And the drugs do work..they don't make things worse 16:57.000N 51:15.000W
Row Across The Pond
Richard Hoyland and Steve Coe
Fri 5 Mar 2010 19:58
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Steve...
If 'looks' could feel! then this might me the time. It
may look on your computer screens at home that we are so near to our
target, but beleive me it feels like a lifetime away.. Charlie Pitcher
was just 22 miles from reaching land only have to anchor and wait,, How
frustrating.. This in not meaning to put a negative spin on it, but it does seem
each time our hopes have been raised they have been dashed,, One thing we may
take away from this is to be more accepting
of dissapointment, well especially when weather is concerned. There is
no denying it, both of us are getting excited about arriving, but
personally for my own sanity i have to restrain beleiving anything will go
according to plan.
Unfortunately, both of us sustained injury over the last
couple of days, so we have been hitting level two (of four) of the anti
inflammatory drugs.. Thankfully,Injuries under control and rowing has resumed,
believe it or not. It is a cold reminder that this is not the place
to sustain any serious injury or illness. There is no doctor within
several hundred miles of us let alone med equip other than our own
provisions. These include some pretty stong analgesics and penecilin
drugs, neck brace, splints, digestive meds and a whole gammit of lotions and
potions.
Most if not all of our med care has revolved around prevention
and general maintenance of pressure sores,, mostly the bum area. From our
experience so far to minimise sores, variety is key to prevention, This may mean
rowing with shorts, rowing without, rowing on cushions of various materials or
layers. Sheeps skin is fine, but can get really hot and cause problems, large
soft cushions can again cause heat to increase and sores arise. Back to
basics, a solid wooden seat,, mmm that does hurt, Ahhh
'Pain' ..... a four letter word.
The pain element of this journey thus far has not so
far been excessive, yes it does hurt on initial contact with
the oars after each break, same for the bumon the seat, but
it is temporary and the show must go on.
A reminder for me,
The cabin, our usual refuge between shifts is often a hot
humid cluastrophobic space,, and particularly made so when the winds (oh the
blessed wind) are not from the stern,, In such instances the cabin temperature
rises above any normal acceptable comfort level, During these times,the rear
hatch is opened and one of our laminated charts becomes an
air conditioning assistant. Rolled carefully, it is strategically wedged
between the hatch and the boat frame in such a manner to collect passing
air and deflect it into the cabin.. Oh desperate times call for ,,,,,
What a good use for this particular Admiralty chart,, It
is the chart that provides all predicted wind directions and strenghts for
this passage and time of year,, Ironic,
that it is being used to divert the wind to cool
me down,,,,,
Anybody would think we were obsessed with the
weather,,,,,,,,,,,,
To my good old DAD and an inspiration (he won recognise that
bit.. far too modest)!!!!
I think I may have broken your record of 59 days at sea,, I am
so sorry to have broken this record, it was not my intention, however we can now
share the experience of the sea and all its glory like never before,,, The
conversation on the scenery bit might not last too long, but i cant wait to see
you and Mum again real soon,, Glad your looking after your grandcholdren in my
adscence,,shame Ollie nearly cut his finger off,, did you not take your
responsibilities seriosly enough to explain Knives can be dangerous,,,, Tut
Tut,, Lol
Rich...
"Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in
the sunlight."
Great quote from a Annie, colleague (and rowing friend) at
Bupa....
This is really relevant to our recent plight and ongoing
torment by mother nature. If you are an avid reader of the race stats, we posted
one of the fleet's lowest mileages on one of the best weather days, due to
the injuries that Steve is talking about above. Today, finger crossed, that
aint happening to us again, Antigua is in our sights. The weather has
teased us for weeks now..finally everything is lined up and the perfect day is
upon us...we have been doing 2.5 to 3 miles per hour for the night and most of
the day :-) The pain can be controlled with the medicines we have
onboard...so row on....
The weather is a strange beast and it's one that's been
messing with us for the whole journey. Combine this with the
effect that the night session can have on your decision making ability and you
have a recipe for disaster. Often during the dark hours you imagine
forces pulling at the boat to push you off course/slow you down/making the
water heavy/light..the 'boat magnet'...well last night I finally made the
decision to ignore the boat magnet as it messes up your ability to just sit
there and pull on the oars and get to Antigua...trying to guess what nature is
doing is paralysis by analysis. This is not the place for deep thought..it's the
place for digging deep and pulling the oars hard.
With the shackles of the magnet gone...life has become
simpler..the times have gone up and the shifts are simpler...stick to a compass
bearing and ignore the peripheral data e.g. cross track error (the distance you
have gone from your ideal course)...watch the wind/waves/speeds and go for
it.
Today we got fantastic tailwinds, which is the normal thing
for most of previous races....so this is what we thought we were letting
ourselves in for...it feels good. No disrespect to previous races..but didn't
you have it easy ;-) (don't kill me Cath..) this is the first time we've
had this sort of weather for weeks (if not a
month).
You know what, with the focus on rowing/injury, we've seen no
wildlife...no time to look over the side of the boat..there's the satifying
sight of miles clicking down :-) less than 600 to Antigua...
Marian and Antoinette, thanks for the kind wishes, we will
continue to ply you with tales of our woes..the good and the bad ;-)
Great to have such an international readership (S.Africa, New
Zealand, Australia and Leatherhead), one things this race has done is pulled
loads of friends/family and colleagues that had been neglected, back to the
front of your mind...a fantastic byproduct of the race...hopefully an
opportunity to reconnect.
Hi Pete (Offin), no they didn't tell me about the return
journey ;-) Perhaps you can stand in for me?
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