Days at Sea:                 30

Last 24 Hours:              No change – more eating, more sleeping, more talking and more playing games.

Other Boats:                 Not seen or heard (on the VHF) from another boat for at least 2 weeks.

What’s been happening?

An update from the last  24 hours

1.     Back Rowing – very pleased to be back rowing again and Red Arrow seems to be moving through the water well.

2.     Quiz Update – haven’t played since we’ve come off the para anchor. No doubt the competition will resume if bad weather returns.

Restaurants I’m missing……..

1. Janes Upstairs - a Michelin star fish restaurant in West Byfleet (well, that’s what I told Laura the first time I took her there). I’m craving my usual scampi starter, fish pie main and homemade butterscotch tart. Jane – I plan to come in the day I fly back!
2. Kwok Lai – my local Chinese in Lower Weybridge and I’m salivating just thinking about it.
3. McDonalds –  every athlete loves something from Ronald and I’m a big fan of the double Sausage and Egg McMuffin.

Letters I still have to open…………..

Before we’d left La Gomera  and unknown to me Laura had contacted friends and family and asked whether people would like to write me a note/letter to read at sea. Laura printed out all the letters and put them in envelopes and they have been so good to read. I’m picking them at random and trying to make them last the whole trip and I have the following left…….

1. Kathy & Pete Anderson
2. Alan Skennerton
3. Dan & Sandra Sechari
4. Nanny Doris
5. Frapey……………………………I’ve got a feeling this letter will start - “Cretin”
6. Sara Hollingshead
7. Uncle Andy (Uplifting Tom Editions 1-5)
8. 5 more handwritten masterpieces from Laura

Sport/Exercise I would love to be doing……..

1. Anything but rowing – by the end of this trip I will never want to see another indoor rowing machine again!
2. 5 a’side footie – I love the game and haven’t played for over a year because I didn’t want to get injured.
3. A run around Horsell Common.
4. A blast on my road bike on my favourite stretch of road – the climb from Send roundabout to the top of Newlands Corner.

I wish I had brought on this trip…………..

1. Cotton Ear buds
2. Hand wash that doesn’t need water. We have soap but this uses water and we also have hand sanitiser but your hands need to be clean first.
3. More loo roll.
4. 5/10 pair of Speedo trunks. I’ve brought 35 pairs of Sports Soccer cotton value briefs and live in these 24/7 but actually swimming trunks would dry much quicker.
5. A waterproof pillow case - if such a thing exists.
6. More hand wash powder.

I wish we hadn’t brought so much of………….

1. Food – I reckon by the time we finish in Antigua we will have half of all our main meals (includes breakfast, lunches, dinners and puddings) left onboard. We have brought full food rations for 65 days and half food rations for 25 days. Rich is pretty much eating living on one Super Noodle ration each day and his full snack pack (chocolate, nuts etc). I’m eating much more than Rich but still not the 7,500 calories per day we planned for. I’ll do a breakdown of a days food in a forthcoming blog. The weight of the excess food we’ll finish with will probably be the weight of a small passenger.
2. Sun Cream – no joke, we have so much high factor (40 & 50) that Rich specifically wanted I think we’ll finish with hundreds of pounds worth unused. We’ll sell on though.

Red Arrow needs…………..

1. The navigation light to be moved to the bow cabin as it is currently right in our eye-line when we row. It is such a bright LED that it prevents you from seeing the conditions around the boat. We haven’t rowed with it on at night since the first week – if the boat radar picks up another vessel, it goes straight on.
2. An electronic wind speed and direction instrument. We currently use the flag pole for direction but have to guestimate the strength.
3. The flag pole to be secured into its mounting properly. It was rattling for the first week and as it is right above where you sleep it was driving me crazy! I’ve stuffed the mounting with cut cable ties and it is now doesn’t rattle!

Rich sayings…………..

Over the last 2 years I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with Rich and we’ve have got to know each other very well. He’s one driven, fit, determined bugger and I’m very pleased we’re rowing together. Here’s some of his most common sayings I’ve picked up on and If I had a pound for each time I’ve heard these…………….

1. “For sure” …………………..the posh way of saying “yeah”
2. “It is what it is”………………a response I hear a great deal.
3. “Just because other teams are doing it, doesn’t mean to say we do.”
4. “When I lost my bankcard in New Zealand, my bank had a replacement card to me in 6 hours”
5. Sleep talking – nothing specific just random chat but it seems like he’s having a full on conversation!

I’ll ask Rich to do the same for me in one of his blogs – I’m intrigued as to what I say…………………

Latest Top 5 Tunes…………

1. Lose Yourself                           Eminem
2. Proud                                       Heather Small    (My mums favourite)
3. Only To Be With You                 Roachford
4. Beautiful Day                            U2
5. Laura                                        Scissor Sisters

Text of the day goes to David Moss for the following…………

“Watching the dots is like a video of random behaviour of sperm. Doesn’t help you very much but hope that you can resume your mission soon.”

Some personal messages from me………….

James Barker   -  please buy Livvy a TV for her birthday. I’ve just received an email thesis from here and it took me my whole 2 hour shift to read through!

Livvy                - agreed, great puppies!

TOAOTR           - cheers for your texts pal and I hope your treat was up to its usual standard??? Did you get me email from the boat address – if not, ask Laura to forward on?

Mum                - I just found the raw jelly cubes in one of my snack bags and Laura said you put them in. ABSOLUTELY LOVELY! Also, who put all the Blue Rock Biltong in - very nice too?

Sue / Mum       - whoever did the NYE parcel for us, thank you. I found it in the front cabin yesterday when I was putting the rubbish into the front hatch. The Cadburys Fingers had melted but rest assured they were not wasted!

Peter Barnes    - Hello cous. Rich and I are still sane – just. Look after your Mum……….and the beast!

Pebble                         - You’ve started your New Years resolutions a month late…….although I’m very pleased you are giving up smoking. I was going to buy you some duty free when I come home – oh well!

Martin Thornhill – any update on what the chaps are doing as their next challenge?

Lucy Pittey       - Why are you meeting up with Fogle??? Could you ask him where we should go for our first meal when we arrive in English Harbour?

The row must go on – Antigua here we come.

Barnesy