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There are those who say they’ve traveled
the globe: New Agers who’ve
participated in yoga retreats in Goa,
jet setters who’ve red-eyed to every major
European city and Peace Corps vets who’ve lived
in yurts while teaching English in Mongolia.
They’ve certainly been around. But then there
are those who’ve really been around: the rare few
who’ve actually circled Earth. In a little more
than a year, Keith DeGreen, a nationally known
financial advisor, and the crew aboard his
Nordhavn 55 will be able to say they’ve done
it—toured the world. But for many people
acquainted with Keith and his renowned financial
advice, it will be as if he never left home.
Arizona is home for Keith, where listeners in
the Phoenix area tune in to NewsTalk 550 KFYI
each Sunday morning to hear his suggestions on
everything from Roth IRAs to stock investments
to mortgage payment plans. Though Keith won’t
be anywhere near home this year (except for the
occasional flight back to visit his family in
Scottsdale), his listeners won’t have to miss him
or his tips.
“It had always been a dream of mine to travel
by private ship around the globe,” says Keith.
“But I love to write, and I enjoy broadcasting my
radio show at KFYI—sharing investment advice
and economic and political perspectives along
the way. So, I was at the office one day when I
thought, why can’t I bring it all with me? And
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All systems must work like clockwork
because they are traveling open waters
and airwaves simultaneously.
that was the start of The Global Adventure.”
Outfitted with state-of-the art communications
systems and gear, Keith’s Nordhavn 55 is
serving as a “floating communications beacon.”
He and his crew are dedicated to exploring the
economical, political and cultural aspects as well
as investment opportunities of interesting ports
of call and reporting their discoveries through a
variety of media channels.
All of that getting around and sending
around requires some serious power. The
Nordhavn’s engines keep batteries charged while
en route, but battery juice requires a charger
when the ship takes to shore. A Charles Marine
C-Charger 80-amp Battery Charger provides
multiple-stage charging and the constant voltage
needed by most DC-powered communications
equipment. The final stage of the battery charger
puts out an important maintenance charge
when the battery is fully charged. If any equipment
continues to operate without a “trickle”
charge to the battery from the charger, it could
drain a battery.
All systems on The Global Adventure must
work like clockwork for Keith and his crew, not
only because they are traveling open waters, but
because they are traveling airwaves, as well, and
often simultaneously. “Whenever the Sunday
morning time comes up, whether in port or on
the open sea, he goes on air,” says Matt Dutile,
The Global Adventure cruises by Sokehs
Rock, also known as the “Diamond Head”
of Micronesia.
PHOTO CREDIT FOR DEPTS HERE ONLY 6 PTS DOWN FROM MARGIN AT X HEIGHT
account coordinator at Gordon C. James Public
Relations, the company that helps the crew find
contacts in each port of call and handles media
inquiries.
Keith, who recently sold his estate-planning
law firm and registered investment advisory firm
so he could plan and embark on his adventure,
made history with his first broadcast from the
Nordhavn, which took place in Mexican waters
15 miles southeast of San Diego on January 25,
2007. It was the first offshore regularly scheduled
broadcast from a private ship. Since then he’s
broadcast from places like the
Republic of Palau, Hong Kong
and on the North Pacific about
200 miles west of Pohnpei,
Micronesia.
He broadcasts from the flybridge
of the Nordhavn 55. A
Comrex Access codec converts
Keith’s analog voice signal to a
digitally encoded version that
is broadcast to a satellite via a
Fleet 77 KVH domed transmitter.
The transmitter is
mounted on a gyroscope so
it can lock onto different satellites
to produce broadcastquality
audio and video signals.
An internet frequency picks up
the signal so it can be decoded
by another Comrex codec
located at the radio station.
“It’s basically pinging digital
signals,” says Matt, “and it
comes out as if he’s right there
in the studio.”
“It’s so clear,” adds Keith, “I
sometimes wonder if people
might think I’m really still in
Phoenix and making up the
whole trip!” The website, theglobaladventure.com,
provides
evidence that they’re really out
there, cruising from port to
port. The crew updates a blog, photo gallery,
video section and message board with detailed
information on the economic and political situations
of interesting countries. Sometimes web
surfers can even chat with Keith.
Keith and the crew—which includes Captain
Wolfgang Petrasko, ship engineer Brian Wallace,
and Alida Christianson, coastal captain and the
ship’s cook—put a lot of thought into their voyage
before embarking. Their goal of not only
keeping in touch but also keeping people
informed of every detail along the way required
bringing a heap of communications equipment
onboard that would be compact enough to travel
with.
The Global Adventure has 11 fixed and two
handheld video cameras, a broadcast mixer with
studio outlets, a VHF radio, a shortwave radio
and an iridium satellite phone. All data is sent via
the KVH transmitter, which has two modes of
transmitting and receiving: ISDN and MPDS.
The first is used for broadcasting the show or
communicating by phone and the second for
sending documents or for streaming video.
With a strict broadcasting schedule and a lot
of information to transmit, The Global
Adventure crew doesn’t have time to waste waiting
for power. Luckily, if input voltage is low, an
80-amp Charles C-Charger can simultaneously
recharge and supply. The C-Charger automatically
boosts the 12V and 24V circuit to full
capacity when needed. Also, Charles battery
chargers will not cause interference with onboard
electrical equipment. No matter where Keith and
crew are, his listeners and readers are guaranteed
insightful information via his radio show and
website.
Amidst all of this high-tech equipment it is a
surprise then when Keith’s son, Sam (13), cannot
access his MySpace account while visiting
his father in Hangzhou, China. Turns out this is
not because of a technological snafu, however.
Keith writes in his blog about his son’s inability
to access his 30,000 or so cyber friends as an
example of how China’s government expects to
maintain political control over a country that
has economic freedom by limiting the flow of
non-economic information.
“How do you control the economic interests
of 1.3 billion people?” he writes in his blog. “You
don’t. John Maynard Keynes
would have loved the spirit of
enlightened self-interest that
drives the Chinese. But in
their robust growth-at-allcosts
economy (according to
the World Bank, air and water
pollution kill 750,000
Chinese each year), the freemarket
here is as much
Darwinian as Keynesian. You
see the intense competition
among the Chinese everywhere.
They are very polite to
each other, but whether competing
for a cab or a job, the
competition is beyond fierce.”
Amidst foreign policy and
foreign currency, not to mention
the breathtaking scenery
of these distant lands, Keith
still fields financial questions
from folks listening at home
or posting questions on the
website on revocable living
trusts, splitting divorce assets
and property swaps.
“He’s a financial guy,” says
Matt. “He takes the time for
everyone and he knows other
financial advisors and will
recommend someone in your
area. He really wanted to
make the trip about that. It’s not just a joyride.”
But, of course, Keith is having a blast, too.
You can’t beat taking a swim in depths of 25,000
feet of water en route to Hawaii, embarking on a
leisurely stroll through the Nan Madol ruins in
Pohnpei or engaging in a two-hour fishfight with
a 180-pound marlin caught by Captain
Wolfgang. That’s the beauty of the trip. Not only
do Keith’s listeners get uninterrupted financial
advice, but they also get a free tour of the world,
one that’s rich with knowledge of economic and
political situations to boot—and that’s true
wealth.
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