8th of February, day 8

This morning our Young Explorers were on cleaning duty. After one week of activities and living on the boat, it was now in need of a good scrub and tidy up. Pangaea is a big sailing vessel  so when 19 people live on board 24 hours a day, everything gets used intensively! Our Young Explorers had to sort out their bunks in the cabins, clean the inside of the boat and rinse the outside and the deck. At 9:30 we were ready to lift anchor and sail towards the direction of Barren Island, 50 Nm from South Button Island. This meant another four and a half hours on the open ocean. That would give us enough time to hoist the sails and show the basics of sailing to our Young Explorers.

Barren Island is a big volcano in the middle of the ocean. Around the island, the depth reaches 1000 meters!  In 2004, due to the earthquake that produced the tsunami, the volcano woke up and had its last massive eruption. Approaching the volcano, we could distinguish some smoke on the top of the
mountain, but everything was still a bit foggy. As soon as we could distinguish the entire island, we observed our first eruption of smoke and ashes. A few minutes later, we could feel the sand on our faces and the deck was covered with a thin layer of black dust.

As we approached the volcano we could distinguish the huge lava field that was created in 2004. Pangaea's anchorage was not easy to find as the water was too deep and the island is surrounded by steep cliffs. After a few minutes, we finally found a small kind of plateau 20 meters deep were we could drop the anchor. As we were quite close from the shore, we decided to run a mooring line at the stern of the boat to a big rock on the shore.This would assure that we would not be blown against the island. As soon as the engines stopped everyone jumped into the water with their snorkels to go and explore the marine life around the volcanic rock island.

What a superb sight! The colors of the fish were highlighted against the black lava background. We could see lots of new young corals growing everywhere. We could also clearly see some very big fish including sharks. Pangaea's crew decided fish would be on the menu for dinner. A competition was open between the fishermen on the dingy with their line and the fishermen in the water. Unfortunately, the nature didn't seem to be ready to give us more than we already had on the boat and our two teams came back with empty hands.

Even without a catch of the day we still ate fish for dinner. It was caught by Simon. We filleted it and cooked it on the barbecue! Tomorrow, we plan to dive with the Young Explorers so they can have a closer look at the coral and enjoy this amazing marine life.

Our nine Young Explorers woke up at 6 am after a good and comfortable night in their hammocks.
It was time now for our adventurers to trek back through the forest and get back to the meeting point. During day time it was of course much easier to follow the right direction and after two hours walking they reached the beach.

Before getting back to Pangaea, they still had to accomplish an important ACT project, a clean-up of the beach! Unfortunately all the beaches we have visited in India are covered in garbage. Trash can be found on the water level along the most deserted islands, clearly showing a sign of disrespect that people  have on the environment.. Once the beach was clean, our Young Explorers came back to Pangaea for a nice breakfast with pancakes, cereals, bread and fruits. We left Inglis Island to head up north following the east coast of the Island. At the northern tip of Inglis Island we had a brief stop on an  amazing beach with white sand, clear water and palm trees. Dmitry, our photographer, could take some amazing photos of the nine Young Explorers with Pangaea in the background.

We sailed further north to reach Outram Island and entered in the narrow strait in between Outram and Henry Lawrence Island. We anchored just west of the southern tip of Outram in a sheltered spot. Our plan was to go for a beautiful dive and discover some more corals and marine life. Martin went for a short scouting but quickly realized that lots of small jellyfish would make our dive very unpleasant!

As we were already anchored, we decided to take the most of this time to give a quick clean-up on the stern of Pangaea. Some Young Explorers joined the team with brushes and started to scrub the deck and remove the sand. As we wanted to give the opportunity to our Young Explorers to dive once again before the sunset, we lifted anchor and sailed another 4 Nm to reach South Button Island. It's a tiny island surrounded by amazing corals and an impressive variety of fish. We anchored before sunset and could enjoy a 45 minute dive in 5 to 10 meters deep water. Back on the boat for a fish soup prepared by Dmitry and Elena, followed by sushi prepared by Cathy. What a treat!
 

6th of February, day 6

We woke up as usual around 7 am! The weather was still very calm in Golug Ma and we saw two local fishing boats passing along side Pangaea. After a hearty breakfast we lifted up the anchor and starting to head on to Laccam Harbour, around 8Nm from our anchorage. Laccam Harbour is the village of entry for Havelock Island and for our Young Explorers it was the opportunity to meet with local people and experience the vegetable market. A great opportunity to restock the fresh produce on the boat.

The first thing we could notice on our arrival at shore were the plastic bottles, plastic bags and other garbage lying and floating around the beach. It seems that everyone dumps his trashes on the shore which results in a disgusting amount of garbage. We couldn’t figure out exactly whether this garbage is removed regularly and shipped to Port Blair or burnt on site but there certainly was no signs of any recycling campaign! What’s more, the local people were not at all concerned about this eyesore on their beautiful beaches and clearly any sustainable development of this village did not seem apparent in the near future!

As usual in Indian villages, we saw lots of dogs and goats walking around. But Havelock Island is also famous for other animals, elephants! Two were standing just in front of the police station, waiting for their masters to go to work. After a few minutes, two guys jumped on the necks of the elephants and left across the village to go into the forest.

A few hundred meters from the police station we saw a primary school. Paridhi, our local interpret, went to speak with the teachers and learnt that three kilometers down the only road going out of the village we could find a bigger college for elder students. We quickly jumped into a bus and grab the opportunity to try and speak with the students and professors about the Pangaea expedition. We were warmly welcomed and within 10 minutes, chairs and tables were ready for us on an improvised stage. Paridhi took the microphone and started to speak in front of 500 curious students. Each of our Young Explorers had to shortly present himself and show on a map where he came from. Paridhi gave them a further introduction about the Pangaea expedition and we tried also to sensitize them to the importance of respecting the environment and tried to introduce the concept of protecting the amazing nature they have around Havelock Island.
Before we left, the younger students were happy to pose for some photos with our Young Explorers. We walked down the road back to the village where we finally found a vegetable shop and where we also tried some local take away food and drink of refreshing coconut milk.

Back on the boat we lifted anchor and set sails to Inglis Island. The wind was blowing a bit stronger than in the morning. We stopped before sunset and just had the time to go on shore by day light.

After a good dinner on the boat, the real adventure would start!! At 8pm our Young Explorers were loaded back onto the dingys and dropped off at the opposite side of the island. From here they would walk across the island and make a night camp somewhere amongst nature at its purest. Mike gave the Young Explorers a thorough briefing about survival in the forest and a crash course on navigation. They left with GPS, a radio and a satellite phone and let the excited youths go. They thought they were alone… but Mike was discretely following them!

After one hour, the Young Explorers hadn’t reached the other side of the island and were moving so slowly that Mike finally decided to show himself and lead the group. A few minutes later, Mike found a nice place to set up camp for the evening. He helped our Young Explorers to set their hammocks and get ready for the night. A gentle wind and the sound of the sea gave a perfect ambiance to the camp.

Mike left the Young Explorers and gave them a meeting point for the following morning for a pick up on the beach. Our Young Explorers will have to wake up and find their way back. Let’s hope they all return unscathed by their jungle experience.

5th of February, day 5

Early start this morning! At 5 am the Young Explorers woke up as Pangaea's anchor was lifted up. We left our sheltered place to turn south of Chiriyatapu point before heading north for our next destination, Neill Island. A picturesque island where with stunning white sand beaches and pristine forest. The real work was now going to start for our Young Explorers – their first reef check.

Our YEP's  divided themselves into four teams and studied the fish and coral in the educative booklets onboard Pangaea.  Mark, Manu and Elena decided to count different types of corals, Lucie and Paridhi the sea cucumbers while Florence, Valentina, Catherine and Reuben concentrated on different types of fish.

The spot chosen for this first reef check was around 10 meters deep. The Young Explorers had to concentrate their observation on an area of 30 meters by 4 meters. It was quite quickly done. Unfortunately not many fish were observed and the coral cover was estimated to be 50%. Even if the results were not as impressive as expected, this first reef check became a good underwater exercise for our 9 Young Explorers.

While the Young Explorers were busy diving,  Pangaea's crew decided to throw in a line and lure and see if they could catch some fish for dinner. After a few days with only small catches (or even nothing), Simon got lucky. A huge barracuda caught his line. After a 10 minute fight and realizing the size and strength of this fish the crew decided to go out onto the dingy and haul it in from the sea rather than from the boat.

Simon finally managed to bring it on board the dingy. Nature had been kind. The fish was massive – 120cm long and three very tasty meals. As soon as everyone was back on the boat, we set sail to reach Havelock
Island and stopped midway  at "Golug Ma". A very nice, sheltered place with a view on amazing beaches.

Our nine Young Explorers got some free time to relax, play and swim around the boat while Jacek got his flying machine ready to bring on shore. This paramotor will allow the camera crew to take great shots from the air. With daylight quickly diminishing it was decided that the landing would have become hazardous so  Jacek contented himself by doing  a few tests of the motor and the buggy. He inflated the glider two times and all seemed to be working perfectly.

We all went back to the boat for some grilled barracuda cooked on the barbeque by Mike along with some fresh salads prepared by Cathy. The day was not  yet finished – a night dive was still on the program!
Once all the underwater torches were distributed, a dive plan and buddy pair confirmed, everyone got into the water and the battle of the fins began! The visibility was quite poor and as the goal was not to spread up the group, everyone was diving one on top of the other. The dive lasted only 20 minutes. We went back to the boat hysterical, the group bursting out on laughter with each new story that was told about who kicked who and where!

After such a long and full day, the Young Explorers quickly got their mattresses ready and fell asleep once again on Pangaea's deck – once again under a beautiful starry sky.
 

4th of February, day 4

After a good night we were ready to face our second challenge. With our BCD's (Buoyancy Control Device) inflated, we all jumped into the water from Pangaea. A short swim above water allowed us we reached the right spot to start the dive with 5 meters depth. All the Young Explorers felt very comfortable and we could reach 9 meters at the deepest point of our dive.

The buddy pairs worked very well. Mike and the team were amazed to see how relaxed and solid our young divers behaved under water, getting rapidly the right attitude. A short briefing back on the boat allowed discussing the few important points on which the Young Explorers will still have to work on.

After this first dive we headed to Rutland Island and reached Portman Bay. An amazing place surrounded by dense wooded forest. Unfortunately, as so often along the shores, lots of debris and garbage were lying around, showing once again the impact of the irresponsible human being on the environment.

Time for our Young Explorers to act! They landed on shore with garbage bags and started to clean the beach full of plastic bottles and other flip-flops, lighters and ropes. Within 30 minutes, 300 meters of the beach were cleaned-up.

While the dingy was carrying the trashes back to Pangaea, the Young Explorers swam to the boat.
In order to keep all the trashes on the boat in a relative small volume, the Young explorers had to press them. Thanks to a compressor installed on board, three cubes of trashes came out of the 9 garbage bags filled on the shore.

We set sail late in the afternoon to finally drop the anchor next to the Macpherson Strait, just west of Chiriyatapu which is the most southern point of the South Andaman Island.

We saw some huts on the shore and local fishermen around. For the dinner: sushi as a starter – thanks to Jacek who caught a beautiful Tuna in the afternoon – following with a fish pie and brownies for desert!

3rd of February, Day 3

We woke up anchored next to the south west coast of North Cinque Island. The snorkeling of the previous evening showed that not everyone was really comfortable under water, so we decided to start the day with some basics exercises.

The Young Explorers were taught how to use their flippers correctly, how to swim under water and most importantly,  the art of emptying their snorkel when arriving on the surface of the water. We continued the exercise with some duck dives… which to start off with, was not so easy for everyone.

The Young Explorers learnt quickly and after a while they all seemed to be quite relaxed and comfortable in the water. We then swam and looked at the corals and fish in a picturesque shallow bay.
For some of the Young Explorers this was their first experience and discovery of the underwater world.

Back at the boat we set up sails and headed south towards Passage Island, 8Nm from North Cinque Island. We found a nice, sheltered spot to anchor which was close to the Island. The diversity and abundance of the marine life was spectacular and the Young Explorers spent one whole hour in the water, discovering the beauty of this magnificent region.

Everyone came back to the boat for lunch and we then sailed up to North Cinque Island. The north east coast of the island is surrounded with beautiful lagoon blue waters and it wasn't difficult to find a nice
sheltered place to anchor. The water was calm and flat – a perfect spot to introduce the 9 Young Explorers to their next test – scuba diving!

After a thorough explanation of the entire equipment and an introduction of the basics of diving, we took the excited Young Explorers to very shallow water , simulating a first dive experience in a swimming pool situation.

Lesson number 2 – learning how to use the equipment in the water and initiation to breathing techniques. Once that was achieved, they learnt how to control their buoyancy. Mission accomplished – after 45 minutes they had learnt the basics of scuba diving. They had the ability to stay under water, breath under water and
move under water and all felt comfortable and relaxed in this new environment.

Back on the boat for a good dinner. We stood anchored next to North Cinque Island for the night in a beautiful and quite place, far from any other civilization.

The Young Explorer’s first evening in the Andaman Islands was spent under the stars on Pangaea’s deck. They all woke up at 8am and what an amazing sight to wake up to! The first thing they saw when they opened their eyes was the mangrove forest, an amazing lush, dense, forest with white sand beaches and clear ocean water. A self help breakfast was on the menu today, with yoghurt, muesli, fresh baked bread and butter, honey, jam, tea and coffee.

At 9:30 am the Young Explorers were taken ashore for a 5 hour trek through the mangrove forest. Umeed our guide, encouraged the group to speak in soft whispers while he pointed out the local residents of spiders, snakes, frogs and lizards. Progress was very slow as our inquisitive explorers stopped to take photos and images during this spectacular tour.

Several hours later the group ended up on the beach. As the path was blocked by the high tide it was decided to stop for a cup of tea and a biscuit.. Later the YEP’s back-tracked and accelerated their pace like a hungry horse returning to its stable, because they knew that lunch would be waiting on their return to the ANET base.

After a ‘full on’ Indian meal Pangaea lifted anchor yet again and sailed for two hours down south.  It was at 4pm when she arrived at the Twin Islands. There was still just enough time go snorkeling and to discover the amazing under water world of the Andaman Islands.

Unfortunately nightfall came quickly so the snorkeling did not last as long as we would have hoped. It will not matter however as tomorrow will also present some wonderful snorkeling opportunities and an brief introduction to scuba diving.
 

Day 1

At 6:50 am the Kingfisher flight with the Young Explorers touched down on the Andaman Islands. The contrast must have been a shock for them, as they had left their daily routine from all corners of the world and entered into the bustling, crowded city of Port Blair.

Excitment was in the air as the Young Explorers were transferred by dingy one nautical mile offshore to where Mike Horn and Pangaea awaited them. Wide eyed with incessant chatter, the Young Explorers discovered their new home for the next 17 days.

Cathy finished the fresh produce shopping and Pangaea and her crew lifted anchor. Before midday, with the Indian bureaucracy done, Pangaea was able to hoist her sails and leave the hustle and bustle of Port Blair . They could now head out and experience the beauties of India – an experience that would most certainly be a life changing one!

Soon we were cruising south at 11-12 knots towards the Loha Barrack Crocodile Sanctuary, 40 NM from Port Blair. Coming around the southern corner of the Andaman Islands we sailed into a channel with very strong currents that pushed us along at 14 knots. Up-swelling currents created spectacular glassy circles on the surface of the ocean and wanting to take command. The wind became stronger with gusts of up to 30 knots. Waves splashed over Pangaea’s bow. Our Young Explorers got the first taste of this most amazing sailboat. Finally Pangaea was alive again and doing what she was built for.

At 3pm, Pangaea arrived in a calm bay surrounded by mangrove forest. On the beach stood a man and he was waving to get our attention. Humeed was from ANET (Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team) and it would be with him that we would spend the rest of the day. The Young Explorers took their first stroll onto the white sand beaches as Humeed explained to them the flora and fauna of the Mangrove ecosystem and the effects of the tsunami which rocked this part of the world in 2004.

It was low tide in the forest so Humeed could identify various plant, insect and crustations that thrive in the region.  Unbeknown to us before but the forest was alive with creepy critters.  As sunset came the youths were able to appreciate the magnificent beauty and colours of the forest – an ideal time for a photo shot.
Along with the sunset, the tiredness crept in. It had been a long day for the Young Explorers who were already exhausted with the jetlag. Nothing could be better than the inflatable mattress laid out on Pangaea’s bow. What a perfect spot for the youths to experience their first night sleeping under the stars!
 

Pangaea rocks up at Post Blair in the Andaman Islands, the first port of entry into Indian territories…. "Sailing into Port Blair was amazing."reports Mike. "It a land of prestine mangrove forest and very dense
jungle."

"The city of Port Blair is humming with activity. The memories of India return as I see the Indian women dressed in their colourful gowns, hear the constant sound of car horns tooting and see the cows and dogs in the middle of the bustling street that is jam packed with tuk tuks and impatient drivers."

"After three days of customs clearance procedures we have now returned to the regular duty of boat maintenance and are getting ready for the young explorers who will arrive early morning on the 1st of February."

"Cathy has arrived with her arms full of cook books and shopping lists and has started stocking up the cupboards for the hungry crowd."

"We are excited to meet the youths again and will be doing and seeing some wonderful things here in the Andamans."

"We'll keep you posted throughout the YEP trip and will send you photos of our young explorers at regular intervals."

Regards to all our YEP followers.

Mike Horn

09.10.2010 – YE's recruit like-minded youths

The first YEP meeting was awesome!!!! People started arriving at the meeting point in Zürich train station, track 12 at 10am. As time passed more and more people arrived until there was a total of 15 in all. All of them very excited about what the day had in store for them.

Simon Straetker, Michelle Nay, Tim Rohner and Florence Beffa were finally able to put a face to their friends on the YEP  internet community and were excited to get to work. They began with presentations about their experiences during the Pangaea YEP expeditions, the YEP selection camps and introduced Mike Horn, the Pangaea crew and the Pangaea boat to a group of interested and enthusiastic young adults.

After watching plenty of movies and some amazing conversations they had a break for lunch. Next they watched a spectacular movie showing the world's beauty and then began the Pangaea promotion.

Inspired by Lisa Mayer's idea to do a 'flash mob' (to assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse) the youths took the initiative to do exactly this in various places around Zurich train station. The public stood by, were a little confused, watched and took photos. The YE's action was succesful and the spectators got on their trains, or returned home or to the office, each with a Pangea flyer in their possession.

The Young Explorer's warmed up again with a coffee in a local cafe and finshed their day discussing ideas for an upcoming satellite project in South Africa. Unfortunately the day had to come to an end and the Young Explorers had to disperse and catch their trains back home so they bid each other farwell.

"This first YEP meeting was a great success. Zürich was just the beginning. Soon we will have more of these meetings all around Europe, or maybe even the world." says YEPer Simon Straetker.

* More pics and a film to be online soon.