by Steph Jeavons
In March 2014 I started my journey around the world on my Honda motorcycle Rhonda. My mission was to cover seven continents and 42 countries in two years, avoiding all motorways and main roads, and living in a tent. All I took with me were the things I could carry on my bike and my daily budget for food and drink was £5.
The prospect of the journey was intimidating, but it was something I felt I had to do and I was confident that with the help of my Honda CRF250L motorcycle, it would be achievable.
When I last spoke to Dream, I was travelling through Kuala Lumpur, and since then I have been to Sumatra, Java and Australia before riding through Argentina and Chile to Ushuaia. From South America I wanted to get to Antarctica, and achieving that was a dream come true…
Lowering Rhonda in to a tiny Zodiac was a nerve-racking moment
Life on board
To get Rhonda to Antarctica we put her on the deck of a 60ft yacht to cross the Drake Passage (the body of water between South America and Antarctica) and I was a little worried about it as she was going to be open to the seawater and cold. As a precaution I covered her in WD40 and wrapped her in cling film before strapping her down, and I also took the battery out and taped up the air filter.
The Drake is known for its rage and I have never sailed before so it was a little nerve-racking. There were eight of us on board for three weeks, and only half of us had sailing experience so we had to learn quickly! When we reached our destination I unwrapped Rhonda and washed her down. She started first time – no problem after three weeks at sea! I was very impressed.
During our trip we stayed on board, and life was very chilled at first, but with about five days to go we had quite a few problems with changing weather and anchorage issues. We ran aground several times and were also hit by icebergs and had to take it in turns to be on watch 24/7. Antarctica’s climate and landscape certainly demands to be respected.
Motorcycle on ice
Getting Rhonda onto land in Antarctica was such a big goal and she has done amazingly well. I still can’t believe what we went through to achieve that – we angled her over ice water and lowered her into a tiny Zodiac as we balanced her in the centre and navigated through icebergs to get ashore. If she had gone in the water there would have been no coming back. If any of us had fallen in we would have had just minutes before it became life-threatening.
We landed the bike twice. Once at Paradise Harbour and once at a Ukrainian base called Vernadsky which is home to 12 men; scientists collecting data. Both were very special moments – seeing the motorcycle conquer terrain that goes beyond what it was designed for. By the second landing I wasn’t quite so nervous. Having winched her onto the jetty, I jumped on Rhonda and rode up the wooden walkway where we had to get her through a narrow passage between the deep snow and the side of a building.
Getting Rhonda onto the ice in Antarctica was a dream come true
It was icy and very narrow but with a little engine and a lot of brute force, between us we got her through. On the other side was a pile of rocks which was easy to ride over and then more snow and a frozen stream which we got over without any trouble. The bike wasn’t gripping at all so it was just a case of pushing and shoving her up the hill. It was great fun.
One of the scientists was into Motocross back home and had been really keen to meet Rhonda. He was so happy to have a bike on his ‘island’ and so I suggested he ride her back. When he got off he came running over and shook my hand. “I am so excited my legs are shaking,” he said. I laughed and told him “I know the feeling!”
Steph’s Honda motorcycle proves it can handle any terrain
An awe-inspiring landscape
The wildlife in Antarctica was amazing and I will never forget the icebergs on a sunny day; they glisten in the water with a blue that cannot be replicated. It took my breath away. Sailing through them silently was awesome as well, but my favourite part was getting up close and personal in a kayak.
We spent time at different anchorages and visited various places. We whale-watched, kayaked and went ashore to visit various penguin colonies. We even managed a couple of parties with the Chilean Navy/Airforce and the Ukrainian scientists; gin tastes even better with 5000-year-old ice cubes.
Steph’s motorcycle Rhonda has proved a trusty companion around the world
A dream come true
Before my journey, lots of people told me it wouldn’t be possible to get the bike onto the ice in Antarctica, but that just made the challenge all the more inviting. It was an amazing feeling to set out to do something and achieve it.
More importantly, it was wonderful to have my travelling companion with me. I sometimes sat on Rhonda when she was on the bow of the boat and we rode the waves together. It really was priceless!
I guess you have to be a biker to understand!
