I slept last night; I start the day early arranging the bunch of stuff left to bring into the boat at the last minute.  Mi mind was running fast, excited, nervous, and afraid!

I was thinking in the fact that I was cutting off with all my safety, all what I knew to have and jumping into a totally unknown world, empty with no history.

I was not fiscally afraid I was emotionally afraid, a very strong sensation of fear of breaking up with all my ties. I will never forget that morning, it was cold and cloudy, and the house was quiet in the morning.  Jacqueline, my niece, was early for the ride to Point Roberts, it took longer than expected to get everything in the car.

I thought it was the resistance working its way to keep me here. I was still excited and pushing.

Early, the phone rang for Astrid, Klaus was afraid and he was stepping down the adventure.  A hole broke in my stomach, I felt empty, abandoned, not knowing what to do.  I was counting in Klaus for the physical demand of the sailing, he is strong and young.  My reaction was.... OK!; I did not oppose to his decision.

Astrid kept on talking to him, he finally changed his mind and came, I thought he was not happy!

As we approached Point Roberts the emotions were increasing, we crossed the border to the USA and into the dock with three cars full of stuff to be put on the boat.  Friends were beginning to show up already.

Jacqueline, Astrid and Klaus were busy organizing everything underneath while I was talking to the first friends to show up, I was calmed inside and outside, like the peace has come down on you all of the sudden.  No more fears!  As soon as I stepped in the boat everything got in balance. 

We spend around two hours with my friends, everybody took a peak at the inside of the boat, 


finally at 12:00 noon I took off on schedule from the Dock M.

This is how it looked few minutes past 12:00 noon on Saturday August 8, 2009 as we were pulling out of the dock!





From Left to right,

Boudewijn Neijens, Vice Comodore at the Bleuwater Cruising Association and probably the most dificult name to spell, he introduced me to this organization, speaks spanish too!
Jacqueline Hlagi, my favourite niece and driver this morning
Madellene Dujardin, she is the wife for Raymond, I love her name!
Sophie Bizeul, great friend and support in all my ideas, french and also speaks spanish
Fernanda Balmer, from Mexico with love
Justin Lees, great friend and support, always looking for something bigger!
Awen Choi, Yin's son
Justin's Mom
Jeff Baker, always willing to listen, creating my future.
Yin, Jeff Baker's partner
Tom Wilson, my good friend Tommy, he is always there for me.
Tomomi McIntosh, secretly I call her "sushi"..you know she is Japanese
Nick Karlichuck, Nick and Yelena are my heroes, they are the model of perfection, the do everything together.
Yelena Karlichuck, I just adore them, they are a source of inspiration and clarity!
Yvonne Harwood, Realtor-Sailor around the world, a woman I like to have in my life!
Ray Dujardain, Mining Engineer I met in 1993 when I came to Canada, our path have crossed many times since then.

Thank you all for coming it means a lot to me!


Further and further away from the shore





































We stopped for fuel in our way out, Nick and Yelena came to say one more time good bye.

That day there was wind against us, so I thought it was going to be motoring until we reached the end of Saturna 15 miles away from Point Roberts. It was cold and cloudy, I had my last thought of what I was leaving back, my security, my friends all what I had, jumping into the unknown!  My body shivered for the last time. I felt alone!

Early shower, pretty day, on time...everything was looking great.  Stopped at Tim Hortons in Tsawassen to grab a sandwich for breakfast and a couple of my favourite white chocolate macadamia cookies.

Crossed the border, parked the car in my favorite spot under a tree at the Point Roberts Marina!

On time, jumped on the boat, opened the door and started going down the stairs with the doors in my hands. 

 All of the sudden...whoosh...my feet are flying ahead and I am going down faster than ever.... flying down (which is no good). At the bottom I was laying on the floor still with both doors in my hands, one on each side.  I felt the pain in my ass.

At first I evaluated how serious the landing was.  My head was spinning but all right, I had a sharp pain in my right arm.  I looked and saw a bunch of skin pulled together, no blood, which I thought was a good sign.  My higher back was also in pain, although both doors were intact!  After satisfactory evaluation I decided to stand up slowly, put the doors on top of the bed and touched my head with my right hand and felt something wet.

Oh no!  Blood...checked in the mirror and found a nasty-loo cut of about one inch on top of my right eyebrow.

I thought...cool! Not really! First Aid kit? Still in the to do list! band aids? none... then go to plan B, clean the wound with paper towel and some water and get going!

Checked once more to find out if I was in shock and acting on remote (remember I was by myself!).  The test said that I was conscious, OK and in pain!

What happened?  Too early in the morning there is dew on deck, my flat soled sandals (Mexican made) were wet going the other way down the stairs...voila! soreness all over!  My fault!

Nothing broken except my dignity!

Sorry! no pictures in this segment. Didn't think about taking pictures of this, it would have been funny!

 Off I went, still on time to meet Jim.  Wind was just great so I set sail and was doing 7.5 knots just flying, the sun was up and it was not cold at all at 6:00 am! 

Getting into White Rock the wind just died down, it was flat and beautiful,  check the pictures.

 Tied at the public dock, everybody came to talk to me and soon everybody on the dock knew about "Shoes for the World".

Few boats moore here, it is quite shallow.  I had only 7.4 feet of water underneath.  I need 6 feet of water.

I was told that there was 11 feet on the lower low tide and according to my records tide was slowly coming up... go figure!

Many families, Moms, Dads and kids fishing!  Kids were having a blast, fishimg one after the other.

There were a number of Dads trying to catch crabs.  The kids where fishing like crazy!

The day was great and I thought the pictures came out all right!

 Do you agree that this sail is a pretty good passport?

When I ordered the sails I mentioned to Dave Miller from North Sail that I was sailing around the world to help people in need through "Shoes for the World", he had read about it in the newspaper.

Dave offered to put a Maple Leaf, at their cost, on the sail (genaker) so it would be a Canadian Flag!

Thank you Dave and Marcia, you are wonderful!

It looks just amazing.  What do you think?

I love the color red, it is my favorite.

These amazing pictures were take by Nick and Yelena Karlichuk! 

Dave also supplied me with the Gail Sail, which is a storm sail, check the size and also it is made out a quite heavy material.

I got also from Dave a mast climber which allows me to go up the mast by myself.

Here I am at the top of the mast below the Second Narrows Bridge at Lynnwood Marina in North Vancouver.

Spooky!

I went to a presentation of Sailors who had experienced both and everybody said watermakers are a MUST!

What is a watermaker? simple... like everything now....very simple!

Just a box of stuff that you put in the boat and voila!  you have fresh water on board!

It looks like this...

and it sounds like... tun..

tun.. tun.. tun.. tun.. tun... for as much

water as you want to make. 

Out of all the equipment I have installed, this piece has been the best to me, it works like a charm....

Well... I must confess that I had my Kangen water machine onboard and for safety reasons I had it inside the sink.  When I started the tun..tun..tun..tun.. I was so excited that I forgot to open the discharge valve from the sink and guess what... yea it flooded!  and my Kangen water machine did not know how to swim and it drowned.  Sad!

Oh well!  Lets go back to the watermaker.. its much funner?!

This is the through hole to get the water from the ocean.  Yea this is the bottom of the boat!

You might be asking yourself how much water per hour of tun..tun..tun... yes?

7 galons per hour, 24.5 liters per hour of the greatest water ever!

This is how its works...

I figure that uses around 19 amps per hour! Usually it runs together with the engine.  That makes the tun..tun..tun.. noise more...-how do you say?... (bearable)

If you have any.. I mean ANY questions please ask via email at eduardofritis@shaw.ca and come to say bye next Saturday August 8, 2009 at 12:00 noon and Point Roberts Marina dock "M".

You can see the history of all of my Blog by clicking HERE

Yea that's right! 

However, the modern radios do a lot more than that and they have more components hidden away.

Installation is not that difficult when you know what you are doing!

Will help me with this, it was a piece of cake! simple and works phenomenal.

We like to communicate with our friends and family via email... this radio can do that and more...

This is my Navigation Station, very electronic as you see!

We need to add a Pactor Modem and voila! 

That green stuff is the EPIRB.  It is the ultimate call!  It is a beacon that transmit a distress signal to Search and Rescue.  I am not looking forward to using it!

That silver box below is the electronic barometer which records up to 48 hrs of preasures and has a beep that tells you when presure is falling like a rock!

look at what we can also get..

Weather faxes! 

Yaaaaa... in the boat while sailing in the middle of nowhere!  and all kinds of them, telling us what is going on and where and best 24, 48 and 96 hr forecasts.

With this we choose our routes!

And more...... 

Ron communicates with us every night at 9:00 pm Pacific Standard time and checks on all of us Sailors cruising in the ocean.  He wants to know position and how we are doing. 

It is a great support. 

Thank you Ron!

You can see the history of all of my Blog by clicking HERE

Electric Power is something you have to generate.

There are some options... you can burn fuel to generate power, use the sun together with solar panels and use the wind with the wind generator.

Best is not to use power and use the wind to guide you.

So I picked the Hydrovane....then comes the installation!

                  Fun!

Thinking how to install, the boat is nothing but small compartments and tricky places to get at, conflicting areas too.

In summary, not really as easy as I thought!

Difficult to drill holes...

 O no!

my boat full of holes!

Advancing is good!

This is my first day working with Frank!

I realized that I don't have lots of patience.  I actually knew it!

The great advantage is that I have an extra rudder....just in case!

You can see the history of all of my Blog by clicking HERE

The first step was to design and create an arch to hold the wind generator (a windmill that generates power), the radar (to see what is there when you can't see) and the solar panels.

I took on designing the system and went to consult with Frank, who did the installation, and Mehmet who started with the welding. 

So with my drawings I was sent to have the pieces cut.

I thought it would take a day to have it done.... took a week and lots of sweating!...you mean swearing?

They cut the pieces with a high presure flow of water and sand!  Unbelievably precise and no pollution.

These are the plates that support the arch and attach to the boat deck.

With the pieces on hand I went to see Mehmet for the welding... We prepared all the pieces and tacked it together.  Mehmet's welding machines were not strong enough for the job.

Labour working has been a new thing for me, I have done it when I was at University...few years ago!

Feeuuuu!  out of practice.... but still smart!

picture looks good?

I had forgotten that welders have lots of knowledge and experience.  Ron was a proof of that!

We combined very well

We worked that Friday from 9:00 am until 6:00 pm non stop.

Did not finish!

Saturday.... what do I do?

 Think...think...think.. and wow! My good friend Dan, he is a specialty welder.  I called him and to my surprise he was working Saturday and we agreed on 6:30 am.

I was anxious!..... Guess what!  Dan's machines were not strong enough!

What do I do now?.... ask around!  and I went to ABC Recycling close by and found a number of business cards from welders... and start calling... and John answered the phone...and said yes!.... and he is close by the Lynnwood Marina where the boat was.

I am excited going to John.

We finished what I had designed that Saturday, John is a great spirited person!

I needed one more piece and the place to get it was already closed for the weekend.  Monday closed!

So Tuesday, and Tuesday John was busy in another job.  So it was Wednesday when we finished bringing the arch to the boat at 10:00 pm that day.

Lots of discussions...with Frank and John.  It was a trip in itself!

How does it looks?

Thank you Mehmet, Dan, John and Frank!

Moving out is not fun! 60 boxes later and a few left over pieces of furniture packed with 250 feet of bubble wrap plastic! Unbelievable!

I called Joe from International Movers, who had offered me 6 months of free storage.  I told Joe that I was going to rent a truck and bring the stuff on Saturday afternoon, he said OK!

The next day Joe called and offered his truck, I thought that was great!

The next day Joe called again and said that his truck was going to be in Vancouver on Saturday and that he would come by to pick everything up.  Nothing could be better!  

 In no time Joe had moved all of the boxes out of the garage, into the truck and he kept telling me to let him do it all! 

It was done...not really but close...only seven more boxes to pick up Monday and few extra little things! You know what I mean? 

Great help, thank you Joe! I can only imagine how my back would have ended up if I had loaded the truck myself!

On Sunday I explored the Garage Sale option to get rid of few items including 100 plants, coffee table, shelves etc.

The Garage Sale was a complete sucess, Jennifer came and took two truck loads of plants to give away to her friends.

I supervised closely the sale of the stuff!

And the house was empty! Sad!

We left some furniture for the new owners!

We worked a lot!  Thank you Astrid for putting up with the moving nicely! And you Joe...you are the best!

 

 3,000 will be able to read and work thanks to the generosity of Brent Martin from Maxem Eyeware.



Brent called me last week to come to pick up some 200 pairs of NEW reading glasses.

I was thrilled! Can you http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/6 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:49:00 -0700 Eduardo Fritis General http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/6

Susan Proffitt, President and CEO Profitable Solutions Executive Search invited me to joing the Footwear Industry Insiders Network, a forum for all in the footwear business with 1,200 members.

 

Through Susan I am in contact with Wayne Elsey Founder and CEO - Soles4Souls which mission is to impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes. Partnering with charities and governments around the world to provide a basic (yet indispensable) gift that most of us take for granted.

 

 

 

]]> http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/8 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:56:00 -0700 Eduardo Fritis General http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/8
In 1986, Anne Brevig and Martin Vennesland sold most of their worldly belongings and moved onboard their new sailboat, which they named "NOR SIGLAR", meaning "Northern Sailor" in old Norse.



For 5 years they lived onboard their 40 foot French sloop in Spruce Harbour Marina in Vancouver, to save money and prepare themselves and the vessel for an offshore adventure, which started in 1991 and ended in 2000.

So NOR SIGLAR, has not only been their faithful circumnavigator for 9 years - but their beloved floating home, their only home - for 15.


Their voyage has not "just" been a circumnavigation, but a life style.



During 56,000 nautical miles at sea, they visited 76 countries and island colonies, met interesting peoples from different cultures and had many, many exciting and touching experiences while also encountering dramatic and dangerous challenges.

In short, it was a once in a lifetime adventure, full of highs and lows, which they share with you on their website and their book.

 

]]> http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/7 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:52:00 -0700 Eduardo Fritis General http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/7 Steve Jagger, among other activities is my Real Estate website provider. Ubertor is sponsoring Shoes for the World and Eduardo Sailing the World with their website.

I have tried many websites providers and found that Ubertor has the best and most friendly system.

I am making these sites a fun place to learn about my project and my adventures.

]]> http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/9 Sun, 31 May 2009 17:58:00 -0700 Eduardo Fritis General http://www.shoesfortheworld.net/Blog.php/9 Shoes for the World is "shipping distance" to provide new shoes to 3,300.

People making a difference!












Last Saturday I visited David who donated 300 shoes from his father’s shoe store. David is happy and excited that these shoes can be of benefit for people in need.

David's father used to run "Freedman Shoes"

Thank you David




There was a mistake!
The number Ronson Shoes donated is not 500 pairs of shoes………..



It is more than 3,000 pairs, see it yourself!





Yesterday I visited Ronson Shoes Warehouse together with Tony and Carolyn.




Carolyn's big heart listen to Stanley at the end of March when Shoes for the World was published in the 24 hours News Paper.




With no hesitation Carolyn called me and offered 500 pairs that have grown to be more than 3,000.





Stanley is the "Man" at the center, is touching 3,000 people that need these shoes badly. Stanley has worked for Ronsons Shoes for a number of years.

Thank you Stanley, Carolyn and Tony

 

 

You can make the difference too!

What can you do?

 

Do you know anybody in the shipping business? Couriers?

Call me or email me with your suggestions!

Since then Eduardo is receiving hundreds of calls with contributions and volunteering help.

From a free 20' container to anywhere in the world and free storage for 6 Months from International Movers Ltd to individuals who want to make a difference by donating shoes and clothing, reading glasses, and books.






 
 
 
 
 

Ronson Shoe Stores are on board donating 500 pairs of shoes


 


People want to know what they can do to help and to be part of the project.

It’s an amazing and heartwarming phenomenon.


What can you do?








 




Talk to people, spread the word about Shoes for the World, look in your closets and garage for shoes and clothing that you no longer need.

Talk about it at work, at school, everywhere.

Do you have school aged children? Talk to your school’s principal or child’s teacher about starting Shoes for the World at your school.

Shoes for the World connects kids from here to remote locations overseas. Kids communicate though live broadcast over the internet.


 

Time Echoes Softly is a donation from Esther McIlveen to raise funds, email me me to get your copy at eduardofritis@shaw.ca

 

 

 

 

 

Shoes for the World opens new horizons for kids here and everywhere, understanding and getting involved in our global community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Kids?

 

Simple....they are the future

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am setting sail as early as the end of May this year!


It has not been easy. From the point in which an idea is born, to getting the commitment, can sometimes take our whole life or more… The last few months have been a roller coaster of emotions for me, here is where I am at.

I am sailing my Benteau 343 around the world, it will do the trick!

• I am selling my House and just about all of my belongings to finance most of the adventure.

•  
  I will be back, if the wind so decides, to continue my journey in this direction.

· I discovered the purpose of my dream. It is to make a difference to others that have less (material stuff).

· I have been busy doing many things to forward my dream of sailing around the world. I have learned a lot.




As I sat for lunch yesterday, I was thinking about the process that it has been for me, how did it all start? It really started long ago when I was a kid,

I always dreamed of sailing the world. My desire to do it propels me daily. Recently, I find myself in a real estate market that has slowed down, I am 54 years old, not getting any younger – it seems the perfect timing for me to realize my dream.

1. The Now…

The lee cloth and others that I didn’t know existed like the “lopo light” and much more, guess what - the money keeps on adding in the wrong side of the balance.

Next I started talking to everybody that I know who has done it.

I called Malcolm and he invited me to come to his lecture last Friday during the boat show. I managed to convince Astrid and Klaus to come with me that night. As you might already have figured out, they are not yet on board in my dream. One more area to work on!

When I told Jay that I was meeting Malcolm, he said, “I know Malcolm and Jackie, I met them in Mexico!” To make the long story short, Malcolm and his wife Jackie sailed around the world for 9 years in a boat just like mine! They had the trip of their lives and what the really got out of it was the meaning of their lives - to be of contribution to others. Briefly, they were in El Salvador for a big earthquake where everything was pretty much leveled. Malcolm (Architect) and Jackie organized a number of sailors. More than 100 sailors in the area raised money all over and built 12 houses in 6 months for the 72 residents of a small local village. Wow! That is what I want to do! It really gets deep in my fiber.

So I met Malcolm and Jackie after the lecture on Friday night and we talked and talked and talked. I was so inspired that I went to see them again the next day at the boat show. Malcolm told me that I should visit the Blue Water Cruising Association booth at the boat show.

At the Blue Water booth I met Boudewijn and I talked to him for an hour. He invited me to Blue Water’s Club Night the following Tuesday. Boudewijn is a “doner”!

On Tuesday night, to my excitement, I arrived at the meeting expecting 10 people, there were over 250 people there!

At the break Boudewijn introduced me to a number of experienced sailors, I was just thrilled! A couple shared about their trip, exactly the same trip that I want to do. There again, what they got for themselves was the meaning of their lives. I saw my dream come alive. These people are an inspiration, and a contribution to others while fulfilling their own dreams.

This has led me to the meaning, the possibility of my own voyage around the world. The reason for my trip is to make a contribution to others.

On the same Saturday I listen to Anne speak about her trip. Anne shared details of her 15 year sailing excursion around the world with her husband Martin. She and Martin took used eye glasses on the trip and distributed the glasses to people in need all over the world. I like the idea as there are many people all over the world who don’t have access to eye glasses the way that I have throughout my life. I am also inspired to do a shoe and clothing collection. The plan, since my boat is not that big, is to have a team who will send the items to me to pre-determined destinations throughout my voyage. The majority of the people I will meet have next to nothing, and some have never used shoes in their lives.

I am open to your suggestions.

50,000 Miles Around The World with Eduardo

“I am taking on this journey to show the world that anything is possible.”

The dream of sailing around the world is very much alive for 54 year old Vancouverite, Eduardo.

As a boy growing up in Chile, Eduardo was introduced to sailing when he was 10 years old.

The water, the wind and the dynamics were fascinating for Eduardo at 10, now at 54 the passion is still alive. Sailing was a major part of Eduardo’s life until he was 25. At 25 the daily rigors of Eduardo’s life took over, career, family, responsibility…18 months ago Eduardo returned to sailing.

With 2,000 miles sailing clocked in the last 18 months, Eduardo is poised to fulfill his dream. 50,000 Miles Around The World that Eduardo wants to share with you.

Eduardo’s goal is to sail around the world, share the experience and connecting people and inspiring others to see what is possible. Eduardo would like to join your group to tell you more about his plans of sailing around the world and show the world what is possible!


What is the challenge?

Living by and with the elements
Surviving with the basics, safety, and food and myself!

Outcome

A life experienced with adventures will be summarized in a book, a TV series and a Movie.