[NOMADE DES MERS] New-York: last stop before returning to France!
Date of publication: 10th september 2021
Writers: Caroline Pultz and Corentin de Chatelperron
Place: New-York, United States
As all good things must come to an end, New York will be the boat’s last stop before returning to France after 5 years of low-tech explorations around the world. Emotions!
But before returning home, we decided, at a time when the planet has gone code red according to the IPCC report, to study the low-tech innovations found in cities, especially in a megalopolis as vast and varied as New York City. What’s more, the city that never sleeps is located right next to the factory of geniuses, MIT, a breeding ground for high-tech inventions par excellence. Our curiosity is in full swing!
During these two summer months, the Nomade des Mers has not been idle… After Cuba, we made a stopover in Florida at West Palm Beach, then Norfolk in the state of Virginia, before reaching the Statue of Liberty.
A look back at the crossing of the American East Coast
We arrived on American soil on the 4th of July, the day of the US Independence celebration! Fireworks along the beach, crowded bars, West Palm Beach welcomes us with open arms. The abundance of the world’s leading economic power can be felt. A lively downtown, an open-air cinema, food galore, the city seems to sparkle with a thousand lights every evening. But as far as low-tech is concerned, we are still hungry. The contrast with our previous stopover in Cuba is radical.
Anchored next to the megayachts, we felt a bit alone in our quest for low-tech. Until Benjamin came along. He recognized the Nomade des Mers and has been following our low-tech experiments from his home in Florida since the Tara Tari adventure! Thank you to him for welcoming us and guiding us on the next stage of our itinerary!
Once the supplies are done, we unfurl the sails towards the North. 5 days of sailing at full speed thanks to the Gulf Stream. We docked in Norfolk, the largest naval air base in the world. Gigantic liners arrive en masse in this giant city. The “American size” roads are impassable by bike. Luckily, Mat, a low-tech enthusiast, helps us to look for repair materials and food for the boat. Thanks to him!
In Norfolk we bring Michael on board, a DIY enthusiast from Brooklyn. We will sail together for 5 days to reach the Statue of Liberty. During these 5 days between sky and sea, Michael helps us to repair the 20W wind turbine, to replace the trampolines at the front of the boat, to build storage boxes for our tools, to paint some extensions of the pedal-powered-machines, and to do the night watches to watch the boat. Thanks to him for these few days spent together!
On the 23rd of July, we managed to anchor behind the Statue of Liberty in time for the sunset. The view was magnificent, the Manhattan towers lit up with a thousand lights, Michael pointed out the Empire State Building and the vision of the famous King Kong appeared. For Corentin and me, it’s our first visit to New York. We know that this forest of ultra high-tech buildings hides some low-tech nuggets!
Climate Week in New York #
We welcome Jackson from Ohio, Kesley from Pennsylvania and Yolanda from New York. Thanks to their help we are preparing the boat for our open boat tour!
We are happy to announce our next events in September here in New York as part of the Climate Week: two open days on board the Nomade des Mers on 15 and 25 September in order to showcase more than 25 low-tech discoveries made during the last 5 years of explorations around the world!
Feel free to share without moderation!
The boat is almost ready, Sidonie our camerawoman and Guénolé our coordinator arrive fresh from France. In the coming weeks, we will be shooting our last series of tutorial videos!
