Musicians travel to Europe? - May 2013

[bramblemusic]

Hello all on Cruiser Log!
We are Bramble, a group of musicians and merrymakers based in the US, and we dream of embarking on the journey of a lifetime!

Things you should know about us:
We are adventurous, tenacious, we dream unconventionally, and we dream big!
We play danceable folk, roots, soul, gypsy, and many other types of music, all on acoustic instruments, and we all sing!
We are not only musicians, but also avid bicyclists!

Our dream, in short:
1) To earn passage by seafaring vessel(s) from the East Coast of the United States, over to Europe, with our instruments and bicycles, by offering manual labor and/or performance for crew and/or guests.
2) To then tour, by bicycle, self-supported, around many European countries. With our instruments in tow, on our bikes, we look to perform on stages and street corners alike, and spread our infectious attitude of positivity, of unconditionally giving back what we can to the abundant universe that gives so much to us already!

How you may be involved:
If you are wanting to travel, or are already planning to travel on a craft to Europe, from the US, in the spring of 2013, you would have, at your service, a handful (4-6) of eager, joyful, and hardworking crew members (ages 21-29), learned in the following abbreviated list of skills:
sailing, cooking, cleaning, heavy-lifting, and, of course, entertainment!
We are not just looking for a "free ride" either. Our monetary contribution may not be commercially worthy, but it would also not be our only contribution!

We believe our dream to be low-carbon-footprint-impact, "green", if you will, due to its extremely low purchase and use of petroleum, and its high use of human muscle power! We believe it also to be inspirational to others, and, with your potential help, completely attainable!

We plan to document our adventure by pen and video, and create a film which we would subsequently submit to film festivals worldwide, because we consider our dream to be unique and inspiring! If our dream comes true, we could easily help inspire hundreds of not thousands of others around the world to more fervently pursue their own dreams, especially those dreams that create a less toxic and more nourishing impact on the world as we know it, and therefore help make the world we live in a more positive place!

If you feel moved to offer help, words of advice, of encouragement, or anything else, please respond to this thread, and spread word of it where you can. We look to set sail in May of 2013. We are inspired people, and we hope you feel inspired by our proposal. Days of high adventure await us, make no mistake!

To learn more about us, our group, our past bicycling tours, and to listen to some of our music, please visit Bramble Music.com
Thank you for reading!
Appreciatively yours,
Bramble

[Coyote]

I don't think a band along with instruments and bikes will fit on too many cruising yachts.

Perhaps a shipping container and coach airfare would be the lowest carbon impact you could have other than remaining on the continent you are on and biking from there.

If you are serious about low carbon, you can bike from the U.S. through Canada, Mexico, and central and south America. There is plenty to see and plenty of people to entertain without crossing oceans.

If you really want Europe, an airplane is the most efficient means of travel. They sell bikes in Europe, too, without the added carbon overhead of transatlantic transportation. I suspect most of your instruments are checkable.

What you are doing sounds like a lot of fun and if you are hard enough and want it enough, there is nothing there that should be outside your abilities.

Good luck and check in with stories of your adventures from time to time.

[Auzzee]

Coyote makes good sense.

As he implies, the size of accommodations on a cruising yacht are finite. Mine is a comfortable 37 footer. At a pinch I could take an extra couple with harmonicas or flutes, but no bikes, cellos, or tubas.

Given that several yachts may be needed to transport both bodies and gear, there is the added problem of arrival dates which between any two yachts may vary by up to a year. The logistics may turn the dream into a nightmare.

I would do as Coyote says regarding air travel...or, you might try to impress the Shell Company or some similar organisation which sails tankers across oceans. Large diesel powered behemoths also have another benefit. They can sail contrary to the winds..that is, from the eastern US coast to the UK which for a small sailing boat makes for neither an easy nor comfortable trip.

The choice for many wanting to sail from say Boston to London, would be to take the scenic route via Australia over a two or three year period.

Best of luck anyway. It sounds as though you have a great adventure ahead and we would love to hear regular updates.