Day 3 can be a tough one. I remember now, feeling this way on the last
two crossings. My body still has to get into the ocean groove – hands
are blistered, shoulders are sore, and very surprising for anyone who
knows me well, I'm slightly off my food. Normally nothing interferes
with my appetite, but even on these relatively calm waters I've been
feeling a tad queasy, and I've had to force down enough food to keep me
going. Luckily I have plenty of reserves, having put on a lot of weight
since my last row, so I'm not in danger of starvation any time soon!
This particular Day 3 was not helped by the fact that I've been rowing
into a headwind. A very slight one, admittedly, but still enough to
create a very strange wiggle in my course when I look at it on the
chartplotter. I'm not quite sure how often my Solara unit to
transmitting my position, so you may or may not be able to see my
loop-the-loop on the RozTracker.
No matter how tough the day, I definitely feel past the point of no
return. Last night when I retired to my bunk I could just see the orange
glow of the lights on Oahu, but this morning when I got up just before
6am there was no sight of land. So I am now very much out in the Big
Blue.
There is also a slight feeling of, "Oh my word, why am I doing this?" So
far to go, and progress so slow. Luckily I have a few good answers to
that question, and I have to keep reminding myself that I just have to
keep sticking the oars in the water, and I will get there eventually.
Only another 9,897,356 strokes to go….!
Other Stuff:
An interesting diversion this afternoon – some birds feasting on a
school of fish, lots of action at the water's surface.
Went for a little swim this afternoon to try and cool down. But the
ocean is so warm, it didn't help much.
Speaking of which, today I deployed the two temperature gauges given to
me by Hawaiian IT company Oceanit. One gauge for the air, fixed to my
rollbar, and one for the water, attached to my rigger. It is supposed to
be a metre below the surface, but refused to sink, so I had to attach
some fishing weights to it. Hope it doesn't slow me down too much!
Position: 20 42.296N, 158 22.868W
Wind speed: 5-8 kts, SSE
Sea: max: 2-3ft swell, choppy this morning, calmer now
Intentions: keep plugging south
Good Night, Roz. I hope you get a good night sleep, and wake up with a smile. I have to say that I am almost waiting for your postings every day at 10 pm .. and when I wake up, I check up on you to see how you are doing.
By the way: what kind of music do you listen to .. in the morning?
Be well
Aloha
Harald
I have been following your journey for over a year and you have inspired me to start ocean rowing. I am looking for a pocket cruiser sailboat that I can convert to begin my training. Goodluck and keep posting
Hi Roz-don’t know if you read these gomments, but wanted to wish you a safe and rewarding journey. I’m looking forward to following your progress.
best,
Susan (Ellen’s sister)
I wait as well every morning to read your blogs, excellent descriptive language Roz. I am inspired now to buy your book, it will make a great companion read for what you are attempting. Question, you must have shortwave radio capability, what are you listening to these days? How else do you divert or entertain yourself? You have many people following you Roz, you are never alone…bfn
Southward, ho, Roz! But the Roz tracker reports you’re headed north. Hmm? I’m glad you’ve got the temperature guages. I was wondering how much warmer/hotter this leg was going to be than the SF-to-Hawaii trip. Do you have an overhead canopy you can deploy if you need a break from the sun?
Wishing you smooth waters and favorable winds. Looking forward to your updates.
Hi Roz, Looks like you have some new features on the Brocade. You’ll have to tell us about those sometime. Thinking of you! -Sindy
Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream……tra la la la!!
I’m here in rainy Blighty following and sending you all the correct winds and tides I can muster!
Three posts in and I’m already laughing! Thanks xx
Karen Douglas-Toop
Roz,
You are a true inspiration, I am thinking about you and keep up the good work-the ocean needs more people like you!
Thinking of you…
Michelle Waterman
Roz! You are such an inspiration! We (over at Oceanit) will be following you along and sending you positive thoughts!!! Loving the blog. Keep kicking okole 🙂
Cindy
I am blown away that you can blog from a rowboat at sea! How do you do it? What electronic gear do you use??