Thursday, February 26, 2009

this is your captain speaking

Hi shipmates,

This is your captain speaking... fasten your seatbelts....we are about to depart on a fantastic journey. The crew list is nearly complete, a bunch of you are arriving in April, let the work begin.

Confirmed members of the team so far are: Clemens, Stephanie, Tara, Ruben, Yang, Karrie, Randy, Philip, Gavin, Selim, Thomas, Lana, Kaelin, Jack

Would each of you please join the blog and write a little introduction about yourselves for the rest and post it to the google group we created?

www.groups.google.com/group/infinity-sea-tribe

This group is intended to be a way for us to communicate without having to send everything to everyone individually. You all can add your comments, research results or ideas.

Using this blog we will keep you updated on how things are on the ship and how the progress goes.

Things are getting busy for us.

We have many preperations to do for:

the website, the ship and the project

Infinity crew look forward to meeting you soon and to welcoming you aboard the ship. Clemens, Stephanie, Tara, Ruben and Yang are already on Infinity busy with starting Infinity’s new website, www.infinityseatribe.com, initiating fundraising and sponsorship ideas, planning our expedition and preparing the boat for this great journey.

Please be so kind to let us know if ever your plans change since there are many demands from potential crew members who would love to join.

You will find below useful information needed when packing your suitcase and preparing for the journey:

Passport and Visas:

Passport: Please note that you must have a valid passport for at least 2 years after arrival on the ship (for example, Marshall Islands requires 1 year after entry).

Thank you very much in advance for sending us your passport number and expiry date and scan a copy of it.

Visas:

So far our research on visa requirements made us decide to send a written application for all of us together from Singapore for visasto the following countries:

Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. We are still checking if we can all just go to the American embassy in Singapore to do the same for the needed American visa

Travel insurance and Health

Please make sure you have the right medical and travel insurance.

Your travel insurance should cover accidents and rescue.

Infinity is well equipped with first aid kit, various medecine, suture and injection kit if needed. However, please bring your own if you have special requirements.

What should you bring along ?

- Bring your own bed sheets and towels, reef shoes, fins, mask, snorkel (of course you can also buy it here in Thailand).

- Please don’t bring a hard suitcase, storing it is difficult.

- We will do surfing, bring your board if you want to go out surfing

- Infinity has both European plugs (220 v) and American style plug (110 v). Please bring your own plug adaptators if you come with different equippment.

- Diving gear: bring you own if you want to dive: (BCD, regulator, fins, mask, snorkel ..). Infinity is equipped with tanks, weights and compressor. If you want to dive aboard Infinity, you must have at least an Open Water Diving certificate.

- Any yummy food or specialities from your own region you would like to share with us!

Project related:

- Infinity has a large library (mostly English books), book donations are very appreciated especially if related to the project (ie: theater, dance, music, south pacific islands...) but it can also be any other interesting books (earth and nature, sealife, astronomy, great accomplishments of all times..).

- We will bring cinema to some islands visited. Please bring any planet earth/nature and environment/south pacific related movies that you feel are adequate for the Sea Dance Festival. Also, any beautiful dance or theater or whatever other great movies you have in your collection.

Your contribution

As we anticipate you joining us, we also are excited for your contributions to Infinity’s voyage!

Attached below is a list of the many tasks and areas of responsibility that Infinity crew will be working on over the next weeks and months. Please take a moment to review the list and consider the various ways you may be of assistance - based on both your experience and your interest in learning new areas!

We also encourage you to add your own thoughts and input to the project. Are we missing something? Do you have ideas for prospective partners and/or sponsors? Any rich aunts/ uncles; friends, connections or former business partners who may want to contribute to or sponsor our adventure?

We look forward to your thoughts, input and help with this expedition!

This is a list of items we still need for the project, our “WISH LIST”:

Digital Film Camera, recording device for interviews, mobile cinema (projector), disco lights, under water camera….

Area of responsabilities:

NOTE: Each of these "responsibilities" ... while being overseen (managed) by one individual, will be collaborative efforts, usually including several other members of the crew.

· Artistic director: Theatre Workshop & Production - developing skits to be performed along the way, workshops.

· Dance = Sea Dance Festival - performance director ... also learn styles of dance along the journey ;

· Digitial Video Production - includes directing, audio, camera, editing ;

· Expedition Coordinator, including: Voyage/Itinerary planning, Visa/bureaucratic concerns, Resources (ports, provisioning, fueling), Contacts in each area for cultural exchange, Cultural research, Potential partner organizations in areas visited.

· Environmental Research, including current conditions in areas to be visited; Potential partner organizations in areas to be visited; Macro conditions (Global Warming, Pollution, Over-fishing, etc...) affecting areas to be visited.

· Galley and Food supply manager (Kitchen - Inventory and Meal Planning)

· House Manager - Overseeing everything concerned with maintaining a harmonious atmosphere and living space on the boat, incl. cleanlyness level.

· Engineer / Mechanic / Handy-man - Overseeing all things mechanical.

· Bosun, overseeing rigging, tools etc.

· Small boat manager (2 dinghies and outboard engines)

· Nurse / Medical - Making sure the medical kit is up-to-date... performing small tasks like appendectomies at sea with a butter knife.

· Exercise coach (health issues, exercise, yoga, balanced diet)

· Kid's Teacher - home-schooling: "it takes a village" :P., classes for the kids includes (not limited to...) basics of Math/Reading/Writing/Sciences ... Art, Music, Culture...

· Dive-Master - overseeing all things to do with diving - locations, supplies...

· Web-Site design and maintainance

· Web-Site writer / editor and coordinator of Blog / Web content.

· Marketing / Outreach / Fundraising coordinator - including PR work

If you feel a calling to any or many of the above areas, please let the rest of us know and share your inspiration

See you very soon. Don’t hesitate to call us at: +66 836346124.

Very best regards,

Infinity crew

Welcome to Infinity Sea Tribe

Dear crew mates,

We have created this blog to keep you posted about our progress in preparing for the exciting expedition to the last unspoiled islands of the Pacific.

Please feel free to exchange your ideas with us.

See you on board soon!