A short post to keep you up to date. Once got back to Italy, I’ve been immediately recovered to Venice hospital where I stayed for 18 days. Now I live in my parents’ house to continue the medical treatment.

The pneumonia has nearly gone but I’m still very weak. Unfortunately my immune system is now at very low levels: I’ve lost 13 kilos and my muscles have disappeared.

I’ll need a long time to fully recover so I don’t think I’ll be fit enough to continue the voyage this summer. I had to surrender to a tiny being that changed a lot my life. The days in hospital gave me the time to think.

In the beginning I lived this illness as a curse: Then I understood that, as usual, nothing happens by chance. I undertook this adventure in an akward psychophysical situation: Bad weather, unfit diet and worries did the rest, so I got sick.

Now, along with all the team, I’ll try to fine tune the organization of the journey for next year. In the wake of that, I’d love to travel around Italy an abroad to tell about this first part of the adventure, so meaningful and rich of encounters. Helped by Paolo Muran (the producer of the documentary) and Nicola Pittarello (the director) I’ll mount part of the movie and show it. The beautiful pictures taken by Massimo Di Nonno and Michele Spiller will also contribute to tell our journey along the Thames.

First of all, I’ll take care of getting fit as never before.

Clodia is still moored in Ramsgate: My dear friend Harry, who lives in Withstable, will take care of it.

I wish to thank the Director and all the staff from the Ramsgate Port, and David, Peter, Ian in particular.

They’ve been close friends and didn’t ask for any fee for mooring more than one month. Think that we were planning to stop there for two days at the most…

Life is so full of surprises. Thanks to all of our partners: With their materials we have experienced the perfection of Clodia, from mattresses to solar panels, from sails to nautical wood. Thanks from the deepest of my heart.

Thanks to Eden Exit, they did a wonderful job, Emanuele, Matteo, Claudio, and Ivor for the translations.

The mast and the boom were made very quickly and wonderfully by Nicolò Zen and his girlfriend Diana. Thank you my friends.

Armando Rossato and Franchino worked to make our life easiear. And Carlo took wonderful pictures.

Francesca, we loved you. Nicola Zago, Nicola Baggio, you were the beginning. I will never thank you enought.

Thanks to Marco Scurati, Sandro Soramaè, Pati De Ross. Without you things would have been different.

The Circolo Velico Casanova, Mr. Rallo and Mr. Bruson, the Canottieri Giudecca in Venice, Mario Brunello,all the staff of Caterpillar, Michael Kierkegaard, Michele Raunich, Andrea Tagliapietra, Tito from Campalto, for the drysuites and the life jackets, Mr Sacchetto for the boom tent.. And so many more that I will take time to remember all of them!

A special mention goes to Ali and Anne who took care of me for nearly a month, in London. Thanks also to Roland Poltock who built the boat, to Silvio Lago with him and to all the Lago’s staff that made Clodia possible. Thanks to Jacopo who saved my life in the first place.

The second saviours are Venice Hospital doctors: Thanks Doctor Rosini. And thanks to all the people who gave us hospitality, support, help, such as Patricia and Iain in Ramsgate, Lena and Bob in Faversham, Earl, John and Harry in Withstable and many more that I’ll thank very soon.

And  all my gratitude to the Erith Yacht Club, the Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club, and all the wonderful persons who helped us in such a generous way.

Now I have to stop, but the journey goes on.

Giacomo De Stefano

 
From the team: after two nights aboard Clodia under a thunderstorm, Giacomo had a relapse. The doctors suggested him to get back to Italy for a couple of weeks, since resting seems not to be enough of a cure.

He will shortly be in Venice to undertake a therapy that should allow him to continue his voyage.

In the meantime Jacopo, who was working in a farm in Southern France, waiting for Giacomo to get better, has decided to walk his way back to Venice along the following itinerary: Grigioni region up to Tirano, Tonale pass, Val di Non, Val di Fiemme, Val di Fassa, Val Badia, Agordo, Belluno, Venezia.

He wants to thank al the people who helped hin in the last month: Francesca and Ben, Gerard and Costant, Serge and Patricia Desboulles from the Tejuliande farm, their son Laurent, Marion, little Celia, Stephanie and her partner Mickey, their daughter Emile and all friends from Sant Nicolas de la Grave. He also thanks Edy, her husband and their daughter Alice, Emma and the town of Savognin, Don Antonio, Don Matteo all the boys from Tonale school camp.

 
I know that you all are tired and annoyed by this long stop, as well as me, thinking that’s all ended: Be patient, please.

I’m recovering, I’m almost ready. I wish to leave on Friday to Ramsgate at first and then to Dover where I’m awaited by the Channel crossing, at last.

 
I feel down for this unexpected situation and I can’t wait to get moving once again, although Ali and Anne are wonderful friends and here I’m taken care of as a king.

They healed my body and my soul.

These days in London, despite recovering, have been intense. I also participated to a protest rally, in the anniversary of past year’s elections, against the anti-democratic dictatorship in Iran that is causing deaths and sufferings.

The western governments seem to look at Iran through George Bush’s eyes: A country to be wiped, controlled and exploited.

But Iran is not just corrupted and greedy governants: It’s lived by millions of wonderful people, looking for peace. Radar, satellites and television are not the right way to understand a country, we need to look deeper.

The embargo will be a failure that will make even richer who is already wealthy. Free Iran.

A few days ago, in Lewisham, in a small creek I spotted a trout.

The salmonides, whom trouts belong, are indicators of clean waters because they don’t adapt to pollution.

I was touched. Just under the jammed city traffic I could see the simplicity an purity of nature that always does the right thing if we don’t tamper it.

 
My dear friend and guru Marco Scurati moved me a deserved cricitism: I rarely talk about environment. It’s true and I apologize, but here it all seems so well protected that I forget the problem. I tried to talk about many environmental organization but I had no luck so far.

In the meantime I’m also gathering lots of links of interesting websites related to our project. I had to put aside the website for a while because I receive tons of e-mails and answering is a full time job! Not to mention that I was very tired. I try to communicate what I see and feel but unfortunately, even by using videos, it’s impossible to transfer the most of it: It’s just too much.

The core of communication happens here, in the different places and locations, meeting people: It’s still the best way.

The website anticipates what I wish to do in the real world: Bring the boat around Italy and Europe and, from the water (rivers, pools, lakes, creeks, any water place) tell my story, get people aboard, show as I lived and what I have seen by showing the wonderful videos of Nicola Pittarello and the beautiful shots of Massimo Di Nonno or Michele Spiller (and any other).
 
Both a real world and virtual show, a sort of “social poetry” as Beuys said, where participation is the essential part of the communication.
 
Somebody wrote that we’re “Gesamtkunstwerk” (see 70,8% and Doryman), which means Total Artwork (Richard Wagner, forgive us).

It sounds bombastic but I believe it’s true

Bye

PS: The Un Altro Po website is now up and running once again at www.unaltropo.wordpress.com, where you can find all information about the trip that I undertook in 2008 along Italy’s longest river, aboard a boat like Clodia.

I’m quickly getting better.

Apparently, the virus that attacked me could have been waiting within my body for a very long time.

The worst time, according to Doctors, was about a month ago and I barely noticed it. I now realize that, although not feeling well, in the excitement of sailing I didn’t care much.

 
Sometimes I couldn’t stand up but it was just a temporary feeling.

In short: The infection has gone and so has the virus, the inflammation is now under control and oxygen is now happily running again in my lungs and in my brain.

Dr Dennis Malamis from Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Margate told me that I now need to recover my physical conditions and this could take from one to three weeks. I set my goal on the shortest option and I’m already exercising, as long as my lungs support me.

 
Jacopo is now working in Southern France: Well’ get together as soon as I’ll be fit to set sails once more. Clodia swings in Ramsgate, protected in a safe harbour.

I thank from the deepest of my hearth Dr Dennis Malamis for his professionalism and care, Penelope Wells for her kindness and her smile, and all the woderful staff of the hospital that has helped me so much.

 

 
I’m now in Ali and Anne’ place in London, surrounded by a nice garden and watched by two nice cats.

During this forced waiting, I’m working on the return trip from Istanbul that I wish to be at zero impact and condider an opportunity to communicate along the rivers with meeting, slide shows, etc.

Any idea is welcome: Nothing is wasted.

Navigare necesse est.
 
 
 

I’m in Ramsgate, the north sea looks magnificent today.

I feel very much down because of what’s happening, but happy to learn that even now, this voyage is a powerful generator of life.

Since leaving London I felt strange pains to my left lung and breathing was problematic.

In the last two weeks, in Faversham, this got worse and I often could not even walk without having to stop to recover my breath.

Sometimes I had to lay down.

When arrived in Ramsgate things worsened dramatically. After two nights of strong wind and much noise due to the Dynamo Day event, the pain became unbearable and breathing very hard indeed. My brain could not get enough oxygen and even simple actions like walking became an adventure.

Jacopo took me to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Margate: there I’ve been analysed, x-rayed, scanned and examined in record time, by lovely people displaying great professionalism, kindness and humanity.

At the beginning they feared a pulmonary embolism, then further exams disclosed a virus that has settled in my lungs and in my brain. Never mind the brain, but the lungs are far more simple and genuine, built to perform a simple but essential task.

I’m now under antibiotic and cortisone, trying to rest. My energy is low but I often get out to see the Channel waiting for me, and Clodia impatient to set sails again.

I hope to get better in about ten days, maybe less. Once the inflammation disappears I should be able to breath normally. Cortisone does some magic.

I must say that I usually never use medicines, opting for natural way of treatment. However this time I faced two alternatives:
A – try to transform into an anaerobic being
B – six month of natural therapy.

I’m sorry to feed my body with antibiotic and cortisone, even a slow-traveling project, but timing is now important. I hope you may understand that this slow down, appearing as an annoyance, became to me a great enrichment. As Aeschylus wrote in his extraordinary tragedy, the Agamemnon, “the pain of grief brings wisdom and experience”.

The anxiety, the people following this voyage, all those asking why we don’t keep going, Jacopo frustrated by this forced waiting: They all put lots of pressure on me.

The weather, the events, my health, the promises not kept by others, the slow downs: Everything plotted to take me to this point and learn that this was the only way.

I could have been in a very akward situation, would things have developed differently.

We’ll cross the Channel along with sombody that we’ll find here or in Dover, regardless of any support boat. Sailors already annoyed me: Often so arrogant and incapable of any solidarity. Conrad is turning over in his grave.

So weird: In so much water I missed air.

A big hug and a huge thank to everyone for your support.
 

 

 

After so many days of waiting and silence, at last we set off again! We are hailed by the brightest sun, that makes the sea look like a mirror.

Our destination for the day is Ramsgate, not a long distance overall. It seems too easy…

Just after coasting the city of Margate we are waited by an unwanted surprise: The wind suddenly turns from 10 to 20 knot speed, changing direction, and the stream draw us in open sea, toward Norway.

What I call the “English Heel” is a place feared even by the most experienced sailors. We are approaching a cape and pheraps it wants to remind us who is in charge here!

We see in the distance two-metres waves building a wall of water, we find shallows coming out of nowhere, seals sunbathing, whirlwinds and strong streams. Not a pleasant sailing indeed!

Though as blue as the Mediterranean, the North Sea is far more scary, so we decide to turn back, heading to Margate for the night.

Margate has been one of the favorite seasides of Londoners for over 250 years.

From the sixties on, the reduction of domestic tourism brought to Margate many people that felt outcast in London: Nowadays this town is a place both of troubles and rebirth, and home of so many artists.

 

 
The next morning our journey restarts.

We are just 7,6 miles away from Ramsgate and with a fantastic sailing we reach our destination in less than two hours.

Here we are greeted by the Royal Temple Yacht Club, founded in 1857, and by the kindness of its Commodore, Mr Mike Brand.

 
Ramsgate is both nordic light and mediterranean warmth: Hooked to the white cliffs, it resembles an extended Potala. The city is full of strange faces, bizarre people and seamen: A richness that will soon come back.

The North Sea is now out of our way, thank God.

We are about to leave both the UK and Kent, “The Garden of England”.

Next week, on Dynamo Day, we’ll get to France, unless the weather says “no” once again, of course…

 
 
 
 
Our photographer and friend Massimo Di Nonno has published on his website many beautiful and bizarre picture of us: Check out the gallery.