First, a quick brag:Voted #3 in Top Ten Adventure Twitters by Outside Magazine - woohoo!
Now, on to the news...
The Brocade is now comfortably ensconced in her new home at Pacific Shipyards International on Pier 41. I had spent much of the last 8 months, almost ever since I landed in Hawaii, trying to find somewhere suitable to store her - with absolutely no luck. But like London buses, after none for ages, two come along at once...
Yesterday afternoon I was holding the fort in our "downtown office" at Waikiki Yacht Club while Nicole and Joel took the truck to tow Brocade from Pier 21 to Pier 41 so she could be repainted. Pier 21 was supposed to be for storage only, and we had already been pushing our luck by doing so much boatwork there. I had just received a rather terse note from the owner, asking me to move all my "crap" (his word) from the area around my boat. So painting there was definitely out of the question - and besides, the warehouse was so filthy that her pristine post-painting appearance would not have lasted for long. No point making her all pretty if she was just going to metaphorically roll in the mud. So as I Tweeted yesterday, a new location was urgently needed.
As I was catching up on my emails I came across a suggestion from Sindy Davis, blog reader, supporter, and now an in-person "real" friend as well, who suggested aircraft hangars. We had already tried a few such leads, but she sent me a link to Air Service Hawaii, which we hadn't tried before. Not an immediate win, but a relatively short trail (only 4 phone calls) led me to Dan Espiritu, who immediately offered me space near Honolulu Airport at a huge discount.
My text to Nicole, celebrating the good news, crossed with a text from her saying that the guys at Pier 41, Pacific Boatyards, had welcomed the Brocade with open arms and offered her accommodation for as long as she needed - plus paint, under cover storage space, crane services, etc etc. This rather trumped the airport option, as the extra manpower and free paint would save us loads of $$$. Fantastic!
So now Joel is busy at work, prepping and painting the boat (see pictures), while Nicole and Conrad, local filmmaker and our new best friend, shoot footage of the works in progress. And I try to figure out if I have everything I need to sustain me for 100+ days at sea. Ocean rowing is almost unique amongst expeditions in that it is impossible to pop down to the corner store for anything that I have overlooked. I know of a crew of two guys who had to share a toothbrush the whole way across the Atlantic....
So here is my packing list so far - let me know if you see any omissions, but within reason, please. Every pound of weight is another pound I have to row across 2,600 miles of ocean!
Sawyers oars (4)
Rowing seat + spare wheels
Cushion pads and packtowel covers
Para anchor x 2
Leecloths for bunk
Manual bilge pump (in addition to fixed bilge pump)
Tripod mount
Handheld VHF radio x 2
Compass x 2
GPS x 3 (plus the one in my iPhone)
Toughbook PC x 2
Iridium satellite phone x 2
Tracking beacon
Aquapacs
iPod x 5
iPod headphones and waterproof bag
Pelicases
Spare batteries for everything
Inverter (US)
Pentax waterproof camera
Ricoh 500SE waterproof camera with geotagging
Foghorn
Axe (don't ask - was required by Atlantic Rowing Race rules, and is now part of the furniture!)
Marine flares
EPIRB
Searchlight
Immersion suit
Liferaft
Lifejacket
Grab bag
Type-4 Coast Guard Approved Flotation Device
Vitamins, minerals, supplements
Nuts and seeds
Seeds for sprouting
Larabars
Freeze-dried food
Tinned fish
Pillows for bunk
Ocean Sleepwear sleeping bag
Silk inner sleeping bag
Pillowcase
Rowing shoes
Sun shades for hatches
Red ensign
Hawaiian flag
Charts
Scissors
Grease pencil (for marking up miles on whiteboard)
Sharpie
Pencils
Reading glasses & case
Log book
Knife and sharpening block
Knife, fork, spoon, teaspoon x 3
Mugs with lids
Water bottles
Seed sprouter
Measuring jug
Wooden spoons/spatulas
Hand pump for jerry cans x 2
Bungee cords
Assorted food storage jars
Jerry cans for water
Spare water bags for extra ballast
Thermos flask
Clips for sachets of food
Drybags for storing rubbish
Ziplock bags
Washing powder
Washing up liquid
Hospital-grade antibacterial cleanser
Funnel
Windproof lighter x 4
Matches
Brush and dustpan
Cloths and pot scourer
Bottle brush for water bottles
Clothespegs
Scrapers for scrubbing bottom of boat
Bedpan
Bucket x 3
Baseball caps
Fleece and long trousers for evening shift
T-shirts, shorts, sports bras
Rowing gloves
Anti-UV sunglasses & case
Cord (lots)
Headtorches
Sewing kit
Karabiners
Snorkelling mask
Waterproofs
Soap/shower gel
Moisturiser
Dental floss
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Alcohol/tea tree oil wipes
Cream to prevent chafing
Body lotion
Body scrubber/ chamois leather
Towel
Sun lotion by Green People
... and cuddly toys!
Grab Bag containing:
4 chocolate bars
4 small bottles water
Anti seasickness tablets
First aid kit
Fishing kit
Glucose sweets
Emergency rations
Grab bag
Knife
Lightsticks (6)
Personal EPIRB
Pocket strobe light
Red hand flares (2)
Signal mirror with whistle + float
Silva compass
Spare torch bulb
Thermal foil blanket
Tool kit
Waterproof torch
Foghorn
Handwarmers
Fishing line and weight
GPS
Toolkit comprising:
10" mole grips
5 piece screwdriver set
6" adjustable spanner
6" pliers
Alum keys
Any specialised tools for equipment on board
combination spanners 94 - 10mm
glue
Hammer
junior hacksaw and blades
Stanley knife and blades
marine sealant
Amsoil Heavy Duty Metal Protector
epoxy repair kit
pack of metric drills
penetrating oil, WD40
reflective tape
self amalgamating tape
duct tape
small hand drill
set of metric drills
cable ties
Wet & Dry Sand Paper
Woodglue
Tape Measure
Alligator clamp, C-clamp
Leatherman
Electrical spares:
20 by 5mm 2 amp Fuses x 3
10mm nylon P clips x 4
10 amp fuse x 3
Twin pole plug ( cigar ) x 2
Nav light and bulb
Spare bulb for internal light
5 amp fuse x 3
Insulated Crimps x 5
Yellow Male Crimps x 6
20 by 5mm 1 amp Fuses x 3
Liquid Electrical Tape
20 by 5mm 3 amp Fuses x 3
20 by 5mm 5 amp Fuses x 3
Ties 3 sizes x 40
Mini Torch
Female Crimps x 4
Fuse wire 10m
spares for bilge pump
spares for watermaker
spares for steering system
spare seat
spare rowing gates
spare CO2 bottle for lifejacket
spare batteries
spare rudder pintles
First Aid kit:
Anti inflammatories
Dioralyte (for seasickness)
Ibuprofen gel
Micropore (tons!)
Painkillers
Seasickness patches
Biofreeze
Deep Heat
Ice packs
and a lot more besides - thanks to Expedition Doctor Aenor Sawyer!
Other stuff:
Happy Shiny Boat
Thanks to all who took part in a lively debate on Twitter and Facebook about what colour to repaint the Brocade. I took all these votes into consideration, but in the end had to come down on the conservative side and go with silver again because:
- it looks good with any colour sponsor stickers ...
- it doesn't get too hot to the touch
- if we have to do any creative editing with the video, using bits out of sequence, it will avoid having glaring continuity errors
- and, ultimately, I just couldn't imagine her being any other colour!
But there will be little "accents" of colour (she says in her best camp-interior-designer voice) with sponsor logos, seat cushion (orange), and so on.
Pacific Paddler
I went paddling with the outrigger canoeists of the Waikiki Yacht Club last night - earning ourselves a beer or three (and WHOSE idea was the tequila?!) in the yacht club bar last night. And paddling is meant to be good for your health?!
About to dash out of WYC to go do a live interview with Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central - catch it here!
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Dr. Livingston, I presume?
ReplyDeleteHeh! I don't know if you've read any adventure travel stories from the wayyy wayyy back, but your kit list reminds me a bit of some expeditions I've read about from the turn of the last century. Of course, yours is updated with the latest technology and food products! But still, you are on an expedition.
I cannot wait to read your book(s)!
Godspeed and good luck! I eagerly await this latest adventure!
Roz .. I don't see a can opener on your list. Maybe you have those cans of fish that have pull tops but if not you'll need one.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your journey to begin.
Dehumidifier? (Is that possible?)
ReplyDeleteTinned fish sounds a bit heavy. Any alternatives a bit more lightweight?
ReplyDeleteHi Roz,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good list by someone who knows a lot more about what she needs than I could guess at. But that never stopped me before. Here are my recommendations:
-A great big bottle of suntan lotion
-A stick with mop head to apply suntan lotion to your back
-Spare Ipod headphones
-A small LED light with cord to go around your neck or wrist
-Spare rowing shoes and gloves
And don't forget the stuffed animals!
All the Best!
I know you try to stay healthy while out on the ocean but is there any chocolate at all?
ReplyDeleteLet's see now... Vacuum cleaner, duster, fridge, espresso machine ...
ReplyDelete...and vanilla for the coffee.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe just a little bit of chocolate!
ReplyDeleteAnd just taking a few cans of fish, just in case I get major protein cravings and don't want to fish.
I do also have a couple of Petzl Zipka headlamps that can be strapped to a wrist, and 8 pairs of rowing gloves - and of course, how could I possibly manage without the stuffed dolphin, robin, and two ducks....?!
Your meds list seems a bit light to me. Perhaps some antibiotics and an anti-diarrheal.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify on the meds list, the actual kit is HUGE! And includes everything under the sun. Hence my catch-all: "and a lot more besides - thanks to Expedition Doctor Aenor Sawyer!" Aenor will make sure I have absolutely everything I could possibly need, and as I trust her judgment completely, there was no need for me to document the entire list here. This blog was already plenty long enough!
ReplyDeleteare you sure for the 5 ipods ? maybe you can take 3 ipod and two others differents brands in case that the ipod leave you alone.
ReplyDeleteI never really trust in ipod quality, even if i got 3. they all died when bad condition of use.
You missed water maker off the list, but I bet its on the boat. How about a solar still to go with it?
ReplyDeleteWith your reliance on electronics, I would carry out a battery capacity check shortly before the off, by actually discharging the batteries and measuring the amp-hours. Does the batteries good too.
best of luck,
Richard
Thanks for the meds list clarification, Roz. I'm sure you're in good hands with Dr. Sawyer :-)
ReplyDeleteAloha,
Jim
Looks pretty good to me, something i didn't see listed but you might already have is zinc cream or diaper rash cream or gold bond jock itch lotion - very important since you're sitting down in a sweaty and wet environment! your butt will thank you.
ReplyDeletealso for the fish (or chicken) they come in these sealed plastic bags now, i know: more trash that's not recyclable, i'd only go for these if you don't have enough room. they stow better and don't clonk around, but you'd have to carry them out - yet they don't rust.
another trick that areal acrobats use: if the calusses on your hands explode but you have to get going: superglue. it sounds disgusting, and is probably not to be used on a daily basis, but it actually keeps them in place until you can tend to them...
Bag Balm will help to keep salt water from being absorbed into the skin and starting necritis. Get it at any saddlery.
ReplyDelete