2008

Panatlantic
Wed 2 Jan 2008 20:20
Hello everyone from a very lumpy atlantic!
 
well we are well into 2008, by all accounts January 2nd is the most depessing day of the year, the festive season is over and its back to eork, plus in the UK its cold, dark and wet. well that certainly makes me feel better! Ive been a little depressed for the last day or 2 as i think about home, my amazing girlfriend and family. for me this has been the longest i have been away from them, and it has certainly proved the hardest part of the challenge for me. yet we get closer and closer everyday so not long now!
 
well as i said yesterday i was going to try a couple of nialls special pills in order to make my blogs more entertaining for you all, so this morning when he wasnt looking i swallowed a couple of his little pink pills. within minutes i had shrunk, lost weight, some of my facial hair had inexplicably fallen out and my manhood had all but dissapeared! suddenly my head became full of pointless facts and information mixed with images of scantily clad men (so thats what you think about niall). it was when i began to talk with a funny accent that id had enough and took the antidote. what goes through his head is truely worrying as you may know from reading his blogs.
so im afraid its just me writing about my thoughts and opinions.
 
in all seriousness i would really like to thank niall for taking on this challenge with me, he has been absolutely superb before and during the challenge and i couldnt think of anyone more suitable to do this with. he is ideally suited to adventures such as this due to his determination and adventurous spirit, plus the fact he feels very content in his own company. especially during the first few days i was very down and seasick yet niall did pretty much everything around the boat, cooking, boiling water, cleaning and putting in more rowing shifts than i was or could. i am very grateful for that and admire the way he keeps his emotions in check and doesnt seen phased by anything. so niall thank you!
("oi niall what are you typing, its my turn to write the blog today!")
 
training for this challenge has really made me appreciate what athletes put themselves through, niall and i trained a minimum of 9 times weekly for over a year aswell as following a strict diet which saw me gain over 20 pounds of lean muscle and niall loose 5.
of course i do not agree with footballers being paid £100k per week as nobody deserves money like that, nor do i like the way that top flight footballers dive and cheat to gain any advantage possible, look at dida in the game v celtic as a prime example of that. and yet we have had an insight into the dedication and commitment it takes for an athlete to perform at the highest levels. that said there are so many sports which do not get the recognition they deserve, rowing for example has got to be one of the toughest sports out there and yet how many people could name a current top british rower? the same goes for britains best traithlete, cyclist or swimmer. it seems only in extreme circumstances or by them being part of some scandal or sleeping with a celebrity do these people get any recognition at all. yet they put themselves through the mill everyday not for financial gain but for the satisfaction of being the best at what they do. i truely admire that commitment, drive and determination to be the best.
 
well back to life onboard, the winds have picked up but unfortunately the seas with them, we are moving along well but with difficulty and being smashed around a lot, conditions like this mean your rest is spent in the cabin with the hatchs shut and its like an oven. the only thing you can do to ease the discomfort is sleep so we have got some good rest today. we are on for our best day in terms of miles which is great news!
 
well thats me for today, im off to get some sleep before my first evening shift.
 
bye for now
james