posterity, not posteriors!)
Thursdays are my multimedia day. I record my segment for the regular
weekly RozCast and email it to my editor in California for her to slot
into our prepared recording, and I record my live podcast with Leo
Laporte. It takes time and a considerable amount of money (my satellite
phone doubles as my data modem for uploading content, and I expect the
bill to be over $10,000 for this stage of my row) but to me it's worth
it. I can't imagine doing my adventure without the support and
participation of my wonderful Rozlings!
So today, with matters multimedia in mind, I'd like to put out a plea
for help. It may seem a little premature, but we are optimistically
starting to think about plans for my arrival on Island X - either
Tuvalu or Tarawa. And we'd like to make sure that the event is recorded
for posterity. It's not something we can come back and recapture at a
later date!
There is a talented young filmmaker in Hawaii, called Conrad, who did
some work with us before my departure. He is willing to come out to
Island X to film my arrival, and has generously offered to donate his
time and use of his expensive pro camera equipment free of charge if we
can just manage to cover his flights and accommodation.
We have received an offer of $2,500 from an individual in the US, but
only if we can match it with fundraising of our own. The resulting
$5,000 total would cover Conrad's costs, and would also help towards
Nicole's flights – oh, and mine, so I can get off Island X in time for
my book tour!
So there is $2,500 there for the taking, IF we can find contributions to
match it. Some of you are already contributing, either occasionally or
on a regular basis – which I appreciate HUGELY - but I hope that if you
have enjoyed my blogs, Tweets, videos and/or podcasts, you might feel
moved to make a donation, whether you are a regular donor or not. I am
very much looking forward to making landfall, and I'd love to be able to
share this special moment with you.
Also, Conrad and Nicole have been discussing a shooting schedule, and in
addition to my arrival they are planning interviews with government
officials, adults and children on the island to capture eyewitness
evidence about how they are coping with the effects of climate change.
We plan to share this footage with officials at the United Nations
Environment Programme, so that they can share these important
testimonials with world leaders at the upcoming climate change summit in
Copenhagen this December.
So, much as we Brits hate to talk about money, I'm holding out my
sun-bleached, seawater-stained baseball cap and asking if you would
please chip in with a few dollars to help me out. No contribution is too
small – it all adds up!
Thank you!!
(To donate, please go to rozsavage.com and click on the PayPal button in
the top right. All donations received from now until we reach our
target, and/or the end of my row, will be counted towards the gift
match.)
[photo: Distant dolphins – see below]
Other Stuff:
Just when we thought I might have broken free of the ITCZ… Today has
been dismal. Weather-wise and mileage-wise. Even the appearance of
several dozen dolphins failed to lift spirits much – they were too far
away for me to see them properly.
I woke this morning to find my world grey and dank, and all around the
horizon I could see big black clouds with legs of rain. As the sun set
the view was much the same. The only variation during the day has been
the occasional thunderclap and flash of lightning, and the wind, which
has been blowing intermittently from the southeast (not good) and south
(even more not good). The dolphins seemed to catch the mood of the day.
They surfaced briefly and slowly, showing none of the joie de vivre that
sometimes makes them leap and cavort like at Sea World. I filmed them
for a while but they didn't come close so most of my footage will be of
grey sullen sea, and grey sullen sky. As I write the south wind is
strengthening and eroding some of the progress towards the Equator I
made yesterday.
Here's to a brighter day tomorrow – or some donations would cheer me up
too! ;-)
Speaking of being cheered up, thanks to Roz's Rowsters for a bumper crop
of great comments! I'm glad you enjoyed my Austen-ish dialogue yesterday
– I had fun writing it, so I hoped you'd have as much fun reading it!
Thanks also to Richard in Austin, TX, for the update on Johnny Depp. Ah,
to be on a chat show sofa with JD… sigh! Fuel for happy rowing
daydreams!
Rozta' Bill – hope you enjoy the Larabars! And I suppose I do get a kind
of commission, as they generously provide me with my supplies of bars
for my voyages. But yes, for sure, I do mention Larabars on a very
regular basis and I know I've won over a lot of converts!
Kristen – lovely to hear from you. Thanks for the link about Tuvalu – we
were actually talking about that on the Roz Rows The Pacific podcast
this morning. It would be ideal if I could make it to Tuvalu – but even
Tarawa will be seriously impacted by climate change, as will all the
islands of the south Pacific – and Australia, which is the most likely
destination for displaced islanders. So wherever I land up, I'm sure
I'll have some stories to take to the climate change conference in
Copenhagen this December.
Serendipity/Law of Attraction – so I stand corrected, but will use my
lack of a ship's dictionary as an excuse! But I still hold that they are
not opposites, because with the Law of Attraction I don't think you can
EXPECT to bring these things into your life. It's more creative than
that. You wish for them, you form the intention of receiving them, but
then you let it go, and trust to the Universe to provide. As someone
once said to me, you don't take your broken watch to the watchmaker and
then tell him how to fix it. Likewise, you take your intention to the
Universe and then trust it to figure out the best delivery mechanism –
so the end result may often appear serendipitous. IMHO.
Weather report:
Position at 2130 HST: 02 15.317N, 176 31.523W
Wind: 0-15kts, E-S
Seas: 1-4 ft, E-S
Weather: totally overcast, no sunshine. Frequent rain, occasional
thunderstorms.
Weather forecast courtesy of weatherguy.com
Latest tracker reported your position as: 02 16N 176 22W as of 06Aug
1107HST.
As of Thursday morning 6 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there
have been Eerly winds up to 20kts and rainshowers in your area, which
might help explain your gain in westward longitude. Eerly winds extends
to the Equator then shift to SEerly 0-12kts. Winds will be very shifty
next couple of days becoming Serly 0-15kts by 1600HST 06Aug. Then
shifting back to Eerly 0-12kts by 08Aug 0000HST. Forecast aids indicate
Eerly winds 0-15kts persist for remainder of the forecast period.
Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as previously discussed.
According to satellite imagery, there remains moderate convection with
rainshowers and squalls overhead and to your north. Minimal cloud
activity south of 01 00N.
Sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered moderate
rainshowers, squalls, and possible thunderstorms.
Forecast (low confidence due to extreme variability in equatorial
regions
and naturally occurring small scale fluctuations in direction/speed in
the
Doldrums)
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
06/1800-08/0000 S 0-15 2-5
08/0000-11/0000 E 0-15 2-5
Next Update: Monday, 10 August
