Day 50 the Moonbow experience

JJ Rowers
Jamie Facer-Childs and James Thysse
Sat 6 Jun 2009 20:16
 


Day 49 – the Moonbow Experience


So tomorrow is 50 days at sea – and what to report? Obviously the capsize has had significant effect especially on the growing list of non-functioning equipment. In fact, Jamie said today that they don't seem to have much time, what with rowing and repairs etc. Nevertheless there have been a few highlights – today they saw a Marlin which caused them a frisson of excitement or more like it “a wondrous experience”.


However, the biggest recent highlight has been the Moonbow. I am so jealous that, at the tender age of 21 my son has seen a Moonbow and I, with all my years of “experience” under my belt, did not even know that they occurred. I have therefore mugged up on Moonbows and discovered that they are rainbows that occur at night due to the light of the moon. They appear as a ghostly white arc – (apparently the colours are usually there but too faint to see) and, according to Wikapedia, they are relatively rare. It mentions a few places for known sightings – several places in the USA, Hawaii, Zambia and Zimbabwe all get a specific mention. Perhaps it is now time to update the references to add the Indian Ocean. Perhaps the rarity of sightings is due to the unusual combination of the weather conditions – which require rain with no cloud cover together with bright moonlight. I can't find a decent picture but try these for a start:

http://www.artfromthesoul.com/Moonbow.jpg

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/moonbow.htm
http://www.pixheaven.net/photo_us.php?nom=090210_5594-96

Now, for the very keen ones amongst you, I am sure that “jjrowing enterprises” will be organising adventure holidays known as “Moonbow Trips”. All you have to do is pay a small fee and you will get a “short” rowing expedition to the middle of the Indian Ocean accompanied by two experienced 22 year odds (yes, we now expect them both to be 22 by the time they finish since Jamie – who is the younger and who has his birthday on 11th July – is no longer expected to celebrate his birthday with his family in Mauritius since the weather has not given him the speed we originally hoped).


If such a rowing trip is not your kind of holiday then, with the money you have just saved, you may like to consider donating some of what you have just saved to their charities on the www.oztoafrica.com website.


Roy Childs