Day 13 – Happy World Environment Day!

Today is World Environment Day — and as I mentioned in my blog
yesterday, I'm very proud to be working with the United Nations
Environment Programme to help inspire others to take action now on
climate change. My mission this year is called Pull Together, and I'm
asking you all to walk more and drive less, matching my 10,000 oar
strokes a day with 10,000 steps.

Pull Together will continue even beyond my completion of Stage 2 of
the Pacific Row. On October 24th, I'll begin a walk from London to
Copenhagen to help drive home the message that global action is needed
RIGHT NOW on climate change. I'll arrive in Copenhagen just as the
world's governments come together to discuss a new climate change
agreement. It's called COP15 – you'll be hearing about it much more in
the news in the months ahead. The new agreement must be ambitious,
fair and effective in reducing emissions while assisting countries as
they adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change.

Time is absolutely precious. The latest science shows our climate is
changing more rapidly than previously estimated. The effects of
climate change impact us all and will radically alter our way of life.
Leadership at the highest level is needed to protect the planet, save
lives, and build a more sustainable global economy for all.

This year my row and the walk from London to Copenhagen are my way of
getting world leaders to "Seal the Deal" in Copenhagen. What can you
do to help? Well, for starters, you can join me in my Pull Together
effort! You can also check out UNEP's Seal the Deal campaign by
visiting www.sealthedeal2009.org to sign the online petition or to
learn more about UNEP activities taking place in your home town.

I'd love to hear YOUR ideas about ways that you and your family will
help be a part of the solution to this, the most important global
crisis we currently face. I am absolutely certain that if we all PULL
TOGETHER, we CAN and WILL save the world.

[photo: taken tonight at sunset]

Other Stuff:

I now feel like I'm out in the open ocean. The waves have been much
larger today than previously – possibly because I am now beyond the lee
of the Big Island of Hawaii. Anyway, the bigger seas, and being south of
the Big Island, combine to make me feel that I have now left Hawaii
behind. And it is with mixed feelings that I realize I am now beyond the
reach of the US Coast Guard (see 2007…).

This morning I woke to find 4 birds hanging out on my fore cabin, and
overnight they had deposited a huge quantity of poo. I shooed them away
and tried to scrub away the evidence, but it has got quite ingrained in
the texture of the solar panels, and is tenacious sticky stuff that is
very difficult to shift. Grrr.

I've been taking it easy on the rowing front today. I've been struggling
with various skin issues that, errr, to put it delicately, were making
it quite painful to sit and row for prolonged periods. So after a few
hours rowing this morning, I've spent most of the rest of the day lying
on my front and anointing my backside with tea tree oil.

From trying to save the world to scrubbing bird poop to oiling my bum.
All part of the rich and varied life of an ocean rower….

Weather:

Position at 1930 HST: 18 17.484N, 160 40.674W
Wind: 20kts E
Sea: Waves and swell from E, waves steep at times, 8ft approx, getting
less rough towards evening

Weather forecast courtesy of weatherguy.com:

Forecast below is for a SWerly course.
Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft)
05/1800-06/0300 E-ENE 15-20 4-5
06/0300-07/1200 E-ENE 18-23 5-6
07/1200-10/0000 E-ENE 16-21 4-6

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of rainshowers.