Reaction to the Crossing has been unexpectedly strong in Latin America. In Venezuela, on the resort island of Margarita, a crowd of over 40,000 who were attending a Quiksilver surf contest, went wild at the Crossing arrival, which had been getting TV and newspaper coverage for several days before. "When we pulled up at the beach, hundreds of people rushed out into the water towards the boat," said Captain Bill Kaczmarek. "I had to pull back out into deep water to keep from possibly getting over-run by the crowd."

Throngs of beach-goers stood in line for hours to get autographed copies of the Explorations magazine signed by Latin American surf stars. The surfers, who were passengers on this leg of the trip, included Venezuelan Magnum Martinez, David Dias, and dreadlock-headed Gilbert Brown.

"It was like Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglasias and Ziggy Marley showed up," continued Kazmeryck. "We must have used up 2500 magazines and everybody on the beach was reading them."

In Panama, the Crossing turned into a sensation. At the press conference over 150 media turned out, some from as far away as Argentina. With Quiksilver President Bernard Mariette, and world champions Tom Carroll and Peter Townend in attendance, the coverage was non-stop for more than two weeks. Every major television channel, radio station, newspaper and magazine produced stories in news, lifestyle, science, business, sports, entertainment, and fashion segments, running in prime time and on the front pages.

Going through the Panama Canal was an experience in itself. The 75 foot Indies Trader had to share the locks with a massive freighter more than two soccer fields in size, and some eight stories high. "It was the most amazing adventure," claims two-time world champ Tom Carroll, who was a passenger through the Canal. "The scale is just beyond your imagination. It's spectacular." Crossing arriving in Panama.

Since traversing from the Atlantic to the Pacific is commonly called "the crossing," this trip was promptly dubbed "the crossing of the Crossing."

Arriving on the Pacific, the boat anchored at Flamenco Island, an impressive new marina where it was visible to thousands of young beach-goers who packed the clubs and restaurants above the dock.

"I think every person in Panama knows about the Crossing," says Patrick Castegnet, one of Panama's top surfers, who organized a highly successful Crossing trip that included all of Panama's past and present national champions. "We had posters in every store, nightclub and surf shop. All the young people were at Flamenco, plus there was so much media coverage."

One of the highlights of the trip so far was a personal reception from the President of Panama held at her 18th century Presidential Palace, where she shared a secret surf spot with the Quiksilver President Bernard Mariette, Tom Carroll, and Crossing Director Jim Kempton.

"She was speaking in Spanish, and she began telling us about when she was a little girl, how her family would have their vacations at this secluded beach house where the waves got really big," explains Kempton. "When I translated that to the guys Tom jumps up, sits down next to her and asks her for a map." The President obliged, marking an X on the spot which was later confirmed to be an unexplored area of great surf potential.