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Friday 28th January 2005
Started rowing at 6 a.m. today, and lasted until 0900 when I had to stop due to the rough sea. I started again at 1200 and made reasonable progress through afternoon despite fairly high seas. I am learning to surf in a rowing boat; no easy task. My progress still seems very slow, but I’m not worried about that, conditions will change sooner or later.
Trip 131 miles.
Saturday 29th January 2005
What a day! By 0830 the rowing was over. I tried four times more in the course of the day, but there was no chance of making any progress. So the big para anchor went out and I stayed in the cabin through the day and night bouncing around. I had a miniature of whisky left over from Burns Night, which I sipped on various occasions. I was quite surprised however to find I still had half of it left in the morning.
Trip 140.
Sunday 30th January 2005
On rising today the wind had moderated but was still south easterly. The north east trades are somewhat elusive. Some progress was made, but on checking the chart I discovered that the whole days rowing simply returned us to the exact spot we were at two days ago. No orange today sir! Well go on then, it is Sunday.
Today I nearly ran into a large cable reel. It would not have damaged the Womble because we go very slowly, but if a fast yacht were to hit it, there could be serious damage. Trouble was that it was far too big to lift out of the water and I had no space to put it. (No, there is no one to report it to).
Monday 31st January 2005
Today is the day! Finding north east winds when I woke today, I leapt between the oars and made hay. The sun shone all day enabling the batteries to charge; we’ve had big cloud cover for the last two days. When the boat is lined up with the wind, I find that with moderate effort it will make 3 knots. This is new to me. For the last ten days, I have been rowing very hard to make 2 knots and on day one, I couldn’t even get 1 knot. Three cheers for the north easterly trade wind. Hip, hip…
Thank you all for the text messages, sorry I can’t reply. Do keep them coming. Hannah, do you have a name for the teddy bear you sent me? If so, tell my wife, Anita, at the pub and we will have a party for him.
Trip 180.
Tuesday 1st February 2005
A wonderful north easterly on waking, I rose for an hour before breakfast. Three miles in an hour – unheard of. Breakfast today was a giant bowl of museli mixed with freeze dried yoghurt, wild berries, and topped with banana chips. Followed by an orange.
Waves. Waves are generated by wind. They form at right angles to, and move at almost the same speed as the wind. If the wind blows from the same direction for long enough, a regular pattern of waves will be produced. The faster the wind and the longer it blows from the same direction, the bigger and more spaced the waves become. With me so far? Good. What happens next is the wind, which is self-employed, and therefore it’s own boss, changes to blow from a different direction. A new set of waves is produced in exactly the same way. However, yesterday’s waves are still moving along in their original direction, but diminishing in height. Today’s waves were happily waving along, when one of yesterday’s waves comes flighting through them all at right angles knocking them in all directions. The waves may not have heard that the wind has changed today, or it might just be a terrorist. But the resulting maelstrom is where the average rower seems find him or herself. The technical term for all this a confused sea. It certainly leaves me confused.
Tommy Tomkinson Junior. How many miles are there in one day? 30 Sir. Good man, have an orange. Thank you Sir.
Wednesday 2nd February 2005
Last night a wave found its way into the cabin. It must have been the aft hatch not secured enough and I woke at two in the morning to a drenched face and bedding. Worst of all, is that Madam Cholet got soaked as well. She’s recovering slowly but will probably not forgive me.
Today the sea has been rough but from the right direction. I have been able to make some progress, but have had to take small break from the sun which has been very strong.
This evening I’m listening to Louis Jordan. Earlier I enjoyed noodles bolognese and a glass of Vino Pinto a la Womble.
Trip 242.
Thursday 3rd February 2005
All north easterlies today – good news and fair progress. The seas remain high, limiting mileage, but no complaints. It seems I can get the boat to go at a reasonable pace. I’m very happy about that; I had considered lightening ship, but it would have given me two dilemmas: 1. The trip is being conducted in an environmentally friendly way and to jettison anything overboard would be inconceivable. 2. I’m quite fond of my old chesterfield.
I would like to give my many thanks to Doug and Anita Carroll of the Magic Dragon in la Gomera (it’s a yacht not a pub). They made me most welcome and attended to all of my needs. Thanks you two – see you in November.
I have a gender issue. Does anyone know whether waves are masculine or feminine?
Trip 272.
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