2 March

Frasersboat
Thu 2 Mar 2006 20:38
Hi Everyone

The night was quieter rowing wise than expected the ENE wind came, changing
from a NE at about midnight abruply but had little force in it allowing us
to make only 0.5kn. In the end we decided to call it a day at about 3 am and
bedded down starting again at 6am. The wind was being held off by a local
bank of cloud. We had a liesurely breakfast and rowed on slowly expecting
things to improve which they did. Nice ENE wind materialed, lively but not
excessive producing a good speed up to 1.8 knots on broken rollers. It looks
as if the wind will cary us through the night.

Also we will see a moon again for a while, this should enable us to see the
water surface. For days we have be rowing in inky blackness being hit from
time by rogue waves that wrench your bottom around on the seats Mine is sore
again after feeling that I had got over the worst. Tim did some extra rowing
today so that I could give it some tlc..Hopefully with the moon we will get
some stars again, Tim has difficultly seeing the graduations on the compass
from the rowing position and stars have been obscured so making it difficult
to get reference points for now when to adjust the rudder or gybe. Yes gybe
just like a sailing boat but with no sails of course these aren't allowed.
As you go down the face of a wave it is necessary to balance the forces of
wind and wave with the rudder and the oars. Therefore it is necessary
continually to adjust the position of the rudder to maintain alignment and
even gybe through the wind if necessary to get the wind on to the other
flank of the boat. Certainly a knowledge of sailing and general seamanship
is a prerequisite of any ocean rower more so that any rowing experience. As
you know both Tim and I are sailors, no jokes please!