Day 35 – A Perfect Day

Dictated by Roz and transcribed by her mother, Rita Savage a few hours later than usual.

Position: As of last night (23^rd May) at 21.22: -08.36666 152.78629

Ahh, if only every day of ocean rowing could be like today, flat ocean, fair weather, regular rhythm, good book, forward progress. Though of course, if every day was like this I wouldn’t appreciate it.

Usually days are more like this: wind coming from wrong direction, curse, row, just get the rudder set right for the conditions when the wind changes. Curse again, change rudder, winds and waves increase making it difficult to get both oars in the water at once; squally downpour, wind dies away. Curse again, change rudder, wind returns as headwind, put out sea anchor etc. etc.

So to have a clear day of good (though hot) weather with calm consistent conditions was very welcome. My mileage wasn’t spectacular with no wind and little current to help but it was very satisfying to set myself a goal (152.8 degrees of longitude) and to achieve it without being thwarted by changing conditions

I especially enjoyed this evening. Last night I was denied my usual daily treat of watching the sunset while eating my dinner when a prolonged downpour resulted in a grey-out and I was forced to eat dinner in the cabin. It was like being all set to watch your favourite TV show only to find that the show had been cancelled. Very disappointing.

So tonight, although the sunset was nothing special, I enjoyed being able to eat out on deck watching the colours changing in the sky, and the little ripples made by my fishy entourage as they sploshed about near the surface. They often do this when I am not rowing enjoying time out from their usual frantic swimming.  As I row I can see them wiggling alongside the Brocade as if their little fishy lives depended on it. Not that I move that fast, but they are very small fishes and have to work hard to keep up.  And then later, it was very peaceful rowing along  under a half moon on the surface of the calm ocean, the only sound the splash of my oars and the rhythm of the oarlocks. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Other Stuff:  apologies for the late appearance of this blog. It was actually an imperfect day. My satphone refused to work last night. SIM card error. I now have very little confidence in this phone. It is a useless piece of kit – or something that rhymes with kit.

Thanks for all the comments about plastic, its use and abuse. I hear there was a question about the worth of recycling plastic. Recycling is better than nothing but not much. Recycling itself has an environmental impact, and it is transported half way round the world to be recycled and the recycling itself also has an environmental cost.

I suppose we can put it this way: reduce, reuse, recycle are in order of preference. Reduction is best and recycling a last resort. Although there is even a fourth option, which should come first: REFUSE. Refuse to accept plastic when you have a choice. Find any way you can to use an alternative, and maybe when you say no to plastic, you say it just a little louder than you need to so that you can be overheard. Let’s spread the message and eventually we will make it socially unacceptable and embarrassing even to accept plastic.

If you want to take it further write a letter. Write to the manufacturer who uses excessive plastic packaging, to restaurants that use plastic take-out containers, to coffee shops that won’t let you bring your own mug. Let them know how you feel.  Then share it with us at http://ecoheroes.me so that others of the ecoheroes community can follow your own example.

Thanks for the suggestions on marine GPS systems. Mum is saving the details for me and I will research them when I get back to dry land.

And finally Happy Birthday to my sister. She is seventeen months younger than me, forty one today. (Eek my little sister is over 40!)  and spare a thought for my mother too, when most of her contemporaries are knitting baby cardigans, my mother has one daughter trekking 500 miles across Spain, and the other bobbing around on the Solomon Sea on a rowboat. Surely she must wonder what she ever did to deserve this  . . . .

Starting the final countdown; as of tonight I have 457 nautical miles to go to Madang.

(Note from Rita: Tanya reported today that she has walked 397 miles, another 86 to do to reach Santiago, then another 46.6 to Finisterre.  Some anxiety most of today when there was no word from Roz due to her phone difficulties.)

Grateful thanks to recent donors: Neil Cheshire and Sandra Dobson.

Please remember the request from Blue Frontier Campaign to vote EVERY DAY for Roz and Margo: http://pep.si/9ZMuai. Many more votes needed and time is running out!

Nova’s News:

Be on Roz’s Website & Fan Page:

“Day 36 today – and Roz has spent a total of 341 days alone at sea.

One year in a space smaller than a jail cell, more isolated than a Tibetan monk.

Why? Because we can no longer ignore the pollution and environmental damage to our planet.

How can you help? Send us a picture of yourself using a reusable shopping bag to gorozgo@gmail.com and we will post it to Roz’s Face book Fan Page.

365 photos would symbolize Roz’s year at sea to let Roz know that she is not alone, that her message is making a difference.

Three of the best photos will be drawn and posted onto Roz’s website, so be creative!

Let Roz know that you are following her journey – make a contribution in the dollar amount of the days she has been at sea, for today it would be $36. “The energy of your support encourages her on.”

Ebay Store: offering a 10% discount on Roz’s reusable shopping bags until the end of the month. Also available in UK – ask for details through Contact (top line of page)