On March 25, George Beebe presented “Round the World Trip #14 with a quick look at Singapore, Bangkok, and Jeddah.” He also explained how he and Kathleen paid for the flights using mostly miles from credit cards. They served a very chic, very Euro, very elegant brunch.
Seventy members attended to hear David Mink, Circumnavigators International President, tell us stories, dramatic and humorous about our historic Club, which was founded in New York City in 1902. He also shared information on our worldwide chapters. Executive Director, Tracy Sancilio, joined us from New York and presented information on the Circumnavigators Club Foundation. A very interesting presentation, and a delicious lunch was enjoyed by all.
Best wishes to our members, family, and friends for a wonderful month of March as we eagerly look forward to the Spring season. Circumnavigators have been busy with meetings and travel, and the club has important news to share.
Past President Howard Matson reports, “the Circumnavigators Club is thrilled to announce that the 2023 recipients of the prestigious “Order of Magellan” will be the wife and husband team of Maureen and Tony Wheeler.” The memorable black-tie dinner, in their honor, will be held in New York City, Friday, October 6th. Tony and Maureen are considered tycoons in the travel publishing field. As founders of the acclaimed LONELY PLANET series of books, one measure of their success is the sales of over 150 million copies of their myriad of guidebooks. Our Magellan awardees have included a father/son (Sir Edmund and Peter Hillary) and twin brothers (Scott and Mark Kelly). This event will be the Club’s first spouses as honorees. Make your plans for this not to be missed event!
1973 Georgetown Scholar Rick Stephan recently made a second substantial donation to the Foundation and consented to a half-hour interview about his Foundation-sponsored circumnavigation fifty years ago, as well as the impact that his trip has had on his life. Watch Rick’s interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqYsccfQzDw
Link to an excerpt from Rick’s interview in which he provides an eyewitness account of the revolution that overthrew the Afghan monarchy in 1973: https://youtu.be/UQvdDRelsfM
The DC Chapter met recently at Panda Gourmet in Washington DC with 17 attendees. Foundation grantee Sophia Doroshenko gave a presentation on her planned circumnavigation this coming summer. The group talked about their travels and topics to address membership, and a planned polo event in June.
The Naples Chapter held an event at the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club in February. Ninety members and guests attended, and enjoyed the fascinating presentation given by Bo and Terrilynne Boling. They sailed for three and a half weeks on the Crystal Endeavor, crossing the Antarctic Circle, and making several stops in Argentina, and on the Antarctic Continent. Attendees enjoyed immensely their professional video, and their lively commentary.
Ethiopia…You never know where you will find prolific adventurer Suzanne Frye (New York Metro). Here is Suzanne in Ethiopia with her marvelous photos of Gelada baboons at the Simien Mountains National Park.
Southern Ocean…Circumnavigator Mark Pross (Washington DC Chapter) unfurls the Circumnavigators Club flag at the gravesite of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton at Whalers’ Cemetery in Grytviken on South Georgia Island. Mark spent nearly six weeks traveling through Panama, Colombia, Chile, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, and Paraguay. Along the way, Mark met with Circumnavigator Governor Steven Barnett and his wife Karen in Panama City.
Pitcairn Island…Circumnavigators Bill & Connie Kleinfelter (Naples Chapter) continued their five-month circumnavigation with a visit to legendary Pitcairn Island. Only about 50 people reside on the island, half of whom are descendants of Fletcher Christian of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. Only about ten ships visit the island each year. Islanders visited their ship for a meet and greet.
Egypt…Circumnavigators Dan & Melanie Peterson (Chicago Chapter) are currently enjoying a long exploration of Egypt. Here they are aboard the express train from Cairo to Alexandria)
Caribbean…Circumnavigator Fred Mink (At Large, Delaware) and wife Jan enjoyed island hopping in the Caribbean. They sailed on a small ship with a group of friends.
Antarctica…Circumnavigator Michael Puldy (Pacific Southwest Chapter) made it to his seventh continent. His itinerary was altered when a passenger was injured in South Georgia. Nonetheless, he reported an exciting adventure.
Abu Dhabi…Circumnavigators Norm & Susan Dailey (Washington DC Chapter) kept on the move as usual with visits to Mumbai, the Maldives and shown here dining in Abu Dhabi.
New Zealand…Circumnavigators Jon & Melody Dill (Naples Chapter) and Circumnavigator Halyna Traversa (Naples Chapter) and husband Bill Young cruised the South Pacific Ocean including a visit to New Zealand.
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
International President
club@circumnavigators.org
Best wishes to Circumnavigators, family and friends for an enjoyable month, the gateway to Spring! Members have been traveling and Chapters have been meeting as happy days are here again.
The past couple of years have been a rocky time for the Circumnavigators Foundation with the restrictions and complications on travel caused by the pandemic. We are happy to report two grantees circumnavigated last summer and Northwestern University and Georgetown University selected two grantees to travel this year. They are:
Both students are from Texas and will begin their separate round-the-world trips this summer. Best wishes to both outstanding scholars.
The always fabulous House of Lords dinner is confirmed in London for December 14, 2023. This event sells out quickly, so book your reservation. You can contact headquarters for more information. Our Annual Meeting will be held in New York City on Friday, May 19 with an outstanding speaker: Azman Mokhtar who circumnavigated the globe on 77 trains one 77 days. All members are welcome and guests are invited to the presentation. More details to follow.
Chapter President Ang Hao Yao presided over a successful Singapore Chapter meeting followed by a sumptuous dinner. The event was held at the prestigious Tower Club which sits at the top of one of Singapore’s tallest buildings with panoramic views over Marina Bay. Guests looked forward to the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit as they ate beautiful Chinese food accompanied with fine wines and sang along with the excellent band.
The pending Northeast Florida chapter had its second organizational meeting last month with 17 attending at a Jacksonville restaurant. Three more applications are in the approval process and the chapter now has double-digit membership with several more expected soon. The next meeting will be in the Spring and chapter organizer Fred Seely asks Circumnavigators to contact him if they know potential candidates for membership who live in the area. The Chapter covers the entire Northeast Florida area including Ponte Vedra, Amelia Island, St. Augustine and Jacksonville, as well as the southern area of Georgia including Sea Island and St. Simon’s Island.
We don’t know if Circumnavigators Norm & Susan Dailey (Washington DC Chapter) ever stay home. They sent us a photo of their visit to Lokobe National Park in Nosy Be Madagascar. Norm reported, “They didn’t tell us that when the tide went out we would have to walk several hundred yards to get to our dugout boat made from the fiberglass tree.” They are sailing on Oceania Nautica from Cape Town to Mumbai.
Circumnavigators Pam & Bill Girtman and Elaine Christian ( all Naples Chapter) visited Curacao where in this photo they stood in front of a rock formation called Boca de la Pistola or “Mouth of the Pistol”. The sea water has made a channel in the rock so that when a wave crashes, it makes a load noise and explodes in impressive sprays of water. This is just one of the fabulous sites they saw during a recent three-week cruise of the Caribbean.
Circumnavigator Steven Carmichael (At Large)and his wife, Susan Stoddard, set sail on “Treasures of the Arabian Sea” cruise and visited several interesting sites. They took the opportunity to “fly the flag” at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman and at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the UAE. They loved their first visit to this part of the world.
Round the World Again…Circumnavigators Bill & Connie Kleinfelter (Naples Chapter)have embarked on an ambitious circumnavigation. A five-month cruise will take them to 61 ports, 32 countries, and six continents, including fly-away off ship to Galapagos and Serengeti. They have reported a great time on the first legs of the adventure with visits to Belize, Guatemala, Columbia, Panama and the Galapagos. Luck to you, Bill and Connie!
Circumnavigators Steve & Henna Fuller (At Large) spent the holidays in Romania shown here at the magical Bran Castle.
Circumnavigator Paulette Cooper Noble, President of the Palm Beach Chapter, is a prolific author. She gave a speech at the Palm Beach Yacht Club on how to write and sell your novel or memoir. The presentation was well received. She is shown here with husband Paul and friend Debbie Merrion.
Circumnavigators Donna Suddeth and Pam Girtman (both Naples Chapter) gave a talk on the Circumnavigators Club and Travelers Century Club for the Pelican Bay Women’s League 2023 Speaker Series in Naples. Approximately 150 women attended with some prospects for membership in the Circumnavigators.
Two Circumnavigator Club members have been busy organizing world travel tours. The information is below. The trips are private and not sponsored by the Circumnavigators Club.
Circumnavigator Henna Fuller (At Large) is organizing a round-the-world trip through her organization Cultural Wanderer. She says, “Discover fascinating places firsthand as we circle the globe for 30 days to six countries and five continents- a small group, with seasoned local guides.”
Visit www.culturalwanderer.com or email henna@culturalwanderer.com
Circumnavigator Eric Oborski (New York Metro) is known for his Santa Goodwill Tours, spreading job across the world. The information for the 2023 Santa Goodwill Tours is up the website www.incontra.com.
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
International President
club@circumnavigators.org
The Naples Chapter held a lunch at the Naples Sailing & Yacht Club
We decided to show this imaginative, iconic art piece from 1912 to toast the New Year. Looks like Circumnavigators are sharing bubbly with countries around the world. We have now struggled through three challenging years. Let’s hope for a fresh start in 2023. The Club would like to wish a Happy New Year to our members, family and friends. Our mission to make the world a better place is as important as ever.
A number of Circumnavigators have ventured to Antarctica recently, some making it their 7th Continent to visit.
Circumnavigators Jon & Melody Dill and Dottie & David Mink (Naples Chapter) touched down in Antarctica last month, opting to fly from Chile to avoid the often rough Drake Passage. They picked up a cruise there and marveled at the magnificent scenery.
Circumnavigator Walter Suslak (At large, Jacksonville, FL) and wife Sally made it to their 7th Continent. Some of Walter’s excellent photos will be featured in the next issue of The LOG.
Circumnavigator Lisa Brighton (Michigan Chapter) got a work out in the icy waters of Antarctica. She loved her month-long journey to this part of the world.
At this writing, a least two more club members are off to the bottom of the world on separate adventures. They are Michael Puldy (Pacific SW Chapter) and Mark Pross (Washington DC Chapter). Mark is repeating a trip to Antarctica during which he contracted Covid and couldn’t leave his ship for the land excursions. Have you been to Antarctica or plan to go soon? Please let us know at club@circumnavigators.org because we will feature this venue in the next issue of The LOG.
Circumnavigator Ann Swinford (Michigan Chapter) was one of the Americans who ventured to London for the magnificent House of Lords dinner for Circumnavigators. Why not consider attending this wonderful event next December?
Circumnavigators Geoff & Marilyn McGrath (Williamsburg, VA) reported in from their current circumnavigation, visiting here Wat Mahathat Buddhist temple in central Thailand.
Circumnavigator Helen Jenkins, (President UK Chapter) left Wales to visit Coldwater Village in Ontario, Canada.
Circumnavigators Lion & Donna Curran (At Large) ventured westward to visit warm venues like Death Valley.
Circumnavigator Alan Weiss (Rhode Island) and wife Maria enjoyed a Macallan highball at Park Chinois in London.
Circumnavigators Pam & Bill Girtman (Naples Chapter) visited Jamaica where they got this iconic shot of a local street vendor.
Circumnavigators Melanie & Dan Peterson (Chicago Chapter) have enjoyed attending a lot of pro and college football recently. In addition to four NFL games (one each with Circumnavigator son Andrew (At-Large) and daughter Charlotte (At-Large)), Dan flew Melanie in his plane to Philadelphia and back for the Army-Navy Game. Later it was on to Miami (by airline) for the Orange Bowl, joined by their other Circumnavigator son Matthew (At-Large) for a Tennessee victory. Sixteen hours later Dan was in Phoenix for the CFP Semi-Final Fiesta Bowl and a TCU victory. And next week Melanie, Dan and Andrew are headed to Los Angeles for the CFP National Championship Game. For Dan, Club 1st VP, that will push him more than halfway to his goal of seeing a game in all 30 NFL stadiums.
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
International President
club@circumnavigators.org
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