Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Day 52 - Wheel of Fortune

Today has been a day of mixed fortunes. I woke to find a) that it was
raining, and b) that most of yesterday's meager southerly progress had
been lost overnight. Wind and currents had pushed me back to the north.
It wasn't a flying start to the day, but what can you do? Just get out
there and start rowing.

And row, row, row is what I have done all day, trying to ignore the fact
that I have achieved little more than stemming the northwards drift. I
had got used to knocking off a degree of latitude every 3.5 days on
average. But I've now been struggling towards 6 degrees north for 5 days
already, and as I write I'm still not there.

Usually I look forward to the end of each rowing shift, when I update my
logbook with latitude, longitude, and miles achieved closer to my goal.
The last normally gives me a sense of satisfaction and achievement. I'm
used to doing about 2 knots while I'm rowing, so a 2 hour shift would be
4 miles, or a 3 hour shift 6 miles. But today I've been rowing 3 hours
to gain 2 measly miles, and the sigh of satisfaction has been replaced
with a sigh of resignation.

But, strangely, spirits are good despite the lack of forward progress.

I've found that the art of not going crazy on the ocean comes down
largely to thought management. Despairing thoughts of "am I ever going
to get there?" or "why is this so hard?" are not helpful. So I've been
deliberately diverting my thoughts in a different direction.

If I was some kind of enlightened being, no doubt I would do this by
using meditation. As it is - and this is rather an embarrassing
confession - I've been using Jeffery Archer.

For non-British readers who may not be familiar with Jeffery Archer, he
is a British author producing Grisham-esque novels. However, his
reputation is based less on his literary achievements and more on his
general notoriety. He is a former Member of Parliament with an
unfortunate reputation for exaggerating his own achievements. He was
exposed as having an affair (or was it that he slept with a prostitute?
Or both?) and spent some time in prison for something or other (look on
Wikipedia). He has gained and lost several fortunes, and originally took
to novels to write his way out of bankruptcy.

But he is actually rather a good writer, and "Prisoner of Birth" is a
real page-turner (of whatever the auditory equivalent is). It's the
first of his books that I've read, and I wish I had more. It's a chunky
hunk of a book that I just haven't been able to put down – and as the
rule is that I can only listen to audiobooks while I'm rowing, it's been
very effective at keeping me plugging away at the oars today through
thick and thin, earbuds in, northwards and southwards, fair weather and
foul.

Addicted to Archer in mid-Pacific. Who'da thunk?

[photo: this isn't Birdbrain - it's another booby who from time to time
tries to land on the poop deck. But Birdbrain is having none of it. This
bird is obviously further down the pecking order... and I'm somewhere
below that.]

Other Stuff:

There have been several downpours today. I try and row my boat into the
path of any approaching squalls, as they are very effective in washing
away booby bird poop. But the poop deck doesn't stay poop-free for long
- Birdbrain is still in residence, so there is a never-ending supply.
Our reluctant truce continues – it really is very Life of Pi – we just
ignore each other most of the time. He has his territory on the poop
deck and I have mine in the rowing cockpit. He poops, I row, and so life
goes on.

As I write the weather/current conditions seem to be improving, and my
direction of drift appears to be SW rather than NW. But I'm not taking
anything for granted just yet…

Thanks to the sheer chutzpah of my amazing friend and Lemon Lady Karen
Morss, Nicole is now in email contact with J Maarten Troost, the author
famous for his books about the islands and residents of the Pacific. He
has already contributed some very helpful input about potential
destinations - which is very much appreciated. Thanks, Maarten!

Thank you to all who have posted comments on this blog and on the
Facebook Page. I feel like I should have a collective noun for all you
wonderful people who are supporting me as I paddle, but inspiration has
deserted me. Any ideas?

Weather report:

Position at 2200 HST: 06 01.066N, 175 55.516W
Wind: 5-20+ knots, E-ESE
Seas: 3-8ft
Weather: 3 big squalls, sunny and hot with some cloud in between. You
name it, we've got it!

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

As of Monday, 13 July 2009. Wind conditions should be highly variable
the next several days. Winds may have shifted to slightly south of east
today. As of this morning, winds over your position were E 10-20kts.
There is a slight chance the wind could shift to light Nerlies, in the
next five days, which should assist in pushing you southward across the
equator. Wind speeds from calm to 15kts. Seas flat to 3ft.

Sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy with low level clouds.
Scattered rainshowers, squalls, and possible thunderstorms. Wind speeds
in these systems 40kts.

ITCZ: The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) has been quiet these
last few days as indicated by the absence of convective clouds. Still
you are in the prime generation area for heavy squalls and
thunderstorms. Southern edge of the ITCZ is drifting between 02 to 03
00N.

Ocean Current: North Equatorial Counter Current (NEEC). Still looking
for the current to become ENE or Eerly flowing south of your position.
Northern boundary of the NEEC is about 05 00N extending to the southern
boundary near 00 30S. Current speeds increases to Eerly 0.1 to 0.2, then
builds to a maximum near 0.6 to 0.7kts from 02 30N to 01 00N then fades
to 0.1 to 0.2 near the southern boundary. There are periodic
fluctuations in these dimensions.

Recommendation: The light winds, lack of convective activity, and Eerly
flowing current provide and excellent opportunity to move eastward to
enhance an equatorial crossing. Suggest maximum effort to try to stay in
the Eerly flowing current as long as possible by rowing eastward. Or if
you have decided on Tarawa as destination, suggest rowing southwest
towards Tarawa to avoid the maximum NEEC current. You probably will have
an opposing current of about 0.5 kts.

Forecast
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
13/1800-15/1800 E NE-E 5-15 1-3
15/1800-17/1800 E-NW 0-10 1-2
17/1800-19/1800 NW-N 5-12 2-4


Next Update: Friday, 17July

24 comments:

  1. I gave my speech of tribute today featuring Roz Savage. Students told me that the rowing adventure sounded unbelievable. I had to show youtube videos of you cutting the sea anchor.


    At least the squalls will wash off the poop from the birds and bring cool breezes your way. Slow progress will still get you to your final destination.

    “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill

    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think, we should be called..

    "The Roz Crew".

    The double meaning is perfect (for a rower).

    Good luck getting south

    Chris Myles
    SV Billabong

    ps. I love Maarten's books, Jeffery Archer is another favorite. For the next leg check out Lee Childs (you'll LOVE Jack Reacher) & Janet Evanovich (you'll laugh out loud)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Saw "Return" to Tarawa where this little old man goes there to try and deal with the garbage pollution on the beach. He had fought there in WWII and was sad that the place where he lost so many mates had gone to garbage. His name was Leon Cooper and he had a plan for cleaning the joint up but he was getting the brush off. Maybe you will check out this situation if you go there. When I sailed on the tall ship HMS Rose we had t-shirts saying Rose Crew so that's been done. "Booby Bunch" or "Suck-up Squad" have the necessary double meanings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CONGRATS ROZ! ... ON PASSING ANOTHER PARALLEL

    You seem to be on a conveyor belt to the South Pole for the past 10 hours ... and a whopping 8.4 miles to show for it ... but your bearing is 194 deg (SSW) ... good job Roz!

    Roz wrote: "But I've now been struggling towards 6 degrees north for 5 days already, and as I write I'm still not there."

    You give new meaning to "PULLING AN ALL NIGHTER"

    You set your sights on 6N and [you know] you did it just a mile back. RozTracker's latest marker is 5.987N 175.925W.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Roz did the small tsunami cause your boat to rise and fall? Are you OK?

    "The quake's epicenter was 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Invercargill, off the west coast of New Zealand's South Island at a depth of 21 miles (33 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It hit at 0922 GMT on Wednesday.

    The quake was felt widely across South Island. Police in the town of Tuatapere said they had reports of minor cracks in buildings and stock falling from supermarket shelves."


    ~ Greg

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh yes! ... a name for us ... somewhere, a name for us ...

    We are dispersed around the globe, united in our unwavering support and we are all "pulling a spiritual oar" for you. We have empathized (not to mention put up with) your birdbrained boobie frustrations.

    Roz, you are our Rowing Queen (reminisce ABBA) which conjures thoughts of Ladies and Knights of your Court.

    We are United in our Unwavering support. Since your request was on the eve of your pulling an all-nighter in which you stemmed the tide (so to speak), turned the corner, donned a new day ... heck, it seems you may have caused a quake ... and you crossed yet another parallel (15 so far to be exact) this morning which should be commemorated. Combining these thoughts, I would be honored to be a member of an international community known as any the following:

    Roz's All-Nighters
    Roz's All-Knighters
    Roz's U-Knighters ... preferred
    Roz's Ewww-Knighters
    Roz's Booby Knights
    Roz's Booby Busters ... naw!
    Roz's Quaking Quackers ... not!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Boobie Bunch!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Roslings
    Rozettes
    Brocadaderos

    ReplyDelete
  9. Roz! It's been too long! I had a dream about you last night where I was sitting on your boat with you and telling you that I'd been thinking of you and keeping up with the blog but I'd been so busy that I hadn't said hello and I was so sorry! We had a lovely visit in my dream.

    We just returned from our three week trip and getting back into life here with a possible move to NY!

    Much love and happy peaceful rowing to you!
    ami

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:54 pm GMT

    Roz, I check and read your blog first thing every morning. 1600 miles!! And Tarawa (what a place of solomn history) is just beyond your reach. You get a little closer with every row, row, row!!

    K. Weber
    Half Moon Bay, CA

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous6:43 pm GMT

    How about calling ourselves 'Savages'

    ReplyDelete
  12. How about calling your readers and supporters "The Rozter."

    ReplyDelete
  13. I vote for Rozlings, or Roslings :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. We could be your little "Rozcales".

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous7:44 pm GMT

    So far, I like Rozlings (adapted from Joan's Roslings), but I also have a feeling more good candidates will be appearing.

    Am following your every inch, as well as nagging everyone I know into reducing their dependence on plastics and giving their cars more days off.

    What an inspiration you are--Thank You!

    Barbara H

    ReplyDelete
  16. Noun for supporters: Roz-a-phile? Good luck!

    Greg G.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I vote for "Roz's Savages" :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. You are punching a hole south today!
    YOU GO GIRL!

    Roz's Rooters

    ReplyDelete
  19. How about taking a break from your books and just listen to your own thoughts and row.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Noun for supporters? I vote for Roz-ers

    And if you're bummed about not 'getting there' fast enough, remember, the longer it takes the more extraordinary the accomplish WILL be.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Michelle from Canada4:10 am GMT

    How about the Booby Boosters?

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a difference a day makes. Amazing!
    10 hours at 180 due south can't be beat.
    You are going to Tuvalu. Celebrate, Roz!

    Roz's Roosters

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hiya Roz ... I learned of you and your indomitable spirit via one of Rox's Beachwalks -- where she interviewed you along Honolulu Harbor (I think). I lived in Kailua 6 years and miss my beloved Hawaii so much sometimes ... finding YOU, with your immense spirit of adventure, joy and grace was a real treat. I'm now rooting for you along with the other little "Rozcals" here (yup, I vote for THAT name; it's clever and cute ... and there's something endearing about a "little rascal" ... a spunkiness, a sense of wonder, adventure and "bucking the status quo" ... so I think it's a perfect name for your many sideline encouragers.

    Incidentally (actually quite primary, now that I think about it), YOUR adventure has inspired me to aim once again to reach my aborted adventure of walking across England! I'm in the "getting fit for it" stages now ... and you are inspiring me to keep on keeping on! Thank you, Roz ... and may angels guide you in peace and power over the waves as you row on to Australia!

    Naomi in NY

    ReplyDelete
  24. How about "Rozaholics" Roz is on the drink and we arrgh drinking up the blog and will all raise a beer to the completed leg.

    ReplyDelete

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