Mike reports, "We left Hong Kong at 20:00 today. It was raining and cloudy with 26 kn of wind and still very wet after the typhoon. The boat and crew are happy to sail again and we are doing 10 kn in a NW direction up to Shanghai. We have encountered a lot of traffic leaving Hong Kong. The wind is on the nose but the swell is not too big. We have a very small crew on board with only 3 of us but in this case, less is more, because we all are very motivated to sail again.
The typhoon has hit Hong Kong – not a lot of wind but it is pouring with rain. The boat is almost ready to leave but the rain has slowed us down as we can no longer work outside.
Jacek put in a new bamboo pilothouse floor. Tristan is painting the garage floor and all the table tops have been sanded and varnished. The engine room has been spring cleaned, all the water filters have been changed and we even had to dive to clean the propellers and rudders of the boat.
Optiled has been on the boat and we looked at a new generation of light bulbs for the boat. We received our new amazing Mercedes-Benz fenders.
All the crews visas for China and my new passport have been attended to – my favorite pastime waiting in embassy's!!!
We did some sea trails today and the boat is ready to sail. We are at anchor just outside Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter we are hoping to set sail on Wednesday morning – hoping that the typhoon will give us a break. It is close to 900nm to Shanghai and we hope to get there in 3.5 days time.
Tuesday, 14th of September 2010
PRESS RELEASE
MUMM EXPLORER EXPERIENCE IV
G.H. MUMM celebrates the beauty of the world
in true nomadic style with explorer Mike Horn and three star Michelin Chef, Alain Passard
Mongolia, Gobi Desert, Khongoryn Els (the Singing Sand Dunes), September 2010
The prestigious House of champagne G.H. MUMM celebrated for the fourth time, the beauty of the world with great explorer Mike Horn as part of the Mumm Explorer Experience. From the 8th to the 11th of September, the brand invited a privileged few including the two lucky winners of its international online photography competition, for an exceptional two-day and one-night nomadic experience in the world’s largest desert, the Gobi.
The fourth Mumm Explorer Experience is part of a series of exceptional dinners that have been organised by both G.H.MUMM and adventurer Mike Horn* since 2008. They take place in the most exclusive places on the planet. Following the previous successful expeditions, one on an iceberg drifting in the middle of Sermilik Fjord in Greenland, one at Charcot Bay in Antarctica and another on a pristine sandbank on the Great Barrier Reef in the Pacific Ocean, the latest expedition took place in the Gobi Desert in the Asian continent of Mongolia.
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After a thrilling helicopter ride overlooking the untouched infinity of the Gobi Desert, G.H. MUMM guests met up with explorer Mike Horn in the largest and most spectacular ‘Singing Dunes’. Commenting on the desert, Mike Horn said: “The Mumm Explorer Experience in the Gobi desert is unique and can never be repeated at the same location, because of the strong North West wind, the spot where we will have the wonderful lunch will no longer be there tomorrow”.
After a night under the stars, guests left the camp at sunrise accompanied by Horn on an authentic desert trek on Mongolian camels with their local wranglers. The camel train trekked under the shadow of the mountains of sand, across the grass land and into the saffron coloured dunes. Leaving their camel behind, the new ‘explorers’ entered the dunes on foot and as they reached the highest dune, were welcomed by the site of a unique yourte kitchen in the colours of G.H. MUMM in the valley below. After several hours of trekking, guests were finally greeted by legendary three-star Michelin French Chef Alain Passard**, who composed an endless procession of audacious and unique G.H. MUMM champagne paired dishes inspired by only local Mongolia ingredients.
Commenting on his menu, Alain Passard said: “As a tribute to all the explorers and to the stylish audacity of Georges Hermann Mumm, I have put aside my daily culinary references and let myself be guided by the madness of this concept and composed a live and spontaneous menu, inspired by the wildness and aridness of the Gobi Desert”.
It is only appropriate for G.H. MUMM to partner with Mike Horn and organise such an adventure. The House of champagne has been at the heart of great human adventures for almost two centuries, from the commandant Charcot’s first steps in the Antarctic in 1904, to today’s world-renowned adventurers such as Ellen MacArthur, Alain Hubert or Steve Fosset. All these heroes of recent times celebrated coincidentally their audacity and success with a bottle of MUMM Cordon Rouge.
Today, G.H. MUMM pursues the Charcot tradition, offering a new vision of luxury, described by Horn as “The freedom of making your dreams come true”.
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Traveling to the desert for the very first time, the two lucky winners of the summer online competition very much enjoyed their once in the lifetime journey. Australian winner Ujin Lee described: “The Mumm Champagne Experience was an unforgettable once in a lifetime journey that will stay with me for the rest of my life. The stunning Gobi Desert location, the beautifully considered courses by Alan Passard matched brilliantly to the Mumm Champagnes and lastly – Mike Horn's inspirational stories of his exploration exploits…
For further information and download the images of the Mumm Explorer Experience, please go to: www.mummexplorerexperience.com (access code: audacity)
About G.H. MUMM
G.H. MUMM is part of Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët, the prestigious cognac and champagne business of Pernod Ricard, world’s co-leader in wine and spirit.
G.H.MUMM is one of the most prestigious champagne brand in the world and the number one international Champagne brand in France. The distinctive and flagship Cuvée Mumm Cordon Rouge embodies the House style of freshness and intensity.
For further information on G.H. MUMM, please visit www.mumm.com
For PR inquiries:
Stéphanie Mingam
Communications Department
Champagne G.H. MUMM
Tel: 03.26.49.59.41
Email: [email protected]
Young Explorer Magdalena Gründl incites local newspaper to follow the story of her involvement in the Pangaea expedition, from the selection process, the camp in Switzerland and then on the YEP expedition with Mike Horn in Mongolia.
To read the articles (in German) click here….
Mittelbayerische Zeitung.16.09.2010
After an amazing Young Explorer Expedition in Mongolia, Mike Horn now returns to 'Pangaea' which is for the time being in Hong Kong preparing for her trip to Shanghai.
"The expeditions with the Young Explorers just seem to get better and better. Mongolia is a magnificent country and a perfect place to portray the beauties of the planet. The YEPs took to the challenge of the Gobi and covered an enormous distance in very few days. I was proud of them!
Our teams scientific advisor was in her element!! There was so much to teach the youths about the evolution of the Gobi Desert and the evolution of the planet as a whole. Coming across dinosaur fossils in nature was a rare and valuable lesson for us all !" Mike Horn
Blog written by Lucas, Constantin and Martin.
Time : 21:00 Location : N 43°43.770’ E 102°33.474’
Today was a special day for all of us. Spirits were high this morning as everybody woke to see camels hovering around our campsite as opposed to horses. The new method of transport was exciting and served as hopeful relief from the hours spent on Mongolian horse saddles.
We were awake at 7am in preparation for our 9am departure. It was a stunning morning – clear skies and amazing views of the mountain ranges and the beginning of the Hongoryn Els. Once everybody had packed their gear and loaded the jeeps, we were given a short briefing on how to ride camels and how they operate. The Mongolian camels are more dangerous than horses and have the ability to do more damage to humans. As we had no experience with these creatures this meant we had to take caution and prepare ourselves in a more fastidious manner.
At the beginning, we were all totally fascinated by the looks, noises and movements of the camels. They look somewhat prehistoric and the sound they make is completely unique. This is in addition to their incredible size which was a little intimidating at first.
We set off on what we anticipated was going to be a relatively short day after the 150km horse trek over the previous few. We were however, wrong. The slow speed and discomfort quickly trumped the hopefulness of a short day as all the YEPs and Mike Horn Team members settled in for what was going to be a tough slog.
The lunch break was welcomed by all as everyone searched for clothing to make the saddles a little more comfortable. Despite this, everybody pushed through and endured the slow pace for what was an amazing experience that could not be left out when on an expedition in a desert.
Everybody was in awe as we approached the larger dunes of the Hongoryn Els – an amazing sight. We arrived at approximately 5:30pm and watched the sunset over the dunes while doing our soil analysis. We managed to complete all the testing of the samples we had taken from the saline lake near Lake Hovsgol and in the Gobi Desert. It has been really interesting to see firsthand the effects of a changing climate on such unique landscapes, inspiring us to act on such issues.
Everybody is in bed early tonight in preparation for a very early start tomorrow morning to summit the highest dune in the Hongoryn Els. Very exciting!
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FACTS
The Great Gobi provides the last home for the wild Bactrian camel, one of the rarest and least studied mammals on earth. The Gobi's wild camels are the last surviving wild ancestors of the world's domestic Bactrian (two-humped) camels. An estimated 300 wild camels remain, and that the population is declining. They were domesticated before 2500 BC in the plateau of northern Iran and southwestern Turkestan and then spread east to Iraq, India and China. Domesticated Bactrians are well known as beast of burden, often carrying 1000 pounds for as many as 30 miles in the scorching heat and sand of their native environment, or in the very cold. Bactrian camels have long, shaggy hair which keeps them warm in the winter. In the summer months they shed, leaving them almost naked.
After an 10 day trip from Singapore, Mike and his crew sail Pangaea safely into the Aberdeen Marine Shelter in Hong Kong harbour.
"It was a good trip with rain and rough weather only occuring over the last four days. It's great to be in Hong Kong again. The cusoms proceedures are already complete and I can happiliy leave the boat here in the care of the crew as I once again part company.
Am washing my clothes today and packing my bags. Tomorrow I head to Mongolia to meet the YEP's for he Mongolian Expedition. I'm looking forward to meeting the YEP's very much and to discover the beauty of the Mongolian Gobi Desert."
MIke
After the Himalayas we are slowly making our way up north towards Vietnam.
We left the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Singapore, in Redang, Malaysia. Together we looked at the problem of coral bleaching around the islands of north east Malaysia to have an idea on the extent of the degradation of the coral.
Mercedes-Benz Singapore are committed to help the YEP in south east Asia work on some interesting environmental projects. Certain parts of Redang island have been closed to commercial diving and what we saw was quite alarming.
We had an excellent time in south east Asia and have made friends for life. We are sure to return and to help in the conservation of these beautiful islands.
Best regards
Mike
A magical evening was organised this evening by Jean-Philippe Rapp at the 2010 Les Diablerets Film Festival. It presented the Pangaea Project, an expedition by Mike Horn and the Foundation 'Sport for Life'. The audience composed of generla public and many professional sports guests.
Throughout the Pangaea Expedition Mike Horn invites Young Explorers to join with him at regular periods as he sails the oceans, crosses the seven continents and shares with them his passion for exploration and enhances a respect for the environment.
Tonight six Young Explorers shared with us their experiences of their adventures with Mike Horn as they travelled in Antactica, New Zealand, Malaysia, India and the Himalayas. Their experiences were higlighted with spectacular images taken throughout the Expedition by the Pangaea film crew.
Singapore was the perfect place for Pangaea to stop for some relief while Mike joined the Young Explorers in Pakistan for the Himalaya Expedition before continuing to Broad Peak where he and Swiss Alpinist Kobi Reichen successfully ascended the summit at 8'047m altitude without the use of aditional oxygen.
Mike rejoined Pangaea at her mooring at the One 15 Marina in Sentosa, Singapore just one week ago and has now set sail again. Pangaea is currently moving north towards her next destination, Shanghai where she is expected to attend the Shanghai Expo in September.
Before his appearance in Shanghai however, Mike will be joining the next group of Young Explorers in Mongolia, an expedition that is set to take off in just 10 days time.
Things are once again moving in the Pangaea Expedition and in just over a week our young Pangaea Ambassadors will be sharing with you the beauties of Mongolia. Not only will they be discovering the traditions, culture, flora and fauna of this amazing region but they wil be looking into problems that face the people in the Gobi desert today as well as the threats to the surrounding environment.