26 Feb 2006
26th Feb.
1637.26N,5555.5W,OM
Having been away from home for two days, I turned eagerly to renew contact with my daughter Roz. It is not much fun talking to a purple dot on the computer screen! The Atlantic Rowing Race website shows that purple dot drawing ever closer to Antigua. It is good to see that only 387 miles remain before reaching English Harbour. What was not quite so encouraging to see was that the dot has moved a bit further south again. Roz really is struggling to make it back to latitude 17 degrees. A bit like a yoyo recently. We can but wait and watch for the next few days as she gets nearer and nearer to her goal of crossing the Atlantic.
Just a short dispatch tonight, I have a bit of catching up to do on emails that accumulated in my absence. It is good to meet up with so many people who tell me that they are avidly watching Roz' progress. Grateful thanks to you all.
| Atlantic Row Part 3 |
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Comments [0]
24 Feb 2006
Simrad Navigation System Panels
24th Feb.
Have you explored the links on Roz' Voyage website? I wonder whether you have seen her list of people on her team, and the list of sponsors? These are the people and organisations who have made her crossing of the Atlantic possible. Some have given money, others time and energy or goods in kind.
Many other people, not named, have been and still are contributing by carrying out vital tasks to help Roz. She and I are most grateful for their support, and work done on her behalf.
When I put the picture on her dispatch page last night I did wonder whether people would be aware of Wholebake and their products. They kindly supplied her with samples of their products in the months of preparation, and a large number of bars of flapjack in a variety of flavours for the voyage itself. The 9bars are made up of nine types of seeds and nuts, with a layer of chocolate on top. All natural ingredients, nutritious and satisfying.
There is a team in London working to organise the welcome back party on March 23rd. A reminder therefore that the details are on the Home Page of this website.
It is good to see the miles being covered by Roz in recent days, and the fact that the boat is once again moving a bit northwards to get back to the latitude of 17 degrees.
I will probably not be doing a dispatch on Saturday evening as I am planning to visit friends this weekend.
There are some sponsored miles looming in the near future, so I will list them on this dispatch: 2496 Iona Pearey; 2500 Brian Yates. Special thanks and greetings to these kind people. Thank you too for the messages of reassurance to me at this anxious time, and to those who have recently made donations.
(Rita Savage, in the absence of any communication from Roz)
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23 Feb 2006
Roz with 9Bar by Wholebake - still some left after flapjack all eaten up.
23rd Feb.
I have been asking myself the question: What would Roz want me to write about? There are probably quite a few things that she would not want me to write about - family anecdotes that would make her blush. Perhaps it would be safer to stick to questions that people ask. Amongst quite a number of messages today, somebody asked whether Roz would still have enough food left on her boat.
Initially each rowing crew was asked to take enough food for 90 days. She did, in theory, have more than enough, and even gave away some while we were in La Gomera. Roz is really really hoping that she can complete the crossing in less than 100 days. However, I think the answer is yes, she does have enough - though probably not the things that she would choose to eat. There were days when she found it very difficult to eat anything much; she had plenty of sachets of oat porridge with her, but with the stove not functioning she has only used a few of those. If really desperate can a person eat "uncooked" oat porridge? She also had some expedition meals that she did not fancy eating, but which we stowed away in a hatch difficult to get to under her mattress, just in case of real emergency.
Another question was how did I feel after watching Ben Fogle and James Cracknell on TV? There were times when Roz phoned me in desperation (just a couple of times), obviously in tears, and hating it in the same way that Ben and James did. She did write about this in one of her dispatches. Watching the two men made me realise just what she must have gone through, and how helpless I felt at the time to say or do anything to help her. I am thankful that she was not thrown off the boat as Ben was; thankful that, being on her own, the cabin was not quite so crowded when the weather was bad. Hard though Ben and James might have found it to row that distance, Roz has had to row every mile herself. Though I say it myself, I am proud of her tenacity, and her ingenuity in repairing those oars. I shall be mighty glad to give her a big hug!!
Thank you to those who have been sending messages. I have in the past tried to answer them individually but there have been a larger number just recently. Lovely to hear from you all, and apologies for not being Roz!
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21 Feb 2006
Food boxes just visible in forecabin and red hatch cover in foreground.
21st Feb.
One of the Woodvale support yachts is due to set off soon, and when near enough to Roz will attempt to speak to her by radio. The staff are very confident that all is well, and surprised that the satphone stayed in working order as long as it did!
In September I stayed with Roz in Emsworth to help her prepare for The Voyage. This involved practical jobs on the boat as well as sorting out medical kit, food packages and other administrative tasks.
Roz had planned to pack the food in plastic crates, each one containing enough food for 2 weeks. The crates would be stored in the forward storage compartment, and one by one would be moved to the cabin when needed. All of that was carried out before the boat left to be conveyed by container ship to La Gomera.
Once at La Gomera she was advised to put as much weight as possible below the deck to provide stability in case of capsize. Crates were discarded and I packed the food packages through the round red hatch openings on the deck. Snacks went into a hatch in the sleeping cabin. Looking back on events at sea, it is a good thing that the weight was below deck level. I had tried to pack the packages in such a way that each fortnight’s food was a distinctive layer. I will be asking her all sorts of questions when we meet again, about whether things worked out as expected. What follows is the contents list of one of the food boxes as originally prepared. The first part lists the freeze-dried foods. In addition to this list, she had the chickpeas and aduki beans for sprouting.
Bags:
Sweetcorn 1 Peas 2 Omelette 2 Red pepper 1 Olives 1
Chicken 2 Prawns 3 Ham 1 Red kidney beans 2
Cod dinner 3 Chilli dinner 2 Beef dinner 1 Bacon 1
Cranberry 1 Blackberry 1 Cherries 1 Oats 14 sachets
Bag muesli 1 Powdered milk 1
Snacks: Flapjack 14 Biltong 10 Raisins/sultanas 1
Crystallised ginger 1bag Chocolate treats 1bag
Baby figs 1bag Banana chips 1bag
| Atlantic Row Part 3 |
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