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Day 41 – Boaty Bilgy Blog
1) are supplies securely stowed low? In the stern only? Supplies are indeed stowed low, in the lockers below deck level throughout the boat, beneath both fore and aft cabins and also the cockpit. 2) or are supplies somehow stowed floor to ceiling? Nope. No need. 3) can supplies tumble around from wave motion or capsize? Nope. 4) does Brocade have ballast to right itself from a capsize? Yup. After 20-foot waves caused me to capsize 3 times in 24 hours in 2007, resulting in the abandonment of that attempt, we installed 200lb of lead in the bottom of the boat, and increased the depth of the keel. I also have water ballast stored in Dromedary bags – about 100 liters – which double up as an emergency water supply that came in very handy last year when both my watermakers broke. As I used up the water, I replaced it with seawater to maintain the ballast. 5) or is it designed to right itself without ballast? Yes, it would self-right without ballast. But I can say from first-hand experience that capsizing is absolutely no fun, and best avoided. Imagine being in a giant washing machine being thrown around with various hard objects and you get the picture. 6) do you get water of any consequence in the bilge? I don’t exactly have a “bilge” other than the storage lockers. I wish I could say they are all watertight, but despite our best efforts the lockers under the cockpit leak a bit. The ones under the cabins stay pretty dry. 7) are supplies at risk of damage from water in the bilge? Nope, not now. I’ve learned the hard way that there is no such thing as “100% waterproof” so anything that can be damaged by water is thoroughly sealed. The FoodSaver vacuum seal machine is my friend! Mick Dawson taught me all I know about ocean rowboat safety while he was working for Woodvale, organizers of the Atlantic Rowing Race, and he impressed upon me the importance of stowing low, a) to reduce risk of capsize, and b) so that if the boat does still capsize, chaos and damage are minimized. Mick is currently on his own expedition across the Pacific, from Japan to San Francisco (see goldengateendeavour.com). He and crewmate Chris Martin are about 10 degrees west and 25 degrees north of me right now. Hello guys! Can you see me waving?! Between Mick’s tuition and my own hard-learned lessons, I mostly manage to stay the right way up, and keep important supplies dry. But the bottom line is that, with boats, water gets into all kinds of places it has no right to be. And anything that can go wrong, will. And that’s just the way it is! Other Stuff: Rough stuff out on the ocean today. Rowing technique was of the bish-bash-bosh variety – just stick the oars in when you can. Not very refined, but I managed to bludgeon my way a few miles further south towards the mysterious world of the ITCZ, now about 120 miles away to the south. I’ve had lots of people asking how I will celebrate crossing the Equator, but I refuse to answer that question yet. Rower Erden Eruc had enormous problems trying to get into the southern hemisphere, so I’m not going to tempt fate by starting to plan any parties just yet. In any case, it’s still over 550 miles away, on the other side of the ITCZ, and I’m just taking it one day at a time… Kathy – thanks so much for telling me about the 100-year-old lady still weight training and throwing the hammer. Don’t we all hope to be like that at her age! Nicole (my program director) has the most awesome granny – 85 and still going to the gym. It really does seem that some people are only as old as they choose to be. Lesley – thank you so much to you and all at the CCC for the contributions. Sorry to hear that times are tight – so I appreciate your financial support all the more. And I hope to sample your brownies next time I am in the area! (I’m sure you’ll have then down to a fine art by then – no more burned ones!) Jadielady – cheers! Christa – thanks for the link. Will store for future reference. And thanks to Richard Cort in Texas who suggested using laminated Larabar wrappers as special, limited edition bookmarks – great idea! I think that one is the front runner right now. And well done to Andy Murray for getting so far at Wimbledon. Better luck next time – and at 23, still many more years to come back and try again! Quick answers to quick questions: Q: Tom Hanks had “Wilson”. Have you considered traveling with a cat, parrot or other carbon-based life form? Q: Have you tried rigging up a hammock on your deck? Q: Roz, do you see sharks fins? Whales? Other large/intimidating animals/fish? And, how big would you say the biggest swells are that you’ve experienced so far? Q: Is there a possibility of getting struck by lightning? Weather report: Position at 2115 HST: 09 23.649N, 172 19.984W Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com As of Thursday, 02 July 2009. The easterly trade winds have turned more ENE still around the 20+kts. Expect brief periods of lower winds to around 15-18kts, then abating to the 15kt range on July 6th. Seas abate to 6-7ft. Winds south of the ITCZ are E to ESE 10-12kts or less. Sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy with mostly low level clouds. Isolated rainshowers. Convective clouds begin about 07 30N and that means vertical development extending to 30-50,000ft. Increased chance of rainshowers and thunderstorms. ITCZ: The most active part of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is now along 170W to 180W between 2N and 7 30N. There remain widespread areas of wind 30-40kts in heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms. However, last 24hrs, the ITCZ has become less active, but you will likely experience squalls and thunderstorms. Ocean Current: You are currently in a west setting current of about 0.2 to 0.3kts so that is not helping your southerly progress. The good news is the current changes direction at about 06 00N to eastward flowing at about 0.4 to 0.5kts; ie the North Equatorial Counter Current. That should help in hindering your westward movement. The NEEC extends to about 00 30S. In the lighter winds south of the ITCZ, it may be possible to row/drift eastward. We don’t quite yet know the full impact of the current and the opposing wind on your boat, but hopefully it will benefit your goal of getting south of the Equator before Tuvalu. Forecast below is for a SWerly course.
BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Planck achieves ultra-cold state The observatory’s detectors have been chilled to a staggering minus 273.05C – just a tenth of a degree above what scientists term “absolute zero.” Launched in May, Planck will survey the “oldest light” in the Universe. Its detectors, or bolometers, should see detail in this radiation that offers new insights into the age, contents and evolution of the cosmos. Read entire article here: BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Planck achieves ultra-cold state BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Honeybee mobs overpower hornets Japanese honeybees form “bee balls” – mobbing and smothering the predators. This has previously been referred to as “heat-balling”, but a study has now shown that carbon dioxide also plays a role in its lethal effectiveness. In the journal Naturwissenschaften, the scientists describe how hornets are killed within 10 minutes when they are trapped inside a ball of bees. Japanese giant hornets, which can be up to 5cm long, are voracious predators that can devastate bees’ nests and consume their larvae. Watch short video and read entrie story here: BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Honeybee mobs overpower hornets Roz Cast for July 2nd, 2009
Roz Savage, Ocean Rower
Even in the Bible they only go off into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights at a time. Yet here I am, in my watery wilderness, forty days in and in all likelihood more than another forty to go. Someone asked if time seems to pass more quickly when I am at sea – or more slowly. It’s hard to say. It’s not so much a question of whether the time is fast or slow. It’s just different, very different. Ashore, there is so much to do – a typical day in Hawaii before I left would include maybe some email exchanges with my editor in New York, planning for speaking engagements, a conference call with an environmental organization, a media interview, some fundraising activity for either the expedition or film project, a meeting with a local technology company, as well as trying to keep my email inbox under control. On the ocean, I row, eat, sleep, and blog. And not a great deal else. It’s a very different tempo, liberating in its simplicity. I can’t totally leave behind the cares of shore life – I’m still in daily contact with Nicole, who is keeping everything ticking along in my absence, and we discuss our plans for the rest of the year – but mostly my world is sea, sky, and a little silver rowboat. On the Atlantic, my first ocean row, I struggled to shift into this different rhythm. I was desperately impatient to get to Antigua, and my impatience nearly drove me crazy. My mind was racing ahead, yearning to be back on dry land, while my boat crawled along at 2 knots. To save my sanity, I had to learn to take it one day at a time. No point thinking about all the miles ahead. I could only row one mile at a time, and that was the next one. Just keep knocking off the miles, and eventually I’d get there. Now I often think back to that lesson when I feel daunted by the scale of a task. I can only do the next step, then the next, then the next. The biggest fundraising campaign starts with the first phone call. Writing a book starts with the first page. And, of course, the longest journey starts with the first step. Or oarstroke. Other Stuff: This morning I crossed into single digits – I am now less than 10 degrees north of the Equator. There has been quite a bit of weather today – a couple of sharp rainstorms this morning – but I don’t think that these are symptoms of the ITCZ, as I still seem to be in the consistent trade winds, blowing from the East, at 15-20 knots. So life goes on. Winds blowing me west, I’m aiming south, and so we have a strange kind of right-angled tug-of-war. A very interesting forecast from weatherguy.com today – see the bottom of this blog. Today’s video (click on the latest YouTube icon on the RozTracker) is about food. Following on from yesterday’s blog, I show the contents of the food lockers in my cabin. Enjoy! Thanks for all the great comments. Mum is now home from hospital and recovering well from her hip replacement and emails them through to me. She has to send them before she goes to bed in England, which is a few hours before I post my blog, so I might not get the later comments until the next day. Just so you know! A few special mentions: Frank, wife and daughter – thank you for your kind and eloquent message. Re the children’s book – I have a draft of one, but it’s really not my area of expertise. I’ve got a couple of options of proper children’s writers who might take on the project. To be pursued when I get back to dry land. Christa – Things to make from Larabar wrappers – the idea would be to auction off the item on eBay (as Karen Morss correctly guessed), so I don’t really mind what it is. Maybe a small purse? Or bracelet? Or several bracelets even? I’ll keep munching away and figure something out when I get back to dry land. UncaDoug – thanks for the entertainment and the New Moon update. LeAnn – will be sure to take you up on the offer of dinner if/when I’m in Houston. Thank you! Lesley Ewing – great to hear from you. Thanks for the bake sale fundraiser – and the donation. You’re great! Nancy – thanks for calling The Ellen Show on my behalf. Would be great to put in an appearance! Russell – haha! Marcus and Anna – well done on finishing your epic JUNK bike ride! It was great to be able to see you off from Vancouver. Wish I could have been there to welcome you into Mexico. Hope you had a great time, and I’m sure you had a huge impact in raising awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans. See you again soon! Quick answers to quick questions: Q: Wondering what your sleeping arrangements are like? Is there a door you can shut to keep out stray waves? But doesn’t it get too hot? How much headroom is there inside the compartment? Q: When you arrive, what happens to your boat? is it flown back, or perhaps put on a container ship and sent back to where you need it? Q: On the ocean, with a day of good visibility, how far away can you see distant weather events, like storms? For instance, could you spot a storm in the ITCZ when you’re still a full degree of latitude away from it? Weather report: Position at 2130 HST: 09 43.584N, 171 48.655W Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com As of Thursday, 02 July 2009. The easterly trade winds have turned more ENE still around the 20+kts. Expect brief periods of lower winds to around 15-18kts, then abating to the 15kt range on July 6th. Seas abate to 6-7ft. Winds south of the ITCZ are E to ESE 10-12kts or less. Sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy with mostly low level clouds. Isolated rainshowers. Convective clouds begin about 07 30N and that means vertical development extending to 30-50,000ft. Increased chance of rainshowers and thunderstorms. ITCZ: The most active part of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)is now along 170W to 180W between 2N and 7 30N. There remain widespread areas of wind 30-40kts in heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms. However,last 24hrs, the ITCZ has become less active, but you will likely experience squalls and thunderstorms. Ocean Current: You are currently in a west setting current of about 0.2 to 0.3kts so that is not helping your southerly progress. The good news is the current changes direction at about 06 00N to eastward flowing at about 0.4 to 0.5kts; ie the North Equatorial Counter Current. That should help in hindering your westward movement. The NEEC extends to about 00 30S. In the lighter winds south of the ITCZ, it may be possible to row/drift eastward. We don’t quite yet know the full impact of the current and the opposing wind on your boat, but hopefully it will benefit your goal of getting south of the Equator before Tuvalu. Forecast below is for a SWerly course. Roz Savage (rozsavage) on Twitter # Day 40 – Forty Days and Forty Nights ff.im/4KolR Students get X-rated version of class DVD – Weird news- msnbc.com Officials at the Elk Grove Unified School District asked families of the teacher’s 24 students to get rid of the DVD after the unintended clip was found spliced in a scene where children were sharing stories in class. Read entire story: Students get X-rated version of class DVD – Weird news- msnbc.com Fossil Hunters Uncover Rare Dinosaur Skin : NPR Dinosaurs died out about 65 million years ago, and skin isn’t quite that long-lived. But on very rare occasions, skin or other soft tissue from extinct animals gets fossilized. And that’s what happened to a hadrosaur that died about 66 million years ago in what is now North Dakota. Read the entire story: Fossil Hunters Uncover Rare Dinosaur Skin : NPR How to Photograph Fireworks – PC World Dave Johnson, PC World 1st Fridays Art Walk – Fairfield, Iowa 1st Fridays Art Walk in Fairfield, Iowa from 6:30 to 9:30 PM on the first Friday of every month of the year. The entire business community is open for viewing of the art. Each month, Fairfield’s art galleries and studios, including various shops and restaurants, all join forces to create a festive time for visitors to feast their eyes, ears, and taste buds as they stroll through town enjoying the best of what is offered by our diverse and creative community. Every Art Walk offers something new and exciting to discover, including free entertainment and activities on the square green…. street musicians, jugglers, acrobats, ice sculptors,live bands in the gazebo, improv theatre, poetry readings, plus delightful children’s activities. Special themes throughout the year offer a wide variety of entertaining and unique activities. There is always live music playing somewhere – outdoors or indoors – on Art Walk night. In the Galleries Gingerbread Roz Savage, Ocean Rower [photo: my collection of empty Larabar wrappers so far. Any creative ideas for some piece of memorabilia we can have made with them?]
What do I eat? This is, without a doubt, my most FAQ, and just goes to show that at the end of the day we all, no matter what we do for a living, all have to eat, sleep and perform other bodily functions, and it is our shared experience of those functions that most unite us. The Queen of England,Cameron Diaz, the Dalai Lama, peasants, priests and ocean rowers – everybody has to eat. So why what I eat should be of especial interest I’m not sure… although I suppose I do have a few unusual constraints, as obviously the food I bring on board has to be compact, relatively un-crushable, long-lasting without refrigeration, and nutritious enough to support unusual physical demands. So here goes. While at sea, my diet is 99% raw, mostly organic, and very nearly vegan. Eeek, that sounds horribly virtuous. So I would also like to add that what I eat on the ocean and what I eat on dry land bear very little resemblance to each other. If only they did, I would probably be much healthier and live much longer. But I wouldn’t have nearly as much fun. I tend to look on my ocean time as a chance to detox and undo some of the damage that I inflict on my body (especially my liver) while ashore, where I indulge in – well, pretty much anything and everything. A true opportunivore. So here’s how it breaks down – and I think you’ll find it’s actually a lot yummier than it initially sounds. In fact, I find these foods a lot tastier and more satisfying than many restaurant meals ever manage to be. Larabars – fruit and nut bars made in Denver, available in most wholefood stores in the US. No added sugar, unprocessed, raw, non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan and kosher. And very good. My favorites are Peanut Butter Cookie, Pecan Pie, Banana Bread, Apple Pie,Ginger Snap and Jocolat (Chocolate and Chocolate Coffee flavors). I’m saving all my Larabar wrappers from this trip [see photo] and we’re trying to think of something creative to make from them. Rawfood crackers – these were made for me by Marlene Depierre, a friend of a friend who lives on Maui. Rawfood crackers are made by germinating grains such as buckwheat, sunflower seeds, or nuts. These are then whizzed in a food processor with whatever you fancy to make different flavors – herbs, spices, sundried tomatoes, the pulp you have left over after making your carrot juice, whatever. The mixture is then spread on trays and “baked” in a dehydrator, a low-temperature method of cooking that keeps the enzymes alive. Marlene has given me 9 or 10 varieties, all beautifully vacuum packed and labelled. My favorite amongst her creations are the walnut pumpkin crackers, and sweet crackers made with buckwheat, dried fruit and chia seeds. (Chia is the latest superfood, of Mexican origin.) Beansprouts – I grow these in a Sproutamo pot that I keep in a string bag in a shady corner of the cockpit. I got 3 different bean mixes from Sproutpeople in San Francisco – their Beanie mix, Peasant mix, and San Francisco mix. Sprouting is dead easy – just soak the beans for 8 hours, rinse, and water a couple of times a day. After about 2 days you’ve got beansprouts. I like to mix them with some tamari almonds or sunflower seeds, tahini, and some nama shoyu sauce. Rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. Dried fruit and nuts – I get through tons of these. The nuts were provided by Wilderness Family Naturals (and a few additional treats from Living Nutz – their Bodacious Banana Bread Walnuts are especially good). I chose these suppliers because they soak the nuts and then dehydrate them at low temperatures – as with the rawfood crackers, this kicks off the germination process which makes the nuts extra-nutritious, and also easier to digest. I’ve also got some emergency rations, in case my voyage takes longer than expected. I didn’t want to spend much on these extras, as I hope not to need them. So I’ve got a load of quinoa and two bottles of olive oil (extra virgin, cold pressed). It might not make for the most exciting diet, but if that was all that stood between me and starvation it would be very adequate, quinoa being high in protein. I also brought a few cans of sardines and kippers, just in case I get major protein cravings. I used a few cans in the first couple of weeks, but haven’t felt the urge since. I’ve also got some rations left over from Stage 1 of the row, that I brought along for lack of anything better to do with them – sachets of oatmeal and dehydrated expedition meals. In fact, some of the expedition meals date from the Atlantic. But they last forever and are handy for backup rations. I do have a cooking stove on board, but I haven’t used it so far. The weather has been way too hot to even think about cooking hot food. But it would be useful if I needed to use the expedition meals or oatmeal. And of course a few treats. Chocolate syrup from Wilderness Family Naturals (made with organic cocoa beans and organic agave nectar) and some Meyer lemon marmalade made by my friend Karen Morss at Lemon Ladies of Emerald Hills, CA. Both are good with the sweet rawfood crackers. Even though this diet is much more nutritious than what I eat on dry land, I’ve got multi-vitamins and minerals, supplied by Biocare, just to be sure I’ve got it all covered. And that’s about it. Before the Atlantic row (my first) I carefully compiled spreadsheets of daily rations broken down by carbs, protein and fat, and calculated every meal down to the last calorie. Now I take a much more relaxed attitude to it, and just eat as much as I want to, when I want to. I eat frequently throughout the day – 7 or 8 snacks during breaks in rowing shifts. All this food is nutritionally very dense, so it doesn’t take up much room. I could easily have fit twice as much food on board – probably more. I could in theory live on this boat for over a year without resupply. In practice, though, I wouldn’t want to. I’m quite looking forward to getting back to dry land and enjoying that other essential food group – cold beer! Other Stuff: Yesterday’s calm conditions were clearly a One-Day Special Offer only. Today the trade winds are back in business at 18 knots or so, and pushing me west again. As I approach the single digit latitudes I’m intrigued to see what’s going to happen in the ITCZ… No attacks from the local wildlife today. Phew. Thanks for all the sympathy and ribaldry at my expense. I hope there will be no further unwarranted intrusions upon my person. By my posterior is not how I wish to be remembered for posterity. CG – love the suggestion of the bootie-fish. Made me LOL! Also good to know about Bikini Atoll. Still hope to get further south though. Weather report: Position at 2115 HST: 10 05.283N, 171 18.589W Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com As of Monday, 29 Jun 2009. The easterly trade winds 20+kts hanging on a little longer. Expect a brief period of lower winds then back to 20+kts. Seas abate to 8-9ft. Sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy with multilayered clouds of low to mid level. Very isolated rainshowers. ITCZ: The most active part of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)has drifted westward to 175W between 2N and 8N. There are widespread areas of wind 30-40kts in heavy rainshowers have been measured. These systems are often times accompamied by thunder and lightning. You may observe these conditions. There are some holes in this activity of lesser conditons. Forecast below is for a SWerly course. Roz Savage (rozsavage) on Twitter MISS A’s PLAY DOOH SCULPTUREA frog eating something?? Abby made a couple play-dooh sculptures and asked me to post on my blog–so this is first one.
further back…guess there is a bug on flower …smiles. (She says it is a toadstool, grandma)
Now here is MR fisherman…the green thingy on end of pole..bobber. feet in water.. a heck of a lot better than granny could do believe me!!! The Misadventures of Melemele Manu Made it to Mazagon okay. Good weather, light winds, light seas. Will stay here for 2 nights and then head for the Guadiana River. TTFN June 30, 2009 Here it is the end of another month. Guess I’d better catch things up. We arrived in Barbate okay. Spent a couple of days there and then headed for Rota. Arrived in Rota and was only allowed to stay overnight. Seems that the marinas don’t have very much space for transient vessels as big as ours. So, we headed up the coast to Chipiona. We have been allowed to stay here for 2 nights and then have to leave. Now, we will be heading for a marina at Mazagon for tomorrow night. I think they will let us stay only for the night. Right now, we are only 60 nautical miles from the Guadiana River and our summer stop over. I hope we will be able to stay on the Portugal side of the river at Vila Real de Santo Antonio. Everyone says that it is really nice and inexpensive. I hope they have room for us. Will know in a couple of days. Our trip north has been a long and hard one with the wind and waves on our bow. Makes for slow going. Hope things start to die down. Well, guess that’s it for now. TTFN Roz Savage, Ocean Rower
My right buttock has had more adventures this trip than some people have in a lifetime. Having been featured on this blog at the peak of the red rash / baboon bottom crisis, it then went on to fall victim to my one(literal) slip-up of the trip, when I lost my footing and sat down too suddenly on the round-topped pin of a seat runner, puncturing the skin. Then, today, in its worst indignity yet, my derriere was attacked by a mystery creature from the deep. Let me tell you my sorry tale (tail). This morning brought a complete change in the weather conditions. After the incessant 20 knot winds of the last 12 days, today has been dead calm, the ocean eerily silent, the red ensign hanging limp. I decided to make the most of the quiet conditions by catching up on some housekeeping. Boatkeeping. Whatever. First I cleaned out the galley locker. Its lid isn’t 100% watertight, and after the regular deck-lashing waves of the last couple of weeks it was getting a bit swampy in there. So I took everything out, mopped and dried, and put everything back in. Then it was time to go overboard and scrub barnacles. I hopped in – a welcome relief from the sweaty heat. As I was working my way around the boat with the plastic scraper, I became aware of a few tickling sensations. I assumed it was the pilot fish that usually hang out in the shade underneath my boat. I didn’t really like being tickled. Eventhough the water was relatively calm, it wasn’t calm enough for me to see clearly what it was that was doing the tickling, so it was rather disconcerting and not very pleasant. Suddenly I got the distinct feeling that something had gone beyond tickling. It had attached itself to me. To my right buttock, to be precise. Not good. OK, I admit it. I freaked out. Whatever it was, it wasn’t welcome. I wanted to get out of the water, and I wanted to get out NOW. With undignified haste, I put my foot in the grabline and hoisted myself up. I looked over my right shoulder to see what was going on. Yup, there was definitely something glomming on to my bottom. This was even worse than last weekend’s aerial squid bombardment. Eeeuuwww. I can’t tell you what the something was, because I let out a very girly shriek and swept it off with the flat of my hand as fast as I could. My impression was that it looked squid-like, but I only got the briefest of glances, and maybe I’ve just got squid on the brain. But right then, zoological classification was not uppermost in my mind. Getting rid of the grotesque glomming critter was. Are squid known to do such things? Or could it have been a jellyfish? Whatever it was, I’m not wild about the idea of getting back in the water any time soon. I realize we’re not exactly talking Jaws here, but this really is taking “getting close to nature” a bit far. Other Stuff: With the lighter winds today, I’ve been able to make some good progress south – more SSW than WSW. Good news for chances of making landfall, depending on how long these conditions last. Thank you so much for all the comments, posted on the blog, Facebook and Twitter. Lovely to know that although physically I am very far away,there are so many people who are following along and wishing me well. Thanks too for the great information about hotels, bars, and boat storage in Funafuti and Tarawa. After however long at Hotel Brocade(Brocade is my rowboat) I’m sure I won’t be too fussy about presidential suites or hot running water. But good to know they have beer. Imagine “Ice Cold In Alex” times ten! Bikini Atoll – would prefer to skip that one. I think it’s still radioactive after the nuclear tests there. I just want a cold beer, not one that glows in the dark… American Samoa – about a 1% chance I could make it there. The winds are blowing E to W, and American Samoa is almost due south of me. You’re right, it would be easy to fly to. But not to row to! Joan in Atlanta – thanks for the appreciation. It’s true, there are many nights when writing a blog is not top of the list of Things I Want To Do Right Now – hitting my bunk usually being significantly higher. So it’s very nice to be appreciated! Tiny Little – you’re a legend. Lovely to hear from you. Looking forward to joining you for a pint at the Alex as soon as humanly possible! Lovely to hear from Hermione too. Once in a Blue Moon – thanks for the lovely message. Amongst your armchair adventures you mentioned swimming to Antarctica – presumably in reference to Lynne Cox. I’ve met her, and she’s a fantastic woman. Hoping she’ll write a blurb for my book. On the subject of my book, Rowing The Atlantic, it’s available for pre-order on Amazon. As of now. Just so you know! We’re also planning a book tour. Details still to be confirmed, but hopefully taking in New York, Seattle, Portland OR, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston, between Oct 6-20. Quick answers to quick questions: Q: Are you going to row around the Cape Horn? Q: Do I anchor at night? Q: What kind of beer would I like to be my first drink? Weather report: Position at 2200 HST: 10 27.594N, 170 51.116W Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com As of Monday, 29 Jun 2009. The easterly trade winds 20+kts hanging on a little longer. Expect a brief period of lower winds then back to 20+kts. Seas abate to 8-9ft. Sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy with multilayered clouds of low to mid level. Very isolated rainshowers. ITCZ: The most active part of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)has drifted westward to 175W between 2N and 8N. There are widespread areas of wind 30-40kts in heavy rainshowers have been measured. These systems are often times accompamied by thunder and lightning. You may observe these conditions. There are some holes in this activity of lesser conditons. Forecast below is for a SWerly course. Roz Savage (rozsavage) on Twitter 1.wind and seas up again after yesterday’s respite. Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering | Video on TED.com Because the people over at Mevio have not figured out how to enable their site to work with Ubuntu users, I have decided to post No Agenda on my site so it can be listened to through Firefox on Ubuntu. If you want to download the show visit: noagenda.podshow.com/feed for the RSS feed where you can get the show. I use gpodder ( gpodder.org/ ) to download and listen to audio and video podcast on my Ubuntu machine. I like it over Miro, because it is light weight, more configurable, and you can use VLC with it easily. NO Agenda #108 with Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak This text will be replaced
I just checked the hosting price and it is only $7 a month and $84 a year, but they offer deals so I might be able to get it for less. So if I get some donations and maybe work a holiday I should be able to keep the site. So I think I will stay, that way I can put up photos and the like a lot easier and maybe get back to doing some audio or videos. I did remove the google ads, I only generated less than $2 in a year so F it! I want to keep the site non-profit anyway. Life of a firefight in Afghanistan.
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![[photo: there have been some questions about how far away I can see weather coming at me. I don't know the answer in terms of miles, but here is a photo from this morning showing some big black clouds heading my way…]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T-ZSL_yBSjc/Sk8FdXxctmI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/LOHizmjUEcY/s1600-h/Day+41+-+storm+coming-725465.jpg "[photo: there have been some questions about how far away I can see weather coming at me. I don't know the answer in terms of miles, but here is a photo from this morning showing some big black clouds heading my way…]")
do you have a bilge pump or manual access to bail? There is a footwell just outside the hatch to the aft cabin, where lives my liferaft, water can, and bucket. That is the only area that really needs regular pumping, and I have an electric bilge pump. But I know from past experience that a bucket works just as well!
Posted on July 4, 2009, at 7:14 am | 
/Mike