Today has been a feisty one off the coast of Western Australia. I’m sure my new wind gauge is under-recording. It was telling me the wind was 15 knots. But when I was on the Atlantic I got used to correlating the wind speed with the angle of the dangle of my British red ensign flag. And I reckon it was closer to 25 knots today. Anyway, we can safely say that it was plenty strong enough to make a terrible mess of my hair. 🙂 and for me to put my ankle leash on – just in case.
Fortunately this strong breeze is going in an ideal direction, blowing me north towards the latitude where the Western Australia coast and I will part company. It will stay where it is, while I strike out across the Indian Ocean.
With the wind come certain sound effects (no, not THAT kind of wind and not THOSE kinds of sound effects!). Of course, the wind increases the waves, so my boat is surrounded by the constant gurgle of the water as it swills around my hull. Then there is the sound of the wind, a constant roaring. But there is also the sound of the wind on the waves, a kind of whispering, hissing sussuration as the air whizzes across the surface of the water.
And today, with some pretty sizeable breaking waves, there has from time to time been the big double-crash of a wave broadsiding my boat; the first crash as the wave collides with Sedna and the second crash as Sedna recovers from her part-roll and slams back… frequently followed by the sound of some distinctly nautical terminology from one annoyed rower who has temporarily forgotten that she is supposed to be zen and serene come what may!
Other stuff:
I realised that although I thanked a couple of people for their quotes, I didn’t replicate them so people who receive my blog via email may not have had the chance to see them. So here they are:
“Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” – Corrie Ten Boom (thanks, Sandra)
“A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.” (thanks, Pamela)
And here’s the one that Karen Morss stuck on the jar of homemade plum jam: “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
Book review: Today I finished What Happens in London
Finn – you asked what we can do for the environment. Don’t feel helpless! Every action counts. Let’s take plastic as an example. If you’ve already reduced your usage of plastic as far as you can, why not organize a few friends to write letters to your local supermarket and ask them to put signs up on the doors, reminding people to bring their reusable bags in from the car? Easy for them to do, and it really helps!
Or sign the petition to help make the 2012 Olympics plastic bag free, and get everybody you know to sign it too
Huge thanks to all those who have sponsored miles. Your generosity is helping keep this blog on the air – and allows me to check in and let my long-suffering mother know I’m okay. We both appreciate it very much!
Photo: sorry it isn’t more exciting. I have just discovered that the only pics I took today were for the NASA S’COOL project, i.e. the twice-daily pictures of clouds that I take from beneath the clouds as a satellite passes by above them. So, in the absence of any other pics (and it’s too dark now to take a photo) I give you…. clouds! (I’ll make sure I come up with something more exciting tomorrow…)
Sponsored Miles:
Not only has Roz re-rowed the lost miles, she has made great progress. These sponsors’ miles have now been accomplished. Cyndie Blake, Greg Danforth, David Quinlan, Tom Hockman, James Borleis, Curtis Zingg, Shannon Fogg, Susan Bartlett, Chris Lynch, Doug Grandt, Michelle Pitman, Monica Wilcox, Steve Allen, Angela Hey, Gilliand and Michael Colledge, Linda Leinen, Nick Jaffe, Kiran Prathapa, Leslie Layton, Thomas Heavey, Larry Grandt, Andrew Greenfield, Kathy Miritello, Nick Watson.
Glad you are on your way!! Your hair mussed up is a great sign!! Have fun! John H
John, I just can’t imagine Roz in dreadlocks … or shaved like Sinéad O’Connor. Roz, I hope you can tuck it up in the sun hat for protection.
Fine and Feisty, Finally the winds, and not the trapped winds, are blowing you in the right direction that you must and want to go… With lots of very curly Auburn hair, now with “Silver Highlights” as I call them – all to be shaved off on Wednesday for weekly surgeries, My Life is a continual bad hair day, except for this month or so each year… So, No worries!!! No one can see your bad hair, Everyone can see mine – when its there…
My first visit. I’m here thanks to a referral from Charlotte Rains Dixon. I look forward to following your progress and reading your thoughts. Good luck.
Roz et al – for future reference if nothing else… From years in and out of the B&B and Restaurant biz, Fresh fruits, Mangoes, Bananas and the like, will last a week longer refrigerated/kept in some sort of cooler that they will at room temperature… The skins WILL turn brown – so you could not serve them to customers that way, BUT the meat/fruit within will be perfect for up to a week longer than at room temp… So simply peel the ugly skin away, and enjoy the fresh fruit within… Try it if you don’t believe it…
Sorta like the root cellar back at the little house on the prairie … and the beer served at cellar temperature … it’s all better in the cellar. We need to all chip in and get Roz a cellar for Sedna: http://bit.ly/FollowGreenRowed
Maybe a solar powered fridge would do??? I think I have seen them somewhere in Camp Supply/Outdoors-(wo)man Catalogues…
Now we’re talkin’ … but knowing Roz, she has already weighed the pros and cons of fresh fruit for the first few weeks vs hauling the extra weight of an empty fridge for the duration … vs. chucking it overboard when it gets emptied out. Now that would raise some eyebrows!
Just joking ;-D
But, Other ballast is being consumed throughout the voyage… Medicines and other stuff could be kept in the fridge – Batteries even last longer when kept cool… So the fridge could make up for other ballast consumed and …discarded, and filled with other things to use as needed?
I think they call it the “bilge” in a boat.
But, Stan! Sedna already has a bilge and it is plum full … no room for fresh produce with all that water and ballast sloshing around down there … plus it’s not “cool as a cucumber” but ambient temperature which is probably not beer cellar or root cellar chilly … I like the visual of a cellar under Sedna … rather zen, don’t you think? LOL ;-D
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed “The Wave,” Roz. I really thought you would. I have listened to it two or three times just because the reader is so good, and the information is so fascinating. My luck with romances from Audible has been hit and miss. Good luck with those.
Had a great weekend with Michelle, and she and I added a foot of head room to the hen house. Now it’s more like a hen loft, which may be a good thing because the new chicks are trying to fly at just two weeks old.
I liked the clouds photo!
Joan, I agree! I love cloud pix! Red, orange, gray, white — love ’em all
I hope u can come to Hong Kong.
Amazing Roz – we are all following you on twitter, incredible challenge, incredible lady. Chris @takechallenge
I am wondering if it is possible for you to post your Long/Lat with each blog post. That way one can see how far you have progressed (or regressed 😉 on your journey.
Unless of course you are worried about being stalked in the middle of the Indian Ocean… then by all means privacy is paramount.
Dennis, A little risky in this day and age of Pirates and the like… Posting Longitude and Latitude – even that far out in the Indian Ocean – would also begin to produce a general course Roz is taking, which could lead to all sorts of unnecessary risks…
The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea. ~Isak Dinesen
Sometimes all three at once, right?!
Roz, I love the descriptiveness of “hissing susurration.” I can well imagine the sound that surrounds you.
For those wanting to do more for the environment, you might get others interested by pointing them them towards Roz’ website at http://www.ecoHeroes.me
I feel like I want to do something difficult in solidarity with you. I think you’re great.
I love the cloud photo. Have you considered selling prints of you photos? I could really see this cloud photo blown up onto a large photo canvas….and hanging on my wall!
There are a number of websites that allow you to upload your photos and offer them for sale….with no upfront cost to you. This might be a way to help raise money for your ongoing adventures. Might be worth looking into.
That’s a great idea… Find a site that will “Hype” the pictures as coming from Roz’ Solo Row Of The World, and that “Net Proceeds” go to the cause(s) – maybe even list the “Net” amount to each “cause” with the photos by size of print ordered – that way people can know how much they are helping and feel involved… BTW, Running my own environmental non-profit, This will NOT tax deductible, but still a great idea…
On Sunday April 24th 2011 Roz will have spent a cumulative 365 days alone at sea. Here are ten ways you may be able to help her row even further. Some things even Solo Ocean Rowers cannot do on their own. Go Roz Row!
1) Get her on Oprah (A wide audience for our Ocean Rower should not be missed)
https://www.oprah.com/ownshow/plug_form.html?plug_id=216
2) Get her on the Ellen Show (Ellen’s My Hero Project is perfect for Roz in many ways)
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=433
3) Sign the petition for Roz’s Project (The Olympics is global, multinational and multicultural, a perfect place to effect change)
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/2012-plastic-bag-free-olympics/signatures.html
4) Donate a(nother) mile or a blog or a sat phone call to her mom… (message me if you would like to do this with via US tax exemption)
5) Roz is completely electronically accessible, send your words of encouragement. Solo rowers can always use one more!
6) Diminish or stop all together the demand for single use disposable plastics. Recylcle only when use is unavoidable.
7) Dance a jig while humming Hawaii 5-0 (may I suggest privacy at first). Roz did when she crossed the equator.
8) Share her story and blogs on your Facebook profile via her website. It’s
an easy way for you to tell a friend.
9) Plan to come see her after her Eat/Pray/Row tour currently scheduled in the US for Feb/March/April 2012.
10) Get out of the car further and enjoy that bike ride or walk to work.
Join her EcoHeros… (Thanks Rick!)
A video done by Roz’s friend Dr Sylvia Earle
http://youtu.be/x8VxozQuG2o
(this is last year’s video) Earthday is Friday April 22, 2011
Jay, this is a great list!
Unless of course you are worried about being stalked in the middle of the Indian Ocean… then by all means privacy is paramount.