News from the route

News from the route

April 1 13.00 - A day to take it easy, making sure the boat is back to 100%. I'm taking in extra food and fluids and catching up on the sleep I've lost over the last 4 days so I feel good and strong for the next big push. 5 days of good weather is promised.
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March 31 12.30 - Had a good day working on the boat repairing the damage from the storm. Moved weight around the hatches to get the trim right and she's steering much better now. The yellow fin tuna have been with me all day, no sharks or birds. All the bedding is dry and back in the cabin, hopefully another good night's sleep. I managed 6 hours last night. At the moment I'm in the deepest part of the ocean, 6200 metres.
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March 30 A better day aboard, repaired the leaks in the cabin and managed to dry some of the bedding in the sun - that’ll be more comfortable tonight. Recharged all the batteries and got the steering working but I need to move the weight around the boat because the trim is wrong. I’ve been eating all my food from one hatch while the weather’s been bad and it’s upset the balance of the boat.
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March 29
	11.00 – Not much sleep last night - thunder and lightning, heavy rain and strong winds. I was thrown about the cabin like a rag doll, quite painful with no bedding, just the hard wooden floor.I need this storm to pass because I have a lot of work to do. Water is still leaking into the cabin, the steering ram needs to be repaired and calibrated. With the steering not working properly last night I used a drogue anchor. A large wave rolled the boat to 90°. I thought it was going over, but it kicked back and one of the oars was broken in half.
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March 28 10.00 - The last 24 hours have been horrendous. Firstly the steering ram failed and then the cabin sprang a leak. I had by put all my bedding out and tie it down on deck. It's still raining, so what - the bedding was already wet. It'll dry when the sun comes out. I seem to have sealed the leak and at the moment I'm working on the ram. I need to get the steering sorted otherwise it's another night without sleep. I've not slept for the last 36 hours and feel quite exhausted.
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March 27 It's been raining really hard all day. It's a better condition to row in than the hot sun. Despite a 20 knot easterly and rowing for the last 6 hours, the boat seems stationary. The last 6 days have been slow and painful - it's been like running a marathon every day. Hopefully I'll be out of this westerly current that's against me in the next couple of days and find more favourable currents so I can move easterly again and pick up on the daily mileage.
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March 26 Little sleep last night; a 24 knot breeze on the stern and 6 metre swell waves breaking over the boat. It was like a corkscrew ride. The boat is coping very well with the conditions. Despite having a strong breeze on the stern there seemed to be no forward movement - it's as if the boat had come up against a brick wall. This morning the wind dropped to around 18 knots, the sea state changed and we started moving forward again, after a poor day yesterday of only 25 miles.
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March 24 As you can see from my mileage of 26 miles, the storm that was promised yesterday didn’t materialise until today. The boat seems to be leaping all over the place, it’s like being on a rocking horse. It’s a strange feeling surging forward then it seems to surge back. The winds are howling and the waves are crashing over the stern; it sounds like the ripping of thunder in the cabin.
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March 23 A quiet start to the day. Nine dead flying fish on the deck. The sunsets and sunrise are something very special and it is so hard to find words to describe their colour and splendour. I’ve just had an email from the weather centre warning of a storm coming in from the North East. I need to check the deck and make sure everything is stowed away and secure. I’ll get myself an extra meal in case it’s too rough to cook later or tomorrow.
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March 22 Another hot day without the promised wind. Impossible to row beween 10.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. and I’m not able to sleep because it’s over 40°C in the cabin, the hatch has to stay closed to keep out the sea. The wildlife has been incredible today, two large birds that look like buzzards hovering around the boat catching flying fish which were being forced out of the water by larger fish.
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March 16 A better day aboard. The wind although light was in the East. The sun was back trying to bake me - I felt quite faint around mid-day. Had two good meals, hot pot and veg followed by rice. No wildlife around, just water, with the odd wave crashing over the boat and cooling me off. I'm now in the shipping lane so tonight I will use my Nav. light and keep the cabin light on. =========== Simon called today [ to the ORS] and asked if we’ve got any further confirmation of the time of Anders Svedlund’s crossing ( knowing, that we are trying to confirm Anders’ crossing time). He hopes we have it before his row is completed. Simon says he is determined to row hard and to break existing (un-official) Svedlund’s record. Simon sounded in high spirits and especially happy to have cleared Australian coast line, now he is making good progress. When I asked him if he is ok to be alone, he said, “ to be alone is just great a lot of space in the cabin and nobody’s snoring” He added “ I do remember what you have told me and keep my hatches closed and safety harness on me so I will be all right!” Kenneth Crutchlow
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March 15 Laid in this morning after sleeping very well - feel much better. After a good breakfast and a tidy around the boat I hope to get in some serious rowing today. It's nice to be back on deck. An Easterly wind is promised so I'm hoping for more mileage today.
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March 14 At last the sea is calm and the winds have dropped. I feel very weary and tired, little rest in the last 48 hours, trying to steer the boat into the heavy seas and keeping on course. The cloud cover has lifted enabling the solar panel to recharge the batteries to full charge. I'm now going to catch up with some sleep.
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March 13 09.30 - Not much to report today, it's blowing a hullie out there with heavy seas breaking over the boat - it's not safe to be on deck. The wind's still Southerly, so I'm steering and tracking to the West and hopefully still making good mileage.
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March 12 10.15 - The wind picked up during the night to 23 knots but from a more Southerly direction, pushing me to the North. I'm counteracting this by tracking West. There's a lot of cloud covering today so the solar panels are on reduced amp's. I'm shutting down the equipment that uses the most power to make sure the batteries don't drain too much. The adrenalin has really kicked in with the strong winds and heavy seas, it's like a roller-coaster ride with no rails. I'm relieved to be moving forwards.
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March 11 10.15 at last I’m on my way; a 16 knot wind on my tail and the boat is crashing through the waves. Only 4 miles to go to clear the Continental Shelf. Goodbye Australia! I’ve travelled over 38 miles so far today and I’m still going forward. The boat is on automatic pilot at this moment, it gives me a chance to have a rest and take in food and fluids, and we’re still making progress forwards. I hope the wind stays with me and I can clear the shelf in the next hour, I am looking forward to rowing in the deep water.
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