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Eric Blackburn is well known in British Columbia, Canada as an adventurer
who is sailing his 30-foot sloop, Chickadee, around the world.
A former coal miner who grew tired of life in the pit, Eric traveled
extensively in his 20’s. As a child he lived with his family in
the Andes Mountains of Peru and the deserts of Iran. Among other things,
Eric worked as a deck hand aboard a yacht that sailed from Australia across
the Indian Ocean to Africa. His passion for the sea was ignited. During
this voyage, his encounters with under-privileged children in the developing
world – who pestered him for Canadian pins made him resolve to do
two things: build a boat, see the world, and spread good will along the
way.
Returning to his native East Kootenays, in Canada’s Rocky Mountains,
Eric went back to work in the coalmines and oilrigs of Northern BC. He
soon began to build a nine meter steel sloop. The boat was trucked to
Vancouver where it was Christened “Chickadee” Spirit of the
Kootenays andwith much publicity in 1991. In 1995, Chickadee set sail
with no engine or modern navigation equipment. The boat was tough enough
to withstand the rigors of the open ocean.
After stops in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, Eric eventually
made his way to San Juan Del Sur, a coastal community of Nicaragua. It
was here that his life would change forever. He found himself working
on a rain-forest reforestation project. Shortly afterwards in the wake
of Hurricane Mitch, he spearheaded the Cranbrook Community Relief Effort
which resulted in a 40 foot container of food and supplies being shipped
to Nicaragua.
In 1999, he was approached by the remote village of Cangrejo to help
build an elementary school. He also worked with fellow cruisers and soon
an initiative was launched to begin the first computer college in San
Juan Del Sur.
Since that time Eric has remained in Southern Nicaragua where he lives
with his wife Rosio and their three children. When not changing diapers,
Eric can be found on the water cruising Central America aboard S/V Chickadee
“Spirit of the Kootenays”.
E-mail: eblackb@earthlink.net
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