The great adventure is here!
This is an extreme journey combining history and motorization: Willys MB 1943, manufactured in the United States and imported to Poland, returns home, thanks to the dedicated and heerroic work of a team of daredevils.
There are about 24,000 kilometers to conquer, without a ferry or a plane, in a route going through Europe and Asia. A glimmer of hope lies in the brave group that will use Willys’ own wheels to cross the Bering Strait, connecting the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, about 85 km wide and 36 to 70 m deep, just to get to the coast of Alaska.
After 6 months and 24,000 kilometers, Willys will end its journey at home in New York.
No one has managed to achieve such a feat before us. We will be publishing updates, photos and reports on a daily basis up to the project completion.
“Everyone knows that something cannot be done until there is one who does not know it cannot be done, and he does it.” A. Einstein
STAGES
ROUTES AND DATES
BALTIC CHALLENGE
May/June 2019
– Warsaw (Poland) – official test of Willys MB 43 water-crossing Vistula;
– Ystad (Sweden) – arrival to the place where the test for “Baltic Challenge” begins;
– Ystad (Sweden) – Kołobrzeg (Poland) – crossing the Baltic Sea (distance of around 100 km) by Willys MB 43.
TOUR EUROPE
May/June 2019
Transit through the countries of Central and Western Europe promoting the sponsoring companies and the “Willys Go Home” project.
Sweden (Malmo) – Denmark (Copenhagen) – Germany (Hamburg) – Netherlands (Amsterdam)– Belgium (Antwerp) – England (London) – France (Caen, Omaha, Paris) – Switzerland (Geneva) – Italy (Rome, Monte Casino) – Hungary (Budapest) – Slovakia (Bratislava) – Czech Republic (Prague)
Duration of the trip: 2 months.
We will start from Poland. Then, we will visit Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic – the countries where we will present the ideas behind the travel ad well as the business partners that support our initiative. Promotion of the project during the demonstration of Willys’ capabilities – in these countries, we will participate with local TV stations and media.
WILLYS GO HOME
Duration of the trip: 9 months
Poland – Russia (Moscow – Baikal – Yakutsk – Tomtor – Chukotka) – the United States of America
The route will be divided into 3 stages with 2 longer several months’ breaks. We will invite people who are interested in the travel and want to be a part of this adventure to participate in these stages.
Stage 1: Poland – Lithuania – Latvia – Russia (Moscow, Omsk, Abakan, Baikal) (E1)
Start – September
During the trip, we will visit the places inhabited by the families of the Siberian Polonia. Break 1: Baikal – Chukotka (P1)
Between stages 1 and 2 we plan:
– travels in search of the Siberian wildlife,
– fishing in Lake Baikal,
– hot air balloon flight over Baikal and near its area.
Stage 2: Baikal – Yakutsk – Mirny – Yakutsk – Tomtor – Chukotka (E2)
Winter – route:
1) from Baikal to Yakutsk, we plan to cover the last part of the route by crossing the frozen Lena river,
2) travel to the Mirny diamond mine*
*the crater with the depth of 520 m and the diameter of 1200 m – we plan the hot air balloon flight from there,
3) arriving in Tomtor through Yakutsk
Tomtor – a place which constitutes the Pole of Cold of the Northern Hemisphere, with the lowest recorded temperature of -72°C.
4) Tomtor – Chukotka
Due to the problems with the roads in the taiga, specifically, their lack in the eastern part of Russia from Tomtor in the direction of Chukotka and the Arctic Circle, we will cover the route in winter by using periodic roads and ice roads.
Break 2: Chukotka – Alaska (P2)
Due to the harsh sea conditions in the area of the Bering Strait and the planned sea crossing by Willys, we plan a break that will last at least until the spring period.
In the meantime, we plan:
– the organization of the travels in the footsteps of bears,
– the participation in fishing,
– the organization of hot air balloon flights.
Stage 3: Chukotka – Alaska – Canada – New York (E3) (planned)
Date: spring/summer.
At this stage we plan to get Willys and the hot air balloon from Chukotka to Alaska on our own.
During the completion of this stage, we would like to:
– visit gold mines in Alaska,
– participate in the convention of the fans of Willys called “Willys Jamboree”, organized within the territory of the USA,
– engage in other activities (development of the program in progress).
