Mumbai, India

We are in Mumbai India now and it is a real shocker.  Unlike anyplace that I have been.  I have been fortunate to travel and get in deep to many remote places, but this is different.  The wide spread poverty is hard to digest.  The general overcrowding of people.  The infrastructure reminds me of Cuba, A place that once was grand and then was left to decay with no maintenance or upgrades. 

There are 20 million people in Mumbai (Bombay) India, and 4 million are homeless.  To put that in perspective; in the whole country of Australia there are 21 million people and Australia is the size of all of India.

Life is very much "in your face".  Yelling, pushing, begging, touting, if you have personal space issues - this is not the place for you!  Driving is insane, I would not even think of renting a car or motor bike here.  It is common practice to use your horn as much as you use your brake pedal and it is grid lock stop and go traffic here with incessant horns.  It can drive you mental after about a 15 minute taxi ride.  The accepted practice if there is a car crash is that you get out and beat the person that was wrong.  Makes me wonder if California was on to something with "No Fault Insurance".  The hustling, scamming and touts ashore wear you down.  The Lonely Planet warns of scams to lure you to a family restaurant, drug you and then steal your vital organs for resale on the market.  Nice.  

It is like a scene out of a disaster movie, how the world tries to cope after being nuked.  It is the worst place I have ever seen for negative impact on the environment.

Indonesian Yachting's Banyan Tree Award's 2010

I am very honored to have received The Indonesian Yachting Associations - Banyan Tree Award for Captain of the Year. CONGRATULATIONS to all the award winners, I am humbled to be in your company!  Keep up the GOOD WORKS in Indonesia!!!!

22 November 2010 - Banyan Tree Awards 2010 winners announced

the Indonesia Superyacht Association has announced the 2010 winners of their annual Banyan Tree Awards. The Banyan Tree Awards are presented annually to companies or individuals who provide exceptional service and commitment to the superyacht industry within Indonesia. Awards were handed out in five categories at the recent BaliMoon Superyacht Rendezvous held in Bali, Indonesia. Categories cover Superyacht of the Year, Captain of the Year, Charity Personality of the Year, Service Provider of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement award.  Captain Ralph Lucas receives Seljm's award, presented by ISA chair,  Dewi Wati Annalisah Superyacht of the Year went to S/Y Seljm for exceptional commitment to charities during their third circumnavigation of the Globe and in particular to Yacht Aid Global and a local soccer team in Lovina, North Bali. The award was accepted by Captain Ralph Lucas on behalf of Captain Steve Ray. Dewi Wati Annalisah presents Nila Tanzil with Tim Forderer's award  for Captain of the Year Captain of the Year went to Tim Forderer of S/Y Vivid, represented by Nila Tanzil, for his continuing support of remote village school, Arte Moris in Dili, East Timor and his Do What You Love high-school presentations.  Tanzil received an award herself for Charity Personality of the Year for her work as founder of the Rainbow Reading Gardens project that creates small reading libraries in remote villages to encourage leisure reading outside of school hours.

NaCL 7 C's

I was about 17 years old then, and now today sitting in Palau Micronesia, I can clearly remember a day working in my Dad's pharmacy.  That day at Drug Corner Pharmacy in Toledo Ohio, my Dad's Partner and lifelong friend Derek Duckworth handed me a riddle scribbled on a piece of paper that read: 


NaCL7C's.  


It's funny how simple random events years ago can make such an impression or randomly have some effect on the course of your life.


NaCL is the Chemical formula for Salt or Saline - - hence the answer to the riddle was: 


Sailing the Seven Seas.  


This past week with a transit of the Sulu Sea under my belt  and the sailing we have done  over the past two years I have completed sailing all Seven of the Seas.


The memory if Derek's riddle just popped randomly into my mind today.... and I sit and marvel once again at how select events are mysteriously planted in our subconscious and some how take part in our life's journey.


In Colonial times, the Seven Seas refereed to the Clipper Ship Tea Route from China to England was the longest trade route in the world. It took sailors through seven seas near the Dutch East Indies: the Banda Sea, the Celebes Sea, theFlores Sea, the Java Sea, the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, and the Timor Sea. 

A Piece of Wall - The Story and Street Art of East Timor

I am very proud and excited to be sponsoring Chris Parkinson's Exhibit at the 2010 Art San Diego Fair.
 

Check out Chris's book and photo expose of East Timor here: http://peaceofwall.blogspot.com/  

My sister Ann is the CEO of the fair and a huge supporter of my friends at Arte Moris in Dili East Timor.   www.artsandiego-fair.com/ 
Together with a growing group of others our goal is to raise awareness and corporate sponsorship for a larger Arte Moris presence at the 2011 Art San Diego Fair.  

I am also very happy to announce that Arte Moris has just received an endorsement letter from Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, fully supporting and endorsing Arte Moris's 2011 participation in the Art San Diego Fair!


I encourage you to check out and learn a bit more about Arte Moris. It's hard not to see and get excited about what this group is doing for the youth in E. Timor. Simply amazing work!!

Check out Arte Moris at www.artemoris.org/about_us.htm

Yacht Aid Global...."Just Do It!"

Thank you Yong Tze Yee, Manager of Eatons Book and School Supply Store in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Your very kind and generous donation of: 100 educational laminated wall charts and about 100 hardback educational books for young children will go a long way in the remote fishing village schools of Indonesia.

By simply going into the School Supply store here in Borneo and requesting an impromptu meeting with the store manager we where able to get these supplies on board and bound for Remote Islands in Raja Ampat Indonesia. After a few minutes of sharing the YAG mission and the purpose for the books and materials, the manager was more than happy to clear out some of his back room stock.

Be Proactive! Just Do It! YAG! Yacht Aid Global http://www.yachtaidglobal.org/ Drop me an email at tforderer@msn.com and I would be happy to share with you how easy it is to get involved.

After our trip through Raja Ampat, Irian Jaya - West Papua this year I hope to supply YAG and the folks at Indonesian Yacht Services with some reliable contacts for boats going that way in the future to get involved.

What Color is Your Parachute for Teens!

http://parachute4teens.com/around-the-world.html

Check out Carol Christens Blog. Carol is the Author of the Best Selling Book "What Color is Your Parachute for Teens!"

She has a very nice entry on my Do What You Love program! Thanks Carol!

This book is amazing, I wish I had it when I was in high school in Toledo Ohio.

With Carol's help, I have just ordered a case of books. I will keep the books on board as we sail around the world and I will distribute them I meet with high school teens, encouraging them to Do What They Love!

Please also check out Carol's Facebook page it is loaded with Career Advice for Teens,


*Top 10 Career Books of 2007 (monster.com)

Website: http://www.parachute4teens.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/What-Color-is-Your-parachute-FOR-TEENS-Defining-Your-Future/386987411662?ref=ts

Blogsite: http://www.parachute4teens.com/blog.html

Do What You Love - Shan Tao High School

Had an awesome "Do What You Love" session with the graduating class at the Shan Tao High School in Kota Kinabalu - Borneo.

Here are some photos: http://dwylmentors.blogspot.com/

If you or anyone you know is really "Doing What They Love" and would like to participate in my webpage with a personal biography please let me know....