Round-the-world voyage on homemade boat
KOTA KINABALU: The pursuit of fulfilment to lead a more meaningful life led a 70-yearold man to travel across the seas in a round-the-world trip on a boat constructed of plywood by himself.
Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jonathan Selby decided the fast lane was not for him and quit the corporate lifestyle to pursue more worldly experiences.
Inspired by victims of Typhoon Haiyan, or Super Typhoon Yolanda, Jonathan answered the call to trade his material possessions for spiritual enrichment.
“It happened inadvertently,” he recalls, on his decision to sail around the world. “When I got to Tacloban in the Philippines for the relief effort after the typhoon, I saw people living on boats and it occurred to me that I didn’t need to stay in hotels. I thought that since I was there to help them, I could also build a boat and live on it.”
Jonathan says the victims of the natural disaster built the floating houses out of necessity after losing their homes to the tragedy as relief had not arrived yet.
“And so, I did the same thing to be there with them. I was inspired by them to live the same way, to associate with them and to help them,” he said, rehashing the event from three and a half years ago.
The former mechanical engineer said that, after sailing to the Philippines from Tacloban on the east side and all the way across, he decided to strike on a goal.
Once he started sailing, he says, he recalled that he had previously made his way to Israel from the other side of the globe.
From there, Jonathan got the idea to revisit the holy land, but from his current location, making a round-the-world trip.
Jonathan shared how he built his boat from scratch and the weather conditions he had endured throughout his travels.
“I bought plywood to construct the boat back when I was in Tacloban for the relief effort, and I thought then that I could probably travel in this thing.
“It didn’t have a point to it originally and it was more of a raft than a boat in the beginning before I added a little plywood house.
“Then I thought that if I put a motor on it, it might move. I started travelling soon after installing a motor engine,” he says.
Jonathan also describes how the boat used to be slightly bigger before it crashed on an island en route to Palawan from Boracay.
“My boat has been assembled and then disassembled by the elements, but essentially, it was first constructed near Tacloban. The first boat was destroyed when I was sailing from Boracay to Palawan, so this is boat number two.
“I spent about six months rebuilding after the first crash, and then I was five months into refurbishing when I put the point on it, added more aesthetics and gave it a paint job.
“In actual construction, it took me maybe a year in building time, but this is definitely an ongoing project that requires work from time to time,” he said.
After being on sea for over three years now, Jonathan admitted that he experienced two extreme weather conditions which caused considerable damage to his boat, the first to the credit of the Philippines and the second to the credit of Malaysia.
“The second worst experience I had at sea was when I wanted to get to Kudat from Banggi.
“You can go straight to Kudat from Banggi, but it’s a bit of a longer route and I always take the shortest one. So, I went to the peninsular when I arrived at the eastern Tip of Borneo, where there’s a big bay.
“The currents coming down that way were huge, and I only arrived at the Kudat marina around 11pm even though I left at daybreak, struggling all day across that ocean and braving the big waves and thunderstorms.
“I used to have a little dinghy, but it was destroyed in the event and I was dragging it in pieces by the time I got here,” he said, adding that he ended up giving away the dinghy to children in Rampayan.
In sharing his experiences from his travels, Jonathan revealed that he has had more opportunities to connect with people on a more personal level in the last few years, more than ever before.
“That life previously…I could have those amenities and comforts but they don’t mean much.
“This is adventure, and the most important thing is that I’ve had more opportunities in these three years to encourage people and inspire their faith in God than ever before in my whole life.
“That, for me, works. It has opened up opportunities to bless and encourage people. When I get replies on Facebook saying I’m a real inspiration, it means a lot to me. When I hear kids singing songs glorifying the Lord, that works too,” he says, bringing up his Facebook page (Jonathans Journey) which he uses to document his travels.
A spiritual man, Jonathan shares his belief that faith in a higher power was essential, regardless of religious practices.
“Without faith, it’s impossible to please Him. God enjoys faith and trust in Him – you trust in Him, and He wants to respond when you put your faith in Him.
“I’ve learned to have faith in God and other people should learn to make that same investment.
“When you don’t understand, you don’t know the explanation, you don’t know why something is happening, give God the benefit of the doubt,” he advises.
He says he had intended to leave for Brunei earlier this week, but recent turn of events got in the way of his plans.
“I tried to leave a few days ago. I left from this spot to sail and I’m using my little motor, but by the time I set out my main engines wouldn’t start.
“The night before, I thought of going to a nearby supermarket but eventually decided against it because I thought I would be okay.”
However, with his faith and patience, Jonathan was certain everything happened for a reason and that he was meant to be where he was.
“Since my engine couldn’t start, I ended up going to the supermarket and that’s when reporters started picking up on me.
“So I just read the signs one day at a time. I observe the people, the circumstances, everything, before I decide if it’s time to move on to the next destination.
He added that patience led him to a fellow traveller from Europe, who wished to be identified only as Charlie, who has been great company.
“I didn’t arrange for this guy (Charlie) to find me, but now he has connections in boat repair and boat building, which are things I need.
“I think I was meant to be here a minute longer to get some things done, so I just read the signs along the way,” he said.
After Brunei, Jonathan will set a course for the rest of Sabah, Indonesia, Thailand, India and Arabia, as part of his round-theworld voyage.