I had planned to go through some of the physical and mental prep that I do in the morning to coax myself out of bed and into the rowing seat, but first I'll respond to some of your questions/comments from the past few days. Here goes...
Lori H - re snickers melting - it's actually been noticeably hotter out here the last few days, which is expected now that I'm 600 miles or so farther south from the Canaries. With that said, my candy/chocolate stashes are in compartments below the deck which stay cooler because they're close to the water. So, the problem isn't as much with them melting as it is with sea water getting into the compartments...
Donna - the idea on heading south first then west is to get into the east to west trade wind band that, at this time of year, can be found around 21 degrees north or so. If I was in a powerboat I'd head straight for Antigua, but since I don't have as much ability to power through headwinds and such, its a better bet for a solo rower to go S first then West.
Margaret - Pepe's should definitely be on my list. White clam pizza all the way. Mmmm
Zack - I'm still not sold on Nady but will give him a chance. Melky's a bum!
Patti - e-mail from me tonight or tomorrow, I promise!
Alexander - Great! Ask your mom to remind me when I get back about coming into your class. I'd be happy to!
Mike from Nirchi's - Deal. I spent some time today thinking about what toppings I'd have. Chicken spiedie, pepperoni, and tomato bacon all are in the mix...
Marlene - believe it or not, I actually don't have duct tape on the boat. I know...terrible job! I do have gorilla tape, whis is stronger but not very good when wet, electrical tape, masking tape, packing tape, and medical tape though. No peanut butter but lots of peanuts! Wish I head peanut butter cups!
Dave and Leslie - The wind is helping more than hurting now, as I'm comfortably in the trade wind belt. Ideally I'll have 20-25 knots of wind from the east (blowing me west) all the way to Antigua. Right now the forecast is for 20k for the next week plus, which is great. In regards to the sea anchor, in heavy seas it keeps my bow into the waves which smooths out the ride a bit, but also stops me from drifting (because its basically a 10-foot parachute that holds a lot of water). Better to use in a storm to prevent being blown backward than for resting. I still tow a 50 foot knotted line from my stern when I sleep. This keeps the stern from getting tossed around as violently in the waves, which is convenient because I sleep with my head all the way aft, basically on the boat's transom. The line isn't enough to keep me from getting mileage in the right direction while I drift though.
Kyle - Believe it or not I don't have "row row row your boat" on my ipod! Next time I'll remember to get it. Could definitely use Henri for the water maker....or better yet to help with the rowing! Btw, the toe steering that you guys worked up is one of the most useful things on the boat -- I steer up and down every single wave and save TONS of effort when it comes to orienting myself to the seas. Bravo!
Guys at Aquidneck - Glad to hear you're keeping an eye on me. Every day with this boat makes me more impressed. I can't overstate my confidence in Liv -- a good thing when its blowing 30k out there at 3AM in the middle of the Atlantic! Many thanks for a stellar final product!
Ok, the fact that I can't see straight must mean its bedtime.
Thanks again for all of the support and for spreading the word about Row for Hope!
Paul
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7 comments:
Dear Paul,
Grandma and I are thinking about you every day. Do you remember playing catch in front of your house years ago? You were 8 or 9 and the idea was to see how many you could catch without dropping. I think you went up to 10 or 11 before you dropped one. This kind of reminds me of what you're trying to do today, and your determination. We hope remembering us will give you more strength for your task. The stories you've sent back about the trip so far are really gripping to us. This is all for now, Paul. That our love and our best are with you goes without saying. You're in our prayers every day.
Love from Grandma and Grandpa.
Paul: It's Fred. I haven't written but I have read every daily blog. It's not fair. One of my dreams is to make the trip you are in the midst of in my own sailboat, probably by participating in the "Atlantic Rally Crossing" which begins in the Canaries each November and goes to St Lucia. I'm a generation older than you and you are in the middle of fulfilling your dream! Not fair! Can you tell I'm jealous...
I also have a technical question, not being familiar with Liv. Why do you "anchor" each night with the drogue off the bow, which I assume means you make a third to a half of a knot astern through the night. Can't you use a mini-drogue (like you describe with your knotted line) off the stern and keep Liv pointed in the right direction making better time (say 1-1.5 knots)? I know you don't want to end up beam to the sea, but won't something dragging off the stern that is less than the full drogue allow you to maintain your heading downwind (and downwave)?
BTW, are you available as crew when Chris and I finally make our trip? Or will it be been there, done that?
Best,
Fred
I was reading about you eating the Clif Bars. Don't mean to alarm you, but Clif announced a voluntary recall recently. There's been a peanut butter related salmonella scare in the US, so Clif recalled the following products:
Note: Only bars with wrappers that have the following BEST BY or SELL BY codes1 on them, in all sizes and packages, are being recalled:
CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
BEST BY/SELL BY:
21JUN09 to 01OCT09 and
03NOV09 to 28NOV09
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
BEST BY/SELL BY:
21JUN09 to 01OCT09 and
03NOV09 to 28NOV09
CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz
BEST BY/SELL BY:
13SEP09
CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter
SELL BY:
19JUL09 to 30SEP09 and
05NOV09 to 18NOV09
You may want to check the bars you have.
Paul,
Wild Bill here..[but my heart is in the magic circle on USL]
I will have some of the Bombay waiting to toast you next time I see you in the circle.
Hey Paul,
We're still encased in ice here at the club. Prep for our Florida trip is ongoing. This weekend was a ski trip to Okemo for (seems like) most of the NRRA. Lot's of fun, no broken bones.
It's awesome to hear that you're settling in to a rhythm and holding up.
A picture of your hands would be great if you can pull that one off! I have your beard on the website for all to see!
How's if feel to be living a dream?
charles
Rock on, Garth!!!
Hi Buddy - Day 25 - whoosh...you are the man. I'm not sure how many different ways we can say 'we're proud of you' - but we'll keep trying. Everything about your efforts on this trip is amazing - and you can tell yourself that with every stroke of the oars. Keep the faith. Bingo is still in the deep freeze - we're all hibernating.Thank goodness we have your summer news broadcast on the DVR to watch over & over & over, &...xxoo -
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