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Sea adventurer pledges to promote Guyana as tourist destination |
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by Jaime Hall |
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17 November 2002 |
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NORWEGIAN sea adventurer Dr. Stein Hoff who
landed here on Thursday last after rowing across the Atlantic for more
than 96 days, said he is pleased with the "fantastic” hospitality of the
Guyanese people and pledged to promote Guyana as a tourist destination
when he returns home to Norway. By the time he had landed at Parika, East Bank Essequibo in his 7.1 meters long craft, Star Atlantic 11, Hoff had covered some 4 360 miles. The 57-year-old physician began his voyage from Seafarers Monument, Lisbon, on August 10, 2002. His visit to Guyana coincided with the observance here of Tourism Awareness Month. While in Guyana until November 24, Hoff will be taken on tours to view other parts of the country. He will also visit the mining town of Bartica and travel to other parts of the interior to see the rainforest. Speaking during a media conference on Friday, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism at Cara Inn, Pere Street, Kitty, Georgetown, Hoff said that since his arrival here, he has already begun highlighting Guyana through the international media. He has done many interviews with the Norwegian press and there would be much more information which will be made available to the international media as he continues more of his discovery of this "exotic destination", he said. Hoff, who had been a constant visitor to popular tourist destination, Barbados, said he knows a lot of Guyanese there. He spoke of Guyana's Consul to Barbados Mr. Norman Farrier, who he said had exposed him to some Guyanese products being sold there. Hoff said he has chosen Guyana as his destination because of its warm-hearted people and the friendship he has cultivated with them in Barbados, as well as the prospect of easy communication through the English Language. Hoff, who is an experienced sailor, sailed with his family from 1977 to 1982 with Trans Atlantic. He has been a competitive rower since 1964 and had taken part in several marathons and triathlons. He is also a good skier, cyclist, swimmer and skydiver. His love for the sea and rowing prompted his current adventure. The solo row was being done without any support vessel or any outside assistance, non-stop from Portugal to Guyana. Star Atlantic II has no sails or propellers to assist in moving the vessel. However, it is equipped with Agros tracking device being used for navigating, Jotron EPIRB. Life raft and survival suit, electric and manual PUR watermaker, and VHF Inmarsat C satellite telephone, which are powered by solar charged batteries. Big moment Hoff said, reaching the shores of Guyana was one of the biggest moments in his life, which he described as "just like when you are about getting married and having kids". He did, however, have some terrifying moments along Guyana’s coast just hours before landing. "The climate there nearly killed me. I was almost wrecked, but I am a stubborn guy". He drifted out of control because of the current in the shipping channel in the Demerara River, but managed to land safe at Parika with the help of the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard. "I was so terrified … I was probably seeing ghosts when they weren't there. I rowed as hard as I could, the boat was going up and crashing down and the GPS (navigation instrument) was telling me that I was going backwards," Hoff recounted. He then retreated, went to his GPS and got his bearings and, as carefully as he could, travelled west. The Coast Guard fortunately came to his rescue and instructed that he travel to Parika. Hoff, after leaving Lisbon, anticipated that he would land on the South American continent between 100 to 120 days. However, with favourable ocean currents and the trade winds along the north coast of Africa that propelled the voyage allowing him to land much earlier. "I intend to be the first single person (known in recent history) to row from the continent of Europe to … South America, pushing my physical and mental limits (and) facing whatever weather and conditions I meet," he said. Dr. Hoff noted that his adventure is all about positive thinking, a feeling of freedom, enjoying the aloneness and satisfaction of being self-reliant on one's own, slow little craft; yet capable of an extended voyage, the likes of which were undertaken by famous explorers. He spoke too of the satisfaction of achieving a goal while renewing, appreciation of family, friends and life back home, and in a small way representing Norway, and getting to know Guyana. The venture across the ocean was to escape from the daily routine; have peace to reflect and meditate, listen to music, read books and also to experience closeness with nature. He said he feels very delighted experiencing the changing ocean tide, the sky, sunrise and sunset, the fish, whales and birds. Asked what are some of the things he would attribute to his successful venture, Hoff responded: "It is not so much a physical thing, but mental. You have to have the infrastructure and equipment, which in my case is Diana, (his wife)... I don't like to refer to my wife as equipment, but she is certainly very instrumental in giving me a life that is full of adventure, I feel a very privileged man". He also attributed his success to his mother, Eli, who, along with Diana, travelled by air to Guyana for his arrival. “Not a lot of people pushing almost 60 can have their mother coming to spot all the major events in their life. There is no way I can keep her away," he said. He added she was the one most opposed to this trip. She threatened to resume smoking if he sailed from one continent to the next! That was a real dilemma for him. Hoff said he grew up knowing both of his parents to be smokers. He said that he had helped her to overcome the habit after constant nagging over many years. "It has been a challenge, an adventure and I am fascinated with life and history. The sea, when you walk from land and reach it, that seems to be a boundary, something you cannot get pass. Living in Norway, if you think the sea was the limit, you won't get any far", he said. |
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