Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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Photo Gallery: On board Team Abu Dhabi’s VO70 at the Volvo Ocean Race

by Grant Martin on

In the few days that I’ve been back from Alicante it’s been difficult for me to explain the sheer magnitude of a VO70 ocean racer to my peers. These sailboats are unlike your average Sunfish or J-105. They are massive, precision engineered creatures, optimized for weight, balance and speed. They are moving cities, with 11 men onboard, bunks, cooking and wash facilities. They’re also information superstations with a handful of remote controlled cameras, a satellite uplink and enough CAT-5 cable to impress any technophile.

At Team Abu Dhabi’s invitation we brought a team out to Alicante, Spain in late October to get a unique snapshot of the team and the race from the beginning. Days before the official launch we were out on the chilly Mediterranean waters on a practice run armed with only a handful of sailing experiences under our belt and a Canon SLR. The below gallery is what we captured.

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Sailing on the deck of a VO70 is like riding on the back of a dragon, mythical, awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time. As the ships tack and jibe back and forth near the starting line it’s eerily quiet save for the occasional shout from the skipper or the stress-groans from the carbon-fiber hull. To see this much mass and power moving in such grace is a humbling experience. To see the ships race is unforgettable.Ships leave Alicante and head towards Cape Town on the 5th of November. You can catch up with the fleet at nine other ports around the planet through the summer of next year. The full schedule is at volvooceanrace.org.

[Editor’s note: Team Gadling joined the Volvo Ocean race at the request and expense of Team Abu Dhabi. Media support made the ships sail no faster nor the writers get any wetter while on assignment.]

Lonely Planet names top 10 cities for 2012

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week popular travel guide publisher Lonely Planet announced their selections for the top 10 cities to visit in 2012, with a few obvious choices making the list. For example, London, which will host the 2012 Olympic Games, was unsurprisingly given a nod, while Hong Kong and Orlando, two perennially popular destinations, earned the distinction as well. Other cities making their way into the Lonely Planet spotlight include Santiago, Chile; Muscat, Oman; and Cádiz, Spain, each of which is lauded for their cosmopolitan flair, cultural diversions, and vibrant nightlife.

Adventure travelers looking for a great base of operations will want to take particular note of the inclusion of Darwin, Australia on the LP list. Located in that country’s Northern Territory, the city of 125,000 is praised for its buzzing art scene, great cuisine, and laid back atmosphere. What was once a remote frontier town has grown into a fantastic urban destination that remains below the radar for many travelers. At least for now.

Outdoor enthusiasts will find a lot to love in Darwin and the Northern Territory in general. The place is well known for its fantastic fishing, with anglers visiting from around the globe to try their hand at landing the famed barramundi. Near by Litchfield National Park offers fantastic hiking and camping, not to mention some of the most amazing waterfalls and freshwater pools around, while a visit to the Tiwi Islands immerses travelers in Aboriginal culture. Other featured activities include sailing, backpacking, and swimming, with plenty of great outdoor destinations available to indulge the whims of even the most adventurous travelers.

And once they’ve finished exploring the Northern Territory’s wild side, visitors can return to Darwin and take a stroll through an art museum or wander the popular Mindil Beach Sunset Market. Afterwards they can sit waterside and enjoy a world-class meal, complete with fresh seafood and smooth wines, before taking in the city’s eclectic nightlife or retiring to a comfortable hotel for the evening. Who says that adventure travel doesn’t allow you to spoil yourself too?

Joining Darwin, and the other cities already mentioned, on the Lonely Planet list are Bangalore, India; Stockholm, Sweden; and Guimarães, Portugal. To view the complete list and read why the cities were chosen, click here.

[Photo courtesy Tourism NT]

Volvo Ocean Race kicks off from Alicante, Spain

by Grant Martin on

It’s dark when I wake up in Alicane, with heavy, blue-grey storm clouds twisting upwards through the Mediterranean sky. Somewhere, 10,000 feet above this small Spanish city the gods are fighting over weather patterns; there’s a dash of clear blue sky here and a seam of storm clouds there, a maelstrom of wind, cloud, rain and energy hashed up atmosphere. In my view, it’s the perfect condition for sailing.

Out on Team Abu Dhabi’s VO 70 though, the weather conditions take a turn. Stale, soft wind starts to blow in from the southwest and our head sail softens. So the officials delay race start for another twenty minutes. In the mean time, our skipper Ian Walker spends time prepping his crew and exploring the winds around the race waters. And we wait.

It’s the day before the official launch to the Volvo Ocean Race and I’m out on a practice run with Team Abu Dhabi, who have invited me to come out and explore their operation before the kickoff. Alicante, a modest city two hours southwest of Valencia is both the opening port for the race as well as home base for the media operations and the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race museum. Over the next nine months, six teams will sail from here around the horn of Africa up into Abu Dhabi, around India, into China, across the perilous southern ocean and then into the Americas before reaching European shores once more.

Many among the management compare the event to the Everest of sailing but it’s more than that. It’s years of boat building, design, planning and execution. It’s the logistics of hop scotching tons of freight and support staff among ten ports across the planet, alternating ports to keep up with the boats. It’s holding onto your guts amidships when the swells of the southern ocean are trying like hell to pull them out of you.

There’s a grave determination among the eleven men on this ship as we cross the starting line and dig into the first leg of our race. Each spinnaker will be cast and folded hundreds of times in the next nine months, each sailor pushed to his limits. In Alicante, the weather is warm and the men are still strong and cheerful. Our world – this ocean will soon have its way with them.

[Editor’s note: Team Gadling joined the Volvo Ocean race at the request and expense of Team Abu Dhabi. Media support made the ships sail no faster nor the writers get any wetter while on assignment.]

President Obama creates new national park

by Kraig Becker on

President Obama created a new national park yesterday when he invoked the Antiquities Act for the first time in his presidency. The Commander in Chief used his executive powers to designate Fort Monroe, located in Hampton, Virginia, as a national monument, thereby adding it to America’s National Park System.

The region has a long and storied history, that dates back to the early 1600’s when Dutch sailors first traded slaves the Old Point Comfort Peninsula, the future home of the fort. Later, many famous Americans would spend time inside its walls, including Robert E. Lee, who oversaw construction there during the 1800’s. Edgar Allen Poe was stationed at Fort Monroe for a time, penning his famous poem “Annabel Lee” inside the fortress. Harriet Tubman worked at the fort’s hospital, and Chief Blackhawk, who fought with the British during the War of 1812, was briefly imprisoned there, as was Confederate President Jefferson Davis following the end of the Civil War.

While the fortress may have started as an outpost for the slave trade, during the Civil War it became a symbol of hope for many African Americans. In 1861, the fort was occupied by Union soldiers when three escaped slaves arrived at the gates seeking asylum. The fort’s commander, General Benjamin Butler, took them in and refused to return them to Confederate General Charles Mallory. Soon, thousands more would flock to the place, earning it the name of “Freedom’s Fortress.” Butler’s bold move marked the beginning of the end for slavery in Virgina.

The President’s proclamation not only includes the fort itself, but two miles of beachfront property and inland landscapes as well. Those environments are said to be excellent spaces for bird watching, hiking, camping and other outdoor pursuits. The newest park in the system offers both history and beauty in a single setting.

Naturally, the National Parks Conversation Association was quick to praise this move by the President, calling Fort Monroe “America’s next great urban national park.” The non-profit organization is dedicated to protecting America’s parks for future generations, and sees the inclusion of this park as a historical and economic boon to the surrounding communities.

Fort Monroe is the 396th park in the U.S. system. To find out more about the place click here.

Westport Sea2Summit adventure race allows athletes to experience the beauty of Ireland

by Jessica Festa on

Held in Westport, Ireland, the Westport Sea2Summit adventure race will take place on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The race incorporates some of the biggest thrills in Westport, including Croagh Patrick, Clew Bay, the Sheaffry Mountains, and the new greenway.

Two separate races, each with three categories, will include road running, cycling, mountain hiking, obstacle courses, and a sea run across a shore line (the maximum height of the water will be 2 feet deep). The first race is the Sea2Summit Spirit, which caters to participants who have never done an adventure race before, while the Sea2Summit Supreme gives athletes an extra challenge. The three categories for each race include Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

For more information or to sign up for the race yourself, click here.