Olly Abandons Row - But Lives To Tell The Tale

Today I heard that sad news that ocean rower Oliver Hicks has decided to temporarily abandon his attempt to become the first person to row around Antarctica. His ambitious plan was expected to involve 18 months alone in the Southern Ocean, in some of the coldest, windiest, most inhospitable waters in the world. But extrapolating from his rate of progress over the first 80 days, he realized that it would in fact take him around 5 years to complete the voyage. Wisely, he is now making his way to New Zealand to regroup and consider his next move.

Olly's decision, while no doubt bitterly disappointing for him, allays the fears that I had when I first heard what he was planning to do. Having the maturity and strength to suspend his bid and modify his plans reassures me that ultimately his chances of success and survival will be good. Recently my friend Sarah Outen turned back from her first attempt on the Indian Ocean, but has now relaunched and is making excellent progress at the second try.

Ernest Shackleton, no stranger to polar climes himself, wrote that "It is better to be a live donkey than a dead lion", and just two weeks after the death of extreme skier Shane McConkey it behooves the adventure community to be mindful of public perceptions of risk vs benefit.

But here I'd like to provoke some debate as to how accurate those perceptions are. Do we sometimes lose sight of real risk as opposed to perceived risk? Many people are afraid of flying, but apparently more people die on the way to the airport than die in plane crashes. Risk assessments are complex, and much can be done to mitigate the dangers. What I do in ocean rowing may be pushing the limits of human endeavour, but I carefully limit the risks - through careful preparation, comprehensive range of safety equipment, contingency plans, and the exercise of my very strong sense of self-preservation.

A dangerous thing done safely can be less risky than a safe thing done recklessly.

For example - this looks dangerous - and it is. He died.

While this doesn't look dangerous - but it is. They die too.

And this looks dangerous - and I was scared - but I had limited the risks by setting up a safety line across the roof of the cabin and clipping myself onto it, so the risk of actual death was minimal. Believe me, I fully intend to die at an old age, peacefully in my sleep (ideally while in bed rather than while driving...)

And here I'd just like to point out that we ALL die. Death is not optional. Sooner or later, the Grim Reaper comes for each and every one of us. And this is an important realization. For me it was only when I acknowledged that I was going to die that I started to live. I realized that I didn't have an endless supply of tomorrows, and that if I was going to have a life to be proud of, the time to start was now.

And I commend Olly for doing the same. He has an audacious dream, and he has chosen to go for it. The bigger the challenge, the greater the risk of "failure" - but the biggest failure of all is not even daring to try - and even an adventure that doesn't go as planned can be counted a success if it has provided a useful learning experience.

I can imagine what he must have gone through to reach this tough decision - no doubt he considered the implications for sponsorship deals and finances, not to mention personal pride. But he had the guts to say, "You know what, this isn't working. Let's go back and make some changes and try again." As it says on his website...

The difficult is what takes a little time. The impossible is what takes a little longer.
(Fridtjof Nansen)

Go for it, Olly, and if I can do anything to help then you know where to find me.


Other stuff:

It's that exciting stage of the planning process where mysterious packages are arriving from all around the world. Recent product sponsorships include:
- sun lotion and skin creams from Green People
- vitamins from Biocare
- nuts and seeds from Wilderness Family Naturals
- gloves from Kakadu Golf Gloves
- antifoul from International Paints
- and huge quantities of Larabars from, errr, Larabar!

Next Thursday I fly to Hawaii for final preparations before my launch from Waikiki on May 24. Between now and then I am speaking at eBay (Monday), the Kiwanis Club (Tuesday lunchtime) and the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race Dinner here in San Francisco (Tuesday evening).

Meanwhile, work continues apace on the technology and partnerships that will support this year's major environmental initiative, due to launch later this month. More news soon...

[Photo: me at Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, from a photo shoot with Doug DeMark last month]

Related articles by Zemanta

• Extreme skier McConkey killed in jump accident (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
• Tony Bullimore is rescued by the navy (telegraph.co.uk)
• Wilkins Ice Sheet Lost to Climate Change (desmogblog.com)
• Ice bridge ruptures in Antarctic (news.bbc.co.uk)

Larger Debt

On certain Facebook pages you have to enter randomly-selected words to prove that you’re a human being. This morning I was faced with the stark words “LARGER” and “DEBT” – not a happy combination, and a reminder that with less than 4 months to go until launch date the expedition coffers are empty.

And today has continued to be, well, just one of those days when I feel like crawling back under the covers and waiting for better times to arrive.

Indulge me a moment while I share my pity party. Despite dozens of inquiries, I still have nowhere under cover to store my boat. I want to work on the boat today, but it’s pouring with rain here in Hawaii. Several projects are running behind schedule. Various technological questions are still to be answered. And there is no money to throw at the problem.

And then somebody posts an ill-informed comment suggesting that I should give it all up. I can’t blame them for being ill-informed – I haven’t yet announced my big, exciting environmental initiative for this year - but although I know that “it is not the critic who counts” it was unfortunate timing and it hurts to be kicked when I am already down.

So how to deal with these days of gloom and grey? I have retreated to the Kalapawei Café for some coffee shop therapy with my journal and a latte. I’ll share part of today’s entry:

“It’s one of those frustrating periods of stuckness when it seems nothing can possibly be finished in time…. Until the stuckness ends and is succeeded by a period of rapid progress and dizzying change. I haven’t yet figured out a way to trigger that transition, apart from just to keep plugging away until things start to flow again. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Keep doing the right things for the right reasons. Know that I feel a calling to do this - and that there is nothing else that I can do but to keep faith in the process, and know that it will all be worthwhile – eventually.”

And so I turn to my To Do list, and pick up the phone… (sigh).

Other stuff:

Today Oliver Hicks set out from Tasmania on his bid to be the first person to row solo around the world. His voyage around the Southern Ocean is slated to take 500 days. “New Zealand safety authorities said Hicks was exposing himself to extreme risk and the likelihood of a rescue being needed was significant.” Good luck, Ollie – you know more than most about rowing in the colder latitudes, and I wish you all the very best. You can follow Ollie's adventure here.

Since arriving in Hawaii I have been busy networking, picking up contacts from previous visits, and making many new friends, notably at Sunday’s Ala Wai Challenge. Thanks to Jeff Apaka for inviting me to appear at the event, and thanks to all who showed such interest in my adventures both past and future. I am looking forward to working with all my Hawaiian friends in the run-up to my launch on May 15.

If you’d like to cheer me up, a few dollars would help brighten my day. Every $ counts – as does the knowledge that you care enough to share. Donations can be made here via PayPal.

A couple of new podcasts have gone live in the last few days, so by way of apology for not having blogged for a week, here is more than enough Savage Verbiage to keep you going! Me in conversation with my friend and Podcast Sister Anna Farmery...

The Engaging Brand - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (Part 1)
The Engaging Brand - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (Part 2)