Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Day 48

Another day and another milestone out here; this time it's the mid-point from an east-to-west perspective from Gomera to Antigua, which I crossed at around 3PM EST today.


The other excitement today was my second time getting out the of the boat to scrape barnacles off of the hull. In the morning the boat was feeling slow despite good winds and seas. At lunch time when I reached underneath I felt what I can only describe as the bumpy beginnings of barnacles, which is far better than the jungle that was down there on Day 35 when I last scraped. Even so, it was a sunny day with waves that weren't too big (though they weren't too small, either...) so in I went, this time with less hesitation and sitting on the gunwale looking around for sharks.


This time went quicker and though I got gallons of salt water up my nose (which doesn't feel great at all) I declared a success after 10 minutes in the water. This time, according to my map, it was almost 10,000 feet deep. Yikes!


Anyway, as promised I have a picture of myself post-scraping. Unfortunately, I seem to have been caught in a moment of post-barnacle-slaughter masculinity, which I don't usually share with the general public. With that said, enjoy the gun show!



Thanks to all who have supported this expedition and important research at Yale Cancer Center with a donation to Row for Hope. If you haven't donated, or if you would consider donating again, it would be much appreciated. To donate online use the link in the upper right-hand corner of this page or visit www.rowforhope.com.


Paul


P.S. The guns were bigger before I left...I swear!

14 comments:

Blonde Saffron said...

hahahaa

Love the picture there!! Looking good with the scraper and the beard! Wishing you great tailwinds!

Erinn from Toronto.

Anonymous said...

Dear Paul,
This is Santa Claus from many years ago in your father's church for the Sons of Norway lodge--you have changed a lot since those growing years.
I am very proud of what you are doing and I know your mother and father are as well--your mother must be watching over you right now. The shore looks far away, but we all know that you will make it there as expected. Praying for you and your mission.

Anonymous said...

Paul,

ARRRRH Mate all you need is a patch over one eye!!

We love the picture.

Keep up the great work.

Keeping you in our prayers.

Phil & Margo

Anonymous said...

P-Rid,

Love the pic!!!!!!

Craziest thing happened today... Wish I could send you pictures, because I don't know if you will believe this. Seaside if for sale! We have a sign in the front yard and everything! Wasn't there yesterday and now it is!

Unknown said...

Paul! Amazing, half way for real! Have my drink all cued up and ready to join you when you pass 40 tomorrow. Kind of upset that you weren't doing "the face" in that picture though.

And of note, am watching the Biggest Loser right now and they are doing an erging challenge!

Anonymous said...

Paul,

Is there anyway we can see GPS Tracker again. "Where in the World is Paul" gives the big picture of where you are. But GPS Tracker gives the exact location hour by hour which is very interesting to see.

Until 2/4/09 we could track you every day. But now all we see is a blank screen.

You're doing great. Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Paulie,
True sign of a seafaring man when your beard is bigger than your biceps.
I think your arms looked bigger when we used to lift in your basement 9 years ago.
I was planning a row across the Pacific, but I don't want my arms to get any smaller than they are.
I'll sit Indian style in my living room eating Tater Tots and watching Glenn Beck.
-Yanuzzi

Anonymous said...

Paul, How do you get back into the boat? Keep doing what you're doing -- it's working well! One day at a time -- ETS

Anonymous said...

You just passed 40!!!!! Congrats Paul!!! Woo hoooo, break out the champagne!!! :-) Also, lovin the guns! haha

Anonymous said...

Hi Paul,
We're friends of Wild Bill and met you at Colgate Camp. We have been following your progress and can't believe how far you've come. Actually, our whole family is following your extraordinary journey. Can't imagine how you have enough energy to blog on a daily basis! We were wondering how much water you started with and how you handle keeping up with a supply of fresh water. We are all praying for you and wish you a safe arrival in Antigua.

Anonymous said...

Hi Buddy - HAPPY BIG 4-0!!! Wowie Zowie -Holy Crap - Amazing - Fabulous - Wonderful - You Go Guy -Skoll - Cheers - shall I go on! This is such a big milestone. Even with a few miles left to go, it's the last miles - that just sounds so much better. You look good (cheers to Coolibar that you are not bright red from sun burn), you sound good -the fact that you can laugh heartily with your buddy John K Jr says that your head is in the right place!Good, good, good - keep up the routine - keep up the hard work - it's still a tough ride ahead. I also want to praise your followers for their dedication. Comment numbers stayed consistent even on Manday wich was a work day off for many (Prez Day). Testament that folks are supporting you on their own time - not just at work!! xxoo-

Unknown said...

Paul,

Just checked your GPS tracker!!!!

CONGRATS ON making it past 40W, drink some champagne, put a note in the bottle and try to re-cork it! Let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
Mark

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the halfway mark! Think of it this way...even if you wanted to turn back now, it would be more work than to just finish.

Also, I think we all appreciate that you only took a picture of your sore hands, and didn't share the sores on your "backside."

Keep it up.
-rvb

Unknown said...

I have a bandaid... b/c you're all cut up! haha (I believe that was Kinsella's line on Gate TV in the dining hall).

Sorry I couldnt help it paul. Miss ya!