of willingness in the profession. My wife and I unfortunately had only very bad experiences with the health system. For a well-off European country, a fair number of doctors or hospitals sometimes had to be contacted before there was any treatment at all. Hundreds of kilometres had to be covered on the road to reach the doctor or hospital that was willing. That prices in the south are higher than in the north of France was known beforehand, but that the differences are so horrendous knocked even dyed-in-the-wool French people off their chairs. The situation got extremely worse after the first lockdown in 2020. From then on the checks and fines for every conceivable situation became unbearable. If the whole situation really were to change again, France would simply be a dream, especially for those boaters who want things a bit quieter and have the time. Finally I may add that for such an apparently easy voyage the ship in question should be adapted. No great measures are needed, but there is quite a bit one could do, not only for safety but also to limit damage to the ship. As you will certainly know, through the repair service I run down there I can also give helpful information from a distance by email harald-paul@haraldpaul.com or by telephone 0049151 / 15 84 33 37. Just ask and have a quote made. I am sure the advantage is on your side if you can save yourself the cost of repairs and damage. A short note for all new readers of our website: the “Paul’s Reports” are extended information on various subjects, researched by me personally on the spot, which I describe with plenty of photos and text. This report is already number 29 and is comparable to a chapter from a book. All the reports complement one another and make up a wide range of information with an unusually large number of photos, so that it is easier to picture yourself there. Anyone interested can find out under the heading Sales on this site how quickly and easily you can obtain such a report. Happy reading.
After two years of using my floating workshop (WRB9), I would like to give some information about what work can be done in and with this barge. The very solid construction of the work boat is designed for pushing, so that with my push bollards on the bow I can easily manoeuvre broken-down ships of any tonnage, especially in a narrow canal. Thanks to the large workbench with a vice inside, a great many repairs can be carried out, for example on water or oil pumps as well as on small engines and all kinds of electrical appliances up to the size of a washing machine. A crane on the WRB9 can also lift larger outboards out of the water, and I can repair them or carry out a normal service. There is also a welding set available which can easily weld ordinary steel and stainless steel from 1 mm up to a thickness of 8 mm. There are plenty of hand-held power tools to make work in wood, GRP, aluminium or steel easier in the barge or on other ships as well. A high-pressure cleaner can also be used for cleaning a whole ship, or specifically for cleaning the underwater hull. I would particularly like to point out that with this high-pressure cleaner and the appropriate accessories I can clean lines such as pipes and hoses from the inside. Particularly interesting for waste and sewage lines, which keep blocking up. This saves you the extremely laborious job of changing the lines in the cramped ship, if that is possible at all. In connection with the cleaning, all painting work inside as well as outside can be carried out very accurately. Removing rust from small areas on steel ships while at the same time extracting the removed material is one of my specialities. In all my work, and especially with a repair, my attention is on the search for the cause – why the repair became necessary and how it can be prevented in future. This trait came from improvising on my several North Atlantic crossings and from the years spent in the Arctic. There, especially on other people’s ships, with a lack of materials it was usually a matter of getting going again so as not to lose the ship. This work of over 20 years, during which I also worked for a few years at the Smelne yard, and constantly living on ships give me the basic knowledge to prepare ships for a big journey or for living aboard permanently. In this connection I install new systems (solar panels, water treatment units, heating, etc.) so that life becomes more comfortable and more independent. Obtaining parts and equipment is also an important aspect here, and thanks to my long-standing business relations with German and Dutch manufacturers it leaves nothing to be desired. It should also be mentioned that I have a complete set of diving gear. This means I am able to clean underwater hulls in the water and also to change bolted anodes without having to put the ship in dry dock. A very cost-saving method that I have been practising myself for years, saving the horrendous crane fees and the time spent looking for a suitable crane. The shaft assembly and propeller can also be inspected and, if necessary, cleaned. Finally, may I mention my new ATV as a fast and manoeuvrable means of transport. With this machine I can bring not only my own tools and materials but also firewood, diesel, water, etc. to the most remote berths of ship owners. All in all I try to provide a complete service that leaves hardly anything to be desired. Should a matter nevertheless seem unsolvable, you can rely on my talent for improvisation and my years of experience as an expedition leader in the Arctic. You can get in touch on tel. no. 0049151 / 15 84 33 37 or by email, harald-paul@haraldpaul.com. Many thanks for your trust.
Using “Silentwind” wind generators is life-threatening:
On my expeditions lasting several years I depended on alternative energy. “Silentwind” assured me that they were the right partners for this...........since their wind generator withstands even the heaviest winds.
In the autumn of 2013 we only just prevented a fire on the ship. The cause was the charge controller from “Silentwind”. It could not brake the prevailing winds sufficiently. So the “Silentwind” wind generator charged the batteries permanently at full output. Cables and batteries became so hot that they could no longer be touched. Smoke and the foulest stench went with this dangerous situation. Furthermore, gusts of wind loosened the blade cover cap and damaged the blades. In the emergency the only thing left was to hack the cables off the generator.
2016 After the firm “Silentwind” assured us that the new charge controller and also the reworked “Silentwind” wind generator really do withstand everything, we bought a new one.
Life-threatening situation: The charge controller withstood the prevailing winds, but the “Silentwind” wind generator did not. It ran at full speed despite the brake being switched on. The “Silentwind” wind generator ran at such extremely high speed that the blade cover cap came loose again and damaged the blades. In this situation it was not possible for us to intervene. We stayed awake all night so that we could react at once to a possible fire or damage. The noise level produced by the unbraked wind generator was comparable to a helicopter landing on our superstructure, all night long. A later analysis of the “Silentwind” generator showed: the magnets in the generator had come away from the armature in an inexplicable way and had completely burnt out and destroyed the inside of the generator. If the wind had kept up, the housing would have burst from the parts whirling around inside it (comparable to stones in a gearbox). With that force, parts could have caused devastating harm to the crew and to uninvolved people, like projectiles, and considerable damage to property. Conclusion: we will never again fit such a “Silentwind” wind generator, because both “Silentwind” wind generators were life-threatening for the crew and for uninvolved people because of parts flying around. We cannot take on that responsibility, the danger to life and limb is too great. Anyone who would like more information can contact me at any time at harald-paul@haraldpaul.com .
Our voyage “Heat Instead of Ice” begins. A journey completely opposite to the expeditions into the Arctic we have made over the last 20 years. No winterings of six months or even longer aboard our Gypsy Life with ice up to 1.80 m thick, snow up to 2.00 m deep, cold down to – 40° and countless hurricanes up to category 4 - 5 at around 250 km/h. No battle against the forces of nature with an uncertain outcome for body and soul: from today it goes into the jungle of locks, boat lifts, bridges and tunnels of the canals and rivers of Holland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, and so on.
One of the new challenges is that we want to do this with three boats: the familiar Gypsy Life including the dinghy (FB5) and, in addition, the workshop ramp boat (WRB9). Even now we know that more time has to be allowed for manoeuvring the coupled unit made up of the three vessels and for passing through countless locks and boat lifts. Furthermore, the adventure with the sport enduro for the rough stuff and the touring enduro for riding three-up should not come off badly either.
With this entry under the News section the preparation time for this undertaking comes to an end and passes seamlessly into the logbook “Heat Instead of Ice” . There you will be informed about many details, including the weather conditions and the water temperature on the spot, just as you are used to from the familiar logbooks. For quick news you will find us on Facebook (Harald Paul).
Anyone who would like detailed information about our undertaking, or about expeditions already completed, is well served by text and photos with my reports (Paul’s Reports). All the information is research that I myself went through, experienced and wrote down on the spot, without any influence from media reports.
As already mentioned several times, you can get in touch with me via Facebook or by email. Further information about the reports can be found on this website under Sales.
Happy reading and enjoy the photos.
For our voyage “Heat Instead of Ice” I will open a new logbook on this website, so that everyone can follow what comes up in the course of this voyage. In addition, from now on there is also the possibility of finding us on Facebook (Harald Paul) and being kept even more up to date with short posts and above all photos and videos. Anyone who wants to look into the subject at leisure and at greater length has the possibility of ordering the reports “Paul’s Reports”, with detailed information in text and pictures. To place an order you can get in touch via my usual email address or, now, via Facebook as well. We will be setting off soon.
The new workshop ramp boat (WRB9) has been launched. On inland waters it is to be coupled alongside Gypsy Life. First test runs confirm this theory quite positively. Manoeuvring in confined conditions was surprisingly easy too.
At sea it will be towed astern of the main ship at a distance to suit the sea state. Working out the right relationship between towing speed, distance and sea state will take a few thousand nautical miles of practical experience. As already mentioned, the WRB9 is fitted out completely as a workshop, so that my own repairs can be done, but also to help others. Both motorcycles can easily be loaded and unloaded over the ramp at the bank. The extra space and the stowage that comes with it make for a more pleasant quality of life.
Soon we will begin our voyage “Heat Instead of Ice” heading south.
I may mention that I will go on writing my reports about this voyage, which will last for years. Such reports will give away a lot of information about the area travelled, in text and with plenty of photos. I cannot put all this concentrated information, including the many photos, on my website. So the only way left open is through the reports. With many of my report subscribers I also keep up good contact, and they have all been welded together into one big family. Questions often come up, which I can answer directly and promptly. So that I can keep up this closeness to my customers alongside the everyday work on the ship, the number of subscribers is understandably limited. Anyone now interested in the subject of canals, locks, tunnels, boat lifts, warm bathing water in the seas, animal and fish life, flora and fauna, motorcycle adventures on made-up and unmade tracks, all in the south, would do well to sign up with me as a subscriber in good time. As you may know from earlier descriptions, being a subscriber commits you to nothing at all. You pay an amount in advance of your own choosing, which I then work off with the reports at 3,- € each. No contract, no advertising, no nothing, simply the way seafaring is. You can ask me for information entirely without obligation by email harald-paul@haraldpaul.com. I try to answer all your questions promptly.
Since I became self-employed 35 years ago I have been busy with preparations for all kinds of tasks. Whereas my aim used to be to earn a maximum return with as little effort as possible, over the last 20 years it changed into reaching the destination with little effort. Low costs, little effort, but a maximum of result, that was always uppermost on my expeditions. With the new report “Tips and Tricks for Professional Preparation” I want to give an insight into what preparations are needed so as not to come to grief. It makes no difference which vehicle you want to travel with, land vehicle or watercraft; at the end of the day it remains a vehicle that is supposed to get you from A to B, one fitted with many possible sources of failure which may lead to a breakdown. Systematic and meticulous preparation helps to minimise breakdowns and to save stowage space and weight. Let me say at the outset that such preparations demand a lot of time and a high degree of discipline, which vary with the degree of difficulty of the journey. I would encourage everyone to prepare their journeys, because it also brings a very nice time with it. You have a new task that quickly makes you forget everyday life. Enjoy it. Anyone with questions on the subject is warmly invited to write me an email harald-paul@haraldpaul.com .
Qaqortoq: My friend Herluf, who has lived in Greenland with his Greenlandic wife for years, gives me some information now and then about the current situation there.
The place is properly snowed in, with temperatures well below zero. The fierce hurricane-force winds whirl the snow about and pile it up metres high in front of and behind the houses. Anyone more interested in the subject of weather, snow, ice and global warming in the Arctic, and who does not want to rely only on what the media publish, is welcome to read, without obligation, my findings from the past years that I have spent in the Arctic, summarised and backed up with photos. In the logbook “Danube – Alaska” I published a few entries on 17 August, 28 August and 26 September 2016 which are based on years of continuous stays in the Arctic. Should any questions arise about this, you are very welcome to write me an email (harald-paul@haraldpaul.com).
As you can see in the photo, the workshop ramp boat (WRB9) is slowly taking shape.
The yard is well on schedule, so that completion and delivery could take place at the end of February. In the meantime I am working on the workshop fittings, which will later be put into the cabin of the WRB9 and lashed down. The workbench (see photo) is 1.5 m long, 0.93 m high and 0.76 m deep. It has already been fitted with a hefty vice, a double bench grinder and the compressor from Gypsy Life.
The WRB9 will take further workshop equipment, so that most repairs can be done on the spot and from the water. Not only Gypsy Life is to benefit from this; other boats and vehicles that have broken down can be helped as well. A pusher engine can provide towing assistance. The bow of the WRB9 is being fitted with push bollards, so that in tight places it can manoeuvre better with a boat coupled ahead of it.
The bow ramp not only makes it easier to ride the motorcycles on board, it is also designed for heavier equipment such as mini excavators, bank mowers, an ATF with trailer, and so on.
The whole boat is being built as a pure working tender in heavy duty form, in order to cope with all the tasks set for it.
Under this motto we will hold a course towards the south and try to open up for you, dear readers, a completely new perspective compared with our earlier voyages.
For us, who have been under way in the north for almost 20 years, right up to the polar region and including several winterings, that is no easy challenge.
We have to get our bodies used slowly to the heat that comes and to the direct, constant sunshine. A change of diet and a change in the daily routine will be unavoidable. All these tasks need a lot of time, so we will make progress very slowly.
That leaves plenty of time to do research and so to give you a deeper insight into the world of the various countries we travel through.
You know that with the two Enduros we are also very flexible ashore and can therefore report on that too.
Our Gypsy Life is being prepared for such a voyage right now.
Light-coloured paint over the whole upper deck, air conditioning and much more. Reducing weight, or lightening as it is also called, so that we can reduce our draught of 1.80 m, is currently the biggest challenge. At present we are at 1.66 m. The masts are lowered, so we have an air draught of 3.3 m or, if necessary, 2.6 m. The problem of transporting the motorcycles is being solved right now by building a multi-purpose floating unit, the workshop ramp boat (WRB9).
In future this boat will have to manoeuvre Gypsy Life, together with the fishing dinghy, through the rivers and narrow canals. No easy task, it will be interesting to see.
December is on its way and the year is drawing to a close.
At this time of year in particular, many people think about their lives, whether it makes sense to carry on as before or to change something.
Perhaps it is because you now have a little more time to philosophise about it.
I come to the subject because more and more people speak to me about it or get in touch by email.
Let me say straight away that anyone who wants to talk about it, in whatever form, is very welcome.
Every beginning is hard, and I open it with this sentence: “Envy has to be earned, pity you get for free”.
Anyone who cannot bring themselves to let go of the old life need not even start thinking about a new one. Because combining the two ways of life is more than ambitious and hides insurmountable problems.
Usually the new way of life is meant to be freer and more independent. But independence, until you really have it, is very expensive. Although expensive does not necessarily have to mean money, but rather doing without.
Many of the questions I get are about material things, mainly about money. How much do I need to be really free and to live without a care?
This is where the first problem is already obvious, the money.
Anyone who makes money responsible for their freedom has almost already lost, because money only hides problems, rarely freedom or contentment.
The less money you have, the more you have to think about other possibilities, and that is exactly the key to success in independence.
Money wants looking after, you have to hold on to it, keep an eye on it, because other people constantly want a share of it.
When there is none, many problems are gone at a stroke.
I admit that it is not easy to change a secure life just like that.
But later on? You live, you experience many things differently, you no longer worry so much and are more carefree. You should not move straight into the wilderness, because that kind of life is very, very hard and so I have to advise against it. Most people cannot stand such a strain in raw nature, without industrial support, over a longer period. We are not talking here about several months that have been prepared over years and that can be broken off at any time, but about really living in it.
On my expeditions I have met a few such candidates, who managed without running water, electricity, a fridge and other frills.
But none of them were entirely easy to get along with. The solitude had gnawed at the personality of many of them. They were rarely there as a couple, that is together with a woman; as far as I can recall now, not one of them. So I am talking about the really hard-boiled ones.
Among the people who were only under way for a few years you often did meet a woman.
The further north, the lonelier and the more difficult the people were.
But there was something to it, they were absolutely free. They could really do what they wanted and above all when they wanted. No checks by any clever-clogs or anything else.
Master of themselves.
But such a way of life is marked by other unpleasant things. Such as the weather, snow, ice, endless rain, hurricane-force winds, and on top of that the brutal mosquitoes and an enormous number of parasites. You would not believe the quantities of such creatures that get in your way up there.
So you see, it is not that simple either.
Now you can decide:
The more comfort you want to enjoy, the greater the dependence and with it the control.
Anyone who does not much like being looked at too closely and can do without some comfort lives rather less tied down.
So every way of life has its price and there is no need to envy anyone else, because you have the same conditions and the same possibilities to do exactly the same.
With this feature as an aid to thinking things over, we may say goodbye for this year.
We wish all readers a peaceful Christmas and a good start to the new year.
One more thing I would like to add: the book “Freedom – Adventure – Wilderness” has sold out apart from a handful of copies. I will not have another edition printed. Anyone who would still like one should please contact me personally.
Anyone still looking for a Christmas present can order any number of the reports, which deal with various subjects, directly from me by email, or find something in my range under the heading Sales.
Next year we will be doing something special, I am already preparing for it. You can look forward to it.
Every morning I was woken by a flock of cranes flying about and screeching, gathering for the flight south and practising flying together.
I often watched them and dreamed of seeing the landscape from that perspective too. Later the thought came to me as well that they do not have to trudge through the deep snow here in winter looking for food.
Instead they enjoy somewhat warmer weather and perhaps not as much endless rain as we are having right now. Both motorcycles have been unloaded and are well stowed, and a fair amount of firewood is ready for the winter.
The ship would now still have to be prepared for the sub-zero temperatures to come and for the ice forming, all routine from the last winters in the Arctic.
But that is no longer a real challenge for me.
So I simply decided, despite the late time of year, to leave the place at about 63° N and travel down to latitude 53° N.
A few degrees of longitude further west were added to that as well, so that we have arrived in Drachten NL. In these familiar surroundings I am devoting myself to a new challenge for next year. You can look forward to it.
The follow-up report, which describes our continuing tour with the ship to the northernmost point of the Baltic Sea, is finished.
We also take the readers along on a fine motorcycle tour through Scandinavia to Germany and back, including all the adventures of civilisation we experienced.
As usual there are plenty of photos, which this time might particularly appeal to the ladies.
Good entertainment and happy reading!
All summer long we searched for a suitable place, but never really found the right one.
That was partly down to us, because we are used to the wide open spaces and the solitude of the Arctic.
We kept trying to find something similar to what we had in the last few years.
Readers of the reports are informed about this down to the last detail and know why there is hardly anything comparable around the Baltic.
After testing for some time with regard to the weather situation and the sea conditions, we decided on a place near Vaasa in Finland.
It is a small fishing harbour that is no longer used so intensively.
Electricity is available but no drinking water.
There are also no streams or lakes nearby, so we have to rely on our watermaker holding out and hope for plenty of rain.
If need be there is a small lake about four kilometres away, which in winter I would then have to reach by motorcycle with a sledge towed behind it carrying the water barrels.
However, we are surrounded by rich fishing grounds, so at least we will not have to go hungry.
We have now been all the way round the northern Baltic and have found no suitable place there for the coming winter.
Not that there was any shortage of fine places, but most of them were too shallow for our draught of 1.80 metres. There is no tide up here, but there are considerable variations in water level of up to about 1.5 metres, caused by the winds. These make the depth problem even worse.
Furthermore, dark-coloured water and very rocky ground predominate, so you have to navigate with the utmost care.
In the meantime we have also completed a four-week motorcycle tour through Sweden and Denmark to Germany and back again. This tour made us realise that civilisation can be an adventure too. More about that in my new reports, which I hope to be able to get to soon.
The follow-up report to the already published story of the voyage in the northern Baltic, titled “60° North”, is finished. It describes how things go on for us and what is special about the various countries of Scandinavia.
Fine photographs and spectacular events make this report interesting for anyone who loves adventure and would like a bit of distance from everyday stress.
Happy reading.
I have already explained briefly in the earlier notices under News how you can obtain such a report or become a subscriber.
You really have to study the map closely if you want to find the small village of Töre in northern Sweden straight away.
It lies on the E4, one of Sweden’s most important connecting roads.
A yellow buoy with the coordinates written on it, which you can take the ship around, marks this point.
Otherwise there is not a great deal to see there. A few old buildings, among them two silos and an old quay.
For the local leisure boats small jetties have been laid out into the water, so that things are kept tidy.
A campsite adjoins this spot. The village lies about 2 km from the coast.
We spent one night there and found that, because of the open situation, there is hardly any shelter from the wind from the various directions.
Despite the far northern position of 56, 54`N, deciduous trees outnumber the conifers.
If you want to spend six months here over the winter, because the ice is holding you captive, you have minimal wind protection during that time, since the trees drop their leaves from the autumn onwards. Otherwise it would be a little more comfortable than our previous winters.
The temperatures only drop to at most -20° and the winds hardly reach hurricane force. Snow and ice are said to run to just under a metre.
The Pauls have arrived back in Sweden. The mild weather conditions and the narrow Baltic positively invite you to shuttle back and forth between the two countries. As already announced at the start of the voyage, we are travelling up here without any time pressure, for various reasons.
The further north our course takes us, the better we like it, so that we are thinking about looking for a nice place for the coming winter.
So this challenge is now added to the nature reserve that is to come about by leasing or possibly buying land.
According to first information, it is more than difficult, particularly in Finland, to get hold of land of sufficient size, since about 85 to 90% of the land is already in private ownership. As a project like that certainly cannot be carried out in a few months, we will have to show staying power once again. We are practised in that from our years of staying in the Arctic. We will wait and see and let ourselves be surprised.
Gypsy Life and her crew have reached Finland without any great effort.
That is also why the new report “The Ravages of Time” has already been completed.
Actually it is not a report in the usual sense at all, but rather a chapter of a book that recounts some of the experiences of the voyage so far.
I tell, describe and illustrate this voyage with plenty of photos in such a way that anyone who is interested can perhaps read this chapter in the evening before going to bed and get a little distance from the everyday routine just gone by.
The chapter informs, but it also invites you to dream and awakens hidden wishes to travel through Scandinavia yourself one day, by water or by land.
For information on how to obtain such a report:
There is the possibility, as described several times before, of being listed as a subscriber without any obligations whatsoever; that way you receive every new report without having to do anything.
Otherwise there is the possibility of sending me an email and then telling me which file you would like. Once the contribution towards costs of 3 € has been received, the file will be sent as quickly as possible. The email address you give will not be used by me for newsletters or other advertising, nor passed on. Every customer or reader comes to me of their own free will, finds information free of charge on my website, or orders as they wish without further obligations or annoying advertising junk. I write these reports out of passion and not for commercial purposes, so that some of you who are already close to letting go will take the big step, or to give those who can never do it the chance to be there in their thoughts.
Enjoy the new file.
For some time now we have been holding our course in the Swedish skerries.
So far the sea has been more like a carpet compared with the North Atlantic, which was good for our new dinghy under tow behind Gypsy Life. The weather too was far more humane than in the last four years in the Arctic. The hurricanes up there have been replaced by sun down here.
If you would like to see a summary of the unique four-year adventure once more, with plenty of photos, you can look at the new article in the “boote” issue 05.2017 under the heading “Press Reports”.
The system with the road-legal Enduro has proved excellent; from the harbour you could get a lot done very quickly without depending on outside help.
We have also already made some fine trips ashore, which will come across in my coming reports with plenty of photos.
The first warming rays of sun have reached Gypsy Life, and she and her crew are already under way to new adventures. This time the voyage has no expedition character; it is more like a voyage of discovery.
There is no set course, only a rough direction, and there is no planned time frame. Through our life in the wilderness so far we have lost touch with civilisation and can therefore no longer keep pace with it. Progress has overtaken us, too many new things and changes came pouring down on us. We are fleeing back into nature. Because such a life in the wilderness differs from life in civilisation through its simplicity. There is nothing laid down by the clock, a smartphone or a computer to determine the course of the day. Instead, the tasks that keep you alive are spread over the day and make up the programme. Working the wood for heating and cooking, getting provisions by fishing and hunting, and fetching fresh water are among the basic tasks.
The wide open spaces of Sweden and Finland will be our home for the time to come.
Our equipment has been extended, as already described, by a second Enduro that can be registered for the road and by a larger rigid-hulled dinghy.
Both are designed for the wide expanses of these countries and therefore make it easier to get on with the work or to move in an emergency.
As we shall be travelling in even more remote places in future, we cannot keep a logbook as usual. Instead there will be entries at irregular intervals under the heading “News”, which are meant to keep readers informed. The section “Paul’s Reports” will be used more. There, for all readers with a stronger interest, information is passed on down to the last detail through text and plenty of photos. A possibility I would like to use because of the file size resulting from the long texts and the large number of photos. As I am also shifting my activities ashore with the motorcycle, these reports will gain in variety, since many explorations on land are planned.
This is where the advantage of being a subscriber to my reports pays off, because they are treated again and again to fine photos and information.
I wish you exciting reading in advance.
That is the title of my new report, which deals with the encounter between man and bear, and also between bear and man. In this report I have summarised all my experience from the countless bear encounters of the years I have lived in the wilderness, together with what has been passed on to me by the native people. Some of it will differ from the rules already known, because the behaviour of the bears has changed noticeably, especially in recent times. Why I avoid the word “rules” for a bear encounter, and what it means to come to terms with this strong plantigrade.
For anyone who is perhaps planning to venture into the wilderness on holiday this very year, additional reading.
Anyone interested in such a report will find information on this website under the heading Sales “Paul’s Reports” on the quickest way to acquire such a report. These reports give information through text and plenty of photos, from the varied nature and wildlife right through to mechanics and other subjects.
There is also the possibility of being listed as a subscriber. A completely voluntary and informal way of receiving the reports from me unasked, before they are published on the internet. You transfer an amount of your choosing, if possible divisible by three. There is no contract and no period of notice. If the amount paid in has been used up by the reports, I ask by email whether further reports are wanted. If not, the little arrangement comes to an end without any obligations.
There is also the possibility of picking out quite individually from the many reports only what really interests you. You tell me which reports you want, and I can then send them by email with the PDF attached.
On 17, 18 and 19 March 2017 the Smelne Yachtcenter opens its doors for its own boat show, for all water sports enthusiasts and for those who want to become one. There are well over 60 ships to see, in every version and from many well-known builders. From old traditional ones through to very modern used ships, everything can be viewed at leisure.
In the spacious harbour area, as well as in the huge indoor water hall, the ships lie in their element. In the various halls of the yard there are also ships standing on blocks, so that their underwater hull including the propulsion systems can be inspected. We too are available for a viewing with our Gypsy Life, the ship that has made many voyages in the northern seas, even in winter navigation.
Have a nice weekend, enjoy the quiet atmosphere.
You are all very welcome.
A new report “Tips and Tricks for the Diesel Supply” is finished.
Over my long years afloat I have again and again heard of cases where ships’ engines came to a standstill because of a poor diesel supply. It made no difference whether it was a single engine or twin engines. I have also read a fair amount about this problem on the internet. Many skippers struggled with diesel bug, although they took precautions with the supposed miracle of chemistry.
Personally, in my voyages of almost 12,000 operating hours, I have never had to fight diesel bug, although I use no chemicals.
In this new report I explain, in text and pictures, a system that can be retrofitted, is cheap to buy, is easy on the existing filter system (filter elements) and will be of great interest above all to long-distance cruisers who can hardly get clean diesel along the way.
As this problem occurs not only in ships but also in expedition vehicles, the system can be used there as well.
If any questions come up, you are welcome to send me an email.
Happy reading.
For some weeks now I have been busy converting a small fishing boat. The little boat, five metres long and two metres wide, is made of GRP and has an unladen weight of about 280 kg.
It may take a load of 600 kg.
Without putting too much strain on the stability, I fitted a few hatches in the possible areas, so that I get some stowage space and the inaccessible parts of the boat can also be inspected.
I cut a cross frame from stainless steel and bolted it to the forward bulkhead.
This square bar is to serve as the foundation for the mountings of two supports fitted at the sides.
These supports prevent the boat from tipping over sideways when it is standing bow-on to the land and is being loaded or unloaded.
When the supports are pushed up and pulled out to the sides, this construction can take trolling lines for fishing.
Finally a sevenfold coat of paint was applied which, besides the antifouling against growth, is also meant to withstand contact with ice.
This boat, equipped for commercial fishing, carries a 25 hp outboard.
Ready for use, at about 450 kg, the boat will in future be towed behind Gypsy Life or moored alongside for tighter manoeuvres.
In the Beginning There Was a Dream
Anyone who has no dreams will hardly have any wishes; anyone who has no wishes pursues or achieves no goals, because goals mostly arise from dreams and are achieved through your own willpower.
So years ago it was my dream to live afloat on a ship and to be as independent as possible.
Together with my wife and my son I turned this dream into reality.
Countless hurdles as high as the Siebengebirge reared up in front of us and tried with all their might to stop us from realising this dream. It began with the authorities, who wanted to ban living permanently on a ship for all sorts of reasons. It went on to the youth welfare office, which did not want to expect such a life of my son, and it did not stop by any means at actions from our own ranks, prompted by envy. For years there was a battle every day.
We held out. My wife Silvia and I gained this staying power when, after three years of preparation, we were the first to sail from Hamburg to Spitsbergen in a small seven-metre cabin boat.
At the time the boating world, especially in Germany, got worked up about this undertaking in all sorts of magazines. Our licence was to be taken away, we should never set foot on a boat again, an irresponsibility beyond compare to risk your life like that.
In Scandinavia, especially Norway, a completely different wind blew in our faces. There people were enthusiastic about the willpower and staying power it must have taken to prepare something like that down to the last detail over the years and finally to carry it out successfully. Not a word was said about the size or shape of the boat, its seaworthiness, its classification or other technical refinements.
This seamanlike attitude of the Norwegians was the spur for us, after the end of this five-month tour, to think about whether we were capable of further undertakings.
Within only a few months after this tour we set ourselves in motion to reach the new goal of “a life on the water”. Without any financial cushion, but only through work, taking risks, willpower, improvisation and staying power, we laid the keel of Gypsy Life.
After barely a year this unusual ship was launched with a beautiful naming ceremony and the new chapter of life began.
But the most important thing I realised in this undertaking. You have to be willing to step back from your previous standard of living in order to give the new way of life space to develop. Because everything together can hardly be realised alongside a new dream. It did take years to adjust everything to the new life without firm ground under our feet, but after such a long time living on the water, everything has turned into routine.
Now we enjoy the long-awaited freedom, which has, however, also had its price and demanded sacrifices. Everyone is free to realise their dreams; no one should look for the blame in someone else or push it onto something else, because everyone is the maker of their own fortune.
With these lines we would like to take our leave of the exciting year 2016, to thank everyone who took an active part in our last expedition “Danube – Alaska”, and to wish them a happy Christmas and a good start to the New Year. Perhaps you will be the next one to want to realise your dream in the New Year 2017.
We wish you strong willpower and good staying power already now.
Don’t forget, the offer stands:
Anyone interested in looking at countless fine used and new ships with no obligation at all is warmly invited to Smelne here in Drachten.
We shall be here on the spot for the next few months and can give everyone a warm welcome and, if they wish, accompany them on their wanderings through the countless ships. Anyone who just wants to talk about realising their own dream is also very welcome with us. From our practised experience we try to contribute some help towards making it happen. That way the winter does not get so long and dreams are brought to life.
The ideal Christmas present:
The Pauls’ unique way of life is recorded chronologically in words in two exciting books and on film in two entertaining DVDs.
The book “Northbound” describes impressively how the two of them, despite all the warnings, set out from Hamburg and were the first to reach Spitsbergen in a cabin boat only 7 metres long. How they fought their way through the ice and survived the extremely stormy sea in this little nutshell.
The DVD “Expedition Ice” completes the pictures of this book by showing a great deal of the beautiful fjords of Norway, giving all sorts of basic knowledge about the Pauls’ new way of life on their new ship “Gypsy Life” and showing, among other things, the almost unknown “Bear Island” in the Barents Sea.
“Canada Adventure”, a DVD that lets you experience at first hand the two extreme North Atlantic crossings from Holland to Canada and back to Germany. You live through every situation and enjoy exceptional wildlife sightings in the Arctic regions. The text and the photos of the book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness” take the reader along on the journey. It explains many everyday routines and strengthens the reader’s own dreams of a free life.
“Paul’s Reports” is a direct and very up-to-date account of the “Danube-Alaska” expedition, with a great deal of photo material and precise research on the spot.
Under the heading Sales on this website it is explained how to obtain “Paul’s Reports”, and the ways of getting the items are set out. Anyone who finds the delivery times for the items too long can order directly from me personally and will have the delivery sent from my warehouse in Germany as quickly as possible.
A well-known Dutch saying, meaning that with a boat you really only take on work without end.
In the course of more than 16 years of permanent life on a boat with no home ashore I have had to learn a great deal about this, so that as far as possible you do not become your own boat slave. Since the newly planned project means I will be able to look after the ship less next year, we had to haul the Gypsy Life out once again in a heated hall. The hull and parts of the superstructure have been given fresh paint. Another thorough check of the technical equipment suggested itself at the same time, so that as far as possible everything is sound.
The forward mast has been shortened by about three metres. A measure that became necessary because of the countless hurricanes we lived through in the last four seasons. The mast foot was also reworked so the mast can be lowered quickly.
By the way, anyone who has become curious about our new plan will already find a few hints in the media reports under the heading Press Releases.
Don’t forget, the offer still stands:
Anyone who would like to have a look at countless fine used and new ships, with no obligation at all, is very welcome at Smelne here in Drachten.
We will be here on the spot for the next few months and can welcome anyone warmly, and take along whoever wishes to come on the wanderings through the countless ships. That way the winter does not feel so long and the dreams are kept alive.
The ideal Christmas present:
The Pauls’ unique way of life has been recorded chronologically in text in two exciting books and on film on two entertaining DVDs.
This is how the book “Northbound” impressively describes how the two of them, in spite of all the warnings, were the first to reach Spitsbergen from Hamburg in a cabin boat only 7 metres long. How they fought their way through the ice and survived the extremely stormy sea in this little nutshell.
DVD “Expedition Ice” completes the pictures of this book by showing a great deal of the beautiful fjords of Norway, passing on all kinds of basic knowledge about the Pauls’ new way of life on their new ship “Gypsy Life” and showing, among other things, the almost unknown “Bear Island” in the Barents Sea.
“Canada Adventure”, a DVD that lets you experience at first hand the two extreme North Atlantic crossings from Holland to Canada and back to Germany. You live through every situation and enjoy exceptional wildlife sightings in Arctic regions. The text and the photos of the book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness” take the reader along on the journey. It explains many everyday routines and strengthens the reader’s own dreams of a free life.
“Paul’s Reports” is direct and very up-to-date reporting on the “Danube-Alaska” expedition, with a great deal of picture material and precise research on the spot.
The Sales section on this website explains how to obtain the “Paul’s Reports” and sets out the ways of getting the items. Anyone who finds the delivery times for the items too long can order directly from me personally and will have the delivery sent from my stock in Germany as quickly as possible.
Along the lines of small ships go voyaging, big ships lie in harbour, a former inland skipper and lorry driver, the owner of a small Vlet, came to me for advice. He said he had been following me on the internet for years and knew of my offer to prepare ships for long-distance voyaging.
After a thorough inspection of my ship, which has been lying at Smelne in Drachten again since September, he saw what a well-prepared ship could take over the last four years without any major damage. Not that he intends to cross the North Atlantic as well and perhaps even winter somewhere in the ice there; rather, he wants to potter quietly through the canals with his wife over the next few years, from Holland to Berlin and then on to Poland into the Baltic. His concern: as little work as possible, especially when it comes to cleaning the ship’s outer skin or even having to polish it. From inland shipping he knows that you can travel without this time-consuming servicing.
So I reworked the paintwork of the steel ship from below the superstructure down to the keel and repainted it with my additive, tried and tested over many years. Anyone who would like more information about this can find it in the report “Painting Tips and Tricks” under the heading Sales.
I will also be keeping an eye on the technical side. The principle here is as little as possible, as much as necessary. That is the experience of the former inland skipper. The simplest mechanical and electrical components are fitted, so that hard-earned free time is not needlessly taken up with repairs and getting hold of spare parts. The technical side also includes ease of servicing of the engine installation, diesel and water tanks and other components. A specially designed circulation system for the diesel tanks, of the kind used in commercial shipping. No day-tank gimmicks, which under continuous running let the diesel temperatures rise so that the engine loses power. This way the formation of diesel bug is also countered without chemical additives. My practised experience is what is called for here. All in all the skipper wants to travel and enjoy it, and not have to start gathering experience only now with his equipment in continuous use or with other things that only cost time and money for nothing.
Anyone interested in conversions of this kind, or who would like to have a look at countless fine used and new ships with no obligation at all, is very welcome at Smelne here in Drachten.
We will be here on the spot for the next few months and can welcome anyone warmly. That way the winter does not feel so long and the dreams are kept alive.
The ideal Christmas present:
The Pauls’ unique way of life has been recorded chronologically in text in two exciting books and on film on two entertaining DVDs.
This is how the book “Northbound” impressively describes how the two of them, in spite of all the warnings, were the first to reach Spitsbergen from Hamburg in a cabin boat only 7 metres long. How they fought their way through the ice and survived the extremely stormy sea in this little nutshell.
DVD “Expedition Ice” completes the pictures of this book by showing a great deal of the beautiful fjords of Norway, passing on all kinds of basic knowledge about the Pauls’ new way of life on their new ship “Gypsy Life” and showing, among other things, the almost unknown “Bear Island” in the Barents Sea.
“Canada Adventure”, a DVD that lets you experience at first hand the two extreme North Atlantic crossings from Holland to Canada and back to Germany. You live through every situation and enjoy exceptional wildlife sightings in Arctic regions. The text and the photos of the book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness” take the reader along on the journey. It explains many everyday routines and strengthens the reader’s own dreams of a free life.
“Paul’s Reports” is direct and very up-to-date reporting on the “Danube-Alaska” expedition, with a great deal of picture material and precise research on the spot.
The Sales section on this website explains how to obtain the “Paul’s Reports” and sets out the ways of getting the items. Anyone who finds the delivery times for the items too long can order directly from me personally and will have the delivery sent from my stock in Germany as quickly as possible.
Radio report on Radio Charivari, 13 November 2016
They gave up their house, their job, in fact their whole life, to go off on a voyage of discovery. Silvia and Harald Paul are two adventurers from Kapfelberg in the district of Kelheim.
They recently returned from their Alaska expedition in their boat “Gypsy Life”. They were under way for four years. Not everything worked out as the two of them had imagined, nature was too powerful.
All the same – the Pauls say – they made astonishing discoveries:
“The polar bear does not have black skin at all, and it is not threatened with extinction either, as people always say.” Or: “We do not find that the glaciers are melting, quite the opposite.”
Just a few statements from the two adventurers. On Sunday, 13 November 2016 Silvia and Harald Paul talked about their sometimes risky undertakings.
After almost four years in the Arctic, the Pauls set off with their terrier Walter on their Enduro into the adventure of Germany. Dutifully, Paul the rider tried to apply his out-of-date traffic rules in the hectic traffic. An aggressive chorus of horns came back at him when he let a pedestrian cross at the zebra crossing and did not immediately race off at full throttle the moment the pedestrian had almost reached the other side. At a traffic light, a delay of a second in moving off again was likewise punished at once with horns and threatening gestures. For a man who waited 11 months for a suitable weather window to carry on with his ship, quite a blow. Wherever we could, we avoided big cities so that we would not cause a traffic jam in this hectic world. We did not always manage it, and so now and again we had to ask the way. Not a single person could give us directions from memory, although the people I asked came from the area, as they said themselves. They all reached for their smartphone, even when we were only a few corners away from our destination. Other questions, too, could only be answered with the help of this device. For us a striking development, that hardly anything could still simply be answered off the cuff. Compared with the people living in the Arctic, who can travel for days in their boat through the rocky coastal areas or by snowmobile through the endless deserts of snow and ice without any help at all, a noticeable difference. But when we reached our destinations we were given a very warm welcome and spoiled with every culinary speciality. A very warm thank you to everyone at this point. In those 14 days we rode almost 3800 km on our motorcycle and were sometimes reminded of the ride through Labrador and Newfoundland to the border with the USA. At around 10° it was pleasantly warm, unlike Canada. No snow, and all the roads we used here were level and tarred. You did not have to watch out for holes the size of a wheelbarrow in the road surface. All in all quite pleasant. But now the holiday is over and everyday life has us back. My new job is to prepare a customer’s ship for long-distance voyaging in every conceivable respect. I will report on that separately.
from now on you will find current entries in the Logbook Expedition Danube - Alaska
With a very warm thank you to the shanty choir MK Kelheim and to all the visitors who took part in yesterday’s send-off at the Yachthafen Donautal, we set off in the early hours of this morning on our great adventure “Danube-Alaska”. At the start of this journey we would like to thank all the helping hands and the sponsors, Ortlieb, Katadyn, Heidenau, Smelne, Kuiper, Ballistol, DSB, Leder Singer International, Baukranverleih Roth, Rittersport, Salmeri, who helped make this exceptional adventure possible. We wish all visitors to the website an exciting and interesting read of our logbook.
Silvia and Harald Paul
On Saturday, 4 May, the Yachthafen Donautal, am Jachthafen 13, in 93309 Kapfelberg/Kelheim, will give us a send-off. The day’s programme starts at about 11:00 with a Weißwurst meal. At about 12:30 lunch will be served. The sale of drinks and food is organised by the Yachthafen Donautal. In the meantime our ship Gypsy Life can be viewed. The shanty choir MK Kelheim will provide the music. Between 14:00 and 16:00 we will take our ship on a lap of honour on the Danube for the visitors and the press, accompanied by the singing of the shanty choir. In the late afternoon I will give a talk for everyone present about the last passage Saimaa Wilderness/Karelia and present the new expedition “Danube-Alaska” and its planning, including the expedition Enduro. The event will take place in any weather. We look forward to your visit.
Silvia and Harald Paul
On the “Danube-Alaska” project we are not only under way on the water in all these years, we will also make extensive explorations on land with the two-wheeler prepared for the purpose. For this special purpose too the Ortlieb company is at our side with its equipment. Besides the waterproof rucksack (elevation), which is meant to carry the most varied items of equipment comfortably, including the dog Rats, the new camera rucksack (day-shot) will protect our high-quality photographic equipment from dust, water and vibration. Furthermore, for years now we have been entrusting our basic provisions, such as flour, sugar, powdered milk, pasta and so on, to the waterproof dry bags (PD 350). Because provisions that have not spoiled make a decisive difference to the survival strategy in the Arctic regions.
The heat produced by my wood stove is not meant to warm the inside of our ship alone. Fitting a copper coil around the stove, connected by special hot-water hoses to the main engine, the generator and the hot-water boiler, now lets me make wider use of that heat. A small pump keeps the engines’ cooling water circulating through the components and so spreads the heat around. Wear-prone cold starts with excessive diesel consumption while the cold engine warms up are a thing of the past from now on. The domestic water also becomes pleasantly warm into the bargain. This principle also lets me use it the other way round. The heat produced by the running engine is then given off through the copper coil by way of the stove into the ship’s interior. A very simple system, and one that makes travelling in the somewhat cooler regions more pleasant for us.
A made-to-measure cover of very hard-wearing material is to protect the Enduro from the high salt content and the extreme weather of the North Atlantic. Black was chosen so that at extremely low temperatures as little ice as possible forms from the spray whipping across the boat. Heavy icing on a ship’s superstructure, and the weight it adds, can force ships into a dangerous capsize.
The good weather at the moment gives ideal conditions for riding practice with the Enduro. The challenge is to get over the obstacles in the terrain without tearing up the ground too much and without losing too much stamina and strength. The mix of snow-covered ground and partly frozen soil reflects the situations I can expect in the Arctic regions.
In the workshop of master motorcycle mechanic Thomas Dreer every detail is looked at very closely. My Enduro now has to be set up for my personal requirements on the one hand and for the riding area, the Arctic, on the other. The suspension is adjusted to my body weight so that the response is sensitive but still gives enough safety at the extremes. All the ball, taper and needle bearings on the machine are packed with a special seawater-resistant grease for the four years of hard use ahead, to prevent corrosion. The bolted joints that do not come with a locking device as standard are also secured against working loose with a special thread-locking adhesive. The engine’s power output is measured on a special test bench, taking the exhaust temperature and the engine speed into account. With these results recorded on a graph I can now work out exactly the right carburettor jetting for a riding area with the most varied temperatures and altitudes. These are all measures to keep every conceivable breakdown in the endless wilderness of Greenland, Canada and Alaska to a minimum.
The “boot” show takes place in Düsseldorf from 19 to 27 January 2013, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. We are in Hall 15, Stand A 61. During that time we would like to tell interested customers about the newly planned expedition “Danube-Alaska”. As is known, this expedition will be carried out not only on the water but also on land. We will show the current route on a large map and present the expedition-ready Enduro on our stand. We will also have the two films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure”, the book “Northbound” and the book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness”, newly published in the spring, ready for you.
We look forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
Before the year is out, Enduro Paul grabs a good handful of brake once more to wish all the loyal readers of the website and the many visitors to the shows and talks, also on behalf of his wife Silvia, a happy Christmas and a good start to the new year.
On 15 December 2012 Gypsy Life and her crew will moor at the Club Nautilus, Am Floßhafen 63, berth 13, 63743 Aschaffenburg. At 19:00 the talk begins, in a comfortable setting, about the last tour, Saimaa Wilderness/Karelia, and the series of tests we carried out. We will also present the new expedition “Danube-Alaska”, which is due to start in May 2013. We have our well-known items with us. We would be pleased if you came.
Silvia and Harald Paul
On Wednesday, 5 December 2012 at 19:00 the Pauls will give a slide talk at Marina Recke, Auf der Haar 23, 49509 Recke, about the recent passage Saimaa/Karelia. There will also be a report on the results and experiences from various test series concerning renewable energy, fresh-water filtration and the use of a sea anchor in heavy weather. In addition, alongside the well-known film “Canada Adventure”, the new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness” will be presented. After the talk we will answer your questions and will gladly sign the books in person. We would be very pleased if you came.
Admission is free.
The “boot und fun” show takes place in Berlin from 24 to 28 November 2012, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. On 13 November 2012 you are a welcome guest at the Gala Night of the Boats from 18:00 to 24:00. From Saturday on I will be giving two talks a day with fine pictures on the stage in Hall 4, about the expedition “Canada Adventure” and the passage Saimaa Wilderness/Karelia. I will also present the destination and the new land vehicle for the multi-year expedition planned from May 2013. At our stand in the forum of Hall 4 we will have the two films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure”, the book “Northbound” and the new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness”, published in the spring, ready for you.
We look forward to your visit.
Silvia and Harald Paul
During the new multi-year expedition “Danube-Alaska” the Enduro is to be used not only for trips into the hinterland from the remotest anchorages, but also for partial crossings of individual countries, after research on the spot. The extremely difficult terrain to be expected there, together with the constantly changing Arctic weather, calls for particularly good physical fitness and good riding technique. The stamina and strength that were needed to the utmost on our very long sea passages are there thanks to several training sessions a week. The riding technique, which after 15 years since my active racing days is badly out of date, still needs work.
On Saturday, 10 November 2012 at 19:00 there will be a talk at the yacht club of YC Uelzen, Riedweg 7, in 29525 Uelzen, about the passage Saimaa/Karelia. There will also be a report on the results of our various test series concerning renewable energy, fresh-water filtration and the use of a sea anchor in heavy weather. In addition, alongside my well-known film “Canada Adventure”, I will present the new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness”. After the talk I will answer your questions and sign the books in person. We would be pleased if you came.
Silvia and Harald Paul
As announced, today at the “hanse boot” in Hamburg we made public our new expedition, named “Danube-Alaska”. At the beginning of May 2013 the expedition motorsailer “Gypsy Life” will cast off her lines again at Kapfelberg (Regensburg) on the Danube and set out on another expedition to the lands of the bears. The first leg is to run through the German canals to the gateway to the Baltic (Travemünde), on northwards to Norway (Bergen), and with the change of direction to the west on to Iceland, Greenland and eastern Canada. Holding a southerly course keeps open the entrance to Lake Superior (the border area USA/Canada), or else the entrance to the Mississippi (Gulf of Mexico). Western Canada is then reached by land transport over the Rocky Mountains. From there the compass needle points north until the coordinates show the destination, Alaska. After four to five years under way and a few winters spent in the Arctic, we will try to reach our home port on the Danube again through the Northwest Passage. For the first time, and quite uniquely, a special expedition motorcycle will be used on this expedition, carried across the seas on the ship’s superstructure. From the remotest anchorages in the Arctic the motorcycle will be used for exploring, including photographing the endless expanses of the hinterland, the unique wildlife and the indigenous people. The extreme sporting challenge lies not only in coping with the exceptionally difficult terrain, but much more in the Arctic weather conditions, which have to be endured. Partial crossings of individual countries are also being planned, after research on the spot. Under News we will keep you informed about the further preparations for this one-off adventure. Wishing you happy reading,
Silvia and Harald Paul
The “hanse boot” show takes place in Hamburg from 27 October to 4 November 2012, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Every day from 12:30 I will be giving a talk with fine pictures on the stage in Hall B 4, about the passage Karelia/Saimaa Wilderness. I will also present the destination and the new land vehicle for the multi-year expedition planned from May 2013. At our stand No. E 100, Hall B 4, which is not far from the stage, we will have the two films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure”, the book “Northbound” and the new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness”, published in the spring, ready for you.
We look forward to your visit.
Silvia and Harald Paul
The Urlaub – Freizeit – Reisen show takes place in Friedrichshafen from 21 to 25 March 2012, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. At this show I will be giving talks every day on the stage in Hall A 7 about the expedition “Canada Adventure”. I would also like to invite you to our stand No. 111, Hall A7, which is not far from the stage. I have the films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure” and the books “Northbound”, Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness and Canada with me. We look forward to your visit.
Silvia and Harald Paul
On Saturday, 10 March 2012 at 19:00 there will be a slide and film talk in the clubhouse of the TSV Falkenheim, Germersheimer Str. 88, in Nürnberg, about the expedition in Canada. In addition, alongside my well-known film “Canada Adventure”, I will present the new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness”. After the talk I will answer your questions and sign the books in person. We would be pleased if you came.
Advance tickets 8 euros on tel: 09172/667510, email: info@mc-bootsfahrschule.de
10 euros at the door
Silvia and Harald Paul
The masts are up!
In the last cold days of February I worked the raw tree trunks so that I could finally set them into the mast steps I had prepared. The mainmast (the forward mast) is 7.50 metres high and the mizzen mast 6.00 metres. The overall height of the expedition motorsailer “Gypsy Life” is now 9.20 metres above the waterline. Our next step is to obtain the sails.
Silvia and Harald Paul
After a long search I have found two trees that suit me for my two masts and for building the boom and the gaff. The tree for the forward mast is about 13 cm in diameter and 7.60 metres long.
For the after mast a diameter of 10 cm and a length of 6 metres is enough.
I am choosing larch (Larix decidua), a hard, resinous, firm wood. Three annual rings per centimetre of wood thickness are a sign of high load-bearing capacity.
Silvia and Harald Paul
Despite the somewhat cooler temperatures, we are busy preparing our “Gypsy Life” for a new tour this year. What we learned from crossing the North Atlantic twice and from wintering in Canada in 2009, 2010 has led us to change two things for this year’s voyage:
Out of ecological conviction, we want to fit our ship with two masts and the sails that go with them, for stability in heavy seas and for energy-saving propulsion. Furthermore, we are turning over the idea that an even more self-sufficient life with our ship in complete wilderness, without increasing our use of fossil fuels, has to be made possible in future.
You can follow the individual steps here under the heading “News”.
Wishing you much enjoyment,
Silvia and Harald Paul
On 31 January 2012 at 19:00 there will be a slide and film talk about my expedition “Canada Adventure” in the small hall of the Bürgerhaus Worfelden (Hermann-Schmitt-Straße 30, 64572 Büttelborn OT Worfelden).
Furthermore, alongside my well-known DVD “Canada Adventure”, I will be presenting the new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness, Canada”.
As space is limited, please register in advance with Yachtclub Darmstadt
Admission: 9 €
We look forward to your visit.
Silvia and Harald Paul
At the “boot” show, which takes place in Düsseldorf from 21 – 29 January 2012, I will be presenting my new book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness, Canada” at my stand in hall 15F52.
Furthermore, on every even hour I will be giving a short slide talk with clips from my film trailers. As usual, I will be showing my previously published works at the stand: the book “Northbound” and the DVDs “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure”. For anyone who cannot visit us at the show in person, I offer the possibility of ordering the newly published book “Freedom-Adventure-Wilderness, Canada” on my site under the heading Sales.
We look forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
With a lot of hard work and perseverance I have managed to put the experiences of our Canada expedition down on paper. The book is now at the printer’s and is expected to appear at the end of January 2012 under the title “Freedom – Adventure – Wilderness, Canada. An Expedition to One’s Own Limits”.
The crew of the “Gypsy Life” wishes you a merry Christmas and a good start to the new year.
Silvia and Harald Paul
For our 2011 Christmas offer we have a small gift idea for you.
If you buy two items (two DVDs, or one DVD and one book), you will receive a 5-litre waterproof dry bag from Ortlieb (retail value 12.95 euros) free of charge.
This offer applies only while stocks last and is available from me personally at the email address harald-paul@haraldpaul.com or on the telephone number 0049 151 / 15 84 33 37.
The listed item prices remain valid, plus postage and packing.
Wishing you much pleasure in choosing,
Silvia and Harald Paul
On 4 December at 18:00 there will be a slide and film talk about the expedition “Canada Adventure” at the Hotel Hirsch. (Hotel Hirsch, Marktplatz 12, 87724 Ottobeuren)
After the talk, which lasts about one and a half hours, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
The DVDs “Canada Adventure” and “Expedition Ice”, together with my book “Northbound”, will be there for you. We also have the products from Ortlieb, Ballistol and Evers with us.
Admission: 10 €
We look forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
The premiere of the film “Canada Adventure” at the Kinocenter in Kelheim on 13 November 2011 was a great success and met with an excellent response from the audience. When Harald Paul, after a sparkling wine reception, finally welcomed the audience in the auditorium officially at around 11:00, the screening was sold out to almost the last seat. There followed seventy minutes of excitement in far-off wilderness and unique wildlife. Enchanted by excellent landscape shots in widescreen format, the audience let themselves be carried off into the untouched nature of Labrador and followed with bated breath how Silvia and Harald Paul coped with the hard daily routine far from any civilisation – pure adventure!
After the screening, the two adventurers were on hand over a light snack to give an interested audience further information.
Harald and Silvia Paul would like to take this opportunity to thank the audience for their great interest and the Kinocenter Kelheim for its warm hospitality.
Mittelbayerische Zeitung: Event in Kelheim on 13 November
Kinocenter Kelheim: Report on the cinema premiere on 13 November
On 10 November at 19:30 the slide talk “Canada Adventure” will take place at the Bürgerhaus, Weilheimerstr. 12, 86932 Pürgen. After the talk, which lasts about an hour, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Our DVD “Canada Adventure” and the DVD “Expedition Ice”, together with my book “Northbound”, will be there for you. We will also be presenting the products from Ballistol, Ortlieb and Evers.
Admission 9.- €
We look forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
Landsberger Zeitung of 18 November 2011: Event in Pürgen on 10 November
In Hamburg the 52nd “hanseboot” boat show (Messeplatz 1, 20357 Hamburg) takes place from 29 October 2011 to 6 November 2011, daily from 10:00 to 18:00.
At this show I will be there for you as a speaker from 11:00 to 11:30 in hall B 1, ground floor, show arena, with the subject “Canada Adventure”. We will also be available in person as exhibitors in hall B 1, upper floor, stand C 314.
As usual, our films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure” and the book “Northbound” will be there for you.
Our range of products from Ballistol (care products for the whole boat), Evers (fresh drinking water on board) and Ortlieb (waterproof dry bags) is with us again as well.
Do just drop by for an exchange of experiences.
Wishing you much enjoyment,
Silvia and Harald Paul
On 7 October 2011 at 19:30 the slide talk “Canada Adventure” will take place in the inn of the Segelschule Steinberg. The venue is at the following address:
Segelschule Steinberg
Oder 2
92449 Steinberg am See
After the talk, which lasts about an hour, I will be happy to answer your questions. Of course I will have my DVDs “Canada Adventure” and “Expedition Ice” and the book “Northbound” with me, including the products from Ortlieb, Ballistol and Evers.
We look forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
In Friedrichshafen the “Interboot” boat show takes place from 17 – 25 September 2011, daily from 10:00 to 18:00. At this show I will be giving talks about the expedition “Canada Adventure” several times a day from the stage in hall A 4.
Furthermore, I invite you to our stand no. 505, hall A 4, which is not far from the stage.
Of course our films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure” and the book “Northbound” will be there for you. We also have a range of products from Ortlieb, Ballistol and Evers with us.
Wishing you much fun and good entertainment,
Silvia and Harald Paul
Radio report: Interview with Harald Paul at the “Interboot 2011” boat show
On 17 August 2011, between 17:30 and 18:00, a report about us will be broadcast on the third channel in the programme Schwaben und Altbayern Aktuell.
We hope you enjoy it
Silvia and Harald Paul
On 23 July 2011 from 10:00 we invite you to the harbour festival at the “Kapfelberg” boat club at the following address. Bootsclub “Kapfelberg”, Am Jachthafen 13, 93309 Kapfelberg. The supporting programme provides for a Weißwurst breakfast from 11:00, coffee and cake at 14:30 and various things from the barbecue from 18:00.
We are presenting our new product range for the first time. The all-rounder: the universal oil “Ballistol”, well known for decades. Because it is kind to materials and one hundred per cent biodegradable, it is a must for anyone who wants to look after their gear without harming the environment. I used it myself on the extreme expedition “Canada Adventure”.
Anyone who wants to protect their equipment against water and dust cannot get past the dry bags from “Ortlieb”. For over ten years we have used the unbeaten quality of “Ortlieb” on all our expeditions. Now available at our stand as well.
New:
Thanks to the Evers filter it is possible to enjoy absolutely clean, germ-free and good-tasting drinking water from the boat’s own tank. A filter system that houses two filters in a single cartridge and is approved and certified under the German drinking water regulations. Tank disinfection is also a much-asked and controversial subject. With Everdiox, a chlorine-free and biodegradable product, this uncertainty is a thing of the past. A good drinking water supply plays a decisive role not only on boats or when camping, but also in an ordinary household. You can find out more at our stand and have a look at the products.
My two films “Expedition Ice” and “Canada Adventure”, along with my book “Northbound”, are available for all adventurers and for those who still want to become one.
We look forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
The crew of the “Gypsy Life” invites you to the harbour festival on 4 June 2011 from 14:00 at the Marina Saal, Hafenstraße 39, 93342 Saal.
For the adventurers among you there is now the chance to see the expedition ship “Gypsy Life” in its element. We are also offering the unique opportunity to join a round trip on the Danube from the marina’s visitors’ pontoon aboard this one-of-a-kind ship for 10€ / person. Furthermore, during the trip I will report live on the expedition “Canada Adventure” and show excerpts from my film production. The event will take place whatever the weather. It is worth a visit.
Silvia and Harald Paul
From 13 May you can meet Silvia and Harald Paul at the Landsberger Autosalon on the Waitzinger Wiese. The adventuring couple have their own stand there and will be reporting on their experiences on the Canada Adventure expedition. Everyone interested is warmly invited to visit us in Landsberg from 13 May to 15 May inclusive.
Silvia and Harald Paul
In good time for the Easter weekend, Silvia and Harald Paul will arrive in Aschaffenburg with the expedition ship “Gypsy Life”. From 23 to 25 April the Gypsy Life will lie at the BSC Nautilus pontoons at the river harbour, berth 13 near the rowing club, and can be viewed there. Silvia and Harald Paul warmly invite you to visit and will be there in person to answer your questions.
Over the next few weeks the little journey is to go from Drachten (NL) to Saal a. d. Donau. We have already covered the Prinses Margriet Canal, the Ijsselmeer and the Geldersche Ijssel as far as the Rhine, and have thus left Holland. We are now going up the Rhine against the strong current as far as Mainz, in order to enter the Main there. From here on, 34 locks have to be passed through to reach the Main-Danube Canal. On this canal we will pass through another 16 locks into the Danube and reach our home harbour in Saal. There is now a unique chance to view the ship in the harbour of your choice. Just give us a quick call on tel. no. 0049 151 / 15 84 33 37 and we will try to put in at the harbour you would like. Furthermore, I can also give a slide talk about the expedition “Canada Adventure” at short notice.
We would be glad to hear from you,
Silvia and Harald Paul
Slide talk on 27 March 2011 at 15:00 aboard the club ship of the BSC-Nautilus - at the Floßhafen in Aschaffenburg
The BSC-Nautilus at the Floßhafen in Aschaffenburg gave us a very warm welcome. Our talk aboard the “club ship” was completely booked out and a great success. For over two hours the visitors listened to my talk and there were a lot of questions to answer. The interest and the enthusiasm of those taking part were great, so in the end it was no surprise that a considerable amount in donations was collected for the charitable Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger (the German sea rescue service).
Gypsy Life, which is up in dry dock, will be put back in the water in a few days. I have sanded, primed and repainted several areas such as the side deck, the anchor lockers, the hull and the underwater hull. Once she is afloat the technical side of the ship will be checked and all the spare parts we have used up will be restocked. Soon Gypsy Life will be ready for sea again.
Silvia and Harald Paul
In Holland the water sports season has been starting with the “Boot Holland” show for 20 years now, from 11 to 16 February 2011 in Leeuwarden. At this show a slide presentation about the “Canada Adventure” expedition will be given by me in person several times a day for the first time. Of course the new DVD “Canada Adventure”, the DVD “Expedition Ice” and the book “Northbound” are available as well. You are very warmly invited and we look forward to your visit.
The address is as follows: WTC Expo, Heliconweg 52, 8914 AT Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
Wishing you lots of fun at the show
Silvia and Harald Paul
Would you like to talk to us in person?
You have the chance to visit the Pauls at the “boot Düsseldorf” from 22 January to 30 January 2011 in Hall 15, Stand A 59. This is also the first chance to buy the brand-new DVD “Canada Adventure” directly.
Looking forward to your visit
Silvia and Harald Paul
The DVD about our “Canada Adventure” project is finished!!
The unique DVD “Canada Adventure” is available from now on. You can order it directly, easily and quickly online from the SCS-Shop.
Here you can watch the trailer for the new DVD “Canada Adventure”.
After weeks of work the Croma TV team has now managed to turn our camera footage into a fine film. The premiere on a cinema screen delighted the audience. This unique film is expected to be available from the middle of January. The running time is 75 min, the DVD has English subtitles and stereo sound. It will then be available for 29.90 € plus postage and packing.
You can order the new DVD about our adventures in Canada right away, giving your name, address and telephone number, at the email address:
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