all i want for christmas is ..........................my oar back!
Panatlantic
Mon 24 Dec 2007 14:52
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hi everyone and a very merry christmas! it would be
interesting to know if any of you have spent christmas in a stranger place
than this! as i have mentioned previously my family will be celebrating again on
my return so tomorrow will be just anothr day on the ocean for me. i will of
course make a few phone calls and be listening to nialls alternative christmas
hits. tomorrow will be a landmark day for other reasons, we will reach
our waypoint and will then head west straight to antigua. from then on we hope
to take advantage of the trade winds and pick up on lost miles.
interesting night, i was on my 7pm shift when a
wave hit from the side, the force of the wave completely snapped one of the
rowing gates and it quickly floated away with the oar still in it! unfortunately
the wind was high and the oar moved to quickly to grab it, we thought about
turning the boat and going after it but it would have been too dangerous given
the conditions. it turned out that the steel bolt holding the gate in place had
completely snapped, we are unsure if this was just an unfortunate accident or
down to my sheer strength and power! im rowing a bit easier from now on.
fortunately i managed to change the gate and before long a spare oar was in
place and we were on our way again. oh and just to add a bit more misery to the
incident, as i was led on desk tightening up a bolt, a wave hit the side and
completely covered me much to niall's amusement. he was filming it at the time,
so that might be £250 from youve been framed. footage of niall's weird beard as
it grows should get us at least another £1000.
overall we have been pleased with the last couple
of days and have made steady progress, today is a bit tougher as we fight the
current to get a bit further south. plus its really hot, must be in the
thirties, whats the weather like in the uk?!
a quick congratulations to patty and vicki who got
engaged over the weekend, details are yet to be confirmed but hes the first of
my friends to take the plunge. i bet they will start dropping like flies
now!
niall and i will not be doing anything special to
mark christmas although we may treat ourselves to a solar shower! we have a few
gifts to open from our families and will be sure to mark the occasion with a
photo or two. however we will continue to row hard and make ground towards
antigua.
i think about what i will miss most about christmas
and it is simply time spent with family and friends, i can look forward to the
christmas meal with all the trimmings when i get back but i wont be able to go
on that big bender with my friends or go to the pub with my dad on xmas eve.
plus i wont see the kids excited and opening every present in sight whether it
belongs to them or not.
well its niall's blog tomorrow so i'll take this
opportunity to say a very merry christams to everyone reading this, think of us
while you eat your christmas dinner! a particularly merry christmas to tommo and
joe who will be enjoying their first christmas as a dad. enjoy it!
il be looking out for santa claus tonight, im sure
i saw him the other night but niall said it was mars, thats a chocolate bar isnt
it?! i think hes losing it!
james x
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