Writer and Explorer to address Annual Meeting 

Evan Rice, Washington DC Chapter will will be the featured speaker at our Annual Meeting on Friday, May 18.

Evan Rice, a new Circumnavigator in the Washington DC Chapter, will be the featured speaker at our Annual Meeting on Friday, May 18 at the Penn Club in New York City. Evan has spent more than two years on the road, traveling alone through 32 countries on six continents. He is well versed in the contemporary independent travel culture and brings a unique, modern perspective to world travel. A professional writer, he has authored The Wayfarer’s Handbook.

The book is a treasure trove of information about the art of travel that is specifically crafted for the modern adventurer.  The book is an offbeat guide full of actionable advice, a worldwide exploration reference work, an unconventional collection of world trivia, and an exciting resource of inspiration, all designed for use in a great global adventure.

We hope members and guests will visit New York for the Annual Meeting to enjoy Evan’s presentation. 

Save the date to visit New York —

As a reminder, the Annual Meeting will be held at 11:30 AM on Friday, May 18 at the Penn Club. The meeting is open only to members. Following the meeting at 1:00 pm, there will be a luncheon and guest speaker, open to guests. You won’t want to miss this important event and the chance to greet and meet fellow Circumnavigators.

Have you paid your annual dues?

Dues notices have been mailed to all members. To avoid the $25 late fee, dues must be paid by March 31.

Scuttlebutt Online…

For nearly a century, The LOG has carried a section called Scuttlebutt with news and info about our members. With the LOG only coming out twice a year, this news is far from timely, so we are now running Scuttlebutt on the website every month. Please send us news!

Petersons on Fifth Circumnavigation —

Dan and Melanie Peterson, members of the Chicago Chapter

Dan Peterson, International Second Vice President, and his wife Melanie are halfway around on their fifth round-the-world trip. Dan and Melanie are members of the Chicago Chapter.

Dan reports: We are having a wonderful visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on days 20-23 of our 38 day fifth world trip.   Great hotel – Galle Face Hotel – very historic, from 1864, but just fully renovated.  Google it, or check out www.gallefacehotel.com.  Many famous people stayed here, with their photos up all around the hotel.   We just did a historical tour of the hotel.

We had a great day going to Kandy, the prior capital in the center of the country, and back yesterday. It was a long day, but many sites were visited along the way.   We visited (see if I can remember them all) the elephant orphanage, a garden of medicinal herbs, a tea factory, the royal botanical garden, a gem mining museum, a cultural show with dancing and fire walking, and finally the Temple of the Holy Tooth Relic (Buddha’s tooth is there, in 8 gold caskets).  Plus a nice restaurant for lunch, and some king coconuts and red bananas along the side of the road.  Whew.  But we enjoyed it very much.  The car and driver/guide from the hotel were terrific.  We could not imagine driving in that situation – such a free for all on the roads.   And it would have been hard to do by train in one day.  But the car and driver were great.

Brad Vogel, member New York Metro

New position for Circum Brad Vogel —

Board of Governors member Brad Vogel (New York Metro) has been named Executive Director of the New York Preservation Archive Project. After years of practicing law in New York City, he is excited about taking on this full-time role. The organization is a non-profit, dedicated to preserving the history of the city. Find out more at its website: www.nypap.org.

Circum Neil Mandt logs his Seventh Continent —

Congratulations to film producer and Emmy winner Neil for setting foot on his final Continent—Antarctica. Traveling with his wife Lauren, Neil was particularly pleased with visiting Elephant Island, as he describes: “Made famous by my favorite explorer, Ernest Shackleton. He and his crew were lost on the ice of Antarctica over a three-year journey. He left most of his crew on this giant rock island while he and five others navigated in a row boat to South Georgia island—800 miles away! No one died.” Neil adds: “People often ask me where I get my drive in life. THESE MEN! This is one of my biggest life inspirations. I even named my cat Shackleton. This is one of the most incredible stories of survival ever!

The Last Shot

Okay, Circumnavigators, please indulge this writer, a Philadelphia native and long-suffering Eagles fan. This shot of the Super Bowl victory parade was taken by Katie Koontz.

Luck to you,

David A. Mink
Chair, Communications
davidamink@me.com

Happy New Year to all!

Toasting the New Year…We found this Club invitation from 1912 that seems appropriate to run at the New Year. It shows people on every continent (except Antarctica) toasting each other. The illustration was done by a Frank Arthur Nankivell, a Circumnavigator Club member who was a prominent illustrator and political cartoonist of the time. He is another of our amazing early members, well worth checking out on an internet search.

We wish all our members, family and friends a Happy and Healthy New Year. The world certainly needs our help. Keep on traveling using friendship and understanding to help make the world a better place.

Club invitation from 1912. Illustration by Frank Arthur Nankivell (click image to see larger version)

Festivities at the House of Lords…Hosted by Lord Richard Faulkner, the UK Chapter celebrated another happy and memorable dinner at the House of Lords in London. Circumnavigators and guests enjoyed a superb meal in the Attlee Room in the historic Houses of Parliament. A number of Americans, including International President Margaret Ellen Parke, joined the event. Cs. Erick and Susan Reickert from the Palm Beach also attended the event. Erick gave a presentation about his circumnavigation on an English-built sailboat.

Houses of Parliament, London

A number of Americans, including International President Margaret Ellen Parke, joined the event.

Circumnavigators and guests enjoyed a superb meal in the Attlee Room in the historic Houses of Parliament.

Would you like to attend in 2018?…UK Chapter President Helen Jenkins is pleased to announce this year’s upcoming event will be very special, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the House of Lords party. It will be held in London (of course) on Monday, December 10, 2018 at 7:00 PM. Circumnavigators from around the world are invited. Make a reservation by contacting Helen at helen_jenkins@btconnect.com.

Did you receive the latest issue of The LOG?…

If not, please contact Tracy Sancilio, Executive Director at headquarters. Also, you can read the issue and past issues on this site. The LOG is looking for stories and feature ideas for the next issue. Let us know if you have any ideas. Two stories in the works are DNA testing and the end of the era for the Boeing 747. Can you offer any insights on these subjects?

The Last Shot (and a correction)

This excellent shot, sent by C. Jim Foster of Anchorage, ran in the new copy of The LOG, accompanying his story on the Alaska frontier. The caption misidentified it as an arctic fox. It is actually a howling Grey Wolf in front of the Alaska pipeline. The shot was taken by Jim’s friend Connor Gamache. The female wolf walked right up to Jim’s truck door where he could look right in her eyes. He never expected to get that close to a wild wolf. Thanks, Jim, for this shot.

Howling Grey Wolf in front of the Alaska pipeline – sent by C. Jim Foster of Anchorage. Photo by Connor Gamache.

Luck to you,

David A. Mink
Chair, Communications
davidamink@me.com