Two years have now passed since I set out to row solo across the Atlantic, as a nervous novice ocean rower - and it is time for the biennial race to launch once again. The Atlantic Rowing Race 2007 will start on December 2, from La Gomera in the Canaries.
22 boats are signed up to compete. Although of course I wish all the crews the very best of luck for a safe crossing, I will be taking a special interest in these particular boats:
In the Fours class, there are two crews that include people who set out in the 2005 race, but in that war of attrition were sabotaged by forces beyond their control - capsizes, sinkings, a back injury, and a shark attack. Out of the 26 boats that set out in the 2005 race, 6 did not make it to Antigua. But not to be deterred, these hardy souls are back for a second try. They epitomize indomitability and determination, and I send them heartfelt wishes for better luck this time around. They are:
Bobby Prentice and Colin Briggs (UK, aged 54 and 62) in Moveahead II - sank in 2005
Emily Kohl and Sarah Kessans (US, capsized in 2005), Jo Davies (UK, back injury), and Tara Remington (NZ, shark attack) in Unfinished Business
And elsewhere in the fleet:
Peter Collett - an Australian solo rower, who I met last year in England.
Lin Griesel and Rachel Smith - who I met at the Boat Show last year on the stand of Simrad, who sponsor both them and me.
Elin Haf Davies and Herdip Sidhu - two British nurses who had their boat fitted out, as I did, at Dolphin Quay Boatyard in Emsworth, England.
Angela Madsen and Franck Festor - who I met in La Gomera two years ago, and have stayed in touch with ever since. I featured Angela on my website back in April this year.
I encourage you to follow the race via the official website, and keep the crews in your thoughts and prayers.
And a final message to the crews themselves - wishing you fair winds and following seas - and a request that you bring all your litter back to land rather than disposing of it overboard.
Marine Debris 101
[photo: Moveahead II in La Gomera. Picture courtesy of Woodvale]
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Did you know that the average American watches 2 hours of TV a day? If they went out for a bike ride instead, they would lose 10 pounds in a month.
This is one of the blip-facts available on the website of a fellow adventurer who is pushing the boundaries. Greg Kolodziejzyk is preparing for his 2008 bid to cross the Atlantic ocean in less than 40 days, which would be a new world record for the fastest human powered Atlantic crossing. He is using his project as a platform to show children what the human body is capable of and inspire them to get out and get physical.
Greg is looking for support for his venture - you can join the PedalTheOcean team and be part of a history making human powered world record. The "Across With Greg" sponsorships start at only $30 and include your name on the expedition boat. $100 packages include your name on the boat, your choice of a wide selection of our "human power" line of branded products, and 10% donation to KidPower, which is is a national education program focused on developing young children into healthy, active and positive people.
I should declare a vested interest in supporting Greg in his endeavours - I owe him a debt of gratitude. I had planned to visit him and his wife in Calgary and take a look at his boat (although the word 'boat' hardly seems adequate to describe such a futuristic craft), but unfortunately visa issues forced me to cancel my trip.
So as a consolation, Greg offered to let me stay in their ski lodge in Whitefish, Montana, for a few days. I arrived yesterday in this beautiful part of the world, after a stunningly scenic drive from Mount Rainier in Washington, where I had spent the weekend clambering around with some friends. I am now comfortably ensconced in the lodge, high up on Big Mountain. It will be a real treat to spend more than one night in one place so I can focus on some increasingly pressing tasks connected with the Pacific documentary - of which more news soon.
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You might be interested to see this short video that was created for my presentation to the Brocade worldwide sales team (all 900 of them) a couple of weeks ago. It opens with a scene of me looking very weatherbeaten but very happy out on the Atlantic, and goes on to give an overview of what I've done, and why, and what my plans are for the future.
Click here to view the video.
Thanks for all the suggestions arriving in response to my appeal for information from teachers and students about environmental education. Keep them coming!
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I am in the process of developing a new section of this website specially dedicated to school students and teachers. It will include suggestions for lesson plans, discussion topics and practical projects. Over the coming months I will be working with a few selected teachers from various schools across the world, but initially want to put out these questions to anybody reading this site, but especially school students:
- Do you have any lessons about the environment? If so, what environmental subjects do you learn about? e.g. Climate change? GMO? Ocean conservation? Anything else?
- Do the lessons say anything about how humans affect the environment, and how it affects us? What do the lessons say about interaction between man and the world?
- Do you have any school projects linked to looking after the environment in a hands-on kind of way? e.g. local conservation projects, or litter clean-ups?
It would be really helpful if you can write to me with your answers using the Contact form. This information will be invaluable to me in finding out more about what is happening in environmental education at the moment, and maybe spark off some ideas about what would be helpful for the future.
This is your chance to contribute not only to my website, but also to an education program that will be used by schools all over the world. Thank you!
P.S. Apologies for not blogging for several days. My plane did not fall out of the sky on the way back from Hawaii, and I am still very much alive, just a) very busy and b) frequently offline and c) not wanting to bore you with too much information about daily happenings which, although very important to my overall project direction, may not be of immediate interest to you.
If you REALLY want to know, I've had lots of useful meetings (notably with NOAA, BEACH, and various individuals both in Hawaii and Seattle), given a successful presentation at the wonderfully welcoming Waikiki Yacht Club, went paddling with Donna of nonprofit Kai Makana, and made an appearance on the KHON TV Morning Show in Honolulu.
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