Raft to china ??

The "old Boat"---

Neutrino Sutra

Related to this story, last year the Chinese did build a simple ship from wood and bamboo-an historic recreation and sailed here to visit the west coast and Mexico-to prove it is possible and to show that Chinese likely have arrived by ship in Mexico prior to Spain-the boat was destroyed on its return and they were rescued.

Very impressive footage! How lucky you were to be invited aboard. The skipper speaks English well. Did you learn that beer drinking song?

What a shame they didn't quite make it all the way home. They are very lucky they survived. Did they round Cabo and go over to the mainland? Did they stop off in Cabo or go up into the SOC?

I had a friend in Sausalito in the 1960s who had a teak wood Chinese Junk and he lived aboard. The whole time I knew him there he never took it out. It was permanently docked there in the yacht harbor; not down in Gate 5 where all the houseboats were/are. I got to go aboard several times.

The Utube videos were sad to watch.

Quote:

Originally posted by toneart Quote: Originally posted by gnukid The ship is the Princess Tai Ping. I met them at their arrival, I read about their projected sunrise arrival so I loaded a backpack with beer and ice, (before sunrise ahem) and met them as they arrived. They asked me to join them and what fun! I eventually separated and they left to return and I got a call from them while I was at the bar at Mallarmo in GN where they explained they were rescued on the return and were safe. Not sure that its interesting to anyone, but after they crashed they lost much of their photos and video, mine were the few to exist and my videos too, so the Chinese Government gave me a commendation and asked me for the originals and wrote to thank me, then they deleted the scenes with me drinking beer with them at sunrise. jajaja But I saved a copy and here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfpdWlcwcm4 It has been announced they were hit by a ship 30 miles from their destination, here are videos of their rescue. http://yachtpals.com/princess-taiping-4150 Very impressive footage! How lucky you were to be invited aboard. The skipper speaks English well. Did you learn that beer drinking song? What a shame they didn't quite make it all the way home. They are very lucky they survived. Did they round Cabo and go over to the mainland? Did they stop off in Cabo or go up into the SOC? I had a friend in Sausalito in the 1960s who had a teak wood Chinese Junk and he lived aboard. The whole time I knew him there he never took it out. It was permanently docked there in the yacht harbor; not down in Gate 5 where all the houseboats were/are. I got to go aboard several times. The Utube videos were sad to watch.

Ni hau ma?

The Princess Tai Ping went a few hundred miles south of the border into Baja Mexico and then headed to Hawaii then to China.

Yes I learned the song well, Kom Pui! and I learned some Chinese because we speak chinese on board. I learned that the Chinese are our brothers and sisters who share the Pacific. We are very similar, much more so than you would think-we share latitude, climate, entrepreneurial and pioneering spirit. Clearly we know the Chinese had an impact on Baja as you can see so much Chinese influence and history going back more than 500 hundred years.

When the crew called me, while I sat at Mallarmo Bar having margaritas through our flu masks jaja, they were very sad and they said they failed. But I reminded the captain they succeeded, they survived, they showed it's possible certainly, they led a cultural exchange. And they got even more press by getting hit by a tanker. Now they have a reason to build another boat. All of which shows that the chinese certainly visited the west coast and Baja in these traditional exploring junks.

The junk you mention is still in Sausilito and beautiful. I am sure I have pics too, its owned by a beautiful and fantastic woman whom I met once...

Crossing bows with the Potomac


Point is people do build rafts of found objects and sail across oceans. There are many stories, some make it and some don't but it still an adventure.

More contact info

Princess Taiping Expedition
Skipper : Nelson Liu
Manager of overseas Section : Angela Chao
Tel : + 886-919576938 (Taiwan ROC )
Please view our website : www.chinesevoyage.com
e-mail : chaoangela@gmail.com


[Edited on 7-15-2009 by gnukid]

David, found a pic and it's sent to you

Again !!!

Beercan's photo

And how do you think the Chinese that built the transcontinental railroad got to California?

You launch a Junk from Shanghai with 2 months of food and water.

Even without sails the N Pacific currents will take you Monterrey Bay (in about two months)

It dosent really work to go the other way (west) unless you head all the way to Chile first.

[Edited on 7-18-2009 by Bwana_John]

Regarding Beercan's photo, that looks like many of the houseboats that were in Gate 5, the south end of Sausalito, CA. I had one in those days. (1960s-70s)