As Friday the Thirteenths go, I suppose this one could have been worse. A strange variety of weather, with storm clouds passing over and dumping rain on me from time to time, and creating strange local wind systems so I haven’t known from one hour to the next what to expect. All a bit challenging, but managed a few miles in more or less the right direction (more of the less, maybe).
It can be quite spectacular, though, to look around a 360 degree horizon and see all kinds of weather going on round about. Especially those big black clouds with “legs” of rain. A bit like living in Kansas, I suppose. The weird thing was how many insects turned up when things got stormy. There were a couple of moths, a reddish gangly insect that kept landing
on me, and a couple of flies. Where did they come from?!
As we head into night, the ocean is rough and the waves are crashing. Sometimes I wish I could turn off the wind machine, just for a little while, so I could get a solid night’s sleep.
Other Stuff:
Maybe I was expecting too much of Ken Follett. I finished “Pillars of the Earth” yesterday, and much as I hate to say anything negative, I just didn’t really get into it. The reader wasn’t the best, which doesn’t help, but the characters just didn’t come alive for me. And the scenes of violence and rape made me feel rather queasy. I guess life in 12th century England probably WAS nasty, brutish and short, but that doesn’t necessarily make for an enjoyable book. So then I read a Jodi Picoult book, set in the Amish community, called “Plain Truth”. Much better. She tells such a good story, and I really find myself caring what happens to the characters.
And now I’ve just started “The Power of One”, by Bryce Courtenay. Absolutely brilliant so far, and extra-interesting because it is set in South Africa (where my mother grew up) and the main character is just a few years older than Mum, so interesting to find out a bit more about the South African Culture around the time of World War II.
Joan – loved the quotes from the Ric Elias TED Talk. What a great attitude.
Cheryl Cook – thank you so much for sharing your story. What an inspiration you are! It must take real strength to pull yourself out of a depression and turn things around. I haven’t listened to the TED Talk that Joan recommended, but it strikes me that when you consider what to do next, it might be relevant, e.g. he thought of “all the experiences I wanted to have and never did”. Can’t wait to hear what you decide to do!
Ken and Marilyn – lovely to hear from you! Can’t say I’ve tried maple cream. The “maple” bit sounds good, but maybe I’ll just stick to the syrup.
Roger Finch – hello stranger! Good to hear from you. I’ll be in Dallas with National Geographic (as well as Phoenix) on the USA 2012 Tour, so maybe I’ll get to see you then?
California Rower – at one point there was mention of a Rozberry Ripple flavour ice cream, but as for chocolates, anything associated with me would have to include pecans and, of course, caramel!
Eric – coconut chocolate, yuck! Agree that’s the worst. In the UK there’s the Bounty bar, which is chocolate with that shredded plasticky stuff in the middle. You couldn’t pay me enough….
Thanks also for the info on Dutchmen’s trousers (especially from Hans, a real live Dutchman). As the saying goes, I’m better informed but none the wiser!
Thanks for all the tips on recycleable toothbrushes. I’ll check them out when I get back to dry land, as the FedEx service out here is not as good as “Castaway” would have us believe!
Here’s our latest podcast Roz Roams with Vic Phillipson. Enjoy!
And finally, I’d like to give a friendly shout-out to Aimee, who very kindly sends me a digest of the blog comments. Thanks for faithfully doing your duties every day!
And thanks also to Nick Jaffe, creator of this website, as well as round-the-world sailor, Aussie, entrepreneur, and all-round good guy.
Sponsored Miles:
Roz has rowed miles sponsored by: John Herrick, Jonathan Tay, Wesley Collins, David Hackett, Gail Brownell, Maureen Edwards, Andrea Bailey (Earthrace Conservation), John Pamplin, Calvin Burnes. Grateful thanks for their contributions.
Roz, this photo is captivating … drawing me in to a feeling:
dark ominous sky
streams of showers on the sea
clouds and waves commune
Row deftly, Roz!
Glad you liked the quote, Roz. Sounds like a very visually interesting day you’ve had. I’ve been enjoying the Roz Roams podcasts, too. Sorry to hear the Ken Follet didn’t grab you. Your review saves me from the trouble, though. If you got any of the Sharpe’s books or Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell, he has some brutal bits in his as well, but he doesn’t dwell on it (it’s over fast), and the characters are fantastic, and the reader is brilliant.
Roz: Sorry you didn’t enjoy Ken Follett, but some books are better read than heard, “Pillars of the Earth” among them. Likewise “Atlas Shrugged” to which no movie can do justice.
I shall send you a few miles in a week or so.
Thanks for the shout out for Plum Jam on RozRoams!
I am always delighted to meet another avid reader. I wonder why some people are avid readers and some are not. Is it genetic? Alas, I’m afraid that the current generation are mostly video junkies.
I want to share some of my favorite authors with you. DAVID WEBER wrote the Honor Harrington series. Honor is a very tough and smart woman like you Roz. TAMORA PIERCE I particularly like her Protector of the Small Quartet and Beka Cooper series.
May the weather gods smile upon you and bless your endevors.
(this after her camping stove broke on day 20 of 103 days! …)
Most of my food was still edible in its cold state. Only porridge proved to be unpalatable when raw. For a while I ate a cereal bar for breakfast. One day I tried making some no-cook cookies out of oatmeal and hemp powder. Like a TV chef I assembled….. Roz Savage
If you are interested in a bit of inspiration, please allow me to plug in a very sweet read! just click on the links below!
Bookhttp://www.amazon.com/Rowing-Atlantic-Lessons-Learned-Ocean/dp/1416583289
Documentary
http://www.journeyfilm.com/servlet/the-50/Rowing-the-Atlantic-(Film/Detail
to date 1252 miles have been sponsored with 3253 to go of the 4505 total. If you use the “share” button above, you would be helping her spread her message! This is a really really good story! It’s too good to keep to yourself!
Yay Jetboil! http://www.jetboil.com/
Row Cap’n Savage Row < Row Roz Row!
Dallas 2012 National Geographic Live!
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/05/really_we_have_to_wait_a_whole.php
Roz Savage
As part of National Geographic LIVE!
Winspear Opera House
8 p.m., February 21, 2012
Event Sponsor: The Ted and Shannon Skokos Foundation
What’s it like to be a million oar strokes from your destination, tossed alone in a tiny boat? Roz Savage, a one-time management consultant turned full-time rower, environmental advocate, and inspirational speaker completed a grueling 103-day, 2,935-mile (4,723-kilometer) oceanic ordeal in 2005. Storms broke all of her oars and claimed her stove, stereo, and cockpit navigation instruments. Her satellite phone failed with nearly four weeks left on the journey. Undaunted, Roz rowed on. In 2008, she rowed solo from San Francisco to Hawaii, as part one of a three-part journey to draw attention to environmental problems that threaten the ocean, and to encourage individual action. The British ocean rower and environmental campaigner has rowed over 11,000 miles, taken 3.5 million oarstrokes, and spent cumulatively nearly a year of her life at sea in a 23-foot rowboat. Her personal creed of taking life “one oarstroke at a time,” and her promotion of the EcoHero movement, has inspired countless people around the world. In 2011, she will set out to complete the “Big Three” by rowing solo across the Indian Ocean.
Hi Roz,
It’s too bad you didnt like Pillars of the Earth. I did. Though it’s been years since I read it, I’m still very impressed with the way Follett described the Middle Ages-warts and all. Remember the book was written years ago when there were still some romanticized attitudes toward the Middle Ages left over from Victorian enthusiasts. Follett also did a great job describing the effort put into building cathedrals, among the medieval West’s most enduring cultural contributions. Of note in the book is they weren’t erected in a historical vacuum but amidst bloody wars, plagues, religious controversy and political intrigues. It must have been like building an airplane in flight. Compare that to Spain’s progress with the Gaudie cathedral. Although the plan is larger and highly original, 70+ years of peace, a fat budget, and modern construction tech has done little to improve cathedral construction timelines. The reader must have really sucked.
Roz,
I just now happened to see that TEDxMonterey posted an April 15th talk http://bit.ly/TEDxPeruGreenHouses on Facebook a few minutes ago. Since you trekked in the Peruvian Andes, I thought you’d be interested to learn that a graduate student at Monterey Institute of International Studies led a team of 3 fellow students (which grew to 12 over two years) to work with the residents of a village at 13,000’ elevation to build greenhouses to grow vegetables … where vegetables just plain don’t grow.
To make a long story short, the MIIS team and the villages succeeded because of three guiding principles: Responsibility, Empowerment and Collective Intelligence:
– give students and the villagers responsibility
– share the experience of empowerment
– harness collective intelligence to foster collective action
The villagers work together to complete the projects because their collective intelligence was drawn on from the beginning and were given responsibility and empowerment, and the students from MIIS added value to their education. For two years, the students owned their graduate experience, adding value to their own lives and the lives of indigenous communities.
(in the interest of bandwidth) Row
That is some stormy sky!! Is there lightning, too? I so love living vicariously thru your blogs!! Can’t wait to catch up with you after this one-what a doozy!! Fair winds and hopefully calming seas! oh hey, would also love to meet @UncaDoug:disqus at some point-maybe all 3 of us can get together on the Best, oops, I mean West, Coast! nooo, I didn’t just say that, did I??? at some point-maybe all 3 of us can get together on the Best, oops, I mean West, Coast! nooo, I didn’t just say that, did I???
“First with the head, then with the heart”….
Thinking of you and hoping that stormy weather keeps its distance.
Your blog, site and adventure is an inspiration, wow! I don’t know if you can read other stuff while you are underway, but if you can, here is our site http://alberg30.weebly.com/index.html. Best of luck in your current adventure, I check your site first everyday! It’s adventurers like you who show that life is to be lived now, and not later! Again, you are an inspiration, fair winds and seas, and best of luck – I look forward to each new post 🙂