7 Feb- The day after the night.

Frasersboat
Tue 7 Feb 2006 15:03
Tuesday 7th Feb 06
Still no progress and so few miles completed yet 10 days already away.
Last night was something new to both of us. Any coastguard experience I have
had has always been within a team approach and close to the shore.
As described before we had already set the parachute anchor as we were only
making negative progress(sorry that means going backwards) towards our goal.
The wind continued to build from the SE until it was f8. accompanied by
thunder and lightning. We knew there was
nothing anyone else could do to help and took on the task of talking
through all the possible consequences and then putting a plan together to
try and overcome it. The one that is the most formidable one is that if we
are capsized then inorder for the boat to right itself we have to trust in
the boats capability to selfright. But that means staying in the back cabin
with everything closed down until the boat selfrights. Not an easy thought
for anyone. Claustrophobia was an unwanted sleeping partner all night. So a
night in the back cabin, locked down, surrounded by grab bags and wearing
life jackets and waterproofs. In truth nothing untoward
happened, the boat looked after us but today still no rowing as the SW are
now blowing
still strong but the weather is much better with the patches open blue sky
and us
doing jobs around the boat. I think the best bit for me was that we lost no
equipment from the deck and the water which kept sweeping the boat last
night did no damage apart from a leak onto my face from around the compass
during the night. (Not big enough to climb through though).
So despite the grotty weather we still had our porridge, fruit and tea for
breakfast.
Is there anyone reading this who could give us some source of weather
information( Jennifer could you ask Adam at the BBC if they could send an
email a 5 day forcast of our area.? Send Met Man Mooney! if thats whats
needed but i dont know where he would fit. ( Thats for our northern
friends.).
We have to believe that better weather will come soon and the we can make
some progress as we cant spend all year out here.

Hi this is Mick, we have had a prettu torrid time for the last two days
first contending with SE winds and trying to pinch progress with seas just
off the beam, causing us to rock and roll all over the place. Slowly things
got worse as the full blown storm set in. The weather today is pleasant
blues skies warm wind force threeish, but in the SW exactly opposite to what
is needed.

Ian W has commented that there is three people on this boat Tim, Mick and
Mike. Well the last night before the storm we were convinced that there were
four people on board such was our state of mind!

Life on the Ocean Waves - we thought it might be good to have section which
takes some aspect of our life and particularly life at sea and explain a
little more.

So what makes a couple of fifty somethings do something like this. A quest
for adventure, something to remeber in later life, something to tell the
grandchildren about, to get out of the comfort zone, take your pick. I don't
know if either of us are minded to say that we are doing this purely for
charity. This is an added bonus for us so that we may benefit others by what
we are doing.

So what qualifies us to take on this task.? Both of us have pasts heavily
into outdoor pursuits particularly water sports but surprising neither of us
have rowed before. Peole often find that surprising. I have done a number of
endurance canoe and kayak events over the years including two source to sea
river decents in India in the last 4 years. Tim has his background in the
coast guards, cruiser sailing, formally an outoor pursuits instructor, and
rugby player at a good standard.

What training did we do, well I have lived with project now for about two
years and so have regularly trained on a concept II rowing ergo I have rowed
this boat very little on the water but never on the sea before we set off!
The general feeling is that sea rowing experience is desirable but not
essential, you learn on the job. Tim only got involved with the project in
Nov 2005 after my original partner droppd out for personal reasons. So its
been a bit of a steep learning curve mentally and physically for Tim.