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La Mondiale World Record Crew Blogs
World Record Atlantic Ocean Crossing East to West in 33 days, 7 hours, 30 minutes
Mike's Blog
23.11.07 | The Time Draws Near
This is the opening salvo from me as my thoughts and feelings are hopefully conveyed via this blog for eternity!
After many months of training, or what I thought was training, you come to realise that nothing can prepare you for the trip ahead. At the moment as I sit behind my desk in a nice warm office it is hard to comprehend what lies ahead, though our sea trial down the North Sea was an eye opener. The big difference is that my “pen pushing” fingers seem to have hardened somewhat, and the blisters are disappearing!
I am praying that the seat covers and padding, myself and Julian are working on, do actually work as the buttocks seem to be the most sensitive and injury prone parts of the Ocean Rower's body.
Gradually, my kit list is coming together, but the weight limit of 10kg certainly focuses the mind. This coming weekend, after a punishing 3 hour row on the concept 2 ergo machine, we intend to load the boat with the 1500 meals, ready for shipment early next week.
The sponsorship forms have now all been sent to customers from work, and parents of Wymondham College, and hopefully this will generate a great deal of interest and money in my chosen charity, Multiple Sclerosis. To all those who read this and have donated either to me personally, or to the MS Society, I thank you so much for your generosity.
27.11.07 | “Anxious” says it all!!
Having spent all night Monday repacking the boat in Lowestoft, and then being asked by Leven to arrange our medical kit and a new laptop!, it's been sooooo busy with so much to do, that training has taken a back seat! ouch,
Starting to wake up in the middle of the night now, thinking about the challenge, and it's starting to dawn on me that this is gonna hurt! Time is passing quickly, and we are all venturing into the unknown. Let's just hope the Atlantic is kind to us.
07.12.07 | Gran Canaria at last
Apologies for the site being down the last week, but we are now up and running. After some late packing, I arrived on Tuesday afternoon, after a stop over with Pete in Dublin, where we were shown the delights of Uncle Arthur…took a while before realising this was a tour of the establishments selling Guinness.
Puerto De Mogan is a delightful fishing village..very relaxed but only for a day!! The boat arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and it was suddenly all hands to the deck trying to get her ready for the water. Being of a non technical nature, myself and Julian had the pleasure of scrubbing her bottom and generally washing her down after a filthy journey down from Lowestoft. That finished, it was then necessary to give her a further coat of anti fouling, not without difficulties as a large gash had appeared where she lay on the frame.
Today, she is in the water!! Ray and Leven attending to the more techincal stuff, whilst it's left for me to do this blog!!
Hopefully I will download some photos tomorrow, assuming I can work out how to! lol
Message to Brendan and Georgina..luv you lots and hope you have found the site!!
08.12.07 | Gran Canaria..the plot thickens
Well, after a lot of a disaster yesterday when the hull suffered some damage whilst on its cradle, and then the rudder was damaged whilst recovering the boat, today has been brilliant. There has been a hive of activity around the boat.
Myself, Julian, Ollie and Yvette went on a mission to get food for the boat…nuts, raisins and chocolate. After clearing out the first supermarket, we moved on to the next one and promptly cleared that out too! Back at the boat, all the food was then double packed into 500 meal bags, the idea being each crew member gets one bag per day consisting of 3 main meals, and the nibbles. In other words, if you eat it all at the start, tough!
Later all this food should be stored in the water tight compartments ready for the off.
Have been watching the Woodvale race with interest, and sorry to see the Oyster Shack challenge to the record also abandoned due to injury. Makes you realise what a dangerous place it is out there.
Great to see the comments from Brendan and Mike Barnwell…Mike, you are right, I do look so much younger than Julian!! Oh, and Bren, teach your sister how to plot the map!!
OK that's it for today, everybody fighting to use this computer now so time is limited. Love to all at home.
10.12.07 | Launched!
At last she is coming together! We all met down at the quay for an 8am start this morning, and she was launched and towed to her mooring shortly afterwards.
Today was mainly a cleaning day…everything bar the food, which was finally finished and stored in the hull, came off, including all the bedding and the boat was methodically cleaned. Not only that but whilst Ray and Liam were busy putting the sleeves on the oars, myself and Julian started putting up small netting “puches” (24 in all) in the cabins for storing all our personal items. Alas, there are 14 of us, so not enough for everyone to have 2!!…still that's a problem for the kapitan!
Weather on deck today was 32.5C, so it was essential to have a late morning dip in our rooftop pool. Even better news…the apartment was cleaned. Phew, as Lamyai arrives today. What with myself, Liam, Olly and Julian in one apartment, it was a disgusting tip, but now Lamyai will be really impressed.
Thanks for all the letters of support from everyone. To James. I understand the Oyster Shack suffered a knee injury to one of the crew, but they are now going to leave on the 15th at the same time as us, but now only with 5 crew.
It was also great to hear both from David Howlett - hope you can meet up in Barbados Dave between 15th and 30th Jan!!, - and also Jennette and Harry in New Zealand. can't publish your comments J, but a great read, and even now am singing the lyrics.
And finally to Georgina…if you can find London on the map, you should be able to track us.
thanks for all the texts from everyone, especially TG…it's great to hear from everyone.
to be continued!
12.12.07 | The Wind blows In
More work on the boat yesterday, finishing off putting the netting up, bottle holders screwed down, individually marked and a visit from the ORCA crew. Sadly their boat is still in Customs but great to meet the guys we will be rowing across the Atlantic with. Had a nice chat with Roy in the pub afterwards and it will be really interesting to see how they fare, being a lot less protected from the elements than our old lady!!
A nice peaceful start to the day today, with finishing off some small jobs such as names on the “elastic” pouches, corking off some nasty bolts protruding through the cabin roof etc. Then the wind arrived, howling through the port! Talking to the waiter in the Irish bar, he was a bit concerned, as the direction was from Africa, and the last time this happened a sand storm arrived a few hours later, plus it got to 50C. at the moment, although warm, there is no sign of sand just yet, but heh, those few hours aren’t over yet. As a consequence, the sea trials have been cancelled, though there is talk of a skeleton crew nipping out into the bay to finalise the oars.
Sleeping quarters have been assigned, and I have been allocated the forward cabin…that’s the one with the en-suite, the personal maid service and satellite tv!! I wish. Leven has allocated 6 to the front and 8 to the stern so I am thinking this could be a good move, though the bow is the first part to crash down a wave. But with only 3 in the cabin at any one time, and with the wind blowing from the east straight into the cabin, this could be a good move. I´ll let you know on this when we arrive in Barbados.
Rest of today is planned to write some personal letters, something i haven’t done for years now we have the internet.
thanks again Bren for the joke and Georgie for your comments..it is so nice to hear from the family. Also to Lisa on facebook. after many distant years, great to hear from you again.
Last mention to Gerald Nunn, one of my customers who popped out yesterday for a week. Hope you can give us a good send off on Saturday!
14.12.07 | The last supper, before we eat ORCA!
Well, the last few days have been their usual busy selves, but the boat is just about there! Noodles went on today, to be consumed with the copious amounts of fish we will catch! ..if only!
The wind died down enough yesterday to allow us to briefly try out the oars on the sea trial, and practise the man over board drill. Poor PJ dived into the sea, awaiting the shout of man overboard…we did consider leaving him but I guess eventually, before hypothermia set in, we decided to throw him a lifebelt, and turn the boat around before pulling him in. I´d love to say it was a textbook operation, but what with Rienhardt suffering from sea sickness in the forward cabin, and Stu being sick over the side…oh, and we used the outboard (is that cheating??), …well, at least we got him on board.
From a personal point of view, I (we) had put too much padding on the seat, which made the rowing position too high, so that's all been amended now. Think that means we´ve got rid of it, and it's gonna hurt the buttox!
In approximately 15 mins, we are all meeting at Negres restaurant for the last supper…all friends, family and crew, roughly 35 of us,- the last time to sample fresh meat!…unless of course rations don't survive and we turn to plan B, taken from the film “Alive”
Midday and the team had a briefing from Leven, Ray, Liam and Charlie covering everything from capsize drill, manning the liferaft to personal hygiene!. Poor Pete apologised for the forthcoming grief he´s going to give us, then promptly burst into tears! Still, it is getting an emotional time now, as the enormity of what we are undertaking is hitting home. You try to relax, but the appetite is starting to go, the adrenalin is starting to pump, and to be honest, I wish we could leave as soon as possible. This is supposed to be tomorrow between 12 and 2. Normality will only probably be maintained once the support boat with friends and family have left, and we are left with ORCA trailing in our wake! lol
Talking of ORCA, it was great to see her being assembled at long last on the quay this afternoon, but I hope the guys can make it to the start line in time. It will be a magnificent spectacle, so guys, speed up and work late tonight! La Mondiale is ready…well almost. Early start tomorrow just to finish off some netting!
as always, great to get the comments, and so I´d best make comments on a few of them. To Georgie, I think Ray can now just about remember his girlfriend's name..Emily! What is so scary though is he´s starting to get broody..been seen walking around town with babies strapped to his chest etc.
Bren, keep plotting and I´ll see the school report soon. Chris h…let's just see how fast your motorbike is!. And as for Jeckells, er, yes, Chris, thanks for the informative email..glad to see the car gets you in the mood.
The next blog we should be out to sea chasing the Woodvale crowd.. the speed on the sea trials was fantastic though sworn to secrecy at moment! Now off for sirlion steak and sturgeon!
16.12.07 | The First Day
After an absolutely fabulous send off with a large crowd, jazz band etc, I think it is fair to say that all the crew wore sunshades, if only to hide their tears! It was very emotional and will be a lasting memory for all of us. The sight of La Mondiale and ORCA side by side, with crowds each side of the harbour was magnificent. Let's hope the welcome is even better in Barbados.
The boats lined up at 1pm local time, and 3 sirens were sounded. With fickle winds, and light sea we fully expected the much lighter multihull of Orca to destroy us at the start, but no!!…Mondiale with 8 oarsmen, pulled away …and away…and away. Soon Orca was a distant memory, for this part of the race at least.
Due to a depression coming in from the west, our course is currently set at 240, though the direct route to Barbados would be 262. I am reliably informed by Leven, our glorious captain (brownie points please!!), that we roughly need to make around 400 nm south west to get beyond the depression, otherwise we may hit it full on, meaning the possible deployment of the sea anchor and being held up for a couple of days. As at the time of writing, (1045 hrs) we have covered 67nm (around 75 road miles) with 2 hours to go! Looking good.
The last 22 hours have been fairly calm, with a slight head wind, so our progress is the more remarkable.
No injuries on board save poor Liam being sea sick for most of the night shift (but kept rowing. good man), Leven (unbelievable…shows it can happen to the best of them), and Don had a “wee” moment.
Charlie has bragged about his 1 foot long “number 2″, but that's enough about that.
From my side, as in the North Sea, I was at my lowest this morning doing the 4 to 6 shift when you are rowing in dark, hurting (bum and hands) and just wanting to sleep. Ray has heard his first dog, oh, and we were buzzed by a Spanish destroyer last night, probably thinking we were trying to make the trip from Africa!
Crew morale is very good though we have now settled into a business like routine. Sea state still fairly calm, though a slight breeze behind us pushes us on at over 4 knots.
Now some messages:
To Carrie Happy birthday and a big big thank you for coming out here. Also to Velma and Gerald, and the Xmas pressie which I will open on the 25th.
Lastly to Brendan, Georgina and Sonya. as always thinking of you all at home.
End of Mike's blog
Messages from the crew to be relayed to various parties.
Pete asks that you tell Ann to contact Tiny Little for personal chat and progress report
Ray says can you let Emily know he’s doing fine and thinking of you.
Rest of crew in good shape. Personal messages to follow in separate email.
18.12.07 | Day 4
Firstly, apologies for the break but we have been rowing like mad to get away from a deep depression with westerly winds, but sadly last night we lost the battle and currently are on the sea anchor in a big swell and headwind.
Yesterday was by far the worse for me, as I seemed to have every possible ailment known! Firstly, I haven’t even touched my food since leaving Gran Canaria, but on the other hand haven’t been seasick. I’m told not to worry, as Leven didn’t eat for a whole week when he took on his epic solo a couple of years ago. The hands are bearing up reasonably well though blisters seem the norm of the day. By far the biggest problem health wise is the backside which is suffering a pounding due to the relentless pressure of 2 hours on 2 hours off, 24.7. ~Just to finalise the picture, sore knees, stomach cramp and a trapped nerve should confirm a pretty miserable 24 hours for me.
Having said all that, you then appreciate the rest of the crew are almost certainly feeling the same. Liam is still having problems with his seasickness but is managing to row.
So, of the trip so far, well, we had a fantastic start and very pleasant conditions for the first 3 days though little wind. We have had the pleasure of dolphins and storm petrels which are amazing birds living their lives out in and on the sea.
I haven’t been able to access any comments from home yet but my thoughts are very much with my family and friends. I have very quickly discovered what a daunting task this race is. I hear Orca is way way way behind us!
19.12.07 | Day 5
After spending some 15 hours on the sea anchor yesterday due to the north easterly winds, we got moving again at around 9.30 pm GMT but quickly realised we needed to have 8 men rowing at any one time to make progress. This wind is a real killer, right on the nose, with the resulting big seas to battle with at the same time. It is so frustrating as we are nearly in the trade wind zone where we can expect big following seas and winds to push us on to Barbados.
One particular shift for me was the 4.40am to 6.40am shift when I experienced an incredible increase in wind speed followed by the most torrential rain I have ever experienced. We were attempting to row in this but barely made any headway when Leven ordered us to deploy the sea anchor yet again.
So, today has been another frustrating day at anchor in a big sea and wind, but it has allowed me to have a shave for a start and general chitchat with the “lads”. It's usual to row in silence, certainly on my side, as you need all the concentration to keep the boat on track and not catch an oar.
After yesterday's storm, today is bright and sunny but, wow, last night was so cold and miserable.
It is hard to explain to people what it is like out here…imagine 14 men having a picnic in the middle of the ocean in a small pitching boat…even trying to type this is hard work. Still, we are all determined to do our best at achieving this record and hopefully the weather will turn in the very near future.
On the good news front, I have at last managed to eat a full meal…noodles and chilli and kept it down. Things are looking up
21.12.07 | Day 7: Trade Winds
We are now into day 7, the first week almost over and what a week it has been. after such a fantastic start, we have been hold up for around 30 hours on a sea anchor, whilst a storm blew through…northwesterly winds, exactly the opposite from what we need. It is quite surreal to be sitting in a small rowing boat in the middle of the Atlantic, with high winds and big waves crashing all around you, with only the occasional one actual entering the boat, and everyone sitting calmly on their seats or sleeping in the cabin, oblivious to the obvious dangers there are out there. It never crosses ones mind of the risk of the boat capsizing or anything…that is the faith we have in her. riding at her sea anchor which, apart from restricting our drift, also keeps the bow pointing into the wind giving us a more comfortable ride, if comfortable is a word to be used in the Atlantic.
One of the metal shackles attached to the sea anchor gave way at around 7.30am yesterday, so in a hurry we decided to try and row our way out of the storm, as, to be fair, it was starting to die, but still with a strong cross wind and swell.
The storm has obviously put the chances of us now getting the record at grave risk, as it's pushed us southwards and eastwards, not westwards, but we set off still in pursuit of the dream.
Amazingly, we have covered 71 miles since setting off yesterday, and this is fantastic news. We rowed like demons through the night, pulling around 27 strokes per minute, rather than the usual 19. Tempers to be fair were also raised, but it is a credit to the crew this morning to see us all in a calm state again as daily life now settles into routine.
We are now in the Trade Wind zone, but again, due to the storm the usual weather patterns haven’t been seen so we are rowing in a gentle breeze across our midships, the sun is very, very hot, but at least the gentle swell is pushing us along on a course of 252 degrees, direct now to Barbados! It is now up to the mettle of all of us as to how hard we pull to set this record. I myself can confirm I am doing my utmost, am now in good form with appetite restored, though lots of aches and pains which just have to be ignored.
I will leave you with the picture of a vast, calm ocean right now, with hardly a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze trying to cool us down in the fierce heat. The odd dolphin comes to see us, but it's just sea and sky for an eternity.
footnote. Can’t read blog at mo, so emails only please. Mark for attention of Mike. address is oceanrowingevents@g-comm.net
22.12.07 | What a Difference a day makes!
What a difference a day makes! Last night’s rowing was good at times with a following sea, but the pace was at times relentless, 28 strokes per minute which really drains you. Rowing at night is both beautiful in one sense…Last night for instance we had a full moon, and it was so clear and peaceful (apart from the relentless pace that is!) watching the stars, but on the other hand, it is so so tiring. The 2 hours on, 2 hours off routine means you get all warm and cosy in bed, only to be awoken and moving out onto the deck with a cool north easterly wind doesn’t do the morale any good at all. At this point forgive me if the spelling ain’t too good. Basically, the fingers on my right hand are now totally numb from holding the oars!
This morning we were greeted to the sight of a luxury cruise liner passing off our starboard bow, probably around 5 miles away. I have to say she looked magnificent and so, so welcoming, but we had some good news on board too to celebrate. At 13.00 hours, we were informed that over the last 24 hours we covered 100 miles! ~Brilliant.
The record apparently is 116 miles in a day, and I am confident this will be broken at some point on this trip.
After the disappointment just after the start of being held up by the weather, we are now experiencing some excellent distances covered, have a great weather forecast which, as we head further south west is likely to improve, with mounting winds and bigger seas–means faster speed, the excitement of surfing the swells etc. In fact even as I speak, Ray is teaching the troops the art of rowing in big waves.
I can’t wait!
23.12.07
A really good night last night with a very exciting sea. At last we are getting big seas (though Ray says they are moderate!), with a force 4 wind pushing us along at a fantastic rate.
Apparently today we officially recorded our second 100 mile plus day in a row, and we think this is only one of 5 teams ever to have achieved this. With the forecast due to continue to strengthen our mileage should get better and better.
We understand that Orca, our challenger is miles behind but has just apparently put in a 140-mile day!! Hm, not sure if that’s possible so understand they are currently under investigation.
At the current time I am writing this blog, whilst trying to eat a chilli con carne at the same time having yet again finished a 2-hour shift. During the day, the shift pattern is not too bad as you tend to socialise and can see. Today we spotted a turtle! Maybe not such a big thing back home, but here in the last great wilderness, it was fantastic!!
The evening here is warm, with a moderate sea and a force 4 wind, pushing us ever nearer Barbados. Got my first emails too which are a real bonus. It is strange how much you miss home life, though I understand it's freezing in the UK at mo.
We are expecting the wind to increase to around force 7 over Xmas with a rough sea so this will be our first taste of the really big stuff. Spare me a thought as you tuck into your turkey and Xmas pudding!
One moment of exhilaration last night was hitting a speed down the face of one wave of 10.2mph.
Our next “way point” is due in around 270 miles…hopefully around 2/3 days time.
The fingers in my right hand have now lost all feeing, and the blisters are tending to heal and harden now as I prepare for the night shift…again and again and again!
24.12.07 | 2 Blogs!
Well, another fantastic distance covered in the last 24 hours, this time 109 miles as at 13.00hrs. If we keep up this pace, we should be in Barbados in double quick time, but then the Atlantic does have a way of dealing the joker card at the wrong time. That said, with a favourable weather forecast for the next 24 hours, of winds reaching force 6/7, meaning big swells, we could be in line for the record for the maximum distance covered in 24 hours which I am reliably advised currently stands at 116 miles. As I write, the seas are getting bigger, the speed down the swells is increasing. just seen 8.2mph…so what a Xmas day pressie this could be. It’s likely that all correspondence and pressies on board won’t be opened until after 13.00 hrs tomorrow to see if the record is broken.
Today’s delight with the food was chocolate mousse by the way. Enough said!
Daily life on board seems to be split into 2 halves. At night time, you immediately go to bed for a couple of hours before the next shift, and it's awful being woken up from a deep sleep to immediately get on the oars. And yes it’s cold! During the day, the crew tend to do other jobs when not rowing, like this blog for instance. The daily trip to the back of the boat is a must, and some great footage of Julian hanging off the back doing his you know what is quite amusing, but that's the way it is. Carefully using no more than a couple of wet wipes afterwards to clean those important little places. Similarly, for cleanliness, you tend to use baby wipes to clean yourself, and I manage a shave every 3 days, using seawater. Clothes are casually dipped into a bucket of seawater with some liquid soap. not pretty but it will do. The next time I write will hopefully be after opening the correspondence from home tomorrow on Xmas day, but if this is impossible due to, er, inclement weather conditions, I really envy you spending the day in front of a nice warm fire with the turkey, wine etc…Oops, mind wandering. Time to go.
Merry Christmas everyone
Mike
25.12.2007
A short blog this one as this delightful computer is running out of power, and can’t be recharged until tomorrow morning!
The main item is that we were that close over the last 24 hours to beating the 24 hour distance record of 116 miles, by achieving 113 miles! Still, many days left to go to beat it, as we near Barbados with a lighter boat and hopefully bigger winds.
Last nights shifts were quite tough as sleep deprivation and this cold took its toll on me. The seas were big, resulting in one wave crashing over the side and knocking down 4 of the 6 rowers. Luckily for me I stayed dry but a salutary lesson as to the power of the sea.
Xmas pressies were opened this afternoon, and again the moment got to me, and I found it very emotional. The photos of the children are now plastered onto the roof of the forward cabin.
Our position in the race is very good providing we continue to achieve at least 100 miles per day we should arrive in time for my 50th on the 17th!
More news tomorrow but thank you all for the cards and pressies. All my love to Brendan, & Georgina, Sosh, Carrie and David and all other relatives. Sorry for brevity of this update
26.12.07 | 2 days blogs!
Apologies for the short blog yesterday, but you may have guessed that I wasn’t really with it yesterday. I think the emotion of opening the Xmas cards and pressies, seeing the photos of the children (which are now emblazoned on the roof of the forward cabin), and some serious sleep deprivation made me feel decidedly down. Julian, my partner in crime out here was brilliant, sending me off to bed at the end of each shift, whilst he made up the water bottles. The night shifts were awful!
Back to Xmas now, and despite my feelings, we had a sing-song of carols whilst rowing away, though the 12 days of Xmas became very amusing as nobody knew what the pressies were after 5 gold rings!!
I opened my cards etc after finishing my 12.40 shift, and Julian decided to video it. I did intend to read out all the cards, but started blubbering after the first one, so the rest is not captured. But it is so nice to have cards and contact with the outside world.
Due to a technical hitch (I think that means Leven had a wee bit too much whisky!), we were unable to download emails so hopefully they will be received sometime this afternoon.
I tried to ring home 3 times at various parts of the day to speak to the children, but alas only an answer phone, so when Brendan and Georgina read this, sorry guys, but I did try!
Battery running low now, so will finish later.
Just been reading the emails from everyone at home. Rather than reply to everyone individually, I thought a general blog thanking you all would suffice. Please keep them coming, it really does matter and is a great morale boost for us all.
Great news at moment. We hear our challenger Orca is around 270 miles behind us, and the newest challenger, Oyster Shack has now set off from Gomera but is heading into a storm possibly with strong head winds like we had. However, we continue to re-write the record books we think! The first boat to have 3 consecutive days travelled of over 100 miles. Today was 109!
With luck, as the wind is increasing out here in the Atlantic and the waves and swell increase accordingly, we are hopeful that by 13.00 hours tomorrow, we may even beat the overall record of 116 miles. Our emails and updates are downloaded from the boat around 16.00 hours, so forgive the delays, but please keep on writing.
27.12.07 | Fish for Supper
The blog recently has been brief as it has been fairly cloudy here and hence our battery power is low. Fortunately, today the winds have started to increase again, the swell is increasing and the sun is out, so lucky all of you, Mike’s back on line!
Finishing off the Xmas theme, I must thank Claire Hughes for the individual Xmas cakes, and to Charlie's mum for the shortbread. Scrummy!
Over the last few days, life has tended to be very routine, with the skipper’s briefing at 13.00 hrs to inform us of the distance covered in the last 24 hours, then a more detailed one at around 16.15 hrs when he advises us of the course we are setting, the contenders' positions and any other little snippets of info. On the contender front, it is gratifying to see the Orca challenge nearly 300 miles behind us now despite some dubious reporting of mileage figures! Simon Chalk and his Oyster Shack Challenge also seem to be averaging 80 miles per day against our 100+. Although still 2100 miles to go, we are very confident and with a fair wind hope to still be at Swanky(!) yacht club around the 15th, ready for a big celebration. Tell the truth, it will be a big celebration anyway, as I have realised that even now we are only 1/3rd of the way across.
It’s easier to tell you of the parts of the body that aren’t aching as most of us are now suffering, mainly from hands and bums and other sore muscles.
Today started off with Julian’s birthday! 41 the old git! As well as singing the customary birthday song, we also voted to share one of his shifts so that he actually got 6 hours off. As I write this, he is sitting on the stern with fishing line in hand, and has already caught a Dorado. This is a big powerful fish, blue and green, but obviously one is not enough for the ‘Barnocorous’. Jamie has gutted it and it will soon be on the dinner table…fresh fish tonight!!
Bit more about life on board. The bedrooms consist of just one sheet on a mattress and we get 4 in each cabin. There are no private areas, and as one crew go onto duty, the others coming off duty, take over exactly the space that has been vacated! No clean pillow, sheet or whatever. It's a case of mucking in and not worrying about personal hygiene…well, not too much!
We are now changing course slightly to head further south to avoid a depression to the north, but this will mean stronger winds in a few days. Indeed the weather forecast is now for the wind to steadily increase. Great.
Was really sorry not to hear from the kids on Xmas day. What with the sleep deprivation, I tried to ring but got the answer phone! Also B&G, would be nice to get email, not blog as we cannot access our website from the boat…all the blog will have to be read in Barbados.
Minor accident yesterday when Reinhardt cracked his head on a screw whilst leaving cabin, but within 30 mins he was back on duty. Now why he has to do his number 2s from the side of the boat when everyone else goes to the stern defeats me. Maybe we will get the answer to that question by the end of the trip.
OK, now time to go. I think the Dorado is about to be eaten by 14 hungry men!
28.12.07 | Morale Booster
At last, I have managed to speak to the kids, which is a real morale booster, and great to think they are ok back in good old Blighty.
Winds have been picking up today, so I am delighted to announce yet again that for the 7th successive day, we have cracked the 100-mile plus distance covered, another record! As winds and hence swell was quiet yesterday we were amazed at achieving this, but it goes to show that by setting a steady pace, the boat is superb, and should continue to put in these distances.
News from our competitors is that Orca is still around 300 miles behind us, and Oyster Shack is only achieving 80+ miles per day.
Had an amusing incident last night as Ray apparently said that crew coming on shift needed to be ready without being woken by those already on duty, as this disturbed the rowing pattern? Guess what, the next shift, nobody said a word and GUESS WHO was tucked up in his bed all snug and sound asleep?…Ray!! Point made! Now it's back to calling people…..for me a 15 minute get ready call.
The night shifts get harder and harder. Last night the moon was late in coming up leading to rowing in complete blackness, not knowing where to put your oars. ..Oh, and it gets quite cold. Most people, myself included, listen to i-pods with music ranging from classical and opera too. Well, not so much heavy rock as shall we say, more heavy music!
Weather here today is 30C..Very hot on the rowing deck, and in need of lots of water. Winds are increasing again so hopefully I can report tomorrow yet another 100 mile record!
Oh, footnote. Just about to pass through the 1000 mile completed distance today!
29.12.07
Not too much to report today as fairly uneventful night, though we did land our first flying fish on deck! it was found this morning and was thrown back into the sea. Amazing fish with swept back wings..Today we posted yet another 100+ mile covered, but it's pretty cloudy, little wind […]
30.12.07
Well, what a change from yesterday. The wind died completely and even the wind generator wasn’t turning. The sea became very calm, and the water felt so hard, it was like rowing in treacle.
Alas I have to report an injury which devastated me at the time, but I am now […]
04.01.08
Happy New Year to everyone. Apologies for the delay in writing blog but we have had a few days of cloud and little wind resulting in shortage in power supply. As a result, blog is limited to 15 mins each day so again, apologies that I can’t reply to emails, but please […]
05.01.08 | Another brief one!
Well, we are still restricted to 15 mins on the computer, so again ANOTHER BRIEF one! Firstly, a big happy 50th birthday to Steve! ~Yes I get your emails and it's great to receive, even if unable to reply to each one
Today it has been very, very hot, and last night’s […]
06.01.08
Well, today was supposed to be a brilliant day. Good news. We have rowed our way out of the extreme heat, no wind and calm sea, and still managed to post a 98-mile day. We are now told we are planning to land at Port St Charles, hopefully on my birthday, 17th, to be […]
07.01.08
Well, after yesterday, what a refreshing change. Today everyone has worked really well together and it has shown. As Ray had to take 8 hours off with arse problems, the rest of the crew have been fantastic in putting in a 100 mile 24 hour distance, despite winds dying and […]
08.01.08
What a shame we hit a cross current last night we have had to punch our way through, but has resulted in our worst daily mileage yet.only 85 miles.Last night’s excitement came at the end of my shift around 5.50 am GMT, when I went to relieve myself, got the old boy pointing into the […]
11.01.08
Yet again, apologies for the silence for the past few days caused again by cloud cover which stops the solar panels from charging our power supply. Water making takes precedence and as a result, no blog, and no replies to emails either, but keep them coming, they are a real […]
12.01.08
Getting excited now as we near Barbados. Around 500 miles to go, and just posted a 106 mile day. Wind and waves are picking up and are due to wind, so should be a mountainous sea in next few days. Really good for surfing over 10 mph but a bit scary at […]
19.01.08 | Mission Accomplished
well folks, here I am comfortably ensconsed in my hotel in Barbados, enjoying copious amounts of pina colada and wine, after we totally smashed the record! YES!!
Sorry there was no more blog on the site out at sea. We were dogged at times by cloud cover which ruined our sola power, and lack of wind […] |
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