Bula from Fiji…and from the other side of the international date line!

Team Roz arrived safe and sound at Nadi International Airport just before 3:00 pm local time. Please forgive my mistake on the blog this morning – I said we were arriving on Monday, September 1^st and of course, I meant Monday, August 31^st. That blog entry was rife with errors, and I can only ask your forgiveness – it was a rather hasty entry written at the airport gate and I was a bit sleep deprived!

The 7 hour flight was great – very smooth and the plane was practically empty. As you can imagine, the view from the sky as we descended into Fiji was pretty spectacular. Conrad got out the camera and did some filming – I hope the video captures the incredible colors from the various depths of water. Just stunning!

We breezed through customs and were all relieved that none of our food rations were confiscated. (I think I brought enough granola bars and dried fruit to feed all of Tarawa for a week!) We waited for about 20 minutes for a shuttle to our hotel, which is just a few minutes down the road. We checked in quickly, unloaded our bags in the rooms and headed immediately for the restaurant – we were all famished. Cold beers and a good lunch was just what the doctor ordered.

Sitting outside, we all remarked how similar this part of Fiji is to Hawaii –  Hunter noticed that the plants surrounding us are just like the ones in his backyard at home. The hotel has a lovely little pool surrounded by a nice garden, and since our flight to Tarawa isn’t until noon tomorrow, I think we might get a little dip in the morning.

So, I know this is all terribly fascinating stuff (wink, wink) but the reason you’re all here is Roz and you’re itching to hear more about her! Our girl is doing great, not to worry! Many of you are wondering why her position is no longer being posted to the RozTracker, and why she’s not blogging and Tweeting anymore. Don’t worry – this is just temporary. Roz is taking a few days to collect her thoughts and just enjoy some peaceful, contemplative time alone before arriving on Tarawa. She’ll be back to blogging in just a couple of days.

It’s important to point out that I’ve asked Roz to grant her Team one really big favor. In fact, it’s a huge favor. I’ve asked her to slow down. That’s a big ask of someone who has been alone at sea, rowing for nearly 100 days. But I had to make the request – I only found out on Thursday that we’d be going to Tarawa and as you know, we’re scrambling to make all the necessary customs and immigration arrangements for both Roz and her boat.

The other reason I’ve asked her to slow down is for her Team. The earliest we could get the rest of them to Tarawa is Tuesday, September 8^th. They’ve been a huge support for Roz throughout this amazing mission of hers and are now coming halfway around the world to support her and toast her arrival – it would be an incredible shame if they missed it by just one day! So Roz has graciously agreed to slow down.

One last great piece of news that I just received: Roz is featured today on CNN! You can take a look at the excellent story by journalist Matt Ford here. Okay, I’d best run, my battery is just about to die. More to come tomorrow…from Tarawa!

Nicole

UPDATE (8/31): Just got an email from Linda in Tarawa and learned that we won’t need visas after all – whew! ;o)

UPDATE: September 2, 2009, 9:43am HST
Roz has re-enabled GPS tracking in the RozTracker.
All data that was hidden for the past few days is now available.

August 30, 3009, 12:03pm HST:

For those of you who have been closely monitoring the RozTracker, you will see that Roz’s position has not updated for almost a day now. Per Roz’s request, we have turned off position updates. In Roz’s own words from her Tweet, “going offline for a few days. to be alone. back sept. 2, tarawa time!” We are still collecting all the GPS data every hour and will update the tracker on September 2, when Roz directs us to do so.

As you have seen in the past two days, Nicole has been writing the blogs. These will appear on the RozTracker at Roz’s last position (August 29th at 12:03pm HST).  You can of course see them in the journal as well, since the points will all start to cover each other until GPS positions are turned on again.

If you’d like, you can follow Nicole on her very own EpicTracker as she heads to Tarawa to meet Roz. She’s accompanied by Hunter and Conrad. You can also follow EpicTracker on Twitter to see how their trip to Tarawa is going. Enjoy!

Up and at ‘em everyone! Today’s the big day! Team Roz is on the move…

Saturday was a fantastically busy day. I raced around getting clothes and gear packed for Roz and myself, and spent lots of time on the internet and on the phone, tying up last minute details. New contacts and very helpful information from Tarawa continued to trickle in about clothing requirements, accommodations, phone service, and immigration. As the updates came in, I forwarded it all on to the other members of Team Roz so we could accommodate accordingly. Finally, I packed up the Yellin’s studio where I’ve been staying since Roz and I arrived in February.

I was all ready to go, but…did I mention that my car chose this week of all weeks to explode? Well, it did. Billowing smoke on the highway, followed by a powerful explosion and my little Corolla’s pathetic end. But I digress. This inconvenient turn of events only meant that I was marooned on the North Shore without a ride into Honolulu. It’s about an hour away. I finally managed to convince two lovely friends to give up a prime Saturday night and schlep me into town – hooray!

At Hunter and Traci’s house, we opened up our cases, spread everything out and downsized in a big way. I ended up leaving half the clothes and half the dried nuts and granola bars behind. We exchanged emergency contact details, scanned our passports and booked our hotel in Nandi, Fiji, where we’ll arrive at about 1 pm on Monday, September 1^st. Whew! We said our goodnights and set alarms for 5 am. After a much needed shower, I popped open the laptop, ready to type up the day’s blog, but I couldn’t get on the password-protected wireless network. Everyone had gone to bed exhausted and I just didn’t have the heart to be a pest. My apologies to all of you for not getting a blog posted on time!

That brings us to today. Check in at the airport went perfectly and we’re now waiting, bleary-eyed but excited, at the Air Pacific gate. Some new information came in overnight from our new friend Linda in Tarawa: apparently we may actually need visas. Yikes. According to the information we found on the state department website, visas aren’t required, but Linda says she’s seen Americans get sent back on the very same plane on which they arrived. Ugh. I’m really hoping we get lucky…in any case, we’ve scanned all of our passports and emailed them on to Linda. She’s very graciously offered to take these to immigration for us straight away and get the process started. She and her husband John have even offered to pick us up from the airport in Tarawa! We are so grateful for their help.

They’re getting ready to board, so I’d better get this posted. I’ll write more on the plane…that is, if I don’t pass out from exhaustion within five minutes of boarding!

Aloha from Honolulu – we’ll update you again once we get to Fiji.

Nicole

[photo: L-R Conrad, Nicole and Hunter waiting at the gate in Honolulu, just before boarding...yes, we look SLEEPY!]

UPDATE (8/31): Just learned that we won’t need visas – whew! ;o)

HONOLULU, HAWAII

“Whatever I say in the next 10 minutes, please promise me you’ll still be my friend…that you won’t hate me?”

When you hear such a plea, you just know that whatever follows will be some pretty serious news. The fact is, I knew it was coming. Wednesday’s rowing conditions were so wretched for Roz that I was certain she’d call me very soon to discuss a different strategy.

The call came the very next day. Roz agonized over the decision, but with a broken water maker, leaky reserves and dwindling food supplies, attempting the Herculean effort necessary to hit Tuvalu seemed to be far too dangerous. We just had no way of knowing how long it would take for Roz to push far enough south and east, or frankly, if it was even possible. Beyond the safety issues, Roz’s very first book tour is just around the corner – and come on, she just can’t miss that!

Yes, truthfully, I was a bit crestfallen to hear the news. I wanted to see her reach that goal of getting as far south of the equator as possible on Stage 2, because I’ve learned just how important that will be for setting her up for a successful Stage 3. I suppose it’s selfish to admit, but I was bummed that we’d have to start from square one – especially because after so much time and effort, things had finally just fallen into place with Tuvalu. The country was positively buzzing about Roz’s impending arrival. She was to be given the warmest of welcomes along with safe haven for her boat until Stage 3. But that’s how these things go. It really only took me a few seconds to get over the disappointment. I didn’t have time to mope about it, anyway – there was far too much to be done!

The minute I hung up with Roz on Thursday morning I hopped on Skype with her weatherman, Ricardo, in Portugal. He informed me that with the currents and winds now totally in Roz’s favor, she could easily average 40 miles each day and make landfall as early as September 5^th. My stomach twisted into knots and my palms started to sweat. I had little more than a week to get Conrad the cameraman and myself there and make all the necessary arrangements for Roz’s arrival. That may not sound like such a big deal, but with only 2 flights each week into Tarawa, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy…

Today (Friday) was unbelievably hectic. I managed to find flights for us after all, on Air Pacific, the only airline that flies to Tarawa. After much rather enjoyable back and forth with a heavily accented Fijian named Alex, I was able to book the seats just before the office closed for the weekend. Hooray!

At noon, I met up with a former Peace Corps volunteer named Darin, who lived on Tarawa for three years and is now married to an I-Kiribati woman. What an amazing font of knowledge he was! I took copious notes, the details of which I’ll share with you tomorrow. Trust me when I say that the information gleaned from Darin is worth a blog on its own…

Shortly after my meeting with Darin, I raced over to Bank of Hawaii before the close of business to collect all the Australian currency I’d ordered the previous day. We need to take loads of cash because there aren’t any ATMs on Tarawa, and in fact, none of the businesses there even accept credit cards. As the teller counted out the rainbow colored bills (it looks remarkably like Monopoly money) I started to exhale. Things were falling into place…at last.

I must say here that ever since Thursday, I have been thanking my lucky stars (several times a day) for J. Maarten Troost. Maarten’s first book, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, is about his life on Tarawa. He was there for two years while his wife worked for a nonprofit organization. He is a brilliantly funny, exceptionally talented writer – I can’t recommend his books highly enough. If you’re a regular to Roz’s blog, you may remember that earlier in the voyage, she listened to an audio book called Getting Stoned with Savages. After reading her blog, Roz’s friend in California decided to contact Maarten and let him know that Roz just might end up on Tarawa, and perhaps we should all connect. Lo and behold, he replied! I’ve been picking his brain ever since. He’s been so gracious, not to mention an absolutely priceless resource for Team Roz. He’s made invaluable introductions to people living on Tarawa that can help me arrange logistics for storing Roz’s boat, and he’s given me very helpful tips on dress, social norms, telecommunications, and transportation around the island. Please join me in sending a huge thank you to Maarten!

One last piece of excellent news: the Team Roz contingent on Tarawa is rapidly growing! Hunter Downs, CEO of Archinoetics (the company that developed the RozTracker) will be accompanying Conrad and me on Sunday morning. What a relief…his wife Traci, COO of Archinoetics, will join us a week later. The entire Archinoetics family has been an absolute rock for me and Roz the past couple of months. Their unwavering support of time, resources and most importantly, a whole lot of love, is so gratefully appreciated. Rounding out our happy little team is Ian Tuller, our dear friend from San Francisco. He was here with us in Hawaii before Roz’s departure in May to oversee the refurbishment of the boat, and will resume his role as director of boatworks. We absolutely could not do this without this amazing group of people…and it certainly wouldn’t be nearly as fun, even if we could!

So buckle your seatbelts, kids! Off we go, to one of the most remote places on planet earth. (Really, before Roz, had you even heard of Tarawa???) Yes, we’ve had to scramble to accommodate the new game plan…that’s an understatement. But it’s going great so far, and no matter what, this promises to be one heck of a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime adventure. I’m so glad you’re all coming along for the ride!

~Nicole

By the way, I’ll continue to send updates from our journey. If you want to follow me on Twitter, my handle is @nics_dolcevita.

[Photo: Roz and Nicole aboard the Brocade in San Francisco in 2007]

It seems to be my karma in this lifetime to be faced from time to time with tough decisions – and this one is up there in my Top Ten Tough Decisions Of All Time. I spent most of last night agonizing over it. The
night seemed hotter than usual in my cabin, and I was – literally and metaphorically – sweating over my options.

It had been just a week since I declared my intention to head for Tuvalu. My weatherman had assured me it was possible, although certainly not easy, requiring me to cut directly across the prevailing winds. And
I wanted to believe it was possible, not least because Tuvalu has become synonymous with the human impact of climate change, which is the key message of this stage of my row as we approach the crucial summit in Copenhagen. I knew getting to Tuvalu would be challenging, but I was prepared to put in the hard work to make it happen.

However, a few things had changed during the course of the last week. I had discovered that the coordinates I had for Tuvalu were for the westernmost island, not the capital Funafuti, which is the easternmost island. This would make it much harder to reach the capital than I had realized. Then some brisk easterly winds had halted my progress for 36 hours while I waited on the sea anchor – this had two implications. First, it would only take a few more days of such winds to put Tuvalu beyond my reach. And second, if I had to use the sea anchor on a regular
basis to stop westward drift, it would take me much longer to get to Tuvalu. And time was limited – by my water supply.

Since my watermaker stopped working I’ve been relying on my reserves of water, but some of my water bags had leaked. And my water consumption is much higher than it has been on my previous rows, due to the heat. So less water supply + higher water requirement = bad news. I do have a backup manual watermaker, but I was already going to have to row 16 hours a day to maintain the necessary tight control over my course, so then pumping water for 2 hours a day (manual watermakers produce water drop by drop, rather than a steady stream) was not an attractive option.

So the worst case scenario was pretty bad. There was now a substantially increased risk of running out of water, and possibly missing Tuvalu altogether and spinning off into the great blue yonder. Oh, and the food situation wasn’t looking too good either. I was concerned.

After churning all this over and over in my head for half the night, part of me still resisted changing my mind. I wanted to go to Tuvalu! My imminent arrival had been announced on the radio, I was due to meet with members of the government, we had storage arranged for my boat… and of course I wanted to find out more about how they plan to be the world’s first carbon neutral nation.

I was unbearably hot in the cabin, so I went out on deck to cool down. I looked up at the stars and the setting moon. They helped me get a sense of perspective on the issue. Ultimately, although the message is important, it helps if the messenger is a) alive, and b) has not had to rely on some fossil-fuel guzzling means of transport to come rescue her if/when she seems in danger of disappearing over the horizon with no water and no food. So, it seemed, the choice was clear. The sensible, responsible thing to do would be to change course for Tarawa. I could reach it relatively easily (or as easy as ocean rowing ever gets) well
before I ran out of sustenance – and without having to rely on outside intervention.

So I swallowed my pride and admitted to myself that it made sense to change course. First thing this morning I rang Ricardo, my Lisbon-based weatherman, and we talked it through. He was totally supportive of my decision. Then I spoke with Nicole, my program director. She, too, fully supported me – even though this meant that a lot of the fantastic preparations she’d lined up for Tuvalu were now moribund, and she’d have to start over again with Tarawa. By the end of today she had already worked miracles – people had been informed, flights were booked, and plans were coming together.

I feel hugely relieved by this decision. It has been a tough one, but the cold dread and anxiety of what might happen if I missed Tuvalu has been lifted from me. It would otherwise have hung over me every day until I made – or failed to make – landfall.

So now it is all suddenly very imminent, and the energy levels in TeamRoz have skyrocketed. With just 300 nautical miles to go, I am hoping to arrive in about 2 weeks, around Sept 9th, so this doesn’t leave much time – and lots to do. On Sunday Nicole and Conrad (our filmmaker, who by the grace of the many generous Rozlings is going to come out to Tarawa to film my arrival) will leave Hawaii for Tarawa to start lining up the multitude of logistical arrangements.

I’d like to take a final opportunity to enjoy some “alone time” before I make landfall. Call this my Walden time. So I’m going to go incommunicado and take a few days out from social media, and hand over to Nicole to do the blog. Her life is going to be much more interesting – and hectic – over the near future anyway. She will be posting updates on this blog from tomorrow until Sept 2nd, when I’ll return from my self-imposed exile, and from then until my arrival Nicole and I will blog on alternate days. Amongst the trials and tribulations of an expedition program director, she’ll be sharing details of the preparations for my arrival, her first impressions of Tarawa, and how she is being assisted by celebrity contacts (thank you to author J Maarten Troost!).

I hope you’ll enjoy these final stages with us. I’m really excited to see how everything develops over the coming 2 weeks. Nicole and Conrad are going to have their work cut out – to find boat storage, boat transport, accommodation, even internet access – and, of course, a source of ice cold beer! So join with me in wishing them huge amounts of good luck in pulling all this together in an impossibly short timescale. They are going to need it, but if anyone can pull off a miracle, it’s TeamRoz!

[photo: Go west, young woman! Tonight's sunset was a bit drab, so here is one from the archive…]

Conditions were perfect today – if I wanted to go west. I could have made 40 miles to the good. But unfortunately more west is the last thing I want, so I have spent the whole day with the sea anchor out. The oars have lain idle, and I’ve finished the day further away from Tuvalu than I was at the start. I wonder if Neptune didn’t like my equatorial offerings. Perhaps Ginger Snap isn’t his favorite flavor Larabar, because he was not being generous to me today.

It’s ironic. Today I have been listening to “The Astonishing Power of Emotions” by Esther and Jerry Hicks. They are talking about aligning with your better self – the idea is that when we want something, we only have to allow it to happen. The universe WANTS our wishes to be granted. When we allow this fulfillment of our desires to take place, we feel good. When we resist, we feel bad.

And the analogy they use is a canoe on a river – and they urge their listeners to “let go of the oars” and go with the flow.

As I sit here on the sea anchor, resisting the strong tradewinds that are trying to push me west, this analogy seems either too apt – or not apt at all. I’m all in favor of going with the flow – but which flow am I meant to be going with? The natural flow of the tradewinds heading west, or the man-made flow that is drawing me towards Tuvalu?

I really appreciate all the comments urging me to focus on the positive, take it as it comes, etc. It’s all fine in theory, and knowing myself as I do I know that they will eventually filter through into my attitudes and thinking. But just at the moment, as I come up on 100 days on the ocean and with no end in sight, it’s sometimes a struggle to put it into practice. Today I have been a total grouch. Nothing more you guys can do – apart from keeping the encouragement coming. And allow me my pity party for now. With your help, I’ll get through it. I just need to keep my head together and keep on pushing.

[Photo: I'm told that when you smile, the smiling muscles actually interact with your emotions and make you feel better. So here I am, giving it a try. Hmmm, not convinced. Another bottle of bubbly would probably be more effective!]

Other Stuff:

I’ve tried to stay busy today so as not to get too introspective, but there isn’t an awful lot to do on a 23-foot rowboat. I scrubbed the decks, and tried once again to fix the watermaker but was unsuccessful. I edited and uploaded a video of my Equatorial celebrations for tomorrow’s video RozCast on YouTube (with me performing traditional ocean dance…!). It was too hot in the cabin to spend much time in there, so I mostly lay on deck in the shade of my bimini between my rowing seat runners and listened to Jerry Hicks. Lying on the deck is not super-comfortable, especially now I’m a bit more bony than I was at the start of the voyage, but it’s not bad if I manage to arrange my limbs in just the right way around the runners and the rowing seat. I had to duck into the cabin from time to time to avoid sudden rainshowers, but otherwise it was quite pleasant – when I managed to forget the fact that I was heading the wrong way.

Thank you for all the really fab comments on my last blog. They seriously cheered me up – a much-needed tonic. Especially liked the idea about having Johnny Depp greet me in Tuvalu – now THAT would be a powerful motivator! Although he may not be that impressed by a semi-starved, grimy, sea-spotty waif with matted hair pitching up on the beach. Where is a floating salon when I need one?!

Great to see comments coming in from the people in Tuvalu. I’ll be with you just as soon as I can. Please reach out across these last miles and reel me in!

UncaDoug – I really appreciate the trail of carrots scattered across the ocean. Bit I wonder if you could let me know where they are? Maybe by latitude would be easiest? There might be some nights when the prospect of an upcoming carrot motivates me to spend a bit longer at the oars!

Weather report:

Position at 1950 HST: 00 22.169S, 178 49.774E
Wind: 20kts ESE
Seas: short, steep wind waves about 6ft
Weather: sunshine and showers

Another hasty blog, while I wait for the heat to go out of the day before starting my night’s rowing…

Today has not been an easy day. Poor old Ricardo, my weather guru, has been taking an e-bashing while I berate him via text for contrary winds and adverse currents. It is the unhappy lot of the weatherman to take the rap for the weather that he predicts – as if he had personally selected and inflicted the frustrating conditions on me.

I would normally be a bit more reasonable, but I today was tired and cranky. On the ocean I like to get into a routine and stick to it, but as I near the final stages that is not going to be an option. I will have to seize opportunities when they arise. I was rowing until 2am last night to make the most of the cooler conditions and calmer winds after dark. By the time I’d bathed and put the boat to bed, there was time for just 4 hours of sleep before getting up at 6.30 to start rowing again – and those precious few hours were disturbed by the new booby-in-residence tap-dancing on the roof of my cabin every time a swell came along. This booby is quieter and less belligerent than his predecessors (although just as poopy), but has taken up a regular position on the sleeping cabin rather than the storage cabin, so it gets a bit annoying when he patters around to regain his balance when the boat lurches.

So today I’ve been a bit discombobulated, my mood not improved by rowing just to stand still. If I was making 40 or 50 miles a day I could row till the cows come home (or should that be till the boobies roost?), but rowing many hours a day to make 15, or even 5, miles, is psychologically challenging, to put it mildly.

The other drawback with less sleep is that there is less recovery time for my poor body. In these sweltering conditions there is a significant risk of the return of the baboon-bottom rash that plagued the early stages of this row. I have two seat covers, which I usually rotate and rinse at the end of each shift. But now I am rotating them as soon as the spare one is dry, to try and avoid this very painful affliction.

So I plod on, trying to remind myself of all the good reasons to go to Tuvalu, and not to think about Tarawa, just 440 miles away straight downwind… I’ll keep the faith, and I really do believe it is all going to work out in the end – and then this difficult stage will be just a memory, and it will all have been worth the effort.

Postscript: I was psyched up and ready to row most of the night. I’d had an extra-big dinner followed by a Jocolat (chocolatey organic Larabar) and a rocking soundtrack ready on my iPod. But ze weather, once again she spit on my plans (to be said in French accent). The wind rose – and from the wrong direction. So the sea anchor is out. I’m all caloried up, and no place to go. Boo.

[photo: the new booby-in-residence]

Other Stuff:

Thank you to the Good Vibes Team and all the others who have sent such wonderful words of encouragement. Thanks especially for the reminders to stay present in the moment and not worry about the future. Very wise words. Too easily forgotten – so keep reminding me, because it is SO true. And the one part of this situation that I have control over(ish!) is my mind.

Apology: Although I mentioned them both in the same blog, I did not intend to imply any connection between my having the incorrect coordinates for Tuvalu and the transition to a new weatherman. So, in case there was any misunderstanding, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Rick Shema of weatherguy.com. I’d also like to thank him deeply for his professionalism and accuracy in guiding me through the first stage of my Pacific row, and thus far in the second. Thanks also to Rick and his family for all the kindness and hospitality they have shown to my mother and me during our time in Hawaii. I wish Rick all the very best for the future.

Weather report:

Position at 2220 HST: 0028.678S, 178 56.319E
Wind: for most of the day 10kts SE-SSE, now 18kts SE
Seas: 2-4ft swell SE
Weather: hot and sunny, scattered cumulus and some cirrus cloud

Ricardo’s Update:

YOU WILL HAVE GOOD PROGRESS AS SOON AS YOU FEEL THE PRESENT WIND BACKING, ALL THE WAY INTO MONDAY AT LEAST. WED WONT BE VERY GOOD AT ALL. YOU MAY WISH TO TRY THE DROGUE AND SEE HOW THAT GOES. WHEN FACED WITH 13KN FROM SE GO FOR SPEED
IF YOU CAN MAKE UP TO 210 BUT SLOW DOWN IF YOU ARE PUSHED TO MORE THAN THAT.

THU WILL BE DUE EAST MOST OF THE DAY 14KN AVG GRADUALLY DROPPING AND BACKING TO WHAT WILL BE A SUPER START TO THE WEEKEND. WIND WILL DROP TO ALMOST NOTHING ON SATURDAY AND WILL CONTINUE VERY LIGHT THROUGHOUT SUNDAY, WITH A
TENDENCY TO PICK UP FROM ABOUT 160. THIS WILL QUICKLY SHIFT TO 090 BY MONDAY AT LESS THAN 6KN. SHOULD THESE CONDITIONS MATERIALIZE AS IT SEEMS, YOU HAVE HERE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WEATHER WINDOWS FROM NOW TO TUVALU AND YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT YOUR ALL TO GAIN PRECIOUS METRES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

EAT UP. POWER UP AND SHOW ME THOSE MUSCLES!

As I enter the final 500 nautical miles to Tuvalu, I will be counting on
some good fortune – and some seriously hard work.

Just a very quick update tonight – really just to let you know I am
still alive and rowing like a woman possessed. As Ricardo put it, the
next few days are “mission critical” – if I am going to make it to
Tuvalu, I need to make the most of the relatively calm conditions
prevailing at the moment to try and make some progress back to the east.
So I will have to spend longer hours at the oars – around 16 hours a
day, not including time for meal breaks.

This was quite challenging today. The good thing about calm conditions
is that there is little wind to push me the wrong way. The bad thing
about calm conditions is that there is no wind to cool me down – and at
one stage this afternoon I seriously started to worry about the
potential for heatstroke. The sun was shining intensely, and although
most of my body was in the shade of the bimini (sun canopy) I could feel
the heat scorching my shins. And I was glugging water like it was going
out of fashion – certainly not like a woman with a not-yet working
watermaker.

But now the sun has set and it is a lovely night for rowing. The
crescent moon is keeping me company – as is a bird that has taken up
roosting rights on my aft hatch for the night. I feel well, and am
rowing strongly. I’m only taking this break now to recharge my GPS. So
far this voyage I have confined the GPS to the cabin, but as I enter the
final 500 nautical miles and steering becomes more critical, I’ve taken
to placing it near my rowing position so I can see more accurate
information about my actual course than my compass alone can provide.

It’s also very motivating to see the miles ticking away on its little
screen – and with a tough rowing schedule ahead of me, I’m going to need
all the motivation I can get.

So I’d like to ask you, my dearest Rozlings, to continue to give me your
support and encouragement during this final countdown. I’m afraid I
won’t have time to respond to your comments as I have done in the past –
all non-rowing activities are being curtailed – but I will be reading
them nonetheless. Keep me in your thoughts – and send me some good
vibes, good weather, and good wishes!

Weather report:

Position – as on RozTracker
Wind: during the day mostly 10kts, ESE-ENE. Since sunset, no wind.
Seas: 3ft swell from E
Weather: some scattered cumulus, but mostly clear skies

Other notes: as at 8pm, combined effect of wind + swell + current
resulted in a SW drift of 1.0kts, resulting in a westward movement of
0.6kts when not rowing.

If I was underwhelmed by crossing the International Date Line, today I have been overwhelmed by crossing the Equator. It has been quite an emotional experience – and that’s not just the bubbly talking – and I’m trying to figure out why this might be.

It could be because crossing the Equator had assumed such massive significance in my mind as a Very Difficult Thing. I had maybe allowed myself to get just a bit freaked out by the difficulties encountered by my predecessors in human-powered vessels. And sure, I’ve had my fair share of battles with the elements in trying to get through the lower latitudes, as the winds and currents thwarted my attempts to get south.

But, as with so many things in life, the reality was not as bad as the anticipation. Or it might be because the Equator, unlike the IDL, is actually a geographically significant line. The IDL is a man-made line, allowing us to segment our world into convenient time zones. It could have been located anywhere, and is just where it is because it lies opposite the equally random line of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich – set by British geographers in the days when Britannia ruled the waves. The Equator, on the other hand, is a natural line marking the mid-point between the Poles. It is the line where the Earth is nearest the sun. It is where the Earth is spinning the fastest on its axis. It has a greater sense of significance and reality than the IDL.

Anyway, for whatever reason, today felt very special. I am now a Trusty Shellback, a Pollywog no more. And now I am in the Southern Hemisphere the water will be going down the plughole the opposite way – or would be if I had any plugholes on board. Crossing the Equator was actually quite a busy and time consuming thing to do. I had to pay homage to Neptune and his cohorts (Squishie the Dolphin, with his courtiers Quackers the Duck, the Robin, and the Other Duck). I had to offer gifts – a Larabar (Ginger Snap flavor), and a dollop of California sunshine (a spoonful of Lemon Ladies marmalade). I had to make a sacrifice (I wasn’t prepared to offer a chunk of hair, for fear of spoiling my elegant coiffeur (???!!) so Neptune had to make do with the leavings pulled out of my hairbrush). And I had to deploy the ”coconut” for Project Niu – and then jump in after it to photograph it in the water.

The coconut is actually a high-tech data-gathering device created by the team at Archinoetics, one of several devices that have been let loose in the Pacific to send back information and photographs. The one I deployed today is called something in Hawaiian (Evan, help me out here) which translates as “Pink Savage”. It felt strange to deliberately deposit a large and non-bio-degradable object into the ocean, but as an educational device the end justifies the means, so I am sure Squishie, sorry, I mean Neptune, will understand. I just hope the Niu doesn’t travel faster than I do. That would be embarrassing.
Then, duties done, it was time for my treats. With a sense of eager anticipation I opened up the yellow drybag that Liz and Nicole had given me before I left Hawaii. The girls had done me proud. There was the ”bling” – a many-stranded necklace of plastic beads, and some pink face paint, both of which I promptly put on. There was the jokey gift – a cooking spatula with a wooden handle. There was the declaration admitting me to the ocean domain as a Trusty Shellback, a Pollywog no more. There were the edible treats – a snack bar and some Sharkies. And, oh bliss, there was the miniature bottle of bubbly. Thank you girls!

I must be the world’s cheapest date at the moment (had there been anybody about to take advantage – which there wasn’t). After 3 booze-free months, the 2 glassfuls of bubbly went straight to my head in the nicest possible way. As the sun set I was sitting on deck feeling happily woozy, admiring the pink and grey clouds, full of oceanic bonhomie and thinking there was really nowhere else on earth I would rather be than at the Equator on such a beautiful day.

[photo: Pulling the bubbly back on board after a brief chilling in the ocean (in the net bag that usually contains my beansprouter) – while Neptune/Squishy the Dolphin looks on]

Other Stuff:
After not seeing another vessel for 3 months, today, on MY Equator, there were intruders. A container ship was just sitting there, doing nothing much. I think I could hear a faint sound of a bell ringing repeatedly, so presumably they were having their own Equatorial celebration. I tried hailing them on the VHF radio, in hopes that they might cruise on over and bring me some additional water supplies – or even some more bubbly – but there was no reply. Guess they were too busy partying.

Although I’ve taken the evening off – largely due to the after-effects of the bubbles – tomorrow it will be back to the oars with a vengeance. I’ve still got 500 miles to go, and I need to make some East if I’m going to have any chance of hitting Tuvalu. Ricardo tells me conditions are going to be calm, so it’s a prime opportunity to head back towards the IDL and set myself up for the final push for home.

For the record, I crossed the Equator at 18:42:02 Hawaii Time, at longitude 179 12.359E.

Weather report:
Position at 2210 HST: 00 00.860S (yayyyyy!), 179 09.371E
Wind: variable but light throughout the day. Generally 0-10kts, S-E.
Seas: swell of about 4ft, SE
Weather: sunny and fine, scattered cumulus cloud. Very hot.

Today, with the Equator so tantalizingly close, everything seemed to slow to a snail’s pace. A snail with a ball and chain attached, even. The wind was in the southeast (not helpful) and I’m still in a north-flowing current (also not helpful) so the oars felt heavy and every stroke felt like a weight-lifting exercise.

Truth be told, I was getting pretty fed up with the whole business. Progress is very motivating. Lack of it is not. It’s a bit like trying to lose weight, and when the scales are being cruel the temptation is to say “forget it” and have a cake to cheer yourself up. But of course the only way to make progress – whether it be losing pounds or rowing oceans - is to keep the faith and carry on.

Morale was given a boost mid-afternoon when I picked up a text message on my satphone. It was from Ricardo, my new weatherman, saying “GOOD EFFORT GIRL. I CAN TELL YOU ARE TWEAKING YOUR COURSE AS MUCH AS POSS. GOOD AVG SPEED ALSO. RIC.” His assessment was maybe too flattering, but just then I needed those sweet little lies. Sometimes it’s just good to know that there are people watching, and that my efforts are being recognized – especially when my course on the GPS screen looks so discouraging.

This is a funny thing, because under normal circumstances I would have said that I don’t care too much for the opinion of other people. Of course, we all want to be liked, even approved, but generally I now steer my own course in life without considering whether it will please others. I just do what I do and they can like it or lump it.

But even the most independent-minded of us still appreciate some positive feedback from time to time, and that is why I cherish the comments and Tweets of the Rozionados. It’s good to know I am not alone, and that my every mile, my every effort, is monitored, appreciated, and commented on.

Meanwhile, during breaks from the oars, I’ve been getting ready for my Equatorial celebration. With less than 15 miles to go, I hope it’s not premature. I’ve dug out the mysterious yellow drybag labeled “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 0 LATITUDE”. It was given to me by Nicole and Liz before I left Hawaii. I’m dying to take a peek but am resisting the urge – although I have given it a few squeezes, like an impatient kid with a Christmas present.

My gift and my sacrifice are at the ready, and in the absence of a crewmate or captain to represent Neptune, I have pressed Squishie the Dolphin into service as his representative. I didn’t happen to have a trident on board, but a fork makes a passable quatrent (or whatever it is called). I think Squishie looks rather regal, and look forward to paying him homage when I reach the magic Latitude Zero, which, with a bit of luck and more slogging, might be tomorrow.

Other Stuff:

This afternoon I saw a shark swimming alongside my boat. A proper Jaws-type shark, rather than the blunt-headed, vegetarian whale shark I saw a few weeks ago. But this one was just a tiddler – about 3 feet long – so I didn’t feel too apprehensive that he might eat me/my boat/my oar.

Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response to my decision to try for Tuvalu. Good to hear I’ve got you on the edge of your seats. Me too! I do wish I had a crystal ball so I can see how all this is going to pan out. Or there again, maybe it’s just as well I don’t…

Marv asked if there is a backup plan. Of course there is. I always have a Plan B! First, if within the next couple of weeks it becomes evident that Tuvalu will be impossible, I can still change course for Tarawa. Second, if I can get close to Tuvalu but not quite make it, there is a research vessel due to be in the Tuvalu area in early-mid September, and they have offered to assist if required. Pushing on to the Solomons or Australia are not really options – not without a functioning watermaker, although I still hope to resolve that problem. Also, as it has taken me so much longer than expected to get through the ITCZ, I would require a resupply of food if I was to extend my voyage all the way to Australia. And I would have to cancel my book tour – and possibly all our plans for Copenhagen. So I very much hope it won’t come to that. It really IS Tuvalu or bust!

Will – for sure, I will give it my bestest. In fact, I think that is what I would want to be able to say on my deathbed – that I always did try my bestest. Nobody can do more than that. Thanks for giving me the word!

Tom B – your wife might just be right! But I hope that the eventual result will speak for itself. The Richard Byrd book sounds really interesting. I always love reading about people having a worse time than I am!

Christa – thanks for the info on Tuvalu. Only 6 prisoners? Mind you, I don’t suppose there’s much mischief you can get up to on a sandspit – and making a getaway would be quite a challenge too!

To Richard, my minstrel. Funny that recently I’ve been listening to books by George R R Martin, set in the court of some imagined medieval-ish place and time. So jesters, troubadours, singers and minstrels are very vivid in my mind right now. And you perform the role admirably – I very much appreciate your contributions to the Rozling community, as well as your thoughtfulness in considering how best you could enhance our enjoyment of the adventure. Thank you!

Donna – great questions. I’ve made a note of them for a future blog – and/or they are answered in depth in my book, Rowing The Atlantic, due out Oct 6. Available for pre-order on Amazon, and if you send your Amazon confirmation email to [email protected] you can claim your special, limited edition Larabar bookmark, made from the wrapper of one of the many Larabars I am munching my way through on this crossing!

Weather report:

Position at 2300 HST: 00 13.624N, 179 27.693W
Wind: 15kts SE this morning, backing slightly this afternoon. Dropped to 9kts briefly after a squall, then revived to 15kts E.
Seas: swell from SE-E about 4ft
Weather: morning sunny and hot. More cloud this afternoon. Couple of passing rainshowers.

SUNDAY EVENING WIND WILL DROP AND BACK TO SLIGHTLY NORTH OF EAST WITH SPEEDS OF 3 TO 6 KNOTS. AS SOON AS YOU ARE ABLE, HEAD 170. THIS IS MY SUGGESTING AT A HEALTHY COMPROMISE BETWEEN WIND ANGLE AND EFFECTIVE SPEEDY COURSE TO TUVALU- WHILST STILL KEEPING YOU IN A SAFETY NET. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU ABOUT 40 MILES FURTHER EAST BEFORE WE START CONFIDENTLY CURVING YOU AROUND TOWARDS TUVALU. THINGS WILL BE GREAT UNTIL TUESDAY AND YOU SHOULD MAKE GOOD PROGRESS DURING THAT TIME. WED/THU NOT IDEAL AS WIND WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TO 9-11KN FROM EAST AND THEN FROM ABOUT 110 DEGREES (SE). FRIDAY AND SATURDAY HAS A 30% CHANCE OF PROVIDING YOU WITH NE WINDS 12 KNOTS. IF THEY DO MATERIALISE,
THEY SHOULD STAY AROUND FOR AT LEAST 4 DAYS.

As I approach the end of my third month on the ocean – and with the Equator less than 30 miles away – things are hotting up. I feel like I’m entering the final phase, as I will soon be into the last 500 nautical miles of my row, and have finally decided on the identity of Island X. In case you haven’t already watched my announcement in the RozCast on YouTube, here it is…

I am going to aim for (cue drum roll) – TUVALU.

It’s an interesting choice, that’s for sure. Bordering on the insane, some would say. Given the option to take a straightforward run directly downwind and down current to Tarawa in the west, I’ve decided instead to aim due south – across prevailing winds and currents – for Tuvalu.

So, why am I making life so difficult for myself? Well, I’d already mentioned that it would set me up better for next year’s Stage 3 to Australia. Plus, this stage of the row is all about climate change, and nowhere on earth symbolizes that better than Tuvalu, which is already being impacted by rising oceans and has declared its intention of being the world’s first carbon neutral country.

But I knew all this before, and yet was still reconciled to aiming for Tarawa instead, as I just couldn’t see how it could be physically possible to get to Tuvalu.

So what caused my change of heart? It was all due to an email from a Portuguese weatherman, with the subject line “GUT FEELING”. In the message Ricardo Diniz explained that he believes that even at this late stage, and at this longitude, I can still make it to Tuvalu.

At first my reaction was “He must be on drugs if he thinks this is possible”, but over the course of the next few days the idea took hold – not least because Ricardo is an expert on weather and ocean routing, and I trust his opinion implicitly. I first worked with Ric during my Atlantic crossing in 2006. My friend Adrian Flanagan, who was attempting a solo vertical circumnavigation of the world in a sailboat (i.e. via the polar regions) had been doing my weather forecasts for me as he sailed, but then he made some pathetic excuse, like having to navigate around Cape Horn or some such thing (??!) and handed me over to his weatherman – Ricardo. And Ricardo and I have stayed in touch ever since. He has just recently routed my friend Sarah Outen in her successful solo row from Australia to Mauritius, as a result of my referral.

So it is with delight that I am able to announce that Ricardo is now joining TeamRoz as my weather guru for the final stages of my row to Tuvalu. After all, it was he who talked me into this crazy decision, so it seems only fair that I should give him the responsibility for helping me make it happen.

It’s lucky I have such faith in Ricardo. Or else, quite frankly, I would be terrified. When I decided on Tuvalu it was before we discovered that I had been given the wrong GPS coordinates, and in fact there is even less westerly wiggle room than I had realized. To make it across the tradewinds to Tuvalu really is going to be an enormous challenge. It is a go-for-broke, out-on-a-limb, OMG-what-am-I-doing kind of a commitment. It’s scary and crazy. But it just might work. I couldn’t have a better team behind me, so we’re going to go for it.

Please give me your good luck wishes, hopes, prayers, whatever you can to help me and my team make this happen. We’re going to need all the help we can get. As I said in the RozCast, I just hope that Fortune - and Neptune – will favor the bold. Or my decision will look Loony Tune.

[photo: Ricardo Diniz at sea]

Other Stuff:

For most of today the winds have been light, but mostly southerly. A light headwind is better than a strong headwind, but still not ideal. The wind rose towards sunset and is sending me in an unwelcome westerly direction, but Ricardo assures me it will die away by Monday so I can regain some ground to the east.

Overall the day has been notable mostly for its temperature. With no wind to cool me, it has been almost unbearably hot, and I’ve been covered in sweat and sunscreen. Pheweee. Even sitting in my cabin now I am sweating away, and the wind is warm and muggy.

UncaDoug – you’ll be so proud of me. I am going to report my crescent moon sighting. I first saw it at 2010 Hawaii time, just as the sun was setting. About 30 degrees above the horizon, and a bit to the left of the setting sun. Cloud cover was about 20%. And I can see it now, from my cabin, a slender crescent just now being swallowed up by a cloud. Oops, there it is gone. I hope this is all the information you need to report the sighting. Oh, and my position at 2010 was approx 0 28.5N, 179 52E.

Laurey – I seriously wish I could turn the temperature down! Today was sweltering, and even now that it’s dark it’s still sultry and stifling. Phewee!

Joan – thanks for buying the round of drinks for Roz’s Regulars – and for the suggestions for Neptune. I’ve now got the perfect present lined up – wait and see!

And thanks to Jer, Amy, Miss Inquisitive, Meg and Chris, too, for your comments.

Walt – I like your view on my entitlement to be a Golden Shellback, but I have to take issue with you on my “downwind, down current ride to Island X”. I don’t know which Island X you are thinking of, but for sure it’s not the one I’m aiming for! Nope, I’ve decided to make life REALLY interesting for myself… check out the YouTube video for the announcement! Ah, now I’ve just seen your later comment, and see that you have. I know, I know. It’s borderline insane. But it has to be worth a try, at least….

And finally, another beautiful contribution from Richard in Austin, Texas. Richard, I don’t know what you do for a living, but if you’re not a full-time poet or lyricist, you’ve missed your vocation!

The “muse” for this poem was actually one of your posts, a few weeks ago. You brought up the International Date Line, and the environment, and suddenly this little story came into my head. I could have used a few more weeks to work on it, but asking you to “hold your position” just east of the IDL (while I work on it) was obviously an impossibility. Congratulations on your amazing progress, and on reaching the IDL!

INVISIBLE LINES

Years ago,
When we were young,
Our love burned brighter,
Than the sun.

We were in love,
And cared for the land.
And the stars and the seas,
Ate from our hand.

Our passion did last,
For quite a long while,
As I loved your humor,
And you loved my smile.

But, I loved the planet,
And you loved your things.
Our goals became different,
For whatever life brings.

I looked to the future,
And saw a green earth.
You looked at our checkbook,
How much are we worth?

I believed in the future,
What our planet could be,
I saw crisp clean air,
And a crystal blue sea.

You believed in “things”,
You wanted much more.
A procession of “stuff”,
Coming in through our door.

We started to differ,
We started to fight,
Our once happy ending,
Now in need of rewrite.

And sometimes one crosses,
An invisible line,
Things suddenly change,
And the planets align.

Without even speaking,
We know it is time,
To follow our hearts,
To recapture springtime.

I am rooted in the future,
You are rooted in the past.
I care about greenness,
You care about cash.

So now, out of love,
I must go my own way,
Because, I am tomorrow,
And you’re yesterday.

Bravo, Richard!

Weather Report:

Position at 2200 Hawaii time: 00 27.734N, 179 50.460E
Wind: 0-5kts, S-SE most of the day, 12-18kts E late evening
Seas: 3ft swell from SE
Weather: hot and sunny with very little cloud. Some rainclouds around mid-afternoon and again towards sunset, but I dodged the showers.

I’d also like to give a big thank you to Rick Shema of weatherguy.com for providing me with weather forecasts since my departure from San Francisco. Rick, I’m so grateful for all that you’ve done to help me get this far!

An Irish friend of mine once said something was “so far east it’s west” which I’d never heard before, but it made perfect sense. Like something being so bad it’s good, or so embarrassing it becomes funny, or so insane that it’s genius. And today – I am so far west I’m east. Because this afternoon I crossed the International Date Line.

I didn’t really mean to. I’d rather hoped that I would manage to cross the IDL and the Equator at the same time. Of course, I might still do that, if I wiggle back east a little bit, to reach that magical intersection, but it would have been fun to cross them both for the first time at the same time. But ah well, the weather has long since shown her utter contempt for my plans and schemes, and today was no exception.

The day had been still and calm until about 2pm, when the clouds came over and a strong wind blew up from the south, sending me off on a sudden westwards trajectory – heading straight for the IDL. There wasn’t much I could do about it. No matter how hard I rowed, I was still heading west, whether I liked it or not. If I rowed I would only get there even faster.

So I decided to sit it out and watch the countdown on my GPS from the dry refuge of my cabin, so I hunkered down, watching the numbers tick away on the little screen as the distance narrowed between me and tomorrowland.

It’s funny – you imagine that you ought to be able to feel something when you cross over the IDL. Like in a Hollywood movie when someone steps through the mirror into an alternative reality, there ought to be some kind of strange ripple effect like a tremor passing across a pool of still water. Or at the very least there ought to be a big black line across the ocean, stretching away into the distance towards the North and South Poles.

But no – there’s nothing. The GPS goes from 179 59.999W to 180 00.000E – and that’s it. No chorus of angels (or mermaids), no special effects, nothing. Just another gust of wind and another heavy spatter of raindrops. And the weather in tomorrow is remarkably similar to how it was in yesterday (cloudy, rainy, and windy).

Just goes to show – there’s no point putting off until tomorrow what you can do today – because from someone on the other side, I can tell you that tomorrow is not so different. The world (and I) are just one day older. So you may as well do it today, because you’ll rarely regret doing something sooner rather than later.

[Photo: For the record, I crossed the line at 15:57:02 Hawaii time – and here is the proof.]

Other Stuff:

Note: I am going to continue using Hawaii time for the remainder of this crossing – otherwise it will get too confusing trying to figure out when I am due to record podcasts, call Nicole, or whatever. So I’ll continue to post weather reports as at Hawaii time. FYI, the sun now rises at 7:59am my time, and sets at 8:07pm.

Another note: apologies for the problems with the Tracker. Solaradata, who provide my tracking unit, have been conducting a server transfer and it has evidently generated some random location points. Apparently the issue was that positive latitudes between 0 and 1 were being displayed as 0 to –1. Evan has been working closely with them and assures me the issue is now resolved. To be sure, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time – just as my lat and long are getting interesting! Thanks, Evan, for getting it sorted out so quickly.

Yet another note – and this is the IMPORTANT one! I’ve come to a decision on Island X. But I’m not going to post it on this blog just yet. If you want to know NOW what I’ve decided, check out today’s video RozCast on YouTube. You can locate it via the RozTracker – or maybe Nicole or Evan can post a link to it as a comment on this blog. Yes, I’m trying to get more of you to view my RozCasts!

And final note: you might observe that in the photo the distance to Tuvalu is excessively optimistic. This was based on incorrect lat and long – an error which has now been corrected.

Apparently I need to think of a gift AND a sacrifice to offer to Neptune when I cross the Equator. I’m not feeling very inspired. Any ideas? I thought of sacrificing a cuddly toy, but that would leave some very upset schoolchildren somewhere. I realize you don’t know what I have on board, but maybe some suggestions as to generic kinds of gifts or sacrifices that Neptune might find acceptable?

Commiserations to Peter Bray, a former British commando who was attempting to row the North Atlantic. His attempt had to be called off when Hurricane Bill threatened his safety. His boat is apparently only 3 metres long – or about 10 feet. That is TINY! I hope that he will get over this setback, and better luck next time.

Eco Champ of the Day is Judy: ”Oh Gosh, Roz, there are a lot of us lurkers out here. I featured you on my blog over a month ago, and I know some of my readers are following you. As for your purpose … we’ve switched to reusable grocery bags, we already own two hybrid cars but now we are grouping our errands to use the cars more efficiently. Of course, we recycle. And we’ve raised the thermostat for the house during the day to 79F, and are trying to wean ourselves from it on all but the most humid days. It’s a small token, we know, but the consideration of eco-saving is now one of our “household words”. I’m not much of an athlete, but I’m a champion rooter! Ra! Ra! Roz! Judy”

Thanks, Dale, for your message. Your granny sounds like quite a lady! Do feel free to contact my team at [email protected].

Walt – a good estimate on the crossing of the IDL. But we both reckoned without the squall!

Amy – thanks for spreading the word. Nice to hear about fellow Rozlings meeting up!

Jennifer – those links sound interesting. Thank you. I can’t follow them up from here (I have email only – no internet browsing capability) but will try to find time to take a look when I’m back on dry land.

Doug – thanks for your suggestion about the solar kettle – but my kettle only has one orifice, and that is the very small water spout. I have been using a thermos mug to rehydrate my meals, and that works just fine, thank you. As I said, the ambient temperature is extremely warm!

Achates, Seattle Dave and Meg – thanks for the tips. Will see if I can resurrect the stove when I get back to dry land. As I said, I’m really not missing it for now, so will spend my energies on rowing rather than stove maintenance! As I said, I really don’t need any advice or suggestions, as I still have plenty of those left over from my stove-less state on the Atlantic!

Texino – now THERE is a novel approach for solving the overpopulation problem. Cannibalism. Can’t think why the global leaders aren’t pushing that one…!!!

Weather report:

Position at 0850 HST: 00 47.061N, 179 58.950E
Wind: very light this morning, 0-5kts E. All over the shop this afternoon, 20+ kts from S or SE mostly.
Weather: hot, sunny morning. Heavy cloud and frequent rainshowers throughout the afternoon and evening.

Forecast is for wind to back to the East, and drop to almost nothing by Monday.

It’s that stage of the journey. The stage when Stuff Breaks. I hesitated before telling you about these things, as I didn’t want to cause any consternation, but hey, I just can’t keep a secret from my Rozlings. But before I go on, I’d like to say most emphatically DON’T PANIC!!! There is no need for airdrops, rescue missions, or even advice. These matters are NOT serious, and will have very little impact on my ocean lifestyle.

About a week ago, my cooking stove stopped working. It was a veteran of Pacific Stage 1, and despite Scott’s heroic achievement in cleaning it up when it looked to be beyond salvation, it had never regained its nice, strong, clean blue flame. I hadn’t used it very much, being mostly on my rawfood diet, but just recently had rediscovered the joys of hot porridge or a hot dinner at the end of the day. But the flame was yellow and sooty, and soon my kettle was coated with a thickening layer of black.

And then the stove stopped working altogether. Propane was coming through, but it wouldn’t light. It probably needs no more than a good clean with a gas stove maintenance kit – but I don’t have one on board.

But it’s really no big deal. On the Atlantic I managed for 3 months without a stove after my camping stove (very different model) broke. Freeze dried food can still be reconstituted – it just takes longer. I’ve had several delicious curries since the demise of the stove, that suffered not at all from being served at a very warm ambient temperature rather than piping hot.

Mick and Chris of goldengateendeavour.com are now on their THIRD cook stove, so that shows just how vulnerable these things are when exposed to salty ocean conditions for extended periods.

The second casualty is – yet again – my watermaker. It isn’t the same problem as on the San Francisco-Hawaii leg. I do try not to make the same mistake twice, so after that bad experience, when the watermaker locker flooded and caused the electric pump to corrode, I have two spare pumps on board this time. So, naturally, this time the pump is still in fine fettle, but something else has gone wrong. Not quite sure what it is. The pump runs but neither fresh water nor waste brine emerge from the two outlet pipes.

I spent a couple of hours this morning trying to fix the problem – first of all on the phone to Spectra Watermakers in San Rafael, then underneath my boat, braving remoras to check the through-hull intake for any possible blockages (jellyfish have been known to get sucked in and cause a problem), then mucking around in the bilges to dismantle, clean and reassemble various pipes and filters. But all to no avail.

But no worries. I have enough water on board to keep me going for a couple of months – and I hope to be making landfall well before then – and also a manual watermaker kindly donated to me by the Hunks of the JUNK raft with whom I traded food for water in mid-ocean last year.

So (sigh), this is just the way it goes. Even the most robust equipment is rarely designed to spend several months at a time exposed to such harsh conditions.

The good news is that Lazarus the Stereo, having been extremely temperamental almost since Day 1 of this row, is being good as gold at the moment. But I’ll say that in a very quiet whisper, as it seems that I no sooner praise a piece of equipment than it packs up on me…

[photo: Yet another sunset – but this one is pretty dramatic, don't you think?! I wish I could share the Pacific skies with you more effectively. One little rectangular photo just doesn't do them justice. They are often spectacular, frequently breathtaking!]

Other Stuff:

I see there is a lot of speculation going on about when I might cross the International Date Line and/or the Equator. As I write, I am now 58 nautical miles from the Equator, having crossed 1 degree North this evening (woohoo!), and 13 nautical miles from the IDL. Current course is southwesterly…. But when I pick up the oars in the morning I might change course to aim more for one than for the other. In fact, I know I will be – but I’m not quite ready to tell you about my decision yet, as there are some external dependencies. Sorry to be such a tease, but all will become clear in due course. So for now you’ll just have to carry on guessing…!

Meanwhile, there is a special International Date Line Sale going on in the Store at rozsavage.com. So it would be a great time to mosey on over there and check out the special deals, which also raises a bit of money to support my projects. And we’ll just rename it the Equatorial Sale if that becomes more appropriate!

Eco Champ of the Day (and we haven’t had one for a while – where are all the Eco Heroes?) is Connor. Thanks for your message, Connor! Here is what he had to say…

Hey Roz,

Love what you are doing! We are trying to recycle more, carpool more (when we do have to drive) and use less water (especially hot water). We wash clothes with cold water, and I have started taking cold showers, especially after a hard workout (I am a rower too), and I actually find it refreshing.

A tip for all the rozlings who do have to drive, especially on long trips. After telling them about it for just about ever, my parents (I am only 16) realized the benefits of cruise control. On a trip from our home in Pittsburgh to Toronto, my mom used cruise control on the highway, and her fuel economy went from 28 to about 36!

Great job Connor – and thanks for sharing!
Richard in Virginia – a loyal but lurking Rozolyte – thanks for your message, and for introducing yourself at last. I find it so strange, but also very flattering, to think that there are people like you that I will probably never meet, but in some small way I am a part of your lives. Thank you for speaking up!

Doug – thanks for the carrots. I hope my rate of carrot consumption is going to accelerate over these final stages. Chomp, chomp! (And good for my night vision too…)

Weather Report:

Position at 2300 HST: 00 57.786N, 179 47.233W
Wind: very variable. 10kts E this morning, 0-8kts S-SE this afternoon (was rowing into a headwind for a while), then back to the E
Seas: 3-5 ft
Weather: generally fine and sunny, some cloud, including one huge raincloud this afternoon that was probably responsible for the headwind

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com:

Latest tracker reported your position as: 01 31N 179 02W as of 18Aug 0641HST.

As of Tuesday 18 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there have been SEerly winds up to 7-12kts over your position and some light rainshower activity. The heaviest of rain was north of 05N. Lighter SEerly winds are to your west to Tarawa with heavier and widespread rainshowers. South of the equator there are stronger ESE winds 17-20kts. The SEerlies shift to Nerly 5-10kts by late tonight. Then shift to SEerly and increase in speed to 15kt range with 20kts possible. Winds return to Eerly and abate to 5-12kts by the morning of the 21st.

Widespread clouds with deep convection are north of your position along the ITCZ axis. West and south of your position, skies are partly cloudy with minimal convection.

Forecast sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered, light to moderate rainshowers.

Ocean currents: No significant change from last report

Forecast (low confidence)
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
18/0800-18/1200 SE-E 5-12 2-4
18/1200-19/0000 E-N 5-10 2-4
19/0000-19/1200 N-SE 5-10 2-4
19/1200-19/2100 SE 7-15 2-4
19/2100-20/2100 SE 10-20 3-5
20/2100-21/0600 SE-E 10-15 3-5
21/0600-23/0800 E 5-12 2-4

Next Update: Thursday, 20 August

You might be wondering what the latest news is on my selection of Island X – will it be Tarawa? Or will it be Funafuti in Tuvalu?

I wish I could tell you. The question is still being hotly debated in TeamRoz. It would be the million dollar question – except that our budget isn’t that big. It’s at least a fifty dollar question though.

Distance-wise, there is not much in it. 482 nautical miles to Tuvalu, 517 to Tarawa (approximately). But on the ocean not all miles are equal. Some are upwind, some are downwind, some are across-wind. Although the ocean may look flat, it is more accurate to think of it like a ski resort. Downwinds are like well-groomed ski slopes. Upwind I’d need a chairlift. Across the wind I’d be cross-country rather than downhill skiing. I’m not sure what the ocean equivalent would be for off-piste, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to try it.

On the one hand, I would prefer to go to Tuvalu:
a) because it would set me up better for making it to Australia next year, and
b) because it would be better for my climate change message – Tuvalu being the current “poster child” of climate change thanks to their recent announcement that they intend to be the world’s first carbon neutral country, with a target date of 2020.

BUT

From where I am now, I am doubtful that it is possible. Given that the winds are generally E-SE, I suspect that I would get pushed too far west before I could get far enough south. For example, see the RozTracker for the last couple of days. My bows have been pointed as south as they can be, but the best I can do is 90 degrees to the wind – and the wind has been from the south, so the best I can do is west. No nicely groomed ski slopes heading the way I want to go.

There is a fine line between being adventurous and taking unnecessary risks. If I got tempted into trying for Tuvalu, but ended up missing landfall altogether, or having to be towed some significant distance to make it into port – either of these would NOT be cool. I would definitely be off-piste (and piste off).

But then will I end up cursing myself next year – if I find myself heading for Papua New Guinea instead of Australia? Will I wish I’d tried a bit harder for Tuvalu?

So, when in doubt, postpone the decision until there is more information available. Even if I was set on Tarawa, my plan would still be to push south beyond the Equator to get south of all these tricky old currents and weather systems, and then to take a sharp right and row downwind to the west, before looping up slightly to get to Tarawa, which lies just north of the Equator. By happy coincidence, this is also initially what I would do to get to Tuvalu.

So I’m going to go south as much as I can, and see what longitude I’m at when I reach the Equator. By then I’ll have new weather information and can make a better informed decision.

Of course, this doesn’t make life easy for Nicole and the rest of TeamRoz who are planning to come out and meet me. The suspense continues. Meanwhile, I am heading rapidly towards tomorrow – the International Date Line is now just about 35 miles away.

[photo: My rather old chart donated by Captain Vince of the White Holly, printed back in the days when Tuvalu was still called the Ellice Islands. But hopefully they're still in more or less the same place, although they might be getting smaller as the seas rise…]

Other Stuff:

Thanks for all the messages from the Rozling community. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were all able to assemble, from all around the world, and get together in one room for a huge party when I finish this row? I would love that! Maybe we can figure out a way to do it in virtual reality.

Naomi – don’t worry about your knees. I try to take the strategy of NOT worrying about things – just preparing for them. Only time will tell if your knees will bear up. But do take some painkillers and anti-inflammatories with you just in case… and if your walk has to turn into a drive, well, never mind. It won’t be worse, just different!

I especially enjoyed this message, which I think also came from Naomi, although it was a bit difficult to tell from the way it was formatted in the email I received: ”I thought of you when I read this today on my FaceBook page: “The difference between “try” and “triumph” is the UMPH!” Isn’t that just a GREAT message?!

Hi to Carol, Greg, Sue, Brennan and Conor – thanks for your messages!

Weather report:

Position at 2300 HST: 01 23.451N, 179 25.178W
Wind: 0-20kts but generally around 15kts, S backing to E during the day
Seas: 3-6ft, SE, quite steep and choppy at times
Weather: mostly blue skies, some cloud – cumulus and cirrus. Could see some rainclouds around but they kept their distance several miles away.

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com:

Latest tracker reported your position as: 01 31N 179 02W as of 18Aug
0641HST.

As of Tuesday 18 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there have been SEerly winds up to 7-12kts over your position and some light rainshower activity. The heaviest of rain was north of 05N. Lighter SEerly winds are to your west to Tarawa with heavier and widespread rainshowers. South of the equator there are stronger ESE winds 17-20kts. The SEerlies shift to Nerly 5-10kts by late tonight. Then shift to SEerly and increase in speed to 15kt range with 20kts possible. Winds return to Eerly and abate to 5-12kts by the morning of the 21st.

Widespread clouds with deep convection are north of your position along the ITCZ axis. West and south of your position, skies are partly cloudy with minimal convection.

Forecast sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered, light to moderate rainshowers.

Ocean currents: No significant change from last report

Forecast (low confidence)
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
18/0800-18/1200 SE-E 5-12 2-4
18/1200-19/0000 E-N 5-10 2-4
19/0000-19/1200 N-SE 5-10 2-4
19/1200-19/2100 SE 7-15 2-4
19/2100-20/2100 SE 10-20 3-5
20/2100-21/0600 SE-E 10-15 3-5
21/0600-23/0800 E 5-12 2-4

Next Update: Thursday, 20 August

The ocean is like a sensory deprivation tank tonight – utterly dark and silent. There isn’t a breath of wind, and the overcast sky is hiding all but the few brightest stars.

It’s been a funny old day. It got off to a slow start. You might have 
noticed there was a significant delay between my last blog and its
 photograph being united online. The reason was that immediately after I
 emailed the blog last night I lost the ability to make data calls from
 my satphone, so the email bearing the photo could not be sent.

I tried again first thing this morning, again to no avail. So I spent a 
while on the phone to Rob at Remote Satellite Systems International
 trying to identify the source of the problem. He thought it was probably 
the network rather than a problem with my onboard equipment. I’m not 
sure if this proved to be the case – I know he was working with the
 network people, and it seems to be working okay tonight – so I’ll just
 be grateful that we’re in business again. For a while there I
 was worried that we might be blog-less for the rest of the trip!

So with the technical hassles, and a call to base, it was pushing
10.30am by the time I got to the oars. For most of the morning the wind
 was coming out of the south, at about 20 knots, so the best course I 
could make was west. But during the afternoon the weather has become 
progressively more and more subdued, and the wind more and more flukey.

As the afternoon wore on a deep hush fell over the ocean, at one stage 
broken by the gentle exhaling sound of dolphins arcing through the
 waves. I saw about a dozen dolphins, but they didn’t come close.

Occasionally the wind would muster a bit of enthusiasm and lift my red
 ensign flag for a minute or two, before lapsing back into calm. The sky 
was overcast but far from a flat grey – clouds of all textures, shapes 
and patterns created a varied skyscape, and probably accounted for the
 weird, lumpy and uneven breezes.

I can’t help but absorb the mood of the ocean, so tonight I’m feeling a 
bit subdued myself, and tired after a long day rowing. So I’m going to
 call it a night. I’m off to my bunk to dream of friends, food and 
family. And nice brisk, invigorating easterly winds… Bring ‘em on!

Weather report:

Position at 2300 HST: 01 30.255N, 178 57.656W
Wind: 0-20kts, S-SSE 
Seas: 2-4ft swell, SE
 Weather: some big black rainclouds this morning, after that as described
 above.

No update to last weather forecast from weatherguy.com.

I was none too keen on the idea of going over the side to scrub barnacles off Brocade’s bottom, but my little bit of underwater photography a couple of days ago had shown that the barnacle situation was getting serious, and I was concerned that my underwater hitchhikers might be causing extra drag and slowing me down. And obviously with a high-speed, hell-for-leather expedition like this (???!!!) every second counts. So it was time to overcome my abhorrence of strange leech-like fish attaching themselves to my nether regions and brave the waters once again.

I put on a pair of lycra shorts to protect myself from any particularly 
personal assaults, and took the plunge. I could feel some fish tickling
 around my legs, but it wasn’t too bad at first. Then I saw the first of 
the little remoras, wiggling away as hung on to the side of the boat. I
 don’t know what it is about these small grey fish, but I just find them
 absolutely repulsive. There is something about their wiggliness, as well 
as their tendency to suction onto me, that gives me a bad attack of the
 heebie-jeebies every time I see them. I squealed girlishly, shuddered, and pressed on with my de-barnacling chores, working as quickly as I 
could.

I was shocked by the condition of the outside of the boat. I’ve never 
seen it like this before. I’m used to the gooseneck barnacles, but not 
the amount of green growth, presumably algae of some sort, that is
 flourishing on Brocade’s once-lovely silver paintwork. She looks like 
she’s been at sea for about 3 decades rather than 3 months. This is
 going to take some serious cleaning up when I get to Island X.

Barnacles duly removed, I put my foot on the grab line and pulled myself
 up onto the deck using the oars as handrails. Something came with me. It 
was a 3-inch remora, attached to my right calf. Yeeeuch. The silly 
creature hung on until I was all the way back on board and it had no way
 to return to its natural element. I have to confess to a very petty 
revenge – I left him until he was almost at his last gasp before I 
returned him to the ocean. But I suspect I’ll have no more luck training
 remoras not to cling than I did training boobies not to poop….

[photo: Barnacles – and not the sort to be found in yacht clubs around
 the world, propping up the bar with G&T's from 11am onwards….]

Other Stuff:

After a couple of days of good southerly progress, today the wind moved
 from the East into the Southeast, slowing me down. It was a very light 
wind, so I was still able to make some southerly progress, but not as 
much. I generally row at right angles to the wind, so if the wind is 
from the East then I can point due South, but if it is Southeast then I
 have to point Southwest – so today my course has been more West than
 South. But that’s fine too. The forecast is for the wind to shift back 
to the East early tomorrow – so it would be nice if that turns out to be
 right.

Twitter panic – sorry for any consternation caused by a random Tweet
 that was generated by my Dopplr account, saying I was returning to San 
Francisco today. I don’t really use Dopplr any more, but must have set 
up some general dates on my account many moons ago, in which I thought
 that Stage 2 might be ending around now. Please be assured, I am NOT 
returning to San Francisco today. The row goes on!

Thanks, as ever, for a lovely batch of comments. I am now reaching
 terminal discomfort in my cabin after responding to various TeamRoz
 emails and writing this blog (try sitting with a hot laptop on your knee
 in a rolling cabin in sweltering equatorial heat after a long day’s 
rowing) so will cut this short – but just wanted to let you know that
 Mum is now back online and emailing me the comments on a daily basis.
 Thanks to Nicole for standing in while Mum was e-ncommunicado – and 
thanks to Mum for yesterday’s blog. Yes, we did have to airdrop Mum and
 a hairdresser out in mid-Pacific just to get that photo done…!

A quick thank you to Doug for the hike report – and for the
(financial) carrot. Yum!

Weather Report

Position at 2245 HST: 01 25.599N, 178 39.425W
Wind: 0-10 knots, SE
Seas: gentle swell, 3-5ft, SE
Weather: clear, hot and sunny, with a band of small cumulus clouds 
passing over during the afternoon

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

As of Thursday morning 13 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there 
have been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts over your position and some 
rainshower activity to your north. SEerly winds 10kt is south of your 
position to the equator. The SEerlies eventually shift to Eerly 10-15kts
by today. A further shift to the north will keep the winds north of 
east until late on the 15th. Then shifting to SEerly for a brief period 
before returning to Eerly by the end of the forecast period. The widespread clouds mentioned in last report have cleared to partly 
cloudy skies with minimal convection.

Forecast sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered moderate 
rainshowers. Ocean currents should be light SSWerlies (flowing towards the NNE) at
 about 0.1 to 0.2 kts in your area to about 00 30S. To the north of you
 beginning at about 3 30N there is a band of Eerly flowing current of
  about 0.5 to 0.7kts. South of the equator along your longitude there is
a band of Werly flowing current of about 1.0kt.

Forecast (low confidence)
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
13/1200-14/1800 E 5-15 2-4
14/1800-15/1500 E-ENE 5-15 2-4
15/1500-15/1800 ENE-E 5-15 2-4
15/1800-17/0600 E-SE-E 5-15 2-4
17/0600-18/0000 E 5-10 2-3

Next Update: Monday, 16 August

Today would have been my father’s 80th birthday. But he died 5 years ago, so he will be forever 75. Given this special date, today seemed an appropriate day to post a guest blog by my mother. Those who have been following my blog since the Atlantic will be well acquainted with Mum, especially after she had to step in and update my blog after I lost all
communications 24 days before the end of the crossing. She had no more idea what was going on than anybody else did, so there was some impressive improvisation and ad-libbing on her part that would have made any TV presenter proud – even while she was worried sick about me.

So, without further ado, over to my poor long-suffering Mum…

Some Mothers Do Have ‘Em is the name of a TV show in the UK- but not many mothers have a daughter like Roz. Yes, I am proud of what she has, and is, achieving, but she has given me some heart-stopping moments along the way. Like the day she first told me she was going to row across the Atlantic.

A few months before she set out, Roz invited me to go and stay with her in Emsworth on the south coast of England, where she was living at the time, to help with fitting out the boat. What a wise move that was on her part. She got me so involved in the whole project that it was no longer what she was doing, but what we, together, were doing.

This involvement came at a good time for me. It was just a year since my husband had died, and gave me a new purpose in my retirement days. Many a time people asked if I was worried about her. I think that we were so closely involved, that she was not a separate entity – out there on the ocean- but very much a part of our togetherness. I hope you can understand what I mean. I lived all the time with the reality of what Roz was doing.

However, in her various ocean crossings there have been tough, worrying moments. Leaving out some of the minor shocks, there came the day that her satphone packed up, leaving me without any communication with her. The boat rolling over three times during her first time attempt to depart the Californian coast. Watermakers packing up on the first leg of the Pacific crossing.

Even when our sons or daughters are adults, it is still the longing of a mother to protect and guard her family. It can be hard when we feel helpless, that nothing that we do can solve the problems; I am sure that many a mother has felt this, in all sorts of circumstances. We have to try to raise our children to be independent, capable of making their own decisions, and looking after themselves. To quote a book that I know rather well: “Now these three remain, faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” The greatest gift we can give, no matter what they do.

I have not been quite so closely involved with Roz’s activities this year, for several reasons (I have been busy with a double hip replacement, and two weeks ago I moved house), and just so grateful to Nicole for being there for Roz. I am standing on the side-lines, watching, yet Roz is still very much in my thinking and feeling, my daily life and tasks.

Thanks, Mum – I can’t even begin to imagine the emotional hell I put you through while I am out on the water, and I can only say – thank you, you’re one in a million.

[photo: Mum and me]

Other Stuff:

On this crossing no two days have been alike – until today. Which was very much like yesterday. Very, very hot, calm conditions, with the weather pretty much leaving me alone to do my thing – my thing being to row steadily and sweat profusely. I’ve made another 18 miles south towards the Equator.

Finally at around sunset today I finished uploading my video messages, so normal Tweeting service should be resumed tomorrow.

Thank you to Roz’s Regulars for some great messages!

Doug – your message about the Booby Training Center gave me a good laugh. No boobies today though – in fact only one solitary bird all day to break the monotony. Only other wildlife sighting was a few jumping fish.

AH – loved your take on the 7 Habits – thank you! I listened to “Three Cups of Tea” a few weeks ago – and can definitely vouch for the fact that having a powerful sense of purpose allows people to overcome all kinds of inhibitions.

Gary – “Take it easy, but take it” – wise words. And to share a secret, I find motivation a huge problem too. It was so much easier in the days when I was rowing crew and had a coxswain yelling at me to keep going. But actually, having said that, I’m finding motivation easier and easier the closer I get to my goal So I suppose one idea is to have interim targets and milestones – like keeping tally of how many meters you have rowed overall, and reward yourself every once in a while. Has to be worth a bottle of champagne, surely! (Champagne isn’t too calorific either – that’s why the supermodels drink it! Or maybe it’s just because they can….)

Weather Report:

Position at 2240 HST: 01 33.737N, 178 16.106W
Wind: 0-5kts, E
Seas: 2-4ft, E
Weather: hot and sunny, clear skies, hot. Towards sunset ranks of little fluffy clouds passed over, then cleared again.

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

As of Thursday morning 13 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there have been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts over your position and some rainshower activity to your north. SEerly winds 10kt is south of your position to the equator. The SEerlies eventually shift to Eerly 10-15kts by today. A further shift to the north will keep the winds north of east until late on the 15th. Then shifting to SEerly for a brief period before returning to Eerly by the end of the forecast period.

The widespread clouds mentioned in last report have cleared to partly cloudy skies with minimal convection.

Forecast sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered moderate rainshowers.

Ocean currents should be light SSWerlies (flowing towards the NNE) at about 0.1 to 0.2 kts in your area to about 00 30S. To the north of you beginning at about 3 30N there is a band of Eerly flowing current of about 0.5 to 0.7kts. South of the equator along your longitude there is a band of Werly flowing current of about 1.0kt.

Forecast (low confidence)
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
13/1200-14/1800 E 5-15 2-4
14/1800-15/1500 E-ENE 5-15 2-4
15/1500-15/1800 ENE-E 5-15 2-4
15/1800-17/0600 E-SE-E 5-15 2-4
17/0600-18/0000 E 5-10 2-3

Next Update: Monday, 16 August

(with no disrespect intended to Steven R Covey, author of The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People)

Today it occurred to me that it takes a rather peculiar skillset to row
across an ocean. Almost anybody could do it – if they wanted to – but
there are a few abilities that are particularly useful. So here are my
suggestions for the 7 Habits of Reasonably Effective Ocean Rowers – and
I’d be interested to hear if you have any other suggestions to add to
the list.

1. Ability to make 2.5 gallons of fresh water last for a week. This one
was absolutely necessary last year when both my watermakers broke. FYI,
2.5 gallons is about the size of a toilet cistern. And that had to serve
for drinking water, rinsing beansprouts, rehydrating freeze dried meals,
brushing teeth, and washing.

2. Ability to spend 100+ days alone at sea without going crazy. This is
possibly the toughest one. Even though obviously I am very entertaining
company (?!) even I get a bit tired of my jokes after a while…

3. Ability to contort oneself into a tiny sleeping cabin. Yoga helps.

4. Ability to attach a lanyard to almost any object – to prevent
accidental losses overboard.

5. Ability to find something new to photograph after 80+ days at sea,
with nothing but a 23-foot boat, sea, sky, oneself, and the occasional
passing sea creature

6. Ability to open a Larabar without tearing the wrapper. After having
now consumed about 1000 Larabars over the course of the last 3 years, I
am now quite the expert.

7. Ability to find something to be happy about and thankful for, even on
the worst of days. Essential.

[photo: it struck me we hadn't had an underwater photo for a while - so
here is a pic of one of my ocean-going Rozlings, who is usually to be
found hanging out under my boat]

Other Stuff:

I’ve had a lot to be happy about and thankful for today. After 10 days
in the attempt, I finally crossed over 2 degrees North. That has been
the toughest degree yet. 3 degrees North took 8 days to cover the 60
nautical miles between degrees of latitude. Others have generally taken
between 3 and 5 days. I don’t know exactly how many miles I actually
traveled to achieve these 60 miles of southerly progress, but I’m
guessing it must have been over 120. Ah, if only I could travel as the
booby flies!

This achievement was all the sweeter because at the moment I’m rowing
directly against the current. It isn’t a big strong current, but nor am
I a big strong rower. So I was pleased to make headway. The winds have
been very light today – mostly just 3-5 knots – so my mileage was very
much my own work. King Neptune just left me alone for long enough to
allow me to make some headway – for which I thank him.

Apologies for total Tweetlessness today and yesterday. The reason is
that I have spent most of the last two days trying to upload three short
video clips – the regular RozCast, plus one for the Discovery Channel
(Blue August) and one for the UNEP International Children and Youth
Conference taking place next week in Korea – which I had hoped to attend
but obviously I’m still bobbing around in mid-Pacific. My satphone has
been tied up all day while I try repeatedly to get the uploads through.
I have really poor satellite phone reception this close to the Equator,
so the transmission keeps dropping out. Every time I take a break from
rowing I restart the transmission – and come back at the next break to
find it broke off again the moment my back was turned. It took all day
yesterday to upload the RozCast clip, and all day today for Discovery
Channel. Tomorrow I hope to get the UNEP clip uploaded. And I’m just
trying not to even think about the cost….

Thanks to the Rozling community for all the great comments,
especially…

Caroline H – would love to see you the next time I am in London for some
reflexology – that would be a real treat. And thanks for the food for
thought – I probably won’t blog about it, but it will be a fun thing to
think about – and make me extra glad to be out here!

Doug – There IS a day spa in Tuvalu/Tarawa, isn’t there?!
Ellen – hope you had a blast at rowing training camp. Thanks for
spreading the word!
Claire – thanks for the great message.

A special thank you to Mick and Chris for their message. Honored to be
called their “Pacific Sister”. I think often of my Pacific Brothers, and
hope to see them in San Francisco for a post-row beer if the timings
work out. If I can’t be there, I’ll leave some money behind the bar at
the South End Rowing Club!

Richard – I just have to share your poem. It made me laugh out loud!

ODE TO A BOOBY

Booby, booby, over the sea,
Why have you abandoned me?

Was I unkind?
Did I drive you away?
Have you found another boat,
On which to play?

I miss you now.
I didn’t before.
Did I hurt your feelings,
With my swinging oar?

It was just that,
I’m sensitive to smell.
And frankly, my darling,
You reeked to hell.

And now also know,
I’ve got things on my mind.
What with rainstorms, and currents,
And remoras on my behind.

So you can see, my sweet,
That you’re in my thoughts,
Although our friendship, probably,
Will come to naught.

I’ll remember you, though,
And I’m not blaming,
But frankly my love,
You needed toilet-training.

ROFL!!!! (or should that be RODL – for Roll On Deck Laughing?!)

Weather report:

Position at 2310 HST: 01 51.091N, 177 59.227W (yayyyyyy!)
Wind: 3-8kts E-ENE (happy days!)
Seas:2-4ft E
Weather: some cumulus cloud at sunrise, clearing to devastatingly blue
skies and hot sunshine. Scattered cumulus passed over late afternoon,
then mostly clear again, but another band of cloud on the horizon as the
sun set. There have been no squalls or rainshowers for several days now
– which is just fine with me!

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

As of Thursday morning 13 Aug 2009.  According to measured data, there
have
been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts over your position and some rainshower
activity to your north. SEerly winds 10kt is south of your position to
the
equator. The SEerlies eventually shift to Eerly 10-15kts by today.  A
further shift to the north will keep the winds north of east until late
on
the 15th. Then shifting to SEerly for a brief period before returning to
Eerly by the end of the forecast period.

The widespread clouds mentioned in last report have cleared to partly
cloudy
skies with minimal convection.

Forecast sky conditions:  Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered moderate
rainshowers.

Ocean currents should be light SSWerlies (flowing towards the NNE) at
about
0.1 to 0.2 kts in your area to about 00 30S. To the north of you
beginning
at about 3 30N there is a band of Eerly flowing current of about 0.5 to
0.7kts. South of the equator along your longitude there is a band of
Werly
flowing current of about 1.0kt.

Forecast (low confidence)
Date/Time HST              Wind kts           Seas (ft) est
13/1200-14/1800            E 5-15               2-4
14/1800-15/1500            E-ENE  5-15      2-4
15/1500-15/1800            ENE-E 5-15       2-4
15/1800-17/0600            E-SE-E 5-15      2-4
17/0600-18/0000            E 5-10               2-3

Next Update:   Monday, 16 August

Last night I had a dream about Mick and Chris, who are currently rowing the north Pacific (goldengateendeavour.com). In my dream I was taking a look around their boat, Bojangles, and was staggered at the size of it. It had a cabin so high you could stand up in it – and, luxury of luxuries, a FLUSH TOILET!! No doubt Mick and Chris would find the contrast between my dream and the reality extremely amusing.

I wonder how Mick and Chris are bearing up physically. I got an email today from Sarah Outen, my friend who has just finished rowing solo across the Indian Ocean. She lost 18kg, which is about 40lb, in 124
days. Mick and Chris will be at sea for 5-6 months, so they might lose even more.

Me? I’m not doing too badly. I lost about 25-30lb on each of my previous long crossings. I’d guess I’ve lost less this time, maybe about 15lb, but it’s hard to tell, having neither scales nor mirror.

I’m happy I’ve managed to avoid the tendonitis that made my Atlantic crossing so miserable. I just have the usual ration of minor oceangoing maladies – a touch of toothache (probably a minor rumble from my impacted wisdom teeth) which should go away in a few days. Ongoing spots and rashes from the saltwater and heat. Blisters and bloodspots on my feet where the rowing shoes rub. And an oddity that always happens –
fingernails parting company with fingers. They don’t fall off, but the white extends down towards the quick, and it takes a while for them to get back to normal when I reach dry land.

So I’m not exactly feeling at my most glamorous, and would seriously love a good long shower, but if I ever start feeling sorry for myself I just thank my lucky stars that I am not Mick or Chris and crossing the whole Pacific nonstop. At least I get to do some sightseeing along the way – and who in their right mind would row straight past Hawaii without dropping in?!

[photo: Not much to take photos of today. So here is last night's sunset.]

Other Stuff:

Today the weather gods were kind. Conditions were pushing me due west but by aiming my bow south I was able to row across the waves to make another 8 miles closer to the Equator. I have made up the latitude that I lost when a southeasterly caught me in its jaws and dragged me kicking and screaming back up to 3 degrees North, and am now the furthest south I have ever been (in a rowboat, anyway). The forecast is good, so I am VERY cautiously optimistic that I might make further progress south over the next few days. But still just taking it as it comes. Expectation only invites disappointment!

Today I posted my regular weekly video to my editor – so the latest RozCast should go live on YouTube in the next 24 hours. In this week’s RozCast there is a pre-recorded section where I talk about the environment, and then a short video from the boat where I show you what a pair of rowing gloves looks like after just a couple of weeks at the oars. Enjoy!

Thank you to all the Rozzles for your comments. Rozta’ Bill – especially appreciating you keeping a weather eye out for my fortunes. I’m tired now after a long day rowing so I’m afraid I’m not going to acknowledge all the comments individually, but please know that I really do appreciate them. BTW, we seemed to lose Gregory of the Conway Kayak Company in the transition to the new website – he was one of Roz’s Regulars but has gone MIA. Gregory, if you’re out there, drop us a message at [email protected] and let us know you’re okay!

Weather Report:

Position at 2315 HST: 02 05.378N, 177 44.862W
Wind: 10kts ESE-E Seas: 2-4ft E Weather: mostly clear and fine, with just a very few scattered clouds. None of those pesky ITCZ-ish squalls or rainshowers – thank heavens!

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

As of Thursday morning 13 Aug 2009. According to measured data there have been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts over your position and some rainshower activity to your north. SEerly winds 10kt is south of your position to the equator. The SEerlies eventually shift to Eerly 10-15kts by today. A further shift to the north will keep the winds north of east until late on the 15th. Then shifting to SEerly for a brief period before returning to Eerly by the end of the forecast period.

The widespread clouds mentioned in last report have cleared to partly cloudy skies with minimal convection.

Forecast sky conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered moderate rainshowers.

Ocean currents should be light SSWerlies (flowing towards the NNE) at
about
0.1 to 0.2 kts in your area to about 00 30S. To the north of you beginning at about 3 30N there is a band of Eerly flowing current of about 0.5 to
0.7kts. South of the equator along your longitude there is a band of Werly flowing current of about 1.0kt.

Forecast (low confidence)
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft) est
13/1200-14/1800 E 5-15 2-4
14/1800-15/1500 E-ENE 5-15 2-4
15/1500-15/1800 ENE-E 5-15 2-4
15/1800-17/0600 E-SE-E 5-15 2-4
17/0600-18/0000 E 5-10 2-3

Next Update: Monday, 16 August

Oh boy, this is going to be another short blog. 10.30pm already, and only just starting to write…

I was pleased today to hold my own against a very brisk wind coming out of the southeast, which was threatening to push me north again, but actually has allowed me to go almost due west. I really don’t understand how these things work – other southeasterlies have had me zooming northwest at an alarming rate of knots, but this one has been relatively benevolent.

So that’s the news regarding where my body is at. As for where my head is at, today I’ve had to work harder than usual at being present in the here and now. My thoughts keep wanting to take off into the realms of panic. Usually it’s will-I-ever-get-out-of-here or the great Tuvalu/Tarawa debate. But today there was a new one. Today it was the I’m-going-to-run-out-of-food panic. Of course I’m not going to run out of food – or only if I get well and truly marooned in the ITCZ. I’ve still got enough food for another 50 days or so, but try telling that to my mind once it gets into one of its loony-loops. I must have mentally run through my full inventory of food about ten times today, until I just wanted to hit the Off button on my brain.

But as the day went on I got more successful at countering those Negative Nellie voices in my head. Every time I caught myself spiraling into a tizzy, I would pull myself back and focus on just being present in the here and now – admiring a cloud, listening to my audiobook, enjoying the contrast between a blue wave and a white foaming crest… until 5 minutes later it happens all over again – but that’s brains for you. I don’t try and fight the thoughts (well, not much) but simply to reduce and reduce the amount of time between when the spiral starts and when I notice it’s happening – and then to stop the spiral, breeeeaaaathe, adjust and refocus.

I also keep humming “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and reminding myself of my little Zen Dog. I’ve quoted him before, but I’ll quote him again for newcomers to the blog:

He knows not where he’s going
For the ocean will decide
It’s not the destination
It’s the glory of the ride.

[photo: My compass (and rowing shoes). The wind is coming at the boat broadside on the port beam, i.e. the right hand side of the picture - so you can tell it's coming from the southeast]

Other Stuff:

Thank you for all the great comments on my spiritual blog yesterday. I’m glad it provoked some thoughts and feedback rather than an embarrassed silence – so I feel justified in baring all before you. Thank you!

Laurey Masterson – thanks for your lovely message. Good to find out more about you and your life. I’m sure I will make it to NC in the near future. Nicole’s granny is moving there soon too, so I have many reasons to visit!

Robert Gandy – good for you!

Steve Maskell – great to hear from you, and I love that image of my oarstrokes spinning the world beneath me – maybe a bit like the Native Americans believing that it’s their job to make sure the sun rises every morning. So, in that case, I’d better carry on rowing then!

I missed the meteor shower! Only just got the comments about it –and it was last night, darn it. I was rowing until 11.30pm so must just have missed it. Boo!

Weather report:

Position at 2300 HST: 02 13.327N, 177 25.169W
Wind: light this morning, then 20 knots SE-ESE for the rest of the day
Seas: 4-6 ft SE
Weather: some overcast this morning, then generally fine and sunny with high cirrus clouds

Weather forecast courtesy of weatherguy.com

Latest tracker reported your position as: 02 39N 177 05W as of 09Aug 2335HST.

As of Monday morning 10 Aug 2009.  According to measured data, there have been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts and little significant rainshower activity in your area. 10kt Eerly winds extends to 01 30S then increase to Eerly 15-20kts then shift to SEerly 0-20kts. Winds continue to be very shifty next couple of days becoming Eerly 0-15kts by 1500HST 11Aug. Then shifting to SEerly 0-20kts by 12Aug 1200HST. Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as previously discussed.

According to satellite imagery, there remains widespread areas of low level clouds amongst scattered areas of deep convection. There is a significant area of deep convection south of the Equator centered near 03 00S 175 00W. Rainshowers, squalls, and thunderstorms in areas of deep convection.

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
10/1800-10/2100            E-SE 0-20          2-5
10/2100-11/1800            SE-E 0-20          2-5
11/1800-12/1200            E-SE 0-20         2-5
12/1200-14/0600            SE-ENE 5-20     2-5
14/0600-15/0000            ENE-SE 0-20     2-5

Next Update:   Thursday, 13 August

Recently Marv H asked me if I am religious, or spiritual in any way. It is supposed to be taboo to discuss politics, religion or sex…but well, hey, what are blogs about if not to break taboos? So (taking a deep breath) after butts, boobies, bird poop and exploding squid, now we move onto The Meaning Of Life….

I am a preachers’ kid (yes, the apostrophe IS in the right place – BOTH my parents were preachers) but I do not count myself a religious person. But I do have a strong belief system that I have evolved over the few years since I stepped out of the rat race to get a fresh perspective on life. I have done a lot of reading and thinking – as well as simply observing – and have been especially influenced by Aldous Huxley’s “Perennial Philosophy”, “Conversations With God” by Donald Neale Walsh, and the teachings of Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer.

I believe that there is more to this world that can be perceived with the five human senses. It would surprise me if reality in its entirety could be witnessed through sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. We evolved these five because they are what our physical body needed for survival, but I am sure that there are other dimensions to reality. Although we can’t perceive these other aspects directly, we CAN see the effects that they have on our sensory reality if we try playing around to make them work for us – like, for example, the Law of Attraction.

The way I see it, one of these other dimensions that we can’t physically see is a kind of pool of energy that unites us all – call it God, the Source, the Oneness, the Universe, or whatever you will – and that this force exists in every single living being in the world – or even the universe, if there is life on other planets.

To try and illustrate this… in a sense we are united physically by the Earth. We all stand on it, sit on it, or lie on it – or in a building that rests on it. We’re not floating several miles above it, or off in space somewhere. We are all in some way physically and directly connected to the Earth. Similarly, we are all united spiritually by this unifying force. We are connected to it by whatever that magical thing is that makes us into living beings rather than just inert lumps of flesh. That spark of life force, or your soul, or your heart, or your energy – whatever you call that thing makes you a living, moving, sentient being – is what connects us all to each other.

And this energetic field that connects us all is also, I think, where we can draw things to ourselves that cannot be explained through the laws of logic or the perception of our five human senses. When we act, talk, or think, our actions, words and thoughts reverberate through that field and create consequences in the visible world.

So, that’s the basis. But what does that mean in real life? How does this belief system influence how I live?

First, I will always treat other people with respect – in fact, I will treat them as I would want to be treated myself – because we are all connected. So if I hurt them, I hurt myself.

Second, I believe that we owe it to ourselves, and to everybody else, to be the very best person that we can be in this lifetime. Because we are all connected, when one person strives to be better, it raises everybody up.

Third, I’ve found the best way to be the best person I can be is to put ego aside, and to tap into that greater force – to ask it, what is my purpose? How can I serve the whole? When we take our guidance from that collective energy, by listening to our heart, we can be sure that we do the right things for the right reasons. It also enables us to make sure what we do is the very best that can be done, because we do it not alone, but with the enormous resources of energy and inspiration that lie in that pool of collective consciousness.

I do not claim that my belief system is “true” – I claim only that this is what I have CHOSEN to believe, based on my experiences, and because these beliefs serve me well. It makes sense to me, makes me happy, gives me a sufficient feeling that I am in control of my own destiny, while also allowing a bit of room for those magical moments of serendipity that make me believe there is a sense of justice and harmony in the world.

But I also freely admit that there are many other ways to perceive the world, and many other belief systems that can be construed based on the same evidence. We only have to look at any scientific controversy to see that intelligent, rational people can look at the same data and arrive at radically different conclusions.

So I have no problem with other people believing whatever they want to believe – provided that their belief does not impinge on my personal freedom. And similarly I would never dream of foisting my belief system on anybody else.

I think it is up to everybody to figure out what works for them. I’ve put a lot of thought into my own system of spirituality. To me there is nothing in life so important as those big questions – who am I? Why am I here? What is the point of it all? And that we all owe it to ourselves to spend time and effort thinking about these questions – if we want to be happy.

Wow, this is a very personal blog, and I feel almost shy about baring my soul to this extent. But, hey, I’ve bared just about everything else this voyage. So why not my soul too?

[photo: feel free to think I'm crazy, but at least I'm happy!]

Other Stuff:

This morning I had just 13 miles to go to get to 2 degrees North. If the weather had been like yesterday I would have done this today, no problem. But the weather wasn’t, and I didn’t. The wind veered round from E, to ESE, SE, until I was being blown north again. At the moment the wind is looking undecided as to how mean it’s going to be. Will it let me off with just a temporary hold-up at this latitude, or will it be a total b*****d and blow me all the way up north again? Who knows. I’m deliberately not thinking about it – or at least, rapidly redirecting my thoughts every time I do start thinking about it. It will be what it will be.

Apologies for not updating you on the fate of the fish that I invited to supper last night, on the condition that he provide the main course – or, in fact, BE the main course. Truth be told, he was a dead loss. I started trying to cut the flesh off him, but as you may have observed from the photo, he was built for speed, not supper, being long and skinny rather than plump and round. So, basically, there was so little meat on him that he was a total waste of space supper-wise. So I recycled him over the side of the boat and resorted to freeze-dried curry instead, which with the addition of some powdered coconut milk was very yummy indeed.

Dave Finnigan – your film concept sounds very interesting. I do have a contact at Lucasfilm. Could I ask you to get back in touch with me when I am on dry land, and we will follow up then? You can contact me at [email protected]

Dale – thanks for the reminder about enjoying the here and now, and being present in the moment. I’ve actually become much more aware of that in the last couple of days, and have been working on it – and am feeling much more content as a result. Thank you for the timely reminder.

Margaret Taylor – thank you for your very special message. You in turn have inspired me. I hope that we both reach the far side of our challenges as better and stronger people.

Amy Olmstead – I will be sure to give you a shout if and when I make it to Austin!

Rozta’ Bill – alas it looks like the UH forecast was overly optimistic. Hey ho! I listened to Tribes the other day. Really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. Pretty inspiring stuff!

Thank you to Robert Pfeiffer, Roman Lyubimov, Andrew M Reed and Laurey Masterton for their kind donations – all very much appreciated. Thank you, Rozlings!

Jerome, Judy, Joan, Sebastian – great to hear from you too. Thanks for your comments!

Weather report:

Position at 2215 HST: 02 09.407Nm 177 12.476W Wind: 5-20kts, sometimes E, sometimes SE, sometimes in between Seas: 3-5ft NE Weather: showers this morning, overcast for a while, mostly clear skies with scattered showers this afternoon, clouding over again towards nightfall

Weather forecast courtesy of weatherguy.com

Latest tracker reported your position as: 02 39N 177 05W as of 09Aug 2335HST.

As of Monday morning 10 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there have been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts and little significant rainshower activity in your area. 10kt Eerly winds extends to 01 30S then increase to Eerly 15-20kts then shift to SEerly 0-20kts. Winds continue to be very shifty next couple of days becoming Eerly 0-15kts by 1500HST 11Aug. Then shifting to SEerly 0-20kts by 12Aug 1200HST. Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as previously discussed.

According to satellite imagery, there remains widespread areas of low level clouds amongst scattered areas of deep convection. There is a significant area of deep convection south of the Equator centered near 03 00S 175 00W. Rainshowers, squalls, and thunderstorms in areas of deep convection.

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 10/1800-10/2100 E-SE 0-20 2-5 10/2100-11/1800 SE-E 0-20 2-5 11/1800-12/1200 E-SE 0-20 2-5 12/1200-14/0600 SE-ENE 5-20 2-5 14/0600-15/0000 ENE-SE 0-20 2-5

Next Update: Thursday, 13 August

… are in short supply right now. There are lots of flashes of lightning around the dark horizon as I write this blog, but those are the only flashy-type things happening on this bit of ocean right now.

I’m absolutely stupid with tiredness, so I’m going to keep this really
 short – with apologies for my brevity. But I needed to let you know I’m
 still alive!

Headline is: it’s been a good productive day at the oars. I’ve regained
 another 23 miles of lost latitude, and am almost back to where I was 
before the wind and currents started sweeping me north.

I won’t say the weather has been helping me, but it hasn’t been
 hindering me either. For most of today there has been no wind at all –
which has made for VERY hot rowing conditions.

There was a notable exception at about 2pm, when a big cloud came over 
and in the space of a minute – literally – the wind went from 0 knots to
40 knots. It lasted about 10 minutes, and then subsided again almost as 
quickly. I was caught off-guard, with the sun canopy up, and it was
 banging about like a demented thing. But fortunately no damage done.

So, in the absence of wind assistance, I’ve been rowing my little heart
 out, and am now as pooped as a booby-pooped poop deck. So I’m going to
 bed. Sorry! Will try to be more creative tomorrow.

[photo: Continuing the aerial bombardment of my boat, this chap landed 
on my deck this morning. Any offers as to identity? I'm guessing that 
big pointy thing on his schnozz is going to be indicative of his name –
or is it just a very small marlin? Baseball cap included for scale.]

Other Stuff:

Rave of the Day: rediscovered a bag of powdered coconut milk from
 Wilderness Family Naturals, and added a spoonful or two to my dinnertime
 curry. Delicious!! Definitely my new favorite meal.

Crave of the Day: white fluffy towels and crisp white sheets. Ahhhh, 
sigh!

A new batch donations has come in – thank you Rozlings!! Special thank
 yous today to: Edward Gutman, Ian Wilkie, Jennifer Eggers, Nancy Glenn
(special hello to Nancy!), Bill Spinks, Mary Dionne, Keith Ferstl,
 Margaret Taylor, and Sarah Watson. (Thanks, Sarah!!!!) This is SO kind 
of you – it’s not just the money, it’s knowing that you care. I truly
 appreciate your generosity of spirit.

Weather report:

Position at 2310 HST: 02 16.105N, 177 02.609W
Wind: as described above

Seas: 2-5ft E

Weather: as described above

Weather forecast courtesy of weatherguy.com

Latest tracker reported your position as: 02 39N 177 05W as of 09Aug
2335HST.

As of Monday morning 10 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there
 have
 been Eerly winds up to 7-12kts and little significant rainshower
 activity in
 your area. 10kt Eerly winds extends to 01 30S then increase to Eerly
15-20kts then shift to SEerly 0-20kts. Winds continue to be very shifty
 next
 couple of days becoming Eerly 0-15kts by 1500HST 11Aug. Then shifting to
SEerly 0-20kts by 12Aug 1200HST. Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as
 previously discussed.

According to satellite imagery, there remains widespread areas of low
 level
 clouds amongst scattered areas of deep convection. There is a
 significant
 area of deep convection south of the Equator centered near 03 00S 175
00W.
 Rainshowers, squalls, and thunderstorms in areas of deep convection.

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
10/1800-10/2100 E-SE 0-20 2-5
10/2100-11/1800 SE-E 0-20 2-5
11/1800-12/1200 E-SE 0-20 2-5
12/1200-14/0600 SE-ENE 5-20 2-5
14/0600-15/0000 ENE-SE 0-20 2-5

Next Update: Thursday, 13 August

Maybe the ocean took notice of my frank expression of views last night.
Maybe I used the Law of Attraction to bring some good conditions into my
life. Maybe the prayers of my Rozlings were answered. Or maybe it was
just time for the weather to change. But for whatever reason, today
brought an easterly wind and some good mileage in the right direction –
which was very welcome.

I’ve now made up 15 of the 40 miles of latitude I’d lost over the last
few days. I don’t know how long the conditions will last, but I rowed
until I couldn’t row any more to make the most of the opportunity.

I was once wary of getting over-hopeful of good progress, or pessimistic
about my chances of making landfall. Neither of these are helpful or
constructive lines of thought, as I just have to take each day as it
comes. They are really best just ignored until I am in a better position
(literally) to make a decision.

So I distracted my rebellious thoughts by focusing on other things
entirely. I turned to happy daydreams about my future – both near and
longer term. This is my favorite kind of fantasizing, in a rather Walter
Mitty-ish kind of a way. Some people have a happy place that they
conjure up when they need to distract themselves. Instead of a happy
place I have my happy future It’s like a kind of positive meditation,
and even in the worst of times it can stop me dwelling on negative
thoughts.

And the astonishing thing is that my Walter Mitty daydreams, which I’ve
been having for a number of years now, are developing a spooky habit of
coming true… I’m really starting to have to be VERY careful about what I
wish for!

[photo: heralding a brighter day - a gorgeous Sunday sunrise this morning]

Other Stuff:

It’s that time of year again! All around the world (well, in the US
anyway), teachers andstudents are starting to head back into the classroom
after the summer vacation. If you’re a parent or teacher and you’d like to
share my adventure with your children, please check out the resources on
the education section of my website. Quite a number of teachers are
already using my row as a fun, engaging way to get kids excited about a
variety of subjects: geography, math, science, social studies, just to
name a few.

The education section is designed to be a collaborative resource for
teachers of all grade levels who want to upload lesson plans and
classroom materials, share ideas and communicate with teachers around
the world. There’s even a gaming section that uses SCRATCH, an
MIT-developed gaming code that is easy enough for children to use to
create games – which can be a fantastic learning tool.

Please remember that this is an entirely user-driven part of the site -
this means that we need teachers to create, not just use the content. So
if you know a teacher, please do share this with them. Get creative -
and I’d encourage you to use social media tools to share your classroom
experiences with others, and with the Rozling community. Get those
creative juices flowing!

This section of my website is created and moderated by Jacob Tanenbaum,
a technology educator from New York City. Jacob contacted me after he
followed along with my Atlantic crossing. He was bitten by the
adventuring bug and, inspired by my Atlantic exploits, he applied for
and was accepted as a NOAA teacher at sea (the US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration). A big thank you once again to Jacob for all
the work he did to make this part of my site a reality.

The donations continue to roll in from the Rozlings – thank you all SO
much for your generosity!! We will now definitely be able to bring
Conrad out to film my arrival on Island X, and have some very useful
funds left over to start paying my $10,000+ blog bill (i.e. the cost of
uploading blogs via my satellite phone) for this stage of the row. I am
very touched by your kindness. Today’s thanks go to:

Suwin Chan, Karen Oppenheimer, Lawrence Heim, Michael Matson, David
Reed, Gavin Knight, David Bell, Jerome Blackman, Cyndie Blake, Charles
Pierce, David Bludworth, and Alicia Foley.

Also special hellos and thank yous for some great comments, particularly
to Mitch and his wife, Leslie Layton, Ene, Meg, Sebastian, Achates,
David, Michelle, Dana, all of Roz’s Regulars, and Amy in Austin. There
seems to be quite a chapter of Rozlings in Austin – I really hope I can
get there sometime and meet you all! Thanks also to Lori for her kind
words – and a big hi to your two children as well! And Charlotte Vick –
you’re on!

UncaDoug – thanks for the info on the Southern Cross. Good to know
that’s really it – makes me feel like I’m maybe not so far from my goal!

Steve in Cincinatti – thanks for nominating me for CNN’s Green
Inspirations! I’ll reproduce your comment here, just in case anyone else
feels inspired to do likewise – which would be much appreciated!
This is for Roz, but directed more to her faithful followers. I just
nominated Roz for CNN’s Eco Solutions’ Green Inspirations. The
following is an excerpt of the story:
“We’re looking for the everyday heroes and exceptional people who
are making a difference. They may be well known or someone in the
public eye you think deserves more recognition. Whoever they may be,
send us an email to nominate your green inspirations and we’ll
feature them on Eco Solutions”
The email to send more nominations is http://www.ecosolutions@cnn.com
I specifically pointed out one of favorite passages thus far, Day 76
Positive Thinking: an epiphany.
Best wishes to you Roz.

And best wishes to you too, Steve – and all the other wonderful Rozlings
who are such an endless source of inspiration, support, and strength to
me.

Weather report:

Position at 2300 HST: 02 39.272N, 177 04.481W (yayyyy!)
Wind: 5-15kts E-NE (yayyyy again!!)
Seas: 3-4 ft NE
Weather: blue skies, scattered cumulus, two teeny weeny little
rainshowers

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

The ocean and I had serious words tonight. Well, actually, I suppose I did most of the talking. And it was not Happy Talk – so much for South Pacific, the musical, from which the song comes. In fact it was very Unhappy Talk.

I won’t repeat it here, as it was mostly unrepeatable, but it was words to the effect that I’m tired of having to fight so hard for every degree of latitude, and it would be really nice if for a change I could make progress and actually hang onto it instead of being pushed so far back that even if/when the conditions become favorable again it’s going to take me days to make up for the ground I’ve lost. Having been within 13 miles of the line of latitude at 2 degrees North, I’m now almost all the way back up to 3 degrees North. By rowing standards that is a long, long way to re-row.

I try to tell myself that these are just imaginary, man-made lines of latitude, and aren’t really important, but psychologically it would be quite tough to cross back over 3 degrees North – in the wrong direction. I have the lines of latitude written up on a writeboard in front of my rowing position, and I cross them out as I pass them, like the Count of Monte Cristo marking off his days in prison. I’d hate to have to un-cross a number.

In keeping with the recent theme of the Law of Attraction and positive thinking, I had decided to give vocal vent to all my frustration, and let the ocean know just exactly the kind of improvement I expected to see in its behavior from now on. For my part I would stop obsessing over the numbers on my GPS and start enjoying the ride – but I would enjoy it a lot more if it was taking me in the right direction so I can make landfall and start getting on with all the very interesting and exciting things I’ve got lined up for the rest of the year, thank you very much.

[photo: a turtle that popped up to say hello this morning]

Other Stuff:

THANK YOU, ROZLINGS!!! You are all wonderful, generous, lovely, supportive people and I love you all. Okay, so my love might be somewhat financially motivated, but whatever, I still think you’re all GREAT! This outburst of love and affection has been prompted by your amazing
response to my plea for help with raising money so we can bring Conrad the Filmmaker out to Island X to record my arrival and interviews with locals on the subject of climate change. We had an offer of $2,500 provided we were able to match that sum with donations from elsewhere.

And, in the space of JUST 48 HOURS we have achieved just that! We were halfway by this time yesterday, and I’ve just received an email from Nicole my program director to let me know that today we reached our target. So, in addition to yesterday’s thank yous, I’d like to express my gratitude to:

Mark Scarpa, Kenneth D Scott, Chialing Jolly Young, Jane Heritage, Eric Kauzmann, Patricia Luebke, William Mosley, Robert Locher, Susan Patterson, Naomi Durkin, Jeffrey King, Richard Cort, Anthony Swift (especially!), Barbara Henker, Claire Winston, Anna Sonderegger, Roger Mercier, Eric Mccallum and Mylene Paquette.

If you intended to contribute but hadn’t got around to it yet, donations are still most welcome. My satellite phone bill (voice and data) is likely to be over $10,000 for this stage of the row. Data uploads form the greater part of this bill. To upload a blog with a photo costs about $15, to record a podcast about $45, and to upload the short video segments for my RozCasts on YouTube is closer to $80. At the moment funds are getting very low, but with a bit of help we can keep the Roz Show on the road (or on the row!). Thank you also for all the big Rozling hugs winging their way across the Pacific waves to me to console me after a tough day yesterday. Hugs back to you too. And please send some more today because it has been another toughie…

I really enjoyed reading the responses to my blog yesterday about my eco-epiphany. I’m glad that the idea resonated with so many of you. When it came to me it had the feeling of something special, like one of those Big Ideas that comes from outside yourself (like my initial idea to row across oceans, in fact). I’ll be including the idea in a speech that I hope to be giving later this year (details coming when confirmed – but it would be the most important speech of my life so far if it happens), and it will also form part of the book that I’m planning to write in the early part of next year – a very personal take on sustainability and the future. I’ve copied your comments into my working documents so I can refer back to them later. Thank you!

Thanks to Captain Phil Renaud for the lovely message. Great to know that you’re following – and congratulations on your own great efforts to preserve our oceans.

UncaDoug – Fallen Leaf Lake sounds absolutely gorgeous, and your description has got me pining for dry land! I hope you have a great time. I’ll miss your comments though, so hurry on back! BTW, I think I can see the Southern Cross, even though I’m not in the southern hemisphere yet. Is that possible?

And finally special hello to one of Roz’s Regulars and one of my greatest cheerleaders, the Lemon Lady Karen Morss. Thanks, Karen, for your amazing energy and support!

Weather report:

Position at 2210 HST: 02 53.961N, 177 02.529W
Wind: S slowly backing to ESE throughout the day, 3-15kts
Seas: 3-5ft, SE, but there seems to be a current that pushed me due north whenever I’m not rowing
Weather: sunny with scattered clouds

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

I wish the title of this blog referred to a newfound ability to overcome adverse winds through the power of positive thinking – but unfortunately it doesn’t. A glance at the RozTracker will show that the weather and I were not of the same view as to where I should be going today.

No, the title refers to a mini-epiphany I had last night as I was trying to get to sleep, and once I’d had the mini-epiphany I was so excited about it that all hope of sleep was gone, so I got up and rowed under a full moon until 3am while I considered my new insight. It was the result of several topics that have been under discussion on this blog over the last few days. The environment. The Alchemist. The Law of Attraction. And maybe a little soupcon of serendipity too.

The idea that popped into my head was this… It seems to me (and I could be wrong – it’s rather difficult to keep my finger on the pulse from a small rowboat a thousand miles from anywhere) that most of the climate change debate focuses on climate change, i.e. The Problem, and I think it might be more helpful to focus on sustainability, i.e. The Solution.

To draw a parallel… when I was living my old life as a management consultant in London (as discussed in yesterday’s podcast), I knew there was something wrong. The fact that I was not happy was a giveaway. I didn’t feel good about my work, and not feeling good, as Esther and Jerry Hicks point out, is a clear indicator that you’re out of whack with your life purpose.

But I didn’t know that then. I just knew my life sucked. So I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong with it. I wrote volume after volume of my journal trying to analyze the problem. I even had a few therapy sessions – until the extortionate cost of the therapy became almost as stressful as the issue I’d gone into therapy to resolve. In short, I was obsessed with The Problem.

Then one day I hit on a better idea. This was when I did my obituary exercise – I sat down and wrote two versions of how I might be remembered at the end of my life – the version I wanted, and the version I was then heading for. The version I was heading for was ordinary, mundane, pleasant but not exciting. The one I wanted was exciting, passionate, rich, and unusual. The huge difference between the two made it clear that I would need to make some big changes – and the direction that those changes should take.

I was no longer focused on The Problem. I wasn’t even focused on The Solution. I was focused on Where I Wanted To Be. And after even more hiccups, wiggles, waggles, zigs and zags than my current course from Hawaii, I got myself on track for that ideal obituary. There were some dramatic changes – I lost my job, my income, my home and my husband along the way – but I barely looked back, and certainly not with regret. None of these losses felt like sacrifices – because I was so invigorated by my vision of the future. I was moving powerfully TOWARDS an exciting new life, not AWAY from the old one.

So, to go back to the environment. Wouldn’t it seem so much more motivating if we were focusing on Where We Want To Be – collectively –instead of focusing on The Problem? Wouldn’t it be invigorating if we had an attractive, shared vision of a sustainable future, that would keep us moving forwards instead of bogging down in petty political haggling and clinging onto the past? Wouldn’t it be so much more FUN if we were focused on all the exciting aspects of this brave new world instead of dwelling on things we have already lost forever?

If you subscribe to the Law of Attraction, we get what we focus on. If we focus on The Problem, we perpetuate the problem. If we focus on What We Really, Really, Really Want – then that is what we will get. And hopefully what we want is a green, sustainable future.

And finally, let’s bring in The Alchemist. In that book the hero is on a quest in pursuit of his “own personal legend”. The climate change conference in Copenhagen this December gives us an opportunity to pursue our collective human legend. What will it be? Is our legend going to demonstrate courage? Or cowardice? Commitment? Or confusion?

In 200 years time, will our descendants look back at this pivotal moment and admire us as visionaries? Or will they look back and wonder what the hell we were thinking? In fact, if we don’t find the courage and the commitment to create our green, sustainable future, will there even be any descendants? Or will the human race be history?

Whether you believe in climate change or not, and whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, doesn’t really matter. What does matter is What We Really, Really, Really, Really Want – and rising to make that vision a reality.

Me? I’m excited. I can see an amazing future in which humans have risen to be heroes, our better selves, and have pulled together to create a clean, harmonious world. And that’s where I’m going to put my focus.

[photo: taken this afternoon - looking for the silver lining]

Other Stuff:

Damage limitation mode today. The wind has been from the southeast all day, and I’ve been swept relentlessly northwest, diminishing my chances of making landfall on my preferred choice of Tuvalu, as well as making for some rather discouraging statistics in my logbook. Despite rowing all day (and half of last night) I’ve now lost 20 miles of southerly progress. The forecast is for the wind to move into the east at midnight tonight – but with all due respect to weatherguy, I’m the last person in the world to pin future happiness on a weather forecast.

And then, just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, a booby bird landed on my boat and crapped all over my solar panels. Sigh. Is this a rowboat, or just a public convenience for passing boobies?

To be honest, I’m feeling a bit low and could do with a big hug. In a rather selfish way it cheered me up to get an email from Mum this evening saying that Mick and Chris of goldengateendeavour.com have also had a tough day or two – just goes to show that this ocean rowing lark is not as easy (???!) as it looks!

But there WAS some good news to cheer me up, and is increasingly true it came from the Rozling community. In yesterday’s blog I put out a plea for donations to pay for a filmmaker to come to Island X to record my arrival for posterity – and also record interviews with locals about the impact on their lives of climate change. And I am DELIGHTED to announce that in less than 24 hours we are already half way to our target of $2,500!

It was especially lovely to see the list of donors and discover that some old friends have evidently been following my fortunes, although keeping a low profile on the comments. Donations have varied from $10 to $300, and are all very much appreciated. Our total so far is $1,287.38. I’d like to give special thanks to:

Katie Donigan, Michael Dimas, Sajeev Pillai, Sindy Davis, Angela Hunt, Steve Gronek, Frederick Graus, Katharine Weber, Darren Mace, Douglas Brown, Lorrin & Nina Lee, Cece Gannon, Mark Hensel, Doug Grandt, Karen Morss, Ginny from Silver Lining Images, Ene Timusk, Ike Stephenson, Joan Sherwood, Abigail James, James Crittenden, Tim Mussche, Julian Gall, Jeffrey Roberts, and Clark Sargent.

If you haven’t yet got around to making your donation and would like to help out, please go to rozsavage.com and click on the PayPal button. And remember, these donations are being matched up to a maximum of $2,500 – so in effect you are giving TWICE as much!

Hawk – great idea to auction some memorabilia to raise funds, but I won’t be auctioning off any oars just yet, as I need them for Stage 3.But there WILL be an auction on eBay of various other items at the end of this  stage. Baseball caps for sure – I’ve got about 10 on board – and probably rowing gloves and various other items too… although most things don’t look too great after 100+ days at sea. And nor do I!

UncaDoug – I loved your idea about the “carrots” to encourage me on my way to Island X. Thank you for the donations – and I have forwarded your suggestion to Evan as a possible future development on the RozTracker. Nice one!

Jo – thanks for the support on RowPro/Oarbits – much appreciated!

Sindy – the Pageant of the Masters sounds fun!

Joan – 23 is my favorite number. For no reason other than that my birthday is December 23, and my only sibling’s birthday is May 23. So it just seemed significant.

Marv H – spiritual and/or religious? That’s a big question, and I might well devote a blog to it. But in brief for now… no, I am not religious, but I would say that I am spiritual . I definitely believe in the existence of an energy that can’t be perceived with the 5 human senses. Yet there is also a scientific basis for it – my belief is based not so much on faith as on my own life experiences.

Weather report:

Position at 2050 HST: 02 33.338N (sob!), 176 52.735W
Wind: 10-20kts SE
Seas: 3-5 ft SE
Weather: early squall, then sunny and fine most of the day, but with big
black clouds rolling in towards sunset

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 rain showers and squalls overhead and to your north. Minimal cloud activity south of 01 00N.

Sky conditions:  Partly to mostly cloudy. Scattered moderate rain showers, 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

(And no, we’re not talking about my backside again – this is about 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

Prudes and Prudence

My Jane Austen audiobook binge is over. I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility,
and Pride and Prejudice. Northanger Abbey was a short, fun romp of a
story. But I bogged down in Mansfield Park. The plot was too slight, no
more than a vehicle for indolent ladies tittle-tattling about each other
and the eligible beaux of the county. And was there ever so insipid a
heroine as Fanny Price? I wanted to give her a good shake and tell her
to stand up for herself.

But as I rowed along, stark naked under a tropical sun in the middle of
the Pacific, it did make me start thinking with amusement of how
different my world is from that of Jane Austen’s genteel young women of
two centuries ago. Their opportunities were so limited. Imagine me
putting in an appearance at the Pump Rooms in the fashionable city of
Bath (NOT stark naked, obviously), and how I might appear to a couple of
Austen-ish characters, Miss Chastity Ironknickers and Miss Prudence
Pursedlips…

“Who is that woman over there? For I cannot call her a lady. There is
too much of coarseness in her countenance.”

“Upon my soul! Look how brown her face is. Her complexion is that of a
common farm laborer. And her hands! Those are not the hands of a lady of
refinement. In all my life I never did see such a lack of gentility.”

“I believe she must be Miss Rosalind Savage. Word has it that she is
quite the explorer, although for the life of me I cannot imagine why
anybody would want to explore beyond the precincts of our elegant city.
What one cannot find in Bath surely is not worth finding.”

“I heard tell there was a scandal. A divorce. So maybe she travels to
escape the censure of polite society. What on earth can she be doing in
Bath? Surely she cannot be in search of a husband, for who would have
her, with such a very unfortunate reputation?”

“To be certain she will never make a good match with such baseness of
appearance. Or is she accomplished? Is she in possession of a fine
fortune?”

“No, quite the contrary! Her father was a clergyman, and not of the
established church either. He was (voice lowered) a nonconformist. A
Methodist. With barely a farthing to his name. I believe she married
well, but threw it all away to pursue this life of adventure in remote
quarters of the world. What a very curious woman, to prize adventure
over prudence.”

“You speak truly. And yet, there is something redeeming in her
countenance, think you not? She has a spark of vivacity, as if she finds
pleasure in life despite being such an impoverished creature with not a
hope of finding herself a good husband. She smiles often and sincerely.”

“Indeed she does. And there is a merry glint in her eyes that some of
the gentlemen here might mistake for actual good looks. But, my dear,
when compared with two fine ladies such as ourselves, with all our
accomplishments and good breeding, the gentlemen cannot fail but to
deplore her earthiness, and to appreciate our greater virtues. In short,
she is aptly named, and we need concern ourselves no more with the
infamous Miss Savage.”

Hmmm, I think it’s just as well for me that I wasn’t born 200 years
earlier. I feel very lucky to have the opportunities and choice that I
do. I haven’t always known just what to do with that range of
opportunities, or which path to choose, but now I’m very happy with the
track I’m on, thank you very much – and I will just have to hope that my
coarseness of complexion does not blight my life for evermore…

(with apologies to all Austen afficionados)

[photo: Several people have asked for pictures of the night sky. Not
easy to oblige from a tippy boat with only basic camera equipment, but I
was rather pleased with this kind of impressionistic view of the moon,
taken tonight. I hope you like it too!]

Other Stuff:

VERY pleased with progress today. I’m nearly 30 miles closer to the
Equator than I was this time last night. That’s half a degree of
latitude! Conditions have been mostly quiet and calm, and although some
wind assistance would have been welcome, I’ll take what I can, and I’ve
rowed long and hard to make the most of this window of opportunity. I
don’t know when I can start breathing easy and dare to hope that I’m
through the worst of the ITCZ, but tonight I go to bed one very cheerful
and satisfied rower. And please, oh great Universe, oh wondrous Oneness,
if I could have some more of the same tomorrow, that would be ever so
nice. Ask, believe, and receive!

Marv H – you suggest that serendipity is the opposite of the law of
attraction, but my understanding is that they are the same thing.
Serendipity, or synchronicity, is when you get something that was just
what you wanted, be it information, a person, or a thing. That’s how I
see it, anyway!

UncaDoug – Dr Wayne Dyer is GREAT! I’ve listened to a couple of his
workshops while on the boat, and he’s got a great sense of humor as well
as an important message. I recommend “How to get what you really,
really, really, really want”. And it’s true – the more you start
focusing on your synchronicities (and offering a silent word of thanks
for them) the more they happen. It gets to be like a game – really good
fun – and very rewarding!

Jess – perfectly put. Energy flows where attention goes. I love it!

Markus and Cece – thank you for your most wonderful comment. I still
smile when I think of that video of Eleanor in her mini-Brocade, being
towed around the garden by an increasingly breathless Uncle Markus!
Please tell her I think she’s pretty cool too….!

And another Marcus – as in Marcus from the JUNK raft and Anna – thank
you for your lovely message! I would love, love, LOVE to come to your
wedding. But it’s right in the middle of my book tour. I’m due to be in
LA on Oct 8, but am due to be at quite a lucrative speaking gig in
Boston on Oct 17. Darn it. If anything changes I’ll be sure to let you
know – but either way we must get together while I am in LA. I miss you
too!

Thanks to all the zoologistically inclined Rozlings who wrote in about
the whales. False killer whales seems to be the general consensus –
thank you zoogurus!

Weather report:

Position at 0100 HST: 02 19.022N, 176 18.763W
Wind: mostly 0-5kts, E, although it did get up to 20kts at one stage
this morning
Seas: mostly 1-3ft E
Weather: overcast and showery this morning, hot with scattered clouds
this afternoon, clearing towards nightfall. Lovely moonrise just after
sunset – moon close to full.

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

Latest Roz tracker reported your position as: 03 06N 175 48W as of 03Aug
0238HST.

As of Monday morning 3 Aug 2009.  According to measured data, there is
SE winds 0-8kts in your area with moderate to light rainshowers. South
of the equator, more of the same. Wind direction should to shift more
ENEerly 5-15kts today then, SE 5-15kts on 01 Aug becoming light and
variable and possibly SW 5-15kts.Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as
previously discussed.

According to satellite imagery, there is moderate convection with heavy
rainshowers and squalls overhead and to your north. Minimal cloud
activity to your south.

Sky conditions:  Mostly cloudy. Scattered heavy 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
03/1800-04/1200            SE-E 5-15          2-5
04/1200-04/1800            E-NE  5-15         2-5
04/1800-05/0600            NE-E 5-15         2-5
05/1800-05/2100            E-SE 5-15          2-5
05/2100-06/0600            SE-S 0-10         1-4
06/0600-07/0000            Light and Variable  1-4
07/0000-08/0000            SE 5-10            1-5

Next Update:   Thursday, 06 August

Yesterday’s GPS trail looked like a line of Arabic script – a wonky line going from right to left. Today’s looks like… well, a lot more like a GPS trail should look. A more or less straight line south-southwest, with only the occasional kink and wiggle showing where squalls interrupted my push southwards.

Last night when I retired to my bunk at 1am I was anxious that the elements seemed to be pushing me north-northeast, back the way I’d come, but I was too tired to row any more. So it was with a sense of trepidation that I turned on the GPS this morning, wondering where I might have drifted during the six hours I’d been away from the oars. But to my delighted surprise the screen showed that I’d traveled southwest – not very far, admittedly, but definitely in a helpful direction.

And today has continued generally good. The wind has been fickle, swinging through all points of the compass, but so light that I have been able to set my course without being pushed around too much. I crossed over 3 degrees North – and then another 13 miles south beyond that.

This evening I was listening to a book by Esther and Jerry Hicks about the Law of Attraction, a concept I’ve been familiar with for 6 or 7 years now. The idea is that whatever you focus on, you attract into your life. The trouble is that many people focus on what they DON’T want, rather than what they DO want. And the Law doesn’t discriminate between the two – you still get it whether you want it or are determined to avoid it.

Generally, I absolutely agree that the Law holds true. I’ve seen it operate in my own life – both positively and negatively. Fortunately now that I know about it I’m much better at using it to my advantage, and many spooky serendipities have convinced me that it really works. I get goosebumps when I feel it happening, and it seems to happen more and more as I get clearer about my intentions.

But does it apply to weather? Of that I am not convinced. I’ve been feeling a lot more positive the last couple of days. I’d be hard pushed to say whether I am feeling more positive because of the good progress, or if the good progress has been as a result of my more positive feelings. My suspicion is that weather obeys the laws of physics over the law of attraction – or maybe I just keep seeing those big black squall clouds bearing down on me and lose my focus on the positive. I’d be really interested to know if anybody has any stories to report of ”mind over meteorology” – aka anti-rain dances!

[photo: Still trying to identify the whales I saw the other day - here is a picture of the whale at the surface. Sorry - no pictures of the whales smiling, so I don't know if they had teeth or baleen (what are baleen anyway?!). Also apologies to people who get this blog via Feedblitz - if you want to see the photo you'll have to come to rozsavage.com because we are still unable to fix the problem with posting a photo as an attachment to my blog. Sorry for the inconvenience - but there's loads of good stuff on my new-look website so I hope you'll enjoy taking a look anyway!]

Other Stuff:

I haven’t received comments today, so apologies for not acknowledging the recent comments, questions and quips from the Rowsters. But Nicole did send me through the responses to yesterday’s Tweet – “so quiet out here you could hear a fish flatulate” – which seems to have caused much hilarity in the Twittersphere!

Weather report:

Position at 2310 HST: 02 46.988N, 176 10.299W
Wind: 0-5kts, N-S
Seas: 1-3ft
Weather: mostly fine with scattered cloud, increase in squalls this
evening

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

Latest Roz tracker reported your position as: 03 06N 175 48W as of 03Aug 0238HST.

As of Monday morning 3 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there is SE winds 0-8kts in your area with moderate to light rainshowers. South
of the equator, more of the same. Wind direction should to shift more ENEerly 5-15kts today then, SE 5-15kts on 01 Aug becoming light and variable and possibly SW 5-15kts.Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as previously discussed.

According to satellite imagery, there is moderate convection with heavy rainshowers and squalls overhead and to your north. Minimal cloud activity to your south.

Sky conditions: Mostly cloudy. Scattered heavy 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
03/1800-04/1200 SE-E 5-15 2-5
04/1200-04/1800 E-NE 5-15 2-5
04/1800-05/0600 NE-E 5-15 2-5
05/1800-05/2100 E-SE 5-15 2-5
05/2100-06/0600 SE-S 0-10 1-4
06/0600-07/0000 Light and Variable 1-4
07/0000-08/0000 SE 5-10 1-5

Next Update: Thursday, 06 August

It was a beautiful night to be rowing. Conditions today were tricky – a
changeable wind and a strong north-flowing current presented me with
difficult choices to find the least of the navigational evils. I decided
to push west and try and get out of the strongest of the current,
although without knowing how far the current extended this was rather a
leap of faith.

But whatever the wisdom of my strategy, the long day at the oars has
brought some compensations. After sunset the skies cleared and the moon
shone clear and bright, highlighting the billowing upper contours of the
scattered cumulus. The wind had dropped away to not even a whisper and
the ocean was silent and calm. The gently lapping waters reflected the
moon in a bright path of ripples to the horizon.

When I looked over the side of the boat as I was brushing my teeth, I
saw something I’d never seen before – a shoal of a hundred or so fish,
each about 6 inches long, slowly synchronized-swimming alongside my
boat. They were only visible while their bodies reflected the moonlight,
so when they entered the moonshadow, or swam too deep for the moonlight
to reach them, they seemed to disappear like shy ghosts.

I would say it was a magical night – but alas the magic does not extend
as far as a miraculous change in the current. It’s still pushing me
north.

[photo: sunset over rougher seas – taken last Friday]

Other Stuff:

CONGRATULATIONS, SARAH!!! Today my friend Sarah Outen made landfall in
Mauritius after becoming the first woman to row across the Indian Ocean.
The crossing took her 123 days. Huge congratulations to Sarah on a job
superbly well done. I know how much hard work she put into the
preparations as well as the row itself, and she thoroughly deserves her
success. Check her out at sarahouten.co.uk.

Congrats also to her meteorologist, Ricardo Diniz, for bringing her in
safely. Ricardo was briefly my weatherman for my Atlantic crossing
(until my satphone broke and I couldn’t receive forecasts any more) has
emailed me a few times recently to ask about various aspects of ocean
rowing, all the better to advise Sarah, and I know she has greatly
valued his support. Well done, Ric!

I continue to be amazed by the quality of the poems submitted for the
award scheme. What a lot of talented Rozionados we have! Thank you for
all the submissions so far. I’ve just proposed to Nicole that we put
them up on the website so they can be appreciated by all. I’ll keep you
posted.

Weather report:

Position at 0030 HST: 03 06.876N, 175 59.708W
Wind: 0-15 knots, S-SE
Seas: 1-4 feet
Weather: light overcast most of the day, occasional sunshine, occasional
showers

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

Latest Roz tracker reported your position as: 03 06N 175 48W as of 03Aug
0238HST.

As of Monday morning 3 Aug 2009. According to measured data, there is
SE winds 0-8kts in your area with moderate to light rainshowers. South
of the equator, more of the same. Wind direction should to shift more
ENEerly 5-15kts today then, SE 5-15kts on 01 Aug becoming light and
variable and possibly SW 5-15kts.Uncertainty remains in the forecast, as
previously discussed.

According to satellite imagery, there is moderate convection with heavy
rainshowers and squalls overhead and to your north. Minimal cloud
activity to your south.

Sky conditions: Mostly cloudy. Scattered heavy 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
03/1800-04/1200 SE-E 5-15 2-5
04/1200-04/1800 E-NE 5-15 2-5
04/1800-05/0600 NE-E 5-15 2-5
05/1800-05/2100 E-SE 5-15 2-5
05/2100-06/0600 SE-S 0-10 1-4
06/0600-07/0000 Light and Variable 1-4
07/0000-08/0000 SE 5-10 1-5

Next Update: Thursday, 06 August

After all my whingeing and whining recently, I just had to share this
smile-inducing contribution from Rozling Richard in Austin, Texas. It
cheered me up no end on a rainy Pacific Sunday night. I hope it does the
same for you, wherever you are.

(With apologies to The Village People and YMCA)

ITCZ

Young girl, you’re out there all alone,
I said, young girl, with just your trusty sat-phone,
I said, young girl, ’cause you’re so far from home,
It can seem to be real lonely.

Young girl, you’re surrounded by friends,
I said, young girl, we’re along ’till the end,
I said, young girl, winds will change again
And you will head for Tuvalu.

Oh yes we’re stuck in the I.T.C.Z.
Oh yes we’re stuck in the I.T.C.Z.
Oh the rains will fall and the winds will blow,
And everything will seem real slow.

Oh yes we’re stuck in the I.T.C.Z.
Oh yes we’re stuck in the I.T.C.Z.
It can seem like a jail,
Until you lasso a whale,
And head for some iced cold ale.

Oh yes we’re stuck in the I.T.C.Z.
Oh yes we’re stuck in the I.T.C.Z.
You must go east to get west,
Yet still you feel blessed,
And Tuvalu would be a real rest.

I.T.C.Z.
I.T.C.Z.
(fading out)

Although, given the nautical nature of my enterprise, maybe we also need
some alternative lyrics for ‘In The Navy’?!

[photo: Another shot of one of the whales that came to visit a few days
ago. This photo is having to be uploaded to the blog separately by Evan,
so please make allowances if there is some time lag between seeing the
text and seeing the photo.]

Other Stuff:

Francois, thank you for the stats on shark populations. They are truly
shocking, and I will share them here so that other Rozionados can goggle
at these figures:
From François Schiettecatte
I just heard podcast # 54 and wanted to put some figures to the number
of sharks which are disappearing from the oceans. In 2006 the estimate
for sharks killed for the fin trade alone is 38 million, and estimates
for the total number of sharks killed every year range up to 100
million. Shark populations have declined by 70% worldwide in the past
two decades alone, and the East Coast of the United States has seen a
90% decline in shark population since the 1970′s. Worldwide sharks kill
about 10 human beings a year. Sourced from This Week in Science
25 November, 2008.

So, we kill an estimated 100 million of them each year. They kill 10 of
us. Is it just me, or does there seem to be something a bit out of whack
here? Not saying the numbers should be equal, obviously not. But do we
really need to kill so many of them? And what does this do to the whole
ocean ecosystem when you all but remove the top predator?

Ocean update: Today started out calm, got livelier from mid-morning to
late afternoon, and then died away to dead calm again. This has allowed
me to make some more progress south. I’m now within just a few miles of
3 degrees North. I mentioned to Leo in our last podcast that I wanted
the doldrums to be more doldrummy, i.e. how I’d imagined them, as a
region of mostly calm seas and no winds, with just the occasional squall
to liven things up. Well, it looks like I might have got my wish, for
now, at least. But the forecast for tomorrow is for winds from the
southwest – not good at all.

Thanks for all the very positive feedback on the super-duper new
revamped rozsavage.com. I’m glad you like it! Just a reminder, if you
find any glitches, broken links or other bugs, please zap us an email to
[email protected] If only the awesome Evan and the Archinoetics
(sounds like a 60s rock band) could revamp rozsavage herself as
effectively….

Speaking of awesome, it’s high time for a long overdue THANKS A MILLION
to my amazing and ever hardworking program director, Nicole. Apart from
her guest appearances on the podcasts while Leo was away, you might not
have heard so much about Nicole recently, but she has been working away
behind the scenes, putting heart and soul into supporting the
multitudinous aspects of TeamRoz’s operations. She is now based in
Hawaii, and worked long hours alongside Evan last week to help implement
the new website. She has also been super-busy working on our long-range
plans for the last quarter of 2009, including the book tour and the
climate change conference in Copenhagen. Thanks to her efforts, there
are some seriously exciting plans in the pipeline, which I am just
itching to share with you but it’s a bit premature. I’d like to invite
all the Rozlings to share with me in thanking Nicole for her good work,
I couldn’t do what I do without her!

And thank YOU, my dearest Rozlings, for all the words of encouragement
during my recent travails. These have not been easy days, but your words
really help to give me strength. It’s good to be reminded that the
mileage isn’t everything, and that sharing my adventures, its ups,
downs, and wiggly bits, is what it’s really all about, and hopefully
inspiring a few people along the way.

Rozta’ Bill, thank you so much for the analysis of my progress so far.
That really cheered me up. I don’t get to see the big picture very
easily, my GPS only shows me the last 3 days, and the lists of lat and
long coordinates in my logbook don’t make it easy to visualize how
things are going overall. So I really appreciated the overview. Thank
you!

Achates, Prime Minister of Reality? I am immensely honored by the
title. I do always try to tell it as it is, or the way I see it,
anyway, and I try to see clearly, and I don’t have any agenda other
than trying to spread a bit of clearsightedness to others. So I thank
you greatly for your accolade. I take it as a great compliment.

Cece, thank you for sharing my story with the inmates in Santa Rosa.
Funny, several of the books I’ve been listening to here include
accounts of time in prison (Nelson Mandela, and a couple of works of
fiction), and I’ve seen a lot of parallels between my imprisonment on
this little boat and their plight. Especially the ones in solitary!

Jonathan Grimaldi, thank you for the encouraging words, and for the
dollars. Both much appreciated!

Naomi, thanks for the offer of matching up blog questions with answers.
Nobody is doing that at the moment, and I’m not sure there’s a need. But
in the future there might be. I’m planning to produce a book of my blogs
from the Atlantic crossing (2005-6) and if it goes well I’ll do the same
for the Pacific. I’ll keep you posted and give you a shout if I need
help. Thank you!

John H, the birds are last month’s worry, as you correctly surmise. Got
bigger worries on my mind now than poopy boobies… now it’s loopy lats
and longs!

Quick answers to quick questions:

Q: How many birds are with you now?
A: None on board at the moment. There was quite a gathering all around
me yesterday, though, scores of brown noddies (I think) swooping and
hunting for crustaceans. Nice to have the company!

Q: Do you take any days off or partial days? It seems that a body needs
a break from time-to-time.Does the weather dictate those days off?
A: I did take a couple of days off earlier in this row, when, not to
put too fine a point on it, my butt was just so sore that I could sit
on it only with the greatest discomfort. As it happened, conditions at
that time were very favorable and I was still making good mileage
despite not rowing. Apart from that I just take breaks during the day,
sometimes dictated by weather (squalls) and sometimes dictated by a
temporary breakdown in motivation!

Weather report:

Position at 2130 HST: 03 04.432N, 175 45.502W
Wind: 0-20 knots, S-E
Seas: 2-6 ft
Weather- mostly overcast but bright

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com:

Feedblitz blog email reported your position as: 03 36N 175 08W as of
29Jul 2200HST (6hrs ago). Eastward motion is the preferred direction
while in the equatorial counter current.

As of Thursday morning 30 July 2009. According to measured data, there
is ESE-SE winds 7-17kts in your area with moderate to light rainshowers.
South of the equator, more of the same. Uncertainty remains, as
previously discussed. Forecast is for wind direction to shift more
ENEerly 5-15kts today then, SE 5-15kts on 01 Aug becoming light and
variable and possibly SW 5-15kts.

According to satellite imagery, there is light to moderate convection
with heavy rainshowers and squalls overhead and south to the equator.

Sky conditions: Mostly cloudy. Scattered heavy 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
30/0600-01/0000 E-ENE 5-15 2-5
01/0000-02/0000 ENE-SE 5-15 4-6
02/0000-02/1200 Variable direction 1-5
0-10kts
02/1200-03/1200 SW 5-15 2-5

Next Update: Monday, 03 August

Today was a brighter day, metaphorically if not literally. In fact, the
weather has been fairly dismal, overcast all day and I’ve been playing
hide-and-seek with squalls, trying to coordinate them with meal breaks
so as to minimize rowing time lost while also minimizing getting
drenched and wind-flayed. This morning I felt like I was in the eye of a
storm, big black rainclouds loomed all around while I paddled along,
watching them all with suspicion, wondering which of the big bullies
would get me first.

But at long last, for the first time in many days, I’ve made some
double-digit mileage in the right direction. This has been a VERY
welcome change after the meandering wiggles of the last few days. For a
while the faintest of breezes was even blowing from the north, the
first time I have seen my red ensign flag flutter in that direction
since Day 2. The boost that gave me was more psychological than real,
but that was the kind of boost that I needed.

Towards evening conditions became more settled, and I’ve rowed late,
until midnight, listening to Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen,
enjoying the romantic complications of the Dashwood sisters. It all
seems very far removed from the life of an ocean rower…

Other Stuff:

Sorry, no other stuff tonight. It’s nearly 1am and I want to get some
sleep so I’m not tired tomorrow. Who knows what conditions it might
bring, and I want to be ready for anything!

By 1.30 this afternoon, after 6 hours of rowing and 4 squalls, I had
managed to almost complete a jagged circle and was nearly back where I’d
started. This was discouraging, to put it mildly, and seemed very unfair
as I’d been pointing my bow south the whole time. It was the winds and
currents that were responsible for the circularity of my course – and
just when I thought I’d got out of the swirling winds of the ITCZ.
Imagine how your hand moves if you are rubbing your stomach. The
orientation of your hand stays the same, even while it moves in a
circle. That is more or less what my boat had done , just a slightly
larger circle, although not much.

But I’ve realized something new within the last few days , that I
sometimes lose my sense of perspective. It’s a drawback to having a GPS
that will give me my location to within a matter of feet, and will draw
my course with unforgiving accuracy on the screen if I zoom in close
enough. When I’m struggling to make progress, the temptation is to zoom
in close to try and make the progress look greater. But the close zoom
also cruelly shows up every last wiggle, waggle, zig and zag in my
course.

It occurs to me that this is a metaphor for one of my failings on dry
land , although I’m better than I used to be. I have to guard against a
natural tendency to focus on the details rather than the big picture, to
lose sight of what I have achieved while looking at what still needs to
be done.

So in both situations , at sea and on dry land , I have to remind myself
to adjust the zoom, step back, and get things in perspective. I don’t
want to see the low-flying booby’s eye view of my course , better to go
for the high-flying frigate bird’s view.

[photo: No photo today , while my blog is being transferred to the new
platform (see below) we are a no-photo blog, but hopefully fully
pictorial service will be resumed shortly….]

P.S. After looping the loop this morning, conditions became much more
conducive to progress, improving throughout the afternoon and evening. I
enjoyed a glorious sunset while taking time away from the oars to munch
on a rawfood pumpkin seed cookie and savor every last moment of both
cookie and spectacular sky.

Other Stuff:

Great news, Rozlings! After a couple of weeks of ongoing issues caused
by the new version of Internet Explorer, TeamRoz decided to bite the
bullet and fully redesign my website. Superhero Evan and the genius team
at Archinoetics have been working furiously around the clock the past
week to transfer all the content over. They were able to send me a
low-resolution screen grab over my bog-slow Iridium data link, so I’ve
had a glimpse of the new look , and I’m really delighted with it. Much
more like my original concept for the site, and I think you’ll find it
much more intuitive and user-friendly.

One major change that you’ll need to know about is that my redesigned
website now hosts all my blogs and comments. So although you can still
read them in Blogger, if you want to comment, you’ll need to come to
rozsavage.com. The idea is that we want to make my website your one-stop
shop for all things Roz, rather than splitting the traffic between the
main site and Blogger.

I think you’ll agree that the new site is much cleaner, sharper and
easier to use! The team will continue to make little adjustments in the
weeks ahead to bring more robust features and new ways to interact with
the Rozling community, so stay tuned! If you have any
suggestions or comments, or need to point out any glitches, please do
send them our way at [email protected] or by commenting on this blog.
Enjoy!

Thank you to the amazingly creative Rozettes who have been sending in
poems for the $10k award. I am impressed and touched by your endeavors ,
and I definitely don’t envy Nicole the near-impossible task of picking
just one for our application!

Thanks also to Anna Farmery for the blog mention at The Engaging Brand.
She also links to the two-part interview we recorded last year , one of
the most enjoyable podcasts I’ve ever done. Hope to see you, Anna, when
I’m back in Blighty for good natter and a glass of something
celebratory!

I haven’t had the comments through by email today, so apologies for not
being able to make my comments on your comments. Mum usually sends them
to me, but she has been busy moving house today, so I think we can
forgive her in the circumstances!

Weather report:

Position at 23.50 HST: 03 34.329N, 175 30.778W
Wind: Variable this morning, 20 knots E this afternoon and evening
Seas: 4-7 ft E
Weather: squalls on and off all morning, cloudy with some sun this
afternoon, a couple more squalls this evening.

Weather forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com:

Feedblitz blog email reported your position as: 03 36N 175 08W as of
29Jul 2200HST (6hrs ago). Eastward motion is the preferred direction
while in the equatorial counter current.

As of Thursday morning 30 July 2009. According to measured data, there
is ESE-SE winds 7-17kts in your area with moderate to light rainshowers.
South of the equator, more of the same. Uncertainty remains, as
previously discussed. Forecast is for wind direction to shift more
ENEerly 5-15kts today then, SE 5-15kts on 01 Aug becoming light and
variable and possibly SW 5-15kts.

According to satellite imagery, there is light to moderate convection
with heavy rainshowers and squalls overhead and south to the equator.

Sky conditions: Mostly cloudy. Scattered heavy 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
30/0600-01/0000 E-ENE 5-15 2-5
01/0000-02/0000 ENE-SE 5-15 4-6
02/0000-02/1200 Variable direction 1-5
0-10kts
02/1200-03/1200 SW 5-15 2-5

Next Update: Monday, 03 August