Ex-Team Mate near finish of solo circumnavigation

It’s like yesterday Natasza Caban and I double-handed my S&S 34 “Stray Bit” from Australia to Hawaii in the year 2000 and then raced the 2002 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race and my Mini 650 in France. Now the boat is hers and named “Tanasza Polska”.

Natasza has rounded the Cape of Good Hope and is now in Panama just a hop-skip & jump done with her solo circumnavigation from Hawaii to Hawaii. She should finish in Honolulu in the next few months. Below is an article describing her humanitarian circumnavigation...

A 32 year old female Polish sailor is currently in St. Lucia on a two fold mission: pursuing her personal dream of traveling around the world alone and doing humanitarian work at the same time.

Natasza Caban is traveling on a small boat but raising money as well to help disabled Polish children realize their own dreams and show them that there are no limits to what they can achieve once they put their minds to it. Ms Caban has already held one fund raiser in the Indian Ocean on behalf of a 15 year old disabled girl with implants in her back.

Now joining her in St Lucia for another fund-raising initiative is a disabled boy who won a singing competition in Poland.

Ms. Caban started her round the world voyage two years ago from Hawaii and arrived I St Lucia from South Africa, her last stop. From St Lucia, the only Caribbean island on her scheduled itinerary, she goes on to Panama.

She explained: “My mission is simply that I’m just following my dream and at the same time demonstrating to others that it is worth having a dream and following it. The biggest part of what I’m doing is that I’m sharing my happiness with others, which means that I’m doing charity work raising money to help children feel normal as possible.”

Ms. Caban says that although traveling alone, she has support in her native Poland where her project is well known and has attracted widespread attention. She said: “There are media people and others backing me and following my progress while I sail around the world. Taking a disabled child from Poland is a big project and there are legal and safety issues involved.

There’s no big money backing me, no big sponsorship just people who want to help. There’s a charity called Against the Odds Foundation which gives me moral support by giving me letters of credence to indicate the aim of my project and enables me to solicit help in the countries that I visit.”

Ms. Caban said her own personal dream was to travel around the world, to get to know new people and places, to learn how to sail, to achieve something, to overcome her fears. “The most beautiful thing is the people I meet along the way because I believe the world is full of good people”, she said.

Ms. Caban said she was traveling in her boat without the conveniences people normally desire. She said: “I believe if we want something we must just go out and get it. I have no refrigeration or shower or toilet on the boat.”

Asked about the risks of traveling the world alone, she replied: “We risk our lives every day and I think it’s better to go pursuing your dream rather than staying at home and wondering what could have been. I don’t have to worry about that because I am living my dream.”

Exactly why did she include St. Lucia in her itinerary, Ms. Caban explained: “Since Poland joined the European Union we began expanding our horizons and more and more Polish people are now coming to the Caribbean.

Many people told me that St. Lucia was the place I should come to. Also there is publicity which St. Lucia has attained as a result of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) race. All this helped me make up my mind that I should come to this island.”

Ms. Caban said she had been very well received in St Lucia by Rodney Bay Marina and others. The disabled child, she said, was being given free accommodation at JJ’s Paradise after being flown in from Poland to join Ms. Caban who will be meeting him for the very first time.

Rodney Bay Marina Cuthbert Didier described Ms. Caban as a very unique person doing something that’s very extraordinary. He said: “When she explained to me what she was doing, IGY Rodney Bay thought it was something we should be associated with. So we’ve given here complimentary berthing for two week stay and free water on the docks.”

Didier said he was going to make every effort to enable the visiting disabled youngster see as much of the island as possible through the St. Lucia Tourist Board.

He said Ms. Caban was already doing an amazing thing sailing alone around the world so with her interest in disabled children it was very easy to incorporate visits by some of these children to enable them to see parts of the world and so enrich their lives.

Didier added: “I would like to encourage other local businesses to support Ms. Caban on her mission. I think it’s for humanity and a reminder that we are all human and are here for a very short while and should begin with the end in mind.”

Ms. Caban is exceptionally thankful to the support of the St Lucia community which has so far responded so generously to her charity.

She singled out the Rodney Bay Marina, the Eastern Caribbean Diving Company, and JJ Paradise Hotel at Marigot for special mention in the execution of her charity project.

To learn more see her website: www.nataszacaban.com