How far can you go in one year?

Photos courtesy of Mike Horn and the Pangaea Expedition

It has been just over one year since my last encounter with the Pangaea. I met Mike Horn and his crew onboard the Pangaea in Seattle last summer shortly after our adventure in the South China Sea together (the chronicles of that trip are here and here). Now, by example of what can be accomplished in a year, consider for a moment that the Pangaea has traveled up and down both coasts of the USA, picked through the ice of northwest passage, wound their way through the islands of the Caribbean and sailed up the Amazon River before arriving here, not far from the birthplace of the Pangaea in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This distance is equivalent to sailing twice around the globe! Click through some of the photos above for a fast tour.

But what happens onboard and underway on the Pangea is much more than just these traveling these massive stretches of ocean miles. It is the action, education and this crew’s commitment to the idea of changing things on our planet for the better. Before I left on this trip, I posted about commitment and Mike’s example with the Pangaea. Mike’s expedition is educating youth and sending them to the front lines to make an impact on some of the ecological imbalances on our planet. It was this vision and total a commitment to this dream that manifested the Pangaea Expedition.

It was from just near here (in Guaruja grabbing some weak wifi in a canal where we are re-fueling for the Pangaea’s trans-atlantic crossing) 4 years ago in Sao Paulo that Mike created his own shipyard, hired workers from the favelas, purchased and hauled (by his own hand) the aluminum for the hull, and willed his dream of the Pangaea into reality and watched the 95-meter hull first touch the water not far from where I am writing this post.

Now, with 6 months left in the 4-year Pangaea expedition, the miles in the wake of this boat are mind-boggling. She has seen more than 140,000 miles, (10 Atlantic crossings and 2 Pacific crossings), Mike and his crew have educated more than 200 kids in the Young Explorers Program from ages 14-21 years old. These YEPs, as they are called, hail from 96 different countries and 6 continents in every corner of the world. Now, these environmental ambassadors, carry the message of sustainability back to their individual communities with the vivid stories that can only come from experiencing the planet’s most remote places in person. It is a powerful strategy that is working to create real action across the globe.

So after clicking through some of the photos above, ask yourself, What can you accomplish in just one year? The Pangaea is a great example of what is possible. There is no good reason to wait. Start today.