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Friday 13th May 2005
A particularly inauspicious day to spend at sea in a rowing boat. As you all know, we Sagittarians don’t believe in all this stuff, but for an Albatross to fly over your head as soon as you get out of your cabin on Friday the thirteenth, well what luck can you expect? Try this; at first rowing we were back into the big eddy but a different zone. The whole day has been spent trying to row out of it, and trying to estimate where it ends.
You must be getting fed up of this; I know I am. Still, if we didn’t have bad luck, we would have no luck at all! That would not do.
My intention is to grab a quick hour’s sleep now, and get cracking again to try to have us released before dawn. We will then have a full days work ahead.
Thank you all for your calls and messages.
One click. To Antigua 100nm.
Saturday 14th May 2005
We finally exited the big Ed this morning, and with help from cousin Jeff I have sketched the hideous creature on my chart. It is actually the same one which we first ran into on the 6th of May. On that day it was trying to take us South, but with lots of effort I managed to keep us on track. When we were carried away on the 7th May the eddy was on its way North. Had I stayed in it for a few more days, I would have gone around in a huge ovoid and ended up where I began. The left side of it, which we spent so much time getting across was over thirty miles wide. With luck we should not encounter too much more in the way of current. Tonight I ran out of steam completely whilst rowing, I was hallucinating so much that I could not row properly. I was convinced that an ice cream kiosk was behind my right shoulder and kept trying to avoid it.
Antigua sounds very pretty and a most agreeable place to land. It is now only 85 miles away and I think I can just about smell rum.
The short wave radio received its biggest and probably its last wave today, it has done rather well, all things considered. It was designed for domestic use only, and I remember the man in the shop where I bought it years ago telling me that it should not be played for more than four hours a day. No, I couldn’t work it out either.
There have been so many birds here in the last few days that I haven’t had time to identify, they are so beautiful and the larger ones are truly spectacular, and then we have the Common Tern.
No clicks. To Antigua 85nm, and falling.
Sunday 15th May 2005
Out of the fat…
A fresh current caught us as we headed South west towards the seventeen degree line and took us North, then North East and we spent the whole day trying to crab out of it, which was achieved at 2300 this evening. Just another day.
Today as a sort of clear up, I gathered all the food remaining onboard and piled it up in the cabin. Not a big pile. The best way to ration it is, I think, to allocate so much for each ten miles. Good that’s one pack of freeze dried food per ten. Very fair.
The Davenport Trust
The Davenport Trust is a fledgling charity which I have adopted and for which I intend to continue raising funds in forthcoming years. The charity was founded by James Clarke and is based at Old Westwick Hall. The funds raised in the course of my row will enable the building of the headquarters and give the charity help to start meeting its aims, which are to raise the awareness of the symptoms of depression in young people and to eventually help young people who suffer from the illness.
The charity takes its name from Shaun Davenport who took his own life in tragic circumstances in 2003. Shaun was unaware of his illness and the symptoms were not obvious; disguised among normal adolescent behaviour.
If you wish to donate to the trust, the details are elsewhere on this site [click here], however the option to donate online is not yet available.
No clicks. To Antigua 62nm, and falling.
Monday 16th May 2005
This morning at 0300 as we rowed away from yesterdays entertainment we found today’s. A current, not on cousin Jeff’s latest chart, sprung up and began taking us North. This as I was lining up for final approach into Antigua. As I type, we await the abatement of a strong southerly wind (not forecast) to see if any headway can then be made for the harbour. Plan B will be to go to Barbuda instead, but I do not like plan B; it is complicated and I have no contacts there. Plan C is a tow, but that will only be done when all other options are exhausted.
The dangerous parts of any sea voyage are the start and the finish. My navigation must be precise, but I must also have a number of other things correctly attended to before I contemplate landfall. The hatches must all be tightly shut, the water ballast must all be in place and secured. My safety equipment must be ready to wear, and my VHF radios must be fully charged and ready to use. My charts and pilot book should be at hand, also my passage plan. The Antigua courtesy flag should be raised, also flag Q, a yellow flag which alerts customs. Fenders for the sides should be ready, also docking lines and springs. The towing rope should be out and ready to use. The decks must be cleared so that I can move around easily. Since I will be rowing continuously, a supply of drinks must be ready beside me with some handy snacks if I have anything left by then. Just for good measure, as I enter harbour I will have a movie camera filming and my still camera ready. Lastly but certainly not least, I must have all my ships papers ready for customs to inspect on arrival.
I’m getting excited now.
Stop press (I’ve always wanted to do that).
At 1300 the current turned to the North East and gained speed, this wiped out my last chance of rowing to any of the islands in the chain and at 1330 I called my wife and asked her to arrange a tow. I would like to point out that this is not a rescue; it is a commercial tow paid for by myself and no calls have been made on any emergency services.
It is such a shame that it should work out this way; the harbour was a mere 49 43nm away when we were at our closest point. However I am perfectly happy with what I have done; I have crossed the Atlantic in my rowing boat and if anyone thinks I haven’t, they should get out more. I did quite a bit of it twice and some of it three times for heaven’s sake.
As I sit here waiting for my tow, a school of dolphins, twenty or so, with one youngster and an appetite for Dorado, has visited me. The Dolphins are rather good at catching them, they approach from the blind side of the boat at great speed and then turn upwards to take them as they hide on the other side.
The short wave radio was dead, so I recycled the loudspeaker and my MP3 player is entertaining me again. I expect to have to wait some time for my tow, so the music is really welcome.
The tow will be here at 0200, so I have had a special supper saved for the last night of the trip. Haggis, potatoes, and the last miniature of Malt whisky.
Seventeen clicks. To Antigua, 49 43nm.
Tuesday 17th May 2005
Happy birthday to my dear sister Wendy. We said it would be today, did we not?
At 0500 the tow boat arrived, a magnificent former RNLI lifeboat circa 1954. The Sea Terror belongs to Chris Harris and his daughter Scarlett who live onboard. Within minutes we were on our way through the mire and clag and heading for ANTIGUA. This though, came as I realised that for a day or so I had been able to see the island at night. The strange glow in the sky at one spot was the island lights, and we were heading towards the glow. Another glow to the left was Guadeloupe.
The Womble towed without any trouble and whilst we travelled I took my first nap for a long time on the upper deck of the Sea Terror. The movement of the boat was a stark contrast to the violent movement of a rowing boat and I was gently rocked to sleep in a very short time. After an hour I woke and began trying to walk around the deck. It was not easy and I bumped into things and reeled around as if drunk; my balance mechanism was in disrepair.
As we approached the island I chatted to Chris about the eddies and the currents around the area, he pointed to the GPS as we went along saying that we had just lost or gained a knot here and there. We were transiting more eddies. By now I would have been wombling my way to Greenland.
When we reached the island a large number of boats were gathering for a regatta, I transferred back to the Womble and made my preparations to row into harbour. As I rowed, the boats gathered around us and people began clapping. This was no regatta, we were to be escorted into harbour!
Tiny rows the 'Womble' (far left) into harbour on the Caribbean island of Antigua, flanked by many local vessels.
After an emotional mid water family reunion we continued in to Nelson’s Dockyard and tied alongside at 1530. A huge crowd was gathered on the quayside and I was met by the Deputy High Comissioner Mr Paul Lawrence, who escorted me through the customs and immigration formalities. My balance had not yet recovered though, and I had to be supported by my daughters.
The media interviews and the obligatory cold beer photo shots over, we retired to a shady terrace at the waterside of the Admiral’s Inn for rum punches and family chat. Exquisite feelings all round. Womble was then moved for me to the Inn quay, where she sits enjoying the sunshine and admiring gaze of tourists and residents. In the evening I was invited to address a formal reception and to meet Mr Harold Lovell, the Minister for tourism.
Tiny pulls up in the 'Womble' and meets local dignitaries in Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua.
After a series of very flattering speeches and offers of great generosity, we returned to the hotel for dinner. In the circumstances and with great care, I selected from the menu the most appropriate dish for the evening; Dorado.
No clicks. To Antigua, 0nm.
Wednesday 18th May 2005
A good night’s sleep in a substantial four poster bed and a hearty breakfast is my recommended cure for the ailments incurred whilst ocean rowing. This morning I can walk unaided, albeit in a wobbly line, my fatigue is much diminished and my appetite sated. The day is a full diary of media and social appointments, the highlight being at the tot club at Gallions Reach tonight. Mmmm rum. More tomorrow.
Roll the credits.
At risk of sounding like someone at the Oscars awards, I would like to thank most sincerely everyone who has contributed to this endeavour in any way. From the big corporate sponsors to the people who put their loose change into the jar on the bar, you all had a part to play in this.
My wife Anita not only gave me domestic planning permission for the trip, she ran the pub and its kitchen, looked after our children and typed out these bulletins daily. In addition she was my sounding board and counsellor on the phone each evening. I think she deserves a special mention don’t you? How many wives would allow their husbands to spend their silver wedding anniversary on an expedition?
It is my intention to keep the diary going for a while, but if it goes quiet, do keep checking, I won’t stop without making an announcement.
Thursday 19th May 2005
Today has been spent tidying the boat, and getting equipment ready for shipping. My Mum and daughters return to the UK tonight, whilst Neet stays here to help me recover and prepare to return. The Antigua Yacht club have invited us to a reception this evening in aid of the Davenport Trust, for which we are very grateful.
The Antigua government is interested in having the Womble for a new museum opening soon in Nelson’s Dockyard . We are trying to work out how we can do this and will post our decision soon.
Last night I rowed us over to the Tot club event, upon which my body howled with shock and anguish. Sophie expertly rowed us on the return trip.
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