Photo: © Media Drum World

Issue 19 features

We, the Voyagers

 In the Santa Cruz Islands, a group of Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, a population keeps alive ancient voyaging traditions and practices. Thanks in part to the work of an American anthropologist, this ancestral knowledge has not been lost.

 Pedalling Between Islands and Volcanoes

 Earth, fire, air, water. Seven islands, four elements, one way to experience them together. Cycling in the Canary Islands, from Lanzarote to El Hierro, along lunar routes. A suspended time, when the rhythm of your legs pumping the pedals blends with the rushing rhythm of the Atlantic.

 Wild Liguria

 An old handbook to inspire a dream, an inflatable canoe to set off in, and a sleeping bag to keep the adventure going after dark.

 Talk to Me

 Whales communicate with each other, and maybe they want to communicate with us. We met with David Gruber, the scientist leading the most advanced project to understand sperm whale communication. By combining advanced machine learning, state-of-the-art robotics and a multidisciplinary approach, deciphering their clicks has never been closer.

 In the Footsteps of Joshua Slocum

 One day, a Canadian writer took his bike, load it with the necessities - a surfboard - and set off on a journey to the childhood island of the first solo circumnavigator. Completely alone, in search of waves and clues to the mysterious end of his personal idol.

 Nave Palinuro

 Masts, spars, ratlines, shrouds, cage sails, square topsails: what make a ship a sailing vessel are the rigging and the fittings, but what bring it all to life are the men and women who make it sail. It’s still true today as it was 90 years ago. Fair winds, Palinuro!

 What is Surfing?

 Beyond the standards of the world Championship Tour, beyond the postcard images, beyond the stereotypes of the good surfer, out there on the ocean waves, surfing is more than just a board. It is a thrill that keeps breaking its own mold.

Sea, Happiness, and Fear

 At sea we experience a whirlwind of emotions which is difficult to face alone, even for an accomplished swimmer. Exhilaration, fear, joy. Life, death, and therefore life. Rather than searching only within ourselves, we can share the effort and look into the lives and words of others.

Gente di Mare Award #2

 Master, Adventurer, Storyteller, Defender: four categories to tell the story of our relationship with the sea as we chase the ever-changing waves and currents.

And the winner is…