Introducing Canto Mediterraneo. The link to the blog and web site documenting this incredible journey can be found to the left on the sidebar. Each new post to Canto Mediterraneo will show up under the heading. It promises to be a valuable lesson in human cultural exchange and you are invited to participate.
Objective "We want to achieve closer contact with the people and the culture of the places we visit and realize a true cultural exchange."
"Canto Mediterraneo (Mediterranean Chants) is an intercultural project realized by four people from Italy, Brazil and Germany who are sailing from Venice to Turkey in the summer of 2009 to research contemporary music of the countries they visit. Local musicians that create a mix of traditional and modern music are going to be contacted and one song of their choice plus an interview will be published on this website. The objective is to tour the whole Mediterranean Sea in successive years."
"This project introduces the far reaching ambition of executing sustainable tourism journeys. Journeys that respect the nature and culture of the places visited, with the intention of achieving the most authentic knowledge possible of the countries that receive the crew members."
Doryman applauds this adventure and joins the voyage in a spirit of camaraderie. .
The latest video from Giacomo de Stefano shows tremendous progress on the Ness Yawl being built for his upcoming trip through Europe. After many months of working toward this goal, it must be thrilling to finally see the project pulling together. Roland, Silvio and friends are working hard!
You can watch the build live via web cam. The Lago lobby where the boat is being built is in Italy, so those (like me) who live on the other side of the world have to get up very early to see any action. This is a unique opportunity to see a quality boat built by professionals live, simultaneously, over the entire planet.
North Sea to Black Sea is Giacomo's new challenge. He will row and sail from London to Istanbul by going up the Rhine and down the Danube with the aim of making people aware of these rivers that are dying, and to show the possibility of living in a way that is both light and slow. .
From Venice to Istanbul. The music of the waves, the music of the world. A language we all understand.
Voyages on Brancaleon from Italy to Croatia. With Bruno Porto from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as skipper........
Bruno's Log; August 13th, 2009:
"Against light airs, we move slowly. The night comes fast and I take turns with Giovanni at the helm. On the horizon, small storms form and at four in the morning we are in the grip of a full gale. We were already down the coast of Istria and we have to move away from shore for the lack of visibility. Lots of rain, wind around 35 knots with lightning everywhere. Suddenly, a scare! At the moment a ray falls relatively close to the boat, I take a strong shock via the helm! At the moment I do not understand why and I do not know what to do. The wind is with us still and dropping the helm does not seem a good option. But to keep holding, all wet, in the middle of those flashes, a piece of metal that had just given me a shock ... did not seem a good alternative! Trying to understand why, I realize that the whole system from the helm to the rudder shaft in the water is of metal. I'm holding a piece of metal that is grounded in the water in the middle of a thunderstorm. SHIT! I am a little fuck! Luckily the storm passes soon. And isolating the helm goes to the list of things to be resolved urgently."
Our friend Giacomo Stefano is tireless in his promotion of the historical vessels of Venice. In this video, you can sense the almost militant tenor of the preservation effort for human powered boats and the quiet tradition of the rowing culture in Italy.
I have a great bit of empathy for this effort and additionally, support the preservation of traditional human powered vessels the world over.
It's plain to see the degradation that wave action from the multitude of motor powered boats must have on the ancient buildings of the canals of Venice. The apparent disregard for the rowers by the motor boats would cause me to be militant too. A water taxi nearly runs over the starboard oar while passing a sandolo!
Water quality is another subject dear to Giacomo and rightly so. There is not a drop of water left on the rock we call home that is not polluted by the activities of humans. We could use much more militancy on that subject.
Giacomo Stefano is planning a journey from London to Istanbul, which he has dubbed North Sea to Black Sea; to embark next spring. His low impact "less is more" voyage is intended to highlight the need to address the human impact on the essence of life, water.
You might not be surprised to hear that Giacomo has had some difficulty finding support for this event. His original intention was to organize a volunteer effort to build a Ness Yawl, but it looks like he has decided to continue on without sponsors.
His father's Eun Na Mara is also being outfitted for the trip, as the required companion boat for crossing the English Channel.
"The Solon company, famous solar leaders throughout the world, which provides solar panels to Giovanni Soldini, has just made to measure, the solar panels that cover the deck house of Takatani, the support boat for the next trip North Sea to Black Sea, which will be moved only by the wind and an electric motor from ASMO Marine Copenhagen, Denmark."
"The panels, tested by Giovanni Soldini in the seas around the world, are about 2 mm thick and will provide 200 watts max power, to recharge the batteries. This will allow us to sail or with the quiet engine, allow filming without vibration to the cameramen."
"I thank the enthusiasm and expertise of Dr. Nicola Baggio, an engineer manager at Solon Italy who helped us in this first big step for a clean trip from London to Istanbul in 2010."
"Do not leave the planet to the stupid! Is the motto of Solon."
Doryman has been invited to participate in this six month voyage of purpose and if sponsorship can be found, surely he will.
Bruno and Fine setting sail in Giacomo's Brancaleon on the Adriatic Sea at Vlora, off the coast of Albania, to the music of Maja. Polyphonic music from Albania, a mixture of traditional rhythms and modern vocals in the song "Our Dance".
From the voyages of Brancaleon; Canto Mediterraneo, from Italy to Turkey. Visit Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Greece and Turkey on the sloop Brancaleon, in the search for indigenous music from the past and present. .
