Monday, January 5, 2009

Day 5: Still adjusting

Hey everyone! It is Liz this time. I had the pleasure of catching up with Paul (aka the boss) this morning. It was mid-day and he was taking a break from rowing for some snacks and water and sounded really strong and in good spirits.

Today we had a big victory on the seasickness front -- Paul actually felt good enough to cook up one of his freeze-dried meals. His only complaint was the flavor profile of the spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken; we will take that as good news. Once he hits his routine he will try to eat at least 4 freeze-dried dinners a day. These meals will be a large component of his 10,000+ calorie diet necessary to fuel him.

The nights are still tough. The winds seem to slowly build all day, so by nightfall when he can't see the waves they are much stronger and he feels like he is getting tossed around more then he would like. He knows many previous rowers have really enjoyed rowing at night so he is hoping the conditions are specific to the current weather system and could change soon.

Again, every time we speak with him we share all of your comments and it seems to be the highlight of his day, so thank you all so much for your continued support! He seems to much prefer hearing stories from us rather than answering our battery of questions to him... so KEEP 'EM COMING!

I can't resist including one of my favorite picture from our time in La Gomera. As a bit of background, apparently in towns where homes do not have chimneys, Santa climbs a rope. It was only fitting to have one on the boat too (again, a bit of inspiration for Paul to take over the daily postings).



More to come...

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Paul, any way you can take a snapshot of your interior cabin? Also, have you seen any cool wild life? Whales, flying fish, sharks, etc?

Thx

Anonymous said...

Paul,
Good luck.

Lou Ferarro and Daughters

Anonymous said...

Paul,

I have Charlie's baseball jersey. When you return i will give it back...

Reyan



I am sure that you jerk chicken was better then anything at applebees...and in a few weeks you can have legit caribbean jerk. Meat....not just the locals.



I think that the rowforhope team should hook up w/ the local news and have a daily ridley check....a 2 minute spot talking about progress and the sea life. if you see the stingray that killed the crocodile killer...take a swing at it for me


MAYE

ps....i am pumped to have had the chance to harass you on the path pass and on the field in babe ruth baseball

tvcrider said...

Paul,
God Bless and best of luck in your crossing.

Father of one of your 2001 BHS classmates.

Joe Galloway

Anonymous said...

Oh! The freeze-dried food has made an appearance :) Glad to hear that. Let me know how the mac & cheese one is!

Anonymous said...

Hey Paul - I've just returned from a vacation out west and have been checking your blog often and sharing it with friends and family in AZ and CO who are now also tracking your progress and hopefully pulling others onto the bandwagon. As one who also has a tendency toward motion sickness and who does NOT handle sleep deprivation well, I am sending all kinds of good thoughts your way and am humbled by your courage. I probably would have jumped headfirst into the ocean by now! Better times are ahead as you adjust to life at sea.... You need to write a book!! (yeah, one more thing for the to do list....) :-)
Susan @ GA

Swenson said...

Paul, Great to hear you have turned the page on the sea sickness! Hopefully now you can settle into your routine. What's on the ipod?

Unknown said...

Dear Paul,
My 25 second graders are excited to watch your progress. They are amazed that you are so brave. Some of my students are watching your progress on their home computers, too. Your smiling face is projected up on our Smart Board right now!
Keep rowing.
Teddi and class

Anonymous said...

I'll know that you are feeling totally better when you announce that you have prepared 'a spread' for yourself. I'm gonna' get me some of that freeze dried stuff so we can include it in the Home Coming party menu! xxoo K-Rock

Anonymous said...

Paul,

Its great to hear you are adjusting to life at sea. Best of luck.

Denis

Unknown said...

Hi Paul, I overheard some (non-YCC) colleagues on the elevator last night talking about your adventure. You are in our thoughts, for sure. Best, Margaret

Unknown said...

Paul! :) Hope you're doing well... How's the bucket working out for ya? ;) I wish I could try your other dried food meals with you, like that surprisingly decent tasting teriaki rice and chicken meal that had no nutritional value, lol.

Btw, at 3am on New Years day Dan Solomon prompted me and Anna to salute you and we started to pretend rowing with our arms... lol by pulling our arms back... im sure it looked horrible and was terrible form. I think it didnt help that Anna and I both had drinks in our hands while we were doing it! Miss you dearly!!

Liz Barron said...

Hey Ridley!! Mike and I were drinking wine out of our Jones Family Farm wine glasses over the weekend and talking about how you saved the day with your wine opener! Although I'm thinking this row might be a tinsy bit more of a challenge than opening a bottle of wine - we're confident you'll save the day once again =) Keep up the good progress!!

Unknown said...

Hi Paul, I met you this past summer at the Blackburn Challenge in Gloucester, MA. From your blog postings it sounds like journey is going well so far. Keep at it, your journey is inspirational.

Anonymous said...

Hey Paul! Glad to know you're getting your sealegs - bet you're missing the chicken parm from Two Doors about now! :)

Looking forward to the next post - hang in there. John sends hugs! :)

Eileen

Anonymous said...

Dear Paul,

I think about you every day and wish you only the best. You are amazing! I will definitely be making another donation to Row For Hope.

Take care,
Judy W. (GA)