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Comox-based adventurers planning Mediterranean expedition

Sitting in their living room playing with their baby son Leif, Colin and Julie Angus talk enthusiastically about their coming adventures.
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Colin and Julie Angus are planning another adventure

Sitting in their living room playing with their baby son Leif, Colin and Julie Angus talk enthusiastically about their coming adventures.

It's going to be a busy summer for the Comox-based adventurers and best-selling authors, who are planning a five-month journey with Leif through the Mediterranean and who are also readying for two attempts by Colin to break paddling records.

As they look ahead, they are also looking back at one of Colin's exciting trips and will wrap up a speaking tour showcasing his Amazon River expedition this Saturday in Courtenay.

The presentation — their sixth and final stop on their tour — looks back on the five-month expedition when Colin and his teammates, Ben Kozel of Australia and Scott Borthwick of South Africa, were the first to raft the Amazon River and third to navigate its length by any means.

Colin did the Amazon expedition in 1999-00, and he has enjoyed reliving the adventure through these presentations.

"Even though it's dramatic, and you've had all these crazy experiences, a lot slips through your mind," he said. "It's fun to go through. The Amazon was a pretty amazing personal experience to be able to see one of the most beautiful parts of South America."

The presentation will be held Saturday from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $12 in advance — online at www.angusadventures.com or at Blue Heron Books or Valhalla Pure Outfitters — or $14 at the door.

This show is raising funds for Colin and Julie's next expedition, Olive Odyssey.

Beginning this August, Julie and Colin will voyage in a small sailboat from Spain to Syria to research the olive industry and history.

They will be accompanied by a new crew member, Leif, who will be 10 months old when they begin the journey.

Their route will parallel the trading corridors of the Phoenicians, who are thought to have been responsible for dispersing the domestic olive tree from its Middle Eastern origins.

The journey will end at Julie's family olive farm in Syria, also the region where the olive tree was first cultivated.

The inspiration for Olive Odyssey came during the Anguses' last trip from Scotland to Syria, which was the subject of their book and film, Rowed Trip.

Julie's family has an olive farm in Syria, and the domesticated olive tree originated not far from her family's farm.

"We just became intrigued with the olive tree," said Julie. "Historically, it has such significance. It's in the Bible, it's in the Quran (Islamic holy book)..."

Most olive trees are grown in the Mediterranean region, and the Anguses decided they wanted to learn more about the olive tree and explore that region.

"It mostly grows within 100 miles of the Mediterranean," said Julie. "We decided travelling by sailboat would be best. We chose the route travelled by the ancient Phoenicians, the earliest seafarers, who were instrumental in spreading the olive tree."

The olive has arguably had more impact on the developing world than any fruit out there, said Colin, noting that everything from the first lamps in the Mediterranean used olive oil, and olive oil was historically used as lubrication in ships.

There are many interesting historical aspects of the Olive Odyssey, but for Julie, it's also a very personal expedition.

"It has so much personal significance, this journey," she said. "It's something that's interesting from a broader perspective but also a personal one."

The odyssey will end at Julie's family's olive farm, where she and Colin will help with the olive harvest.

"It's a big part of their livelihood and passes from generation to generation," said Julie. "It's part of who they are."

The Anguses are a little concerned about the fact that there is so much unrest in that area, but they are hoping it will settle down.

They plan to begin the journey Aug. 1, and they expect the whole trip to take about four months.

Colin and Julie are excited to take Leif, who will celebrate his first birthday on the sailboat, with them on the journey.

"It's certainly a new dynamic," said Colin. "There's a lot of things to think about, especially with safety. That's why we've chosen to sail with a little bigger boat. It's exciting from the standpoint that we've done all these expeditions ourselves, and he's got the fresh new eyes of a baby. He's a curious little guy."

It's also exciting to be able to continue these adventures as a family, noted Julie.

Julie will write a book about the Olive Odyssey, which will come out in the fall of 2012, and they will film a documentary about the journey as well.

Before they leave for the Mediterranean, Colin plans to try to break two paddling records.

He will attempt to break the Vancouver Island circumnavigation record by rowboat in late June, weather permitting.

It has traditionally always been kayaks that have circumnavigated the Island, and last summer, Joe O'Blenis of Thunder Bay broke the record in 16 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes.

Colin will be using the same rowboat he used during Rowed Trip.

Colin will also try to beat the 24-hour flatwater paddling record, covering the greatest distance travelled in a human-powered craft.

The record is held by Greg Kolodziejzyk of Calgary, who used a pedal-powered boat and covered 245 kilometres in 24 hours, which is just over 10 kilometres an hour.

To learn more about their adventures, visit www.angusadventures.com.

writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com