Day 65: Still Rocking

Again, making this a quick blog. Conditions remain windy and rough for a couple more days. After that hopefully I can be a bit more chatty.

All well here. Good miles today, but wind still around 30 knots and conditions correspondingly rough. Had to pump out all lockers today. Sure I’d be going a lot faster without all this extra weight!

Just wanted to quickly respond to a few recent questions and comments:

Thanks for the encouraging words on my more philosophical postings from the Purple Palace. More coming up tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Thanks to my dear old Mum for sending me this little excerpt from the British comedy classic “Last of the Summer Wine”: One of the characters announces that he is going to row the Atlantic.
Another old chap: “When?”
“On Tuesday.”
“The forecast says it will rain on Tuesday.”
“OK, Wednesday then.”

Mum is doing okay-ish, after breaking her leg in the last minute of the women’s soccer World Cup Final (or getting on a bus, take your pick). She went to Leeds General Infirmary for a consultation on Monday, and they have given her a lightweight cast. She has avoid putting weight on the leg for another 8 weeks. A long time. It will be touch-and-go who reaches the end of their confinement to quarters first – her or me.

RGJ: you ARE joking, right? An Oxford education, and that is the best question you can come up with: What do I eat? I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are just winding me up. I suppose, having known me for 25 years (argh!) you’re entitled. It worked. But if you’re not, see FAQ #1, under “About” on my website.

Gregory: I loved Tiny Little’s film. Seemed he was always finding an excuse for a cold Guinness! He’s a really good bloke. Sold me my first sea anchor, and gave me the “beginner’s guide” on how to use it, in La Gomera, too. In answer to your questions, I did have a solar shower when I did the Atlantic, but only used it once because:
a) difficult to find somewhere to hang it high enough so you can get under it
b) a solar shower gives you hot water during the day, but when you REALLY want the hot shower is at the end of the day’s rowing, to get the salt and sweat off before you go to bed, and by then the water has cooled
c) and bucket and sponge seem just fine to me!
Re the fridge, obviously he didn’t keep it plugged in all the time, as it uses a lot of power. So he only plugged it in to chill his alcoholic beverages. And I don’t bring alcohol with me. So although I tremendously admire Tiny’s style, I’ll stick with what I’ve got, thanks! 🙂

Rodney – great quotes. Thank you.

Joan: Loved the “Sex Lives of Cannibals” – although I don’t think it did many favours for the Kiribati tourism trade! Read it, loved it, met the author. Re your unwanted hitchhikers after visiting farms, am listening to another Diana Gabaldon book at the moment (subject to problems listed below) and it mentions a novel way to get rid of full-to-bursting ticks, involving chewing on some seeds with water and then spitting the mixture at the tick. Hmmmm….!

iPod update: I think it may be in its death throes. Today the buttons stopped working, and the only way I could get it to play was to unplug the earbuds and then plug them in again. Then it developed a high pitched background noise. Then both problems fixed themselves. But I feel its days are numbered. Lucky I have another six!

Quote: From “Drums of Autumn” by Diana Gabaldon, on the difference between a Brit and an American: “A Brit thinks 100 miles is a long way. An American thinks 100 years is a long time.” !! 🙂

Photo: Mum and me after my arrival in Antigua in 2006

Sponsored Miles: Roz is making steady progress westwards, being carried a bit south, and the next 320 miles have no sponsors. Many more after that are sponsored.
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