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ou may remember Bernie Harberts from past voyages. In 2003, he finished a solo circumnavigation in Oriental – the same port where he began his voyage 5 years earlier. Then he sold his boat and traveled from Oriental to San Diego – by mule. In between trips Bernie spends quite a bit of time in Oriental. He does some writing for TownDock.net… and he plans his future adventures.

One is about to start. In a few days Bernie begins another voyage – with a piece of Oriental in his pocket.

This time Bernie is heading to Tasmania.

We had to ask Bernie to point out where Tasmania is. (Christain Harberts photo)

Tasmania is an Ireland-sized island off Australia’s southern coast. The last time he traveled to Australia it took him 4 years (at sailboat speed). This time he intends to fly to Hobart, Tasmania. That’s as far as this plan goes… you might say it is a plan not to have a plan. “I know I’m going to travel about Tasmania – I just don’t know how yet. I may travel by boat, horse – camel if I can find one” Bernie says. The island is about 200 miles across.

Bernie is a dedicated traveler – he circumnavigated onboard this 35’ steel cutter. (Deni McIntyre photo)

Underway Harberts plans to discover and report on things unique to the southern hemisphere – from Tasmanian tigers and devils to whether the moon really looks “upside down” to visitors from the northern hemisphere.

We’re kinda curious if water really does run down the drain the opposite way. An investigative report may be coming.

As in voyages past, he plans to start his next voyage with a piece of Oriental.

While traveling around the world on his 34-foot steel Colvin cutter “Sea Bird” he carried a fossil. “It came out of Paul Welles’ boat storage area” he says, referring to the area in Triton Yacht’s boat storage area where he prepared for his voyage. The fossil, one of a clam, came out of the crushed marl Welles uses for gravel.

On his 13-month mule voyage from Oriental to San Diego, he carried “a tiny vial of aluminum-tasting whiskey” sourced in Oriental. He began his latest voyage, a year-long wagon voyage from Canada to Mexico, by pouring some water from the Oriental harbor into an abandoned root cellar in Neptune, Saskatchewan.

Bernie and mule Woody in 2004 – just in front of Oriental’s Town Dock. From there, they walked to San Diego.

So what Oriental talisman does he plan to carry to Oriental? “I’m taking another fossil” he says. Before departing Oriental, he visited Triton Yachts to pick up a calcified clam. Once in Tasmania, he plans to throw it into the Southern Ocean so “Neptune will smile on my journey”.

Bernie funds his travels through writing and book sales. He is offering readers of his RiverEarth.com website the opportunity to receive a postcard, complete with Australian stamp, straight from his Tasmanian voyage. He plans to return to Oriental in May 2011.

Related Links:

• RiverEarth.com
Bernie posts about his adventures at RiverEarth.com

Posted Thursday October 28, 2010 by Bernie Harberts