TOPtoTOP expedition reports

Donation of Sika - Styrr - Li Peh

Ban Koh Adang School Koh Li Peh Island

Note: Enjoy the 5 Episodes of the TOPtoTOP Award 2010 in Switzerland filmed by Zofie and Jacqui for the International Channel Shanghai (edited by Zofie).

Styrr and Pachamama

Just at Xmas day we finished the "Sika work". We put the new Sunware solar panels and repaired the wood in the cockpit and many small repairs more...

Sika Thailand

Many thanks go to all the staff of Sika Thailand for offering their products so we were able to do the repairs. Kurt Diggelmann from the Sika Head Quarter in Switzerland was of excellent help advising us with the right products and procedures. Caen, Pom and Ken were of great help with their professional skills and Luzius from Bucher&Walt for organizing the gliders for our mainsail.

Caen, Pom, Ken

Here some pictures of the work:
- Sika delivery
- big mess in the boat with a lot of tools, panels etc.
- taking of the wood and start building up the deck structure again
- installing a electrical toilet pump as a present for pregnant Sabine
- gluing the new Sunware panels on deck
- rekorking the wood with Sikaflex
- putting filler and painting the deck

Many thanks also to Martin and Therese from SY Styrr for their hospitality for hosting Sabine and the kids on their beautiful boat while the work on Pachamama was in progress. Their daughter Ann became a good friend of Salina, Andri and Noe.

Now we are all happy to have a "new" Pachamama with new panels and new logos from UNEP, Switzerland, SGS and Victorinox on deck produced by the Sarganserlaender Printing Company.

In the evening we celebrated Xmas on Pachamama and the next day with many more children on SY Styrr together with our old friends from New Zealand Arne, Kati, Lenard and Emily and our new volunteers Eliane and Johannes from Switzerland.

Xmas songs on SY Styrr

Soon after on the way South Hildegard joined us for 2 days and goes to donate a Kayak to TOPtoTOP. New Year we celebrated on Koh Rok Nok Island where Hildegard had a long journey back to the main land. In the evening Sabine and Dario presented the traditional New Year's sketch:

walking to the school on Koh Li Peh Island

Between Xmas and New Year we were again active cleaning and visiting schools. Walter Rupp, the father of my best climbing friend Aischan, told me already before the Expedition of "his island" Koh Li Peh. So we were very keen to sail there and visit the only school on the island: Experience the view of Ban Koh Adang School Students! There are 253 students who can enjoy that view every day..

We did a presentation in front of 40 students and teacher Ree was translating.

Johannes and Eliane were presenting the moped show Annemarie produced last year. The students were fascinated.

We also did a workshop and a cleanup game on the island. We were amazed how many plastic bottles the students collected at the beach. They were all so great and therefore everybody got a prize donated by Presence Switzerland.

Koh Li Peh has many more tourists today compared to the time when Walter Rupp visited it the first time. Means they have to deal with environmental problems that come along when there are too many. The locals try their best to protect their land against investors from outside and to implement solar technologies and recycling facilities. Many fishermen use their beautiful long tail fishing boats during the tourist season as water taxis.

solar plant powering the school

recycling facility

Report by Eliane and Johannes:
We (Eliane & Johannes) joined the crew in Phuket. We left Phuket after suoopting Dario to finish the work, he has started weeks ago.

Our first clean-up we did on Koh Phanak Island. Unbelievable how many tourists came to this beautiful place only for an hour visit? It was great to stay overnight. So we were able to go into the lagoon (known locally as hong) which lies hidden inside the island, accessible only through a tunnel. Sadly we saw no gibbons inside, but it was exciting anyway. The next morning we cleaned up the small beach, with the help of many kids. The Kids are always very enthusiastic, when the clean-up is organized as a competition.

Ann

Then we sailed to Koh Rok Nok, a very beautiful snorkeling-spot. But when we arrived on the beach, we saw plastic everywhere and even a broken toilet was lying behind the beach where the vegetation starts. By the help of some locals we cleaned up a part of the beach, but that was only a drop in the ocean. At least TOPtoTOP was able to clean one stretch more on this remote island.

After an amazing snorkeling, we tried to keep the boat free of shells to gain speed:

A Happy New Year to all out there!

Note:
- TOPtoTOP member Debbie was writing about her environmental progress in China:
"As for my TOPtoTOP events, I have given 5 presentations in my university and 1 presentation in Shanghai volunteer group. I am planning to set up a group for 'collecting recyclable wastes in the campus' first in my university. ... All the best wishes, I have read your reports on Indian schools, I am so touched by your great deed! It's you and Sabine always gives me strength and courage on the way to protect the environment..."
- TOPtoTOP member and Sydney to Hobart Race helmsman Bill Dobson was writing us a lovely email we like to share:
"Happy New Year to the whole Schwoerer family.
Congratulations on the new crew member soon to join you (although he/she already has!!). Your website is simply amazing. Your adventures and expedition just keep on getting better and more spectacular; - you have had a wonderful influence on so many people, especially children, which is so important for the future of the world.
Salina, Andri, and Noe' are having a life-experience that is unique. It will be interesting to see what they all do when they are adults.
We often think of you, especially when we look at the photos when we first met in the Tuamotus - so much has happened since then, especially in your lives...
You are always in our hearts, and we will follow your journey with great interest and well wishes."

- TOPtoTOP member Matteo Miceli was writing that he starts sailing with his Hobby Cat crossing the Atlantic on the 10th of January for a new record. We wish him all the best! He sailed together with Bill in the Sydney to Hobart Race and joined the expedition in Southeast Asia and cycling to the Himalayas.

Royal Langkawi International Regatta

Pachamama with the new SGS and Victorinox logo on the deck sides

Schooling with teacher Eliane and Johannes on the passage to Malaysia. We made landfall in Talaga, Langkawi and met Elisabeth from SY Baloo. Baloo we met the first time in Gomera, Canarian Islands in 2003. Since then we are always in contact with our close friends Elisabeth and Gerhard.

The TOPtoTOP Expedition Boat Pachamama started on the 11th of January as the only boat from Switzerland to the 9th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2011 with race number 058 and sail number SUI 1.

The objective is to promote renewable technologies and give our supporters the chance to experience an international regatta. Here the press release of the TOPtoTOP participation in the Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2011.

After the regatta we haul out Pachamama on Rebak Island, Malaysia and do the antifouling together with our volunteers Eliane and Johannes. Meanwhile Sabine will go to Singapore for a heart ultrasound to control Noé's Kawasaki disease. - See his condition now! - This will be necessary for one year in a specialist hospital, but luckily the gaps between the controls getting bigger and bigger. As soon as we have Noé's result we can do the detailed planning for 2011:
It's not easy ... if you go towards Denali in Alaska you have to deal with typhoons in the Chinese Sea. If you cross the North Indian Ocean towards Kilimanjaro in Africa, you have to avoid the pirates in front of Somalia, if you stay South you may experience some nasty waves rounding Cape of Good Hope ... and on top of that all, we have to find a safe harbor and good hospital to give birth to our new crew in May. We asked the US army hospital on Diego Garcia Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but got a negative respond...but no worries we will find the best place for the new baby...another challenge in the TOPtoTOP expedition. Please pray that we make the right decision again.

News: Follow TOPtoTOP member Matteo Miceli during his sailing world record over the Atlantic Ocean on a small catamaran.

Please do not forget to inscribe for Kilimanjaro, if you are interested to participate!

Here our new contact numbers in Malaysia:
+60 (0) 103 88 07 27 (Dario) and +60 (0) 104 92 65 42 (Sabine)

Pachamama ready to start at the International Regatta at the Royal Langkawi Yachtclub