June 20, 2010
Welcome home party at Pier 66 Maritime
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Foot of West 26th Street & Hudson River

From the NY Times:

ABOARD THE ANNE, off New Jersey — After 1,152 days meandering the world’s oceans on a 70-foot schooner he built himself, Reid Stowe plans to sail into New York on Thursday afternoon and claim the record for the longest sea voyage in history — eclipsing a century-old record by almost three months. But it is not ending exactly as planned.

When the journey of the Anne began in April 2007, there were two travelers intent on staying out of sight of land for a thousand days. Mr. Stowe, 55, a veteran sailor, was with Soanya Ahmad, 23, a recent City College graduate who had never been at sea. She did fine at first, but was forced to leave after 10 months when she felt overcome by seasickness — which turned out not to be seasickness.

Ms. Ahmad transferred to a local yacht near the Australian coast and returned home to Jamaica, Queens, to deliver their son, Darshen, now 23 months. Mr. Stowe went on sailing alone. When he pulled into New York Habor and moored off Sandy Hook on Wednesday afternoon, he said it was his first glimpse of land in more than two years.

“The first people I’ve seen in years!” he shouted happily, as a boat carrying a United States Customs officer and half a dozen other people approached his schooner. It looked much the worse for wear; he did not.

“I was never lonely once in the whole voyage,” he said, once he had welcomed aboard his first visitors. “Being alone in the wildness and beauty of nature is an enlightening experience.”

During the voyage, he spent much of his time sewing torn sails and performing other maintenance, like repairing the bowsprit after a collision with a freighter. He sustained himself with regular yoga and mediation, subsisting on rainwater, fish and sprouts grown on the boat, along with beans, cheese, oatmeal, pasta and rice.

“I’ve still got enough food left for another year,” he said, inviting his guests to a meal of dried dates, nuts and Parmesan cheese that tasted remarkably good after three years at sea.

from CNN:

Adventurer Reid Stowe is due to set foot on dry land Thursday for the first time in over three years.

It will mark the end of the longest non-stop voyage in history, says the U.S. sailor, who claims to have broken five world records, which he is waiting for confirmation on from the Guinness Book of World Records.

Stowe, 55, has a 21-month-old son he has never met, by 23-year-old Soanya Ahmad who accompanied him on the voyage for 10 months. Stowe and Ahmad set off in April 2007, after 20 years' preparation, when he set sail from New York on a schooner he built.

With a hull stuffed full of food, large tarps to catch rainwater, solar panels for energy, a laptop and a satellite phone, Stowe began a journey that has lasted 1,152 days -- without once returning to land or stocking up on new supplies.

In a satellite interview with CNN, Stowe, talked about surviving at sea and said the only reason he's returning is to be with his family.

CNN: How did you prepare?

RS: I've really been preparing all my life. When I was a teenager, I sailed alone in the South Pacific. Then I built my first boat when I was 20 -- a catamaran with no motor, radio signal or electronics. With a Dutch friend, we sailed it over four continents by ourselves.

Since then I've been on numerous expeditions all over the world. But experience isn't the only important thing -- I built [the boat] so I know every inch inside out, and this gives me a tremendous intuition when I'm sailing her.

CNN: What is your daily routine?

RS: I spend the first half of the day working on the boat. There's always something that needs repairing, cleaning or adjusting. One leak left unattended or too many torn sails and you could suddenly be in serious trouble.

I trained as an artist and sculptor, so after lunch I spend a lot of time painting. In the evening, I meditate and practice yoga for a few hours before dinner.

I drink a lot of water and tea before bed -- so that I wake up every so often in the night to check everything's OK. And then it's morning again. And this is my routine and I've kept it very closely and very exactly.

CNN: Do you manage to sustain a healthy diet?

RS: I have a fantastic diet. I have huge sacks of rice, beans and pasta. I've tons of nuts that I roast myself, and nearly every day I eat fish -- mostly delicious tuna or mahi-mahi.

I used to have a garden -- I grew everything from lettuce to tomatoes, to mustard greens -- until my boat was turned upside down off the Cape Horn and all the earth got dumped out.

The absolute key to my diet, the real secret to what has kept me going all these years, is sprouts. It gives you way more fresh food and grows much faster anyway.