Spice it up.

Row Across The Pond
Richard Hoyland and Steve Coe
Fri 1 Jan 2010 11:47
We're all bricking it now that we have a certain chance of leaving, albeit a few days after the second pre set date of the 29th Dec..... You may well think that we have had enough time for preparartion, but the reality is far different from the theoretical. So, in amongst excitement there is also apprehension. Just to keep you up to speed as much as we are, the race start has now been set for the 4th of Jan. The crew of the 12 man boat looking to set the Atlantic crossing record have also arrived in town and this indirectly gives us all hope for the weather window we need.
 
Just a little background info.
 
The wind and waves have a seriously detrimental or advantages effect on little self propelled craft (most measuring not much more than 23' in length). The detrimental effect of even a 12 or so knot wind on the head of the boat is likely to stop us dead in our tracks. (Anything much greater and we start to go backwards, so would look at deploying para anchors so as to hold water). Conversly, a tail wind will push us along nicely.  Just as a point of information, the wave direction NORMALLY tracks in the same direction as the wind...unfortunately, this is not happening quite as quick as we would like and we will be rowing the boats through a 3m wave height on our starboard side, not so comfortable...but hey,  nobody said is was going to be easy..
 
The weather systems that have run by here over the last few weeks have been the worst for 75 years...well thats what i'm told!!!!