Thank you to Radio Holland and Stratos for their very generous sponsorship of some of the satellite airtime used to date. As you can imagine the sat phone was the umbilical cord for Pete to his family and support crew. Without the sat phone, Pete’s updates, and indeed his race, would not have been possible.
Photos have been updated in the Gallery.
Video made by Moose, uploaded to You Tube
Update from Tracey 14 Apr 10
There are three solo rowers on the ocean at present - please keep them in your thoughts.
Leo Rossette, a former US marshall, is the oldest American to achieve a successful trans-Atlantic crossing but found himself pushed south by the adverse conditions and is currently in an area called the Guadaloupe Channel. After being without sight of land for more than three months (99 days today), one would think that land would be a good thing. However, rowing boats are vulnerable to strong currents and there are plenty of these, and building seas, around the islands. While he probably won't achieve a race finish, Leo has made his crossing and that is all he was after. How he'll get back up to Antigua to meet his wife remains to be seen.
Behind Leo is James Ketchell on Speedo - he's far south of Antigua and has 225 nm to go. Sean McGowan on Tess is still 570 nm out. All three will be short of food, and severely rationing what they have left. Remember that the organisers specified that rowers should take on 90 days of food? Well, that was 9 days ago. Many of you have asked 'so why not fish?' - well, while some fished successfully (apart from the tuna he plated, Pete mainly practised catch and release because he liked his dorados, Mr and Mrs Smith, too much) most haven't succeeded, or haven't bothered. For only one person, a whole fish is a waste (even if it's made into three courses like Pete's 'chuna'). Also, one needs to use sharp implements in rocking and rolling conditions - and fish are very messy and smelly when bleeding. Doesn't sound like such a great idea then does it? Unless you're starving, that is.
Pete and family arrived at East London airport on Tuesday afternoon, 6 April. Welcome home Pete, Kim and Hannah.
From one ocean rower to another… from Rachel Smith (Women’s Pairs Winner, Atlantic 2007/8)
When Cliff first asked whether I’d like to write a few lines about Pete, I thought it would be easy… after all, as so many people have written on social sites such as Facebook, Pete is a living legend to an awful lot of folk.
I’ve known Pete since 2007 when we both rowed across the Atlantic. I’d like to say we were fellow competitors in the race, but the reality is that Lin and I never stood a chance as Pete and Bill disappeared at speed over the horizon on the first night! I do however remember the day we heard they’d won the pairs class after 50 days at sea (a full 26 days ahead of us!), and how proud we felt to know that our South African buddies had done just what they set out to do.
Still, even now, more than two years on I don’t have any real desire to row an ocean again, either with or without a partner. So it must take someone really special to not only want to row for a second time, but to do it solo.
The dictionary definition of ‘Legend’ (noun) is ‘someone or something very famous and admired, usually because of their ability in a particular area’. Knowing this doesn’t actually make it any easier to write about Pete because it really only scrapes the surface of what should be said. Charlie Pitcher describes him as the South African lion, while others have termed him ‘a machine’, ‘fearsomely focused’ and ‘a great man’.
But let’s not forget that the ocean simply doesn’t care. It doesn’t know who you are, how well you’ve prepared or what you’ve achieved before. And it actually doesn’t matter, because Neptune takes no prisoners and everyone is treated exactly the same. Some days it seems that the ocean’s main and cruel purpose is to break you, as bit by bit it chips away at your resolve and wears you down to a primitive state, taking you beyond any limits you thought you had, and then some.
Out at sea, life pretty much consists of rowing, sleeping, eating and fixing things. Survival really. Even with a team mate there supporting you it’s incredibly tough, but solo rowers need that something extra. Whatever ‘it’ is, Pete obviously has it in spades.
Physically there’s no question as to Pete’s ability to take on a challenge of this magnitude. But as any ocean rower will tell you, it’s the mental strength that really counts. It’s your ability to deal with the frustration, exhaustion, fear, isolation and loneliness, day after day. Managing the repeated trips from sky high to rock bottom in just a few hours – because it’s such an emotional rollercoaster out there.
Imagine for a minute spending 76 days (the time of Pete’s solo crossing) cooped up in a space the size of an average double bed with a rowing machine sticking out of one end. Rowing for more than 12 hours a day in all conditions and with constant and violent motion that means you can’t even stand up. Existing on a diet designed to provide fuel rather than a gourmet experience. With no one around to chat to and share your thoughts, observations, dreams and fears with. To help you fix the broken things and make difficult decisions without really knowing the right answer. Or just to have a side splitting good laugh with. Even with all the modern communications onboard and family and an incredible support crew available 24/7, it’s a long and lonely existence.
Pete’s support crew wrote on the inside of his cabin a reminder that while he may feel lonely, he would never be alone. I wonder how many times Pete read that phrase and drew some strength from it. But at the end of the day it was down to him alone to drag himself out of the cabin for each rowing session and make it count. Even when he knew that his dream of winning was gone.
And there it is in a nutshell… the difference between a tough endurance athlete and Pete. When the first solo competitor had crossed the line, Pete still had 800 miles (about 3 weeks) rowing to go. Lesser men would have given up at that point, unable to refocus their goals and remember what’s really important. Not Pete.
Pete simply did what he does best and got stuck in to the task, successfully drawing on that immense mental strength within. Focusing on what was really important – and making it safely to Antigua to reunite with his wife Kim and daughter Hannah.
So there you have it. Pete van Kets, the first African to row the Atlantic solo and to have rowed it twice! A legend.
Rachel Smith
Women’s Pairs Winner
Atlantic 2007
Update from Pete 31 Mar 10
Time is just flying by and soon we will be on a plane and heading back to sunny skies and chevrolet. Can't wait. The race almost seems so distant now almost unreal! I have been planning to do this for some time, but I really want to thank all of you for being part of my trip. I had written two things on the front bulkh...ead of my boat which I looked at all the time whilst I was rowing. "I am not alone" and "this will end". I was NOT alone and all of you made the race just that much more exciting and bearable. Thank you! Plans for the next expedition are starting to take shape. Watch this space - it's going to be spectacular.
Update from Kim 31 Mar 10
Tracey is pretty much spot on with her description of what Pete is up to! He has been eating and drinking non stop and is looking a lot less skeletal than he did a week ago! There has also been a fair amount of missioning with cleaning and packing the boat and equipment and customs etc etc. We have also tried to be aro...und as much as possible to watch other rowers coming in. This morning Pete is doing a photo shoot with Shelly for his watch sponsor Suunto and then its only 3 more days of relaxation in paradise before we head home. We are looking enormously forward to seeing family friends and Team Pete on Monday and Tuesday!
Update from Tracey 31 Mar 10
Lots of people are asking us 'it's so quiet ... what is Pete doing right now?' ... Well, while we suspect that Pete is trying to rid the island of pina coladas while he's acclimatising to being back among people and on land, and enjoying the company of his beautiful family. He is essentially also preparing for the long... journey home at the weekend. Rowers' legs and feet swell after being seated and horizontal for so many months. To counter this Pete has been wearing his made-in-SA Rockets compression socks. Thanks Rockets! www.rocketsrange.com
Update from Kim 26 Mar 10
So how does it feel to have him back?
Having Peter in the middle of the Atlantic for 76 days was characterized more by downs than ups…but day 75 and 76 almost made up for the downs. On arrival in Antigua we had thought we would have a good couple of days to prepare for Pete’s arrival, but he had begun to speed up massively and we were starting to cut things rather fine, especially due to the fact that this is in Antigua and its week end! Shelly came to the rescue big time with coordinating helicopters and boats and by Saturday late afternoon (day 75) we were heading out into the big blue to find him. Nothing can begin to describe the feeling of finding the tiny dot that was Liberty Nyamezela – it is really only at that moment with 360’ of ocean hemming us in that one can begin to understand the massive extent of the loneliness’ and isolation that he has faced for so long. We circled so low over Peter that we were able to make eye contact – we were all shouting and gesticulating and beaming and weeping into the chaos and noise and it was the most exhilarating and moving moment imaginable. We couldn’t bear to leave him and must have circled him for about 25 minutes before the fading light forced us to head for home. How awesome to know that he was ok – painfully thin and marvelously furry but strong and determined and very close to home. Sleep was impossible on Peter’s last night at sea, and when he called at 3am to say he would be in by 9am we were all awake and rearing to go. The next couple of hours were a blur of emotion and excitement – meeting Peter coming into English Harbour and being able to touch him from the dingy was mind boggling ( Despite the fact that Hannah was momentarily traumatized by how scary he looked and huddled on the bottom of the boat in the foetal position!) Then he was stepping off the boat into our arms in a blur of noise and flares and excitement and champagne bubbles and the joy and relief of knowing he was safe is indescribable.
And now it feels as if he has never been gone and I have to keep looking at his beard to remind myself of the enormity of what he has achieved. Hannah can’t keep her hands off it and wakes up in the night to stroke it and check that he is still here. Every day he looks a little less haggard and sunken eyed and lightly less skinny and exhausted – the ability of the human body to restore itself is amazing. And Hannah and I are reluctant to let him out of our sight and are relishing every moment of being a family again. I know that sometime soon Peter will be off on another adventure but for now I am relishing the unspeakable joy of having him right here.
Update from Pete 24 Mar 10
Woke up to waves crashing on the seashore and for a moment I thought I was back in East London. I have to say that I miss home and I am looking forward to reuniting with friends and family and having a braai. Yet I am still enjoying paradise in Antigua.
Dave Brooks arrived last night at around 18:30. It was great seeing him in as we have been in sat phone contact every day for the last 30 days. Nick Good (my cameraman) and I took a boat out to meet him and bring him into the bay. Unfortunately, his parents were not there, so Kim and I acted as his surrogate mum and dad. His folks will be arriving on Thursday, which he is very excited about. A crowd of 60 people gathered to see Dave, most of the rowers lit red flares, us South Africans blew on our vuvuzelas and the race organisers showered him with champagne. He was presented with a hamburger and chips by the Dockyard Hotel and we all gathered around the table to hear his stories. Dave was a big guy when he left the Canary Islands, but we were all surprised to find that he was still a big guy arriving in Antigua. We all had a jab at him for being the only rower in the history of the race to have put on weight rather than lose it. Simon Chalk, the race organiser, brought out the scale and in Dave's defense he had lost 10 kilograms. Sorry Dave!
After catching up and hearing all the stories, the family and I headed off to grab pizzas. We extended the offer to Mr. Brooks but in true 24-year-old style, he chose to head off to the local pub. I guess that is the difference between being 24 and being my age, you have just finished the most grueling race known to man and all you want to do is hit the pub and speak to women. I am impressed with his stamina.
Today, I’ve spent most of the morning on the beach with the family. We were then hosted very kindly by Liberty at a wonderful restaurant called Calabash. This was to celebrate my crossing. Thank you Liberty, I really do appreciate it! As I write this my right eye-lid seems to be closing so I am off to have a siesta. Chat soon.
Update from Pete 23 Mar 10
Waking up in a soft comfortable bed is still so surreal to me. I seem to constantly glance at my watch, preparing myself for my next 3 hour shift of rowing. My bum still hurts like hell. I’ve resorted to carrying around a pillow to put on every chair I sit on. Most restaurants do not understand it and one waitress went as far as to tell me, "You’ve got to look after your bum!" I am still feeling a bit stiff, especially the muscles that I did not use for the full 76 days at sea.
My journey was full of incredible highs and lows. I would say one of my greatest highs was befriending Simon, who I still think was a young storm petrel. He stayed with me for 2 nights and would nestle on my chest hair, between shifts. One the biggest lows was rowing against a 1.5 knot current. Every time I put my oar in the water and tried to pull, it would just stick. It felt like I was rowing in lead.
I’ve been speaking to and mentoring young Dave Brooks throughout the race ... the man is amazing. He has around 39 nautical miles to go until finishing. Can you believe that a 24 year old has just rowed across the Atlantic? The man is made of some stern stuff. If you get a chance, try send him a message of support on www.atlanticrowingrace09.com (he’s rowing Team Panasonic) or on his blog.
We are having a beach day today so I have to go take Hannah for a swim. Chat soon.
Update from Pete 22 Mar 10
I cannot tell you how nice it feels not to be doing another 3 hour shift. Wow, it was so good to see everyone. 100 or so people came out to see me in and seeing Kim and Hannah was like a dream come true! (Although Hannah did not recognise me when I first arrived and was found cowering in the boat.) I will put that down to my Paul Kruger-inspired beard or, as Kim would say, my wild Mike look. I am going to be taking it off today as I find I can't eat or drink without half the contents getting stuck in it although everyone has said that I have the best beard of all the rowers in so far, ladies included!
I've been spoilt food-wise. Big English breakfast on arrival, burger and chips for lunch and steak, egg and chips for dinner. I cannot get enough greasy food! I look pretty skeletal, so I need to fatten up and this is the perfect excuse. Hannah, Kim and I are going to see Vision of Cornwell in today, then I'm going to spend the rest of the day relaxing.
STOP PRESS
Pete arrived safely in English Harbour Sunday 21 March, South Africa’s Human Rights Day. He’d been at sea for 76 days in total.
PHOTOS TO COME SOON. (A selection is on the Facebook group.)
Update from Cliffy 21 Mar 10
My heart is pounding with excitement, lump in my throat, eyes welling up. All this is happening for me and I haven’t even rowed an ocean, with the end in sight. As I write this Pete is a few miles from the finish. He rowed through the night but slowed down a little to give the race support boats enough time to reach him to escort him in. It’s early morning now in Antigua.
Yesterday he was visited by his love Kim, Moose Good and Shelley Chadburn (former SA surfskier now living in Antigua) when they flew out in a chopper to find him. We’ll be posting pics taken by Shelley on the group and www.rowpeterow.co.za site soon. The photos are awesome - they show … one little boat, one little big man, one huge ocean and a heart of courage and determination. A life owned and100 % committed and much much more!
It all started with a dream, then a mould and a boat, Liberty came on board as anchor sponsor and so did the many other amazing South African companies and people who contributed products, services, time and expertise. Liberty Nyamezela was born. Soon there was a charity (Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf in East London) to be supported, and a race to be rowed.
I have had the privilege of sharing a large portion of this journey with Pete but the hardest physical and mental part he has obviously had to do alone. My feelings pale into significance when I think of the last few months of exhilaration, pain and desperation that Pete has experienced. The thoughts and emotions that he has had to bear on his own without someone to touch, hold or with whom to share face to face. He’s seen wonderful sights and fearsome sights. There have been things that made him laugh and cry. And at the beginning of his rowing shifts, he’d crawl out of his cabin to face a hostile world, from the baking heat and relentless sun to enormous waves that could toss Liberty Nyamezela over, or crush him.
Each and every one of us will have our own feelings when it comes to seeing our hero back on land for the first time. I encourage you to sit with it, own it and receive the gift that Pete's trip and his accomplishment have given you. You may also feel nothing - enjoy that feeling too and know your chance will come.
This part of Pete’s journey will soon be over and the pain and joy of recovery and reunion will begin … the physical repair, coming to terms with the loss of the time that might have been spent with his wife and his child (how she’s grown!) and family and friends, bringing himself from isolation back to the company of people and the challenges of everyday life home in South Africa. His routine will change, as will yours and mine. No more checking the turquoise blob on www.atlanticrowinrace09.com and watching it move daily across the huge ocean. No more updates every few hours.
Pete’s reconnecting with the world will take many forms and will include a road show to share Liberty Nyamezela with Pete-fans, to company presentations to schools talks. Please keep tuned to Row, Pete, row! – there’s still lots to come.
Thank you all for showing Pete that the note I inscribed on Liberty Nyamezela’s cabin roof is true:
"Pete, you are on your own but you are NEVER alone.”
I am so proud of you my friend.
PS Please drop a donation into Carel du Toit’s coffers – you can really make a difference to the lives of young deaf kids who will learn how to communicate with their families and friends.
Name: CDT Trust Account,
Bank Account Number: Nedbank Acc: 1206028726
Area: Vincent Park
Branch code: 120621
Update from Cliffy 18 Mar 10
Ok, so the end of the race is near. Pete is currently making serious mileage in stiff easterly winds and, although he has carefully navigated to a good position, he is now considering how to position Liberty Nyamezela to pass through the eye of a needle. Why? Well, for the last 70 plus days Pete has had the entire Atlantic as his playground but the next few days and hours are crucial. He’s well south – which is good but who knows what the currents are doing closer to the island? Many of the other crews have been frustrated by troublesome currents very close to the finish. When chatting to Pete last night he said he was extremely nervous. Why? Well, it’s nearly over! Pete now has to thread Liberty Nyamezela through a needle by navigating between two markers one mile apart. If the currents are pulling a particular direction Pete could miss the finish. It’s happened in the past – rowers have missed the finish and have had to be towed back because they can’t row against the strong current. (Fortunately, so far no crew’s have had this problem in this race.)
Last night Pete spoke about the six huge dorado who have taken shelter under Liberty Nyamezela for most of the race. They have become his ‘friends’ and he is quite sad at the thought that soon they will have to find new hunting grounds and shelter.
The next week promises to be very exciting for both rowers and families, friends and fans as there about six boats that are likely to finish within 42 hours of each other. For the reception crew in Antigua this means only one thing – party, party, party.
It was also great excitement this side of the Atlantic as Kim, little Hannah and Moose left OR Tambo yesterday bound for English Harbour via Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. Their two-day journey will have taken Pete nearly eighty days and it seems a bit unfair, don’t you think? Julian from Liberty, Pete’s anchor sponsor, has also left town with all the necessary equipment to give our hero, and first Own Your Life ambassador, the welcome he deserves.
We are planning a welcome home party at East London airport that should blow Pete’s Rocket compression socks off. (Pete needs these amazing socks – supplied by www.rocketsrange.com - to help prevent the radical swelling he will experience from having to stand and walk after being in a semi-prone rowing position for so long.)
We are unable to provide an exact date for the East London welcome party but it’s likely to be between the 5th and the 8th of April, after Pete has recuperated a bit. Pete-fans in Jo’burg will be able to meet and greet and welcome him home when he arrives there - Liberty will be welcoming Pete at OR Tambo Airport in the style that they are renowned for (if the superb Liberty Choir farewell was any indication!). We will confirm dates and times as soon as we know.
There will be a lot for Kim and Moose and Jules to organize for Pete’s finish – and quickly too as we know our Pete is propelling himself and Liberty Nyamezela across the final miles rather quickly. (Sjoe! He is really churning out the miles.)
Team Pete will be flying out on a helicopter to find Liberty Nyamezela before he crosses the line. Shelley Chadburn-Barron, a former SA surfskier now photographer living in Antigua, will take stills of Pete as he comes to the finish and we’ll be sure to post them as soon as we receive them.
I’m know that Pete is really looking forward to seeing his family, and to all the luxuries he’s done without these past few months: fresh food, fresh clothes, fresh sheets, people steroids … and lots of pudding which Pete says he couldn’t get enough of last time. Please don’t tell Pete but Moose has secured for him … well, you guessed it … an ice cold Black Label. Go Moose!
Update from Kim 12 Mar 10
Peter reckons that he has just experienced the hottest shift to date! (He reckons it is hotter than the 48' we experienced on the 2nd day of the 2008 Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon - I dont know if thats possible but it must be damn hot out there nevertheless!) For the first time ever he stopped his shift a few minutes early to avoid being cooked alive and hopped overboard with a video camera to swim and film Mr and Mrs Smith (the pet Dorado) and their 4 guests.
‘So, how does it feel?’ Update from Kim 12 Mar 10
During the last three months of Peter's journey I have been repeatedly moved by the gestures of love and support of friends, family and often complete strangers. But every now and again someone will ask with complete bewilderment: "So what’s the problem with having your husband in the middle of the Atlantic?" Or, "Don’t you worry about him dear, he's going to be just fine." A marvelously bizarre comment was ,"Oh yes, I have a friend who does that [rows across the Atlantic] all the time!" Huh? Really?
So maybe I need to explain from my own experience what is in fact so bad about this race for the wives, husbands, partners, parents and children of the people out there rowing.
Peter, Hannah and I are very intense with each other. We love each other to distraction and have always been privileged to spend more time together than most families. Peter and I are best friends. When Hannah was 8 months old and I went back to work, Peter took care of her. Because of the nature of his job he has spent more time with his daughter than almost any father I know. Under the circumstances they have an extraordinary bond. We are unused to being without each other and miss each other enormously when we are apart. So missing him is bad, but by no means intolerable. Seeing Hannah miss him is worse, of course. (When we say grace before eating she always pretends to hold his hand which makes me want to howl daily.)
When Peter is away, obviously one needs to deal with the inconvenience of being a single parent. (I have great respect for people who do this all the time). It is relentless to look after a small child, do all the housework (Patricia is on maternity leave for the 4 months Peter is away!), run the home admin and finances, do the DIY and fix the car (window, hooter, aircon, tyres, lights all gave up the ghost in the last few months!), evict snakes and bats from my home, try to make a living and operate as Pete's PRO, churn out information for the web sites, book flights and accommodation without eta's, apply for visas and train for my expedition all while offering Peter emotional support 24/7 (I sleep from 1.30am to 5.30am). This is hectic and inconvenient, but quite manageable for most women.
What I find intolerably difficult, however, is to know that Peter is suffering horrendously and that I am absolutely unable to help him. To know that he aches for his daughter with a physical pain that is sometimes unbearable, that all his fingernails and toenails have fallen off, that he has salt sores under both arms, that he has pressure sores on his bottom, that he has been violently sea sick, that he is desperately fatigued, his muscles have atrophied in his legs to the point that he will be almost unable to stand, that he has lost close to 20% of his body weight, that he is often lonely and afraid and desperate for human contact. That his hopes are constantly dashed by the fact that the weather has really been a nightmare. This is the part of this journey that I am most unable to deal with. So when the well meaning folk say Peter is going to be fine - I know that he will be. I know that Peter will survive this expedition, but I know that right now he is not fine at all. He is experiencing pain, hardship and loneliness such as most of us will never know. And that absolutely kills me and all the other husbands, wives, partners, parents … all the time.
Update from Cliffy 11 Mar 10
This journey is not yet over but at least the end is in sight. With approx 450 miles to go we have booked our flights to Antigua and Moose, Hannah, Julian (our Team Pete Liberty Legend) and I are leaving SA on Wed 17 March to arrive on 19 March in Antigua. Jules is weighed down with vuvuzelas, banners, flags and t-shirts and I am in the process of organising flares, helicopters, boats etc with the much appreciated help of Shelly Chadburn in Antigua. Sp Pete is assured of a splendid welcome! Peter is experiencing slightly better conditions at the moment although the wind has now turned Southerly. He is very tired and depleted and nursing the beginnings of a pressure sore but is still strong. He has been accompanied by 2 massive dorado for the last week and continues to enjoy the company of his frigate birds. He is yet to see any sharks on this trip (in fact, none of the crews have reported seeing sharks, to my knowledge?) [E: Sean MGowan on Tess seems to be getting more than is fair share of sharkes!
Update from Cliffy 9 Mar 10
It’s been amazing how well Liberty Nyamezela’s power system has worked and it’s been a silent lifesaver. Without solar energy delivering power to Liberty Nyamezela’s on-board batteries, Pete cannot drink, eat, navigate or talk to his team.
Ikhwezi Unplugged (www.solarec.co.za) sponsored Liberty Nyamezela’s array of solar voltaic panels. I am no solar fundi but I can honestly say that those panels are the lifeblood for Pete, the rowing machine, during this adventure.
Liberty Nyamezela has ten panels fixed to her stern cabin. There’s also one loose flexi panel. All these panels generate 240 watts which charge two heavy 85 amp hour deep cycle batteries. The flexi panel is a spare just-in-case panel – when Pete is not rowing this lies on the deck and provides back up charge.
Pete needs power so that he is able to consistently and safely run his water-maker. Without water he won’t survive – not only does he need water to drink during the day but it is also the magic ingredient in his dehydrated food. Pete usually makes about 15 to 20 litres a day. The batteries also charge Liberty Nyamezela’s autohelm, radio, navigation system, lights, sat phone, notebook and the music system. The latter has consistently kept Pete company on this long, lonely, solo voyage.
A few teams in this race have experienced power problems and have had to make concessions where they’ve sacrificed certain comforts (such as music) to ensure that their water-maker or autohelm works (survival). Liberty Nyamezela’s powerful solar energy system prompted much interest while she was in La Gomera and Pete became used to taking people on mini-tours of her solar power capabilities. Let’s just say, if there was enough food (and Liberty Nyamezela has the storage capacity) or enough fishing tackle, Pete could survive on the ocean for many more months. We don’t want him out there much longer of course, and neither does he, but Liberty Nyamezela is a life-pod of some signficance.
Pete is nearing a major milestone. Although conditions have turned unfavourable again after a few days of good distances, he’ll soon have only 500 nm to go before becoming the first African to have rowed solo across any ocean, and the first rower to complete the pairs trans-Atlantic crossing first, followed by the solo class. Unfortunately a win in the solo class is out of the question this time round – all credit to the superb Charlie – but keep your eye on Dave Brooks on Team Panasonic. The young, strong Brit is keeping within striking distance of our Pete … the last few days of the race could get mightily interesting as they race for second and third place.
There’s lots more to come on this site, and on the Facebook group, as we’ve got plenty planned for the future. There’ll be a road show to share Liberty Nyamezela with you – she really is a superb vessel (South African built and fitted). Pete will be sharing his power-packed presentations with corporate and educational institutions and Moose will be editing the DVD. There’ll also be a book out before year’s end. Pete’s charity of choice, the Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf in East London, has benefited from this race – please continue to keep the organization and the sterling job that it does to teach deaf kids to speak in mind when you have some extra dosh to put towards a worthy cause.
For a smile:
Laura, a Pete-fan, sent this message to Pete ... Hey! Waddya know!! Finally I can prove to my kids that I was right all along: "You guys can sit there and look at me sideways all night, but I'm telling you: somewhere in the world there is someone who would LOVE to be eating Tuna Surprise for supper right now!!" Thanks Pete!! Keep going and rowing and chowing that chuna.
Update from Kim 7 Mar 10
All this mid-Atlantic socialising is really getting out of hand! Pete had a long chat on the radio with the yacht Aragorn (hope I got the spelling right?) of Dublin which was en route to Martinique. The yacht is skippered by Patrick with his wife Catherine and crewman Neil. Peter was concerned that they couldn't see him so he set off one of his white flares and was very excited that he had captured the event on film until he realised that he had failed to press "record"! (Sorry Moose!) The yacht came flying past Liberty Nyamezela with its spinnaker up - it will be in the Caribbean in two days (as opposed to Peter's two weeks, best case scenario!)
Update from Kim 6 Mar 10
Hooray! Pete is having yellow fin tuna for dinner - sushi starter followed by some tuna chunks deep fried in olive oil! (Beats the hell out of freeze dried spag bolog if you ask me!) He saw some tuna jumping earlier, put his line out and voila! This one was shown no mercy and was not tossed back (and about time too!). ...
Other news is that he has a side on wind and seems to be back in the shipping lanes as he has spotted one or two ships.
Boat on the water
These photos were taken by Peter Hogdenof the Ocean Planet. This support vessel has visited Pete twice. We’re not sure which visit this was.
Images courtesy of Peter Hogden of Ocean Planet.
Update from Tracey 5 Mar 10
60 days at sea. It was 50 days just ... 10 days ago but I'm sure that that 10 days has seemed like a lifetime for Pete in the poor rowing conditions he's experienced recently.
The weather has improved and Pete completed 42.43 nm DMG (distance made good) in the last 24 hours to 07.00 GMT. He has 684 nm to the finish but Brooksy is just 88 nm behind - the race is ON!
Later: Pete is cookin' again. 47.4 nm DMG in the last 24 hrs to 13.00 GMT. 671 nm to the finish. He’s put a bit of distance between himself and Brooksy.
Update from Kim 4 Mar 10
Pete and Liberty Nyamezela are having another tough day with the bizarre current against them. However Peter is being buoyed along by the sea creatures which has a way of lifting one's spirits. Today he saw a school of tuna hunting flying fish (with a lot of success!), a couple of storm petrels, the same frigate bird as yesterday and a snooty albatross. Let’s hope and pray that the current dissipates as soon!
Update from Cliffy 4 Mar 10
For a change, and on the surface of things, Pete has been experiencing unbelievable rowing conditions. The wind is on Liberty Nyamezela’s stern and the waves are doing their thing. Liberty Nyamezela should be surfing along, Pete should be having some fun for a change and putting in excellent distances. But … this is the sport of ocean rowing and nothing is ever straightforward. The wind might be at her stern but under Liberty Nyamezela is a 2 knot current pushing her east, back towards Africa. At present, if Pete rows 6 miles forwards during a shift, when he rests Liberty Nyamezela is pushed back 4 miles. Frustration! When I called Pete today he sounded really down. He is in the company of other crews experiencing similar conditions – but that doesn’t really help. So it is … the slog of solo ocean rowing.
Here we sit checking Liberty Nyamezela’s progress and reading about Pete’s adventures from the comfort of our office chair, armchair or whatever and we can’t help but think, how crazy is he? After all, Pete’s been rowing solidly for two months and, the way things are going, it’s probably going to be early April before he has Antigua on the horizon. Eish! Think about what you’ve achieved this year so far, and consider how Pete has put things on hold to accomplish this achievement for himself, his family, his charity, his sponsors and his country.
Pete had prepared for a fast crossing but this year hasn’t enjoyed the expected weather conditions. His campaign was planned with precision. Just getting to the start was an achievement – something of which all the other rowers on the water should be proud. Beyond the delays of the race, beyond the final preparations in La Gomera, beyond the days that Liberty Nyamezela was launched and underwent sea tests the road to La Gomera was a challenging one. And while Pete has been on the water, the trials have not stopped … and we’re not talking the rhythms of rowing, eat, rest, clean, communicate, navigate, but the part that he has no control over (the weather and the sea conditions). Outstanding campaign-related admin issues can interfere with Pete’s focus and suck energy when he needs it the most so we’ve tried to protect him from those distractions as much as possible so that he can get on with the task at hand.
The easiest part of this campaign has been the support that his anchor sponsors Liberty have provided for Pete and Kim. Pete is Liberty’s first ‘Own your Life’ ambassador and like all good partnerships, Liberty and Pete have mutual admiration for one another. But no matter the support of the likes of Liberty, or the other fantastic sponsors that Pete has on this campaign, or his support team, it is now more important than ever for Pete’s supporters to come alongside him. He is at his lowest ebb yet and conditions may get worse. His body is tired and worn, he’s worried that about his weight, he is lonely and he is desperate to have some kind of support from the weather and sea gods. Please send messages, news, love etc. Please support his charity. Please tell your friends and urge them to become his supporters too, both here and on the Facebook group.
I know we all go through low times in our lives. Our energies grow and ebb as we relate to loved ones, friends and colleagues, as we face challenges at work and in business, as we manage our psyche and our health. Often it is through these challenges that we experience most of our personal growth. That’s why I know that for the ‘down’ that Pete is experiencing there will be an ‘up’ and a beautiful lesson to take from it. Just as, in birth, the pain experienced by a mother is far outweighed by the joy of welcoming a child to the world, so we hope that the pain experienced by Pete at this moment will be far outweighed by the joy of his completing this race and sharing and motivating others. Pete, my loving brother, we hear your pain and honour your warrior spirit ... fight on. We stand behind you proud and blessed to know you and follow your path.
Viva Pete! NYAMEZELA KAKHULU! Klaar!
Frigate birds (so now you know!)
Source: Wikipedia (edited)
Frigate birds are found over tropical oceans and ride warm updrafts. They are therefore often spotted riding weather fronts and can signal changing weather patterns. [We hope this is a good sign for our Pete – he needs a bit of change!]
They are large sea birds with long wings (the male’s wingspan can reach 2.3 metres), iridescent black feathers and deeply-forked tails. Having the largest wingspan to body weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week, landing only to roost or breed on trees or cliffs. Frigate birds do not swim. They produce very little oil and therefore do not land in the ocean. They cannot walk well, and cannot take off from a flat surface.
Lacking the ability to take off from water, they snatch prey from the ocean surface or beach using their long, hooked bills. They catch fish, especially flying fish, baby turtles and similar foods in this way. Frigate birds will rob other seabirds of their catch, using their speed and manoeuvrability to outrun and harass their victims until they regurgitate their stomach contents. Although frigate birds are renowned for their kleptoparasitic feeding behavior, this is only a supplement to food obtained by hunting.
The gular sac is used as part of a courtship display and is perhaps the most striking frigate bird feature. They lay one or two white eggs. Both parents take turns feeding for the first three months but then only the mother feeds the young for another eight months. It takes so long to rear a chick that frigate birds cannot breed every year. It is typical to see juveniles as big as their parents waiting to be fed. When they sit waiting for endless hours in the hot sun, they assume an energy-efficient posture in which their head hangs down, and they sit so still that they seem dead. But when the parent returns, they will wake up, bob their head, and scream until the parent opens its mouth. The hungry juvenile plunges its head down the parent's throat and feeds at last.
Update from Kim 3 Mar 10
Peter is experiencing very frustrating conditions at the moment – the wind is perfect for downwind rowing, the kind of day that would have allowed Peter and Liberty Nyamezela to clock up record mileage close to 60m - but for the 1.5 knots of current against. It seems that many of the other boats in his vicinity are experiencing similar conditions. He is still being followed by frigate birds which are good travelling companions.
Update from Cliffy 1 Mar 10
Happy new month everyone! Pete has spent the whole of January, and now the whole of February at sea. There’s a good chance that the whole of March will go that way too.
The past few days have seen Pete doing really low mileage as a result of head winds and head currents, on those oily, flat seas. Those of you who are blob watchers will see that Pete has moved south … TJ our weather man has done it again and put Pete back in the wind. The reason Pete is going south is because the wind is going to come from the SW. This means Liberty Nyamezela will get blown north and we don’t Pete to be too high up when the next lot of iffy weather hits him in about four days. When he called me today he said that he was looking forward to some wind from his behind. I am sure he wasn't referring to the food!
Kim is well and is feeling a lot happier now that her man is on the move. There was a lovely bit of writing from the crew of No Fear boat:
‘Yesterday we met up with the boat Nyamezela rowed by Peter the bird mender (he took on board an injured storm petrel and allowed it stay until it recovered). Looking at Pete with his bushy wild beard, I'm not sure he didn't have minds of eating it but the bird escaped before the frying pan came out... .
Anyhow, … only an hour or so later, after we left him to his own devices, we heard Pete calling us on the VHF over which we had been in communication the last three or so years. On many of those occasions, Pete’s radio could transmit better than ours. Therefore we could hear him but he could not receive us … something to do with our aerial....Anyhow, we heard him calling us, but we were simply out of range,,, Could someone send him a message from us (No Fear) saying “stop behaving like Dr Doolittle and get on with the rowing.. a beer will be ready and waiting good luck steve and rich”.’
Update from Kim 1 Mar 10
Liberty Nyamezela has been followed for most of the day by two frigate birds. Pete reckons they have eaten kilograms of flying fish during the course of the day - he keeps expecting them to tumble out of the sky from sheer heaviness but they seem insatiable! It has been a good day of rowing – Pete had the wind on Liberty Nyamezela’s stern and did 10 nm in his first session. However, by sunset the wind had dropped and the current was pushing Liberty Nyamezela north again.
For avid blob-watchers (Pete and Liberty Nyamezela being turquoise), position updates are available on www.atlanticrowingrace09.com at the following times: Position at 13.00 GMT - check in at 15.50 pm SA time Position at 19.00 GMT check in at about 21.55 pm SA time Position at 01.00 GMT check in at about 04.00 am SA time Position at 07.00 GMT check in at about 9.55 am SA time Currently: Pete and Liberty Nyamezela are lying 16th in the fleet overall, after Mission Atlantic (fours boat) put in some good miles and climbed the table. Pete is second in the solo class behind Charlie Pitcher and JJ (already finished). 816 nm to go. Next solo rower, Brooksy on Team Panasonic is 85 nm behind Pete.
Update from Kim 28 Feb 10
Pete had some awesome fish experiences today - he rescued a fish (it looked like a parrot fish but apparently isn’t) which was trapped in a large plastic crate (how bizarre – Pete can’t see how it got in there) and he saw a dorado take a flying fish in mid air! Pete reckons that Liberty Nyamezela is so still (free of rocking) that it feels as if he is on land but she is drifting SE in a very strong current. It is full moon at the moment and the sun setting, followed by the moon rise is very, very beautiful.
Liberty Nyamezela crossed the path of a grain ship, the Asian Grace, on its way to Caribbean. It should be there in two days - how depressing!
Update from Cliffy 26 Feb 10
I’m learning some major lessons from this race. Last week I was in East London and spent time with Kim and Hannah. For the first time, although we’ve been in comms all along, I got a real sense of what this race means for Kim.
One evening, late, I answered the phone and it was Pete. I handed over the phone to Kim and witnessed how she lovingly gave her energy to her man, calm voice and firm. Pete was on para anchor once again - it’d been up and down for both Pete and Kim while the weather’s not played ball. When Pete’s rowing and making distance, he feels and sounds positive. Yeee haa! Not so when he’s stuck going nowhere. If there’s one thing that has really made him feel disheartened it’s when the weather has left Liberty Nyamezela lolling about in a mirror calm sea. It gets hot, there’s no escaping the sun (the cabin provides no respite from the heat), and often the current is running the wrong way.
It’s so easy to stand on the sidelines and judge what’s going on … my own immediate response is to try and help. Whereas I had a short spurt as ‘virtual rowing partner’ during an earlier becalming now I see it is Kim who is on the boat with him. With this the person closest to his heart and constantly in his mind, he tells of his discomfort and pain, of the effects of the heat, his worn body, his loneliness, his helplessness before the windless, glassy conditions which a weather report is forecasting to last much longer.
When the handset is replaced, Kim is left with a handful of sketchy information and not too many answers to all the questions. The call is necessarily brief – the cost of sat calls is very high, and the sponsorship generously offered by Radio Holland and Stratos is limited. So, how is Pete really? Is he safe? How bad is it really? She then gets a call from a friend who wants to check on her, and talk about Pete and ‘be there’ for her. It must be too much at times … as she’s also caring for her and Pete’s four-year-old-going-on-five. Kim is always patient but it must be phenomenally stressful. Life goes on … Hannah has school and activities, there’s a house to run, admin to sort out, work enquiries, making decisions. And then, to mess with any routine that she’s set up, a trip to PE to an interview at the British High Commission to arrange visas for the trip to collect Pete – a two-day trip with her daughter, and her mom. The bakkie had a slow puncture, but its full effects are only detected between towns during the early evening drive. The spare wheel is jammed up underneath the bakkie and Kim has no way of getting the flat wheel inflated. Nerves of steel. Kim must be having almost as lonely a journey as Pete. She is surrounded by people, family and friends but she’s alone.
Pete has been having it rough the last week. He has had currents against him and oily oceans again. This is the most debilitating rowing. He puts out his para anchor and drifts east back the way he has just come, or north where he doesn’t want to go. Hard earned miles wrenched back by the sea. Charlie has finished and the solo winner is decided. At the point where Pete reached 900 nm to go, the miles were supposed to pass faster. After all there are now only three figures to knock off. No, the weather hasn’t played ball and the fleet, and Pete, is suffering the effects of being on the water longer than expected. We all know his resilience will help push him through and drive him to the finish line. He has to rely on his ability to pick himself up and go on. The epic journey has now really begun. Pete was hoping to finish in 50 days and now, but now knows that this cannot happen for another 20 to 25 days (weather dependent).
Update from Kim 25 Feb 10
It seems that after 53 days of grind, most of the fleet are back on para anchor again. Peter has been trying to cope with a light headwind and with 3 knots of current pushing him North and backwards. It is excruciating to row into these conditions and three hours of hard rowing will produce as little as 2 miles of progress. A short 90 minute rest will see boats (especially solos) drifting backwards 3 miles. The problem with being out at sea rowing (12 hours plus) for 50 plus days in such extreme conditions is that one's mind and body begin to suffer extreme fatigue and the ability to recover reduces daily as reserves are severely depleted.
Peter has become used to his new existence although he says he feels as if he is an animal rather than a man at the moment. He comes out of his hole (the cabin), sniffs the air and tests the conditions, rows, sweats, eats, goes back into his hole ... and so it goes hour after hour, day after day. When I asked him what kind of animal he thought he was he was very definite: Wild Mike from the movie "Barnyard". If you dont know what Wild Mike looks like do yourself a favour and watch the movie - he is a hilarious shaggy fur ball with skinny arms and shins emerging from the fuzz. Underneath the fuzz Peter is trying to treat salt sores and cracked palms (like cracked heels but on your hands!), lower back agony and tendonitis together with the intense emotional pain of longing for his family.
It is at this stage particularly that the race becomes a mental rather than a physical test of endurance. It is critical that he is able to find positive answers to questions like "why am I doing this?" This is when messages of motivation or news of donations to Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf make all the difference. So please keep your messages and donations coming!
Summary 24 Feb 10
Yesterday Pete was 50 days at sea - on his own (but not alone - because we're all here for him!). He's had two brief visits from Ocean Planet (support yacht) and the guys from Spirit of Montanaro. Pete now has under 900 nm to row. (888 nm as at 1.00 GMT)
Update from Kim 23 Feb 10
Pete is now in his 50th day of rowing, has covered two-thirds of the total distance and has approximately 900 nautical miles to go. The 2010 Woodvale Atlantic Race will go on record as being the slowest ever due to extremely adverse weather conditions and virtual lack of trade winds.
Depending on weather conditions over the next weeks, the remaining distance will take anything between three and five weeks.
Peter reckons Monday was the hardest day of rowing yet. Picture this: Liberty Nyamezela is trying to move west, while battling an easterly current, contending with huge north-west swells as well as south-east swell and a 20 knot south-east wind. As a result the sea is wild and all over the place. The good news is that Peter had another visit from about 20 dolphins at sunset.
His current audio book (which once again makes him feel as if rowing the Atlantic is a luxurious walk in the park) is about Robert Scott, English Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions. During his second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that they had been preceded by Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian expedition.
Although Peter is in decent physical health, he has lost a lot of weight, has an enormous beard, has severe tendonitis in some of his fingers and is getting salt sores under his arms.
Update from Bill Godfrey 22 Feb 10
Downhill all the way!
Now that Pete has passed the 1,000 nm-to-go point, I personally am a lot less stressed. Seeing the GPS “distance to destination” window drop from four digits to three is a massive psychological boost … well, it was last time anyway!
Up until now, emotions are up and down like a yo-yo, but now they seem to be a bit more (not a lot) but a bit more stable. The expression “all down hill from here” is quite pertinent and the miles seem to fall off the screen as you labour your way across the vast expanse of water.
Knowing that boost that Pete must be feeling now puts me at ease. The feeling of “this is never going to end” becomes less, as a bad day at the office gets better as you approach the end of the day. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just that little push for the finish (a chip and a putt as Pete would put it) and our boy will be sucking down an icy cold beer and sinking his teeth into a juicy steak once again.
However, as we all know, going down hill requires some composure and it is easy to become complacent. Before you know it, you can hit a speed wobble and things can all go wrong. One thing that I know for sure is that Pete will stay focused and rational. This is the same focus and rationality that has got him this far and will keep him going to the end. I can only imagine how Pete feels out there on his own. At least before he had my bad jokes and body odour to remind him that there was other life on the planet.
Although everything aches and every time you climb out of the cabin you look west for a hint of land, you feel almost bullet-proof … as tough as you possibly could be. The tendons in your hands ache. Your hands have lost sensation and feel as if you are wearing surgical gloves. Your fingers and feet are swollen and your skin is like the hide of an Nguni bull. Your stomach is probably just as tough and you inhale your food just to get it down as quickly as you can … eating can become a chore. You are living in your own time zone and irrespective of the time of day, there is time for rest and time to row. Every stroke that you take is one further along “Shirley’s Boulevard” (the name Pete and I gave the line on the GPS directing us to the finish at Shirley Point) and you take longer strokes to try and get there sooner.
For the first time in the race, the accomplishment of rowing across an ocean and getting to the other side is tangible. This is also where complacency can get the better of you. Fortunately, complacency isn’t in Pete’s vocabulary and he will be doing everything to ensure his safe and swift passage to be reunited with his family and friends.
PS: Pete… Don’t shout at the sea!
Update from Cliffy 19 Feb 10
After the last few days of good distances, and speed, the brief interlude with the crew of Spirit of Montanaro and the successful fishing of a 3 kg dorado yesterday (catch and release - Pete is hungry for company, not sushi, it appears), today Pete has again received hugely conflicting weather reports. On the one hand, a message from the organisers that the weather for the next few weeks will be great for rowing, and on the other, from top weather forecasters, that there simply won't be any wind to benefit the rowers in any form at all … for the rest of the race, nogal. The former, of course, raises one's hopes that he'll make land sooner rather than later. The latter makes one's heart plummet: he'll make land considerably later than sooner. Remember Pete’s pervading thoughts are now about the challenges that are preventing him back from getting home. Today’s oily, still sea conditions play havoc with his energy levels and his well-being. He wants wind on Liberty Nyamezela’s stern. And lots of it.
We're back to encouraging Pete to not look beyond 24 hours on the weather front. The last unfavourable nine-day forecast proved incorrect ... hopefully it'll be incorrect this time too. Hold thumbs. While the big systems are moving across the north Atlantic, like fire monsters (check out www.passageweather.com and click on 'animate' and you'll see what I mean), the position of the majority of the fleet means that they may end up in the limbo created by these systems.
Dave Brooks (Brooksy) was sneaking up on Pete a week ago and then Pete made a good getaway. The calm, glassy seas that Pete has rowed in today haven't yet found their way to Brooksy - so the sneaking is taking place again. We will have to keep an eye on this man - he is young and hungry and has something to prove. This is where the solo race will be. Brooksy is rowing the same design boat as Pete, although it is not made of the same materials. Brooksy is well positioned and he does not have, as he put it, anything tying him to home like a wife and kid so his head is free. I predict that this could get really exciting. Knowing Pete Brooksy is going to have to work really hard and Pete will make him do just that.
Tracey and I have come to East London on business and are lucky enough to be able to stay with Kim and Hannah. We are about to head off to the halfway supper party – although Pete passed the halfway mark last week, and is now into his two-thirds of the distance. Liberty Nyamezela should be under 1000 nm to Antigua by the time Bill Godfrey raises the toast to him later tonight.
The longer I spend with this amazing family the more I realise how Kim and Pete are a formidable partnership. They are so supportive of each other, it’s something to behold. Kim keeps the home and family running, while keeping a husband who needs her every ounce of support. Kim has her own training to do but she juggles everything while giving time, love and energy to Hannah. On top of it all she has had masses of friends to stay, and manages to stay patient, kind and generous with her time for others.
The race is entering its final stage and this brings new stresses. When to book the tickets for the end, how long will it take, visas and travelling with a 4 year old. All this to get to a husband who is going to be completely exhausted and in need of TLC. This race has been a lesson in what it takes to be an adventurer. Support, undying love from your spouse and the willingness to put your lives through hell to be able to say ‘I did it’ and ‘We did it’ and ‘We’ve done it and we will never do it again’.
(Remember that Pete is doing this for charity – please make a donation to his cause. Details are on the Charity page – it’s as easy as making an EFT deposit to the Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf Eastern Cape’s bank account.)
Update from Kim 18 Feb 10
Peter has received amazing messages of encouragement during this race and they are really one of the things that keep him going. This message from Ester Wiid made his day - being able to motivate other people to understand their endless potential is one of the things he really hope to achieve during this race. Thanks Ester for the great message!
From: Ester Wiid
Good morning Pete! I promised to tell you my dedication story today ... well, the entire 2009 I was playing with the idea of trying my luck at Triathlon. As for many people the swimming leg was the one I was not ciomfortable with as I have never swum before, can only splash at best! About 8 weeks ago I decided to take part in my first off road TRI on 14 Feb. I decided to dedicate my race to you and boy, did I have fun! I just thought to myself if you can row week after week, surely I can spend some time in the river battling the small (actually minute compared to the sea) waves! The river was in flood two weeks ago and still a bit rough, but I completed every stage successfully thanks to your inspiration! I know a TRI is nothing compared to what you are doing but my race yesterday was in honour of your brave attempt and just a small gesture from my side to say KEEP ROWING, your are a brave an courageous man who inspires us all! You are a LEGEND!!! and in today's world we need more people like you! Have a super week!!! My medal is yours!!! All the best my friend!
Update from Cliffy 16 Feb 10
The almost impossible happened yesterday. Pete met up with James and Adam (crew of the Spirit of Montanaro) in the middle of the ocean and they had some quality time together. It’s been good to hear Pete express his excitement about being able to see hear and communicate face to face with not just one but two human beings. It must have felt like Christmas for a man who has been alone for six weeks.
Pete’s boatspeed has improved and he has pulled away from the pairs boat and is jostling for position 13. It never ceases to amaze me how sportspeople underestimate the importance of emotional energy. We fill ourselves with all sorts of powders and concoctions but seldom do the same for our emotions and to have Pete get a good emotional injection of ‘people steroids’ in the middle of the ocean has done wonders to our man’s drive to get to the finish. A concern is that for every up there is usually a down and the feeling or anticlimax of having to part with ‘the Spirit’ (as the crew is now known) must have been very difficult. I could not help thinking about how, when we let our feelings be known and make ourselves vulnerable and open, often our prayers are answered. Two boats, a huge ocean and a chance meeting … yeah right! According to the Woodvale site, the fleet is now spread out over 150 000 km2, an area larger than Great Britain, and three men found solace in each other’s company … warriors of the oceans connected.
Kim reported today that the ram of Pete’s autohelm failed – fortunately he has a spare and, after that was fitted, it was back to rowing. He is speaking to Gordon Graham at 3.30 pm today (as he does every Tuesday) on Radio Algoa (East London studio). Unfortunately there isn’t streaming for the EL studio but if you’re in the area remember to tune in.
Update from Cliffy 15 Feb 10
Pete called this morning at 00.30 (that’s 20.00 Pete time). He sounded very calm and focused but then he said, “Hey, Cliff, I get lonely out here. Man, it gets quiet. When I climb out of my cabin to row I get so worried about what I have to think about for the next few hours. It's the one thing that’s really hard to cope with.”
The absolute isolation of one man, one boat, one huge ocean. The tin can in the washing machine worked as a metaphor for a while – especially during the rollicking storm systems that came through earlier in the race – but this current challenge is difficult to describe. Pete climbs out of the cabin to nothing but the ocean, and the sounds of his own thoughts in his head and his own voice. In the last few days Pete and Liberty Nyamezela haven’t even enjoyed the company of some of the spectacularly beautiful Atlantic wildlife.
A few weeks ago Moose and I had a filming session where we called Pete. Afterwards there was this odd silence. "Hey, Moose, I have just put the phone down and I can see you and talk to you. Pete puts his handset down and cuts himself off the outside world and has nobody to share his feelings with other than himself.’ That’s why I was delighted to hear today that when Pete found that pairs boat Spirit of Montanaro was only a mile away, he decided to row over for a visit. Cuppa tea? Unlikely. The crews aren’t allowed to give anything to one another – that’s counted as ‘outside support’ and can result in a time penalty. They will, I’m sure, be glad to see each other – and swap tales of their experiences all the same. [Edit: From Kim - Pete just had some maatjies over for a chat! So excited to see each other after no human contact (other than the support yacht very briefly a month ago) for 6 weeks! They spent half an hour together chatting, admiring each others beards and swopping war stories. Adam and James are well and seem to be getting on great and are in good spirits. All too soon Pete was on his way again! How awesome to have a visit in the middle of the Atlantic!]
The weather has not played along with Pete in this race and Tjaart has had to work flat out to keep Pete moving forward and getting the most out of what is out there. Pete has had to do some serious work. This can be seen on the Progress section of the Woodvale site – check out Liberty Nyamezela’s progress … Pete’s routing has been far more direct and no loops while Pete was at para-anchor. This can be attributed to TJ and Pete and some great teamwork and trust.
The other day, Tracey, who works alongside me with these blogs and makes my scramble of sentences and my shocking spelling and grammar something you can understand, said to me, “Hey, Cliffy, what are we going to do when Pete finishes this race?” I felt a pang of fear because this adventure has become such a part of our lives, and of all those that are following this race. That said let me reassure you when this race is over the beginning of the next leg begins. The first thing is the road trip to show Liberty Nyamezela off and for Pete to meet and thank his supporters in person. Moose will start editing the movie and will be including a lot of footage from the boat’s cameras. Hopefully Pete will have a chance to settle down and write about the adventure too.
In the meantime, there’s still a race to be had. Pete has opened up some good distance on nearest solo competitor Dave Brooks (Brooksy) on Team Panasonic. And there’s still time for Pete to raise money for his charity, the Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf. This Friday there’s a dinner at Neil Emslie Centre at Selborne College (excellent Chinese fare) and on Saturday there’s the Big Shout for Pete at 12.45 pm at Hemingway’s Mall Food Court – after the rowing challenge. East Londoners have been amazing in supporting Pete’s race. If you’re likely to be in the area, contact Simone at careldutoitcentre@gmail.com for your invitation to both these events. And, of course, even if you can’t make these fundraisers, Carel du Toit would really appreciate your donation.
Update from Cliffy 13 Feb 10
It’s been a tough week. Team Pete has been busy with strategy changes and weather reports and figuring out how to give our man the best possible information to keep things real and accurate.
As an extreme ocean rower Pete obviously has to endure physical pain and discomfort but I think now that the first half (distance) is over the real test is how to endure emotional pain. Pete, and all the other rowers, count on the easterly winds (on their sterns) and currents to help them along. Anything that does not contribute to Pete’s forward progress, or the prospect of something that will affect his progress (like a long-term weather forecast of no wind or breeze for nine days), can demotivate him. Pete may experience these moments of being down but he has the amazing ability to move this energy to a positive place and move forward – even if Liberty Nyamezela isn’t. Pete makes a plan and in so doing he endures and rows through the tough times. (How well-named is his boat?)
So, our man Pete is an endurance athlete of note but he is also on his own – and has been so for a long time now. He hasn’t seen another human in many weeks – the last time was when the support yacht swung by to check on him. He has no one else with whom to discuss Liberty Nyamezela’s or his performance, other than Kim and Team Pete at the end of a necessarily brief sat phone call (thanks again to sat phone provider, Radio Holland, and Stratos for this service).
On a pairs boat the tension can be released with one’s partner who, although he or she is literally in the same boat, is also experiencing the race in his or her own way. At least, even if it’s negative, there’s someone nearby to help ‘debrief’ the rower. In the 2007/8 race with Bill Godfrey, the two defused pressure by ensuring that they had the other rower’s best interests at heart and, no matter what, they gave at least one positive comment to each other after each shift – hence the term ‘90 minutes closer to Antigua’ (now the title of Pete and Bill’s DVD). Well, Pete has no partner onboard this time – and I am his new ‘virtual rowing partner’. I have the better position, at this time, as I actually have to do no rowing at all. But, at the end of Pete’s last late shift (at 03h40 SA time) he sends me an sms along the lines of 180 minutes closer to Antigua YEE HA! I respond by going to my computer to send him a barrage of positive, encouraging smses. And an update of how he’s done better than target – as he inevitably does. The result is that Pete goes to sleep after his late shift after hearing some news, not completely alone.
To see what happens, and what can unfold onboard between two members of a pairs crew, visit British team Lia and Mick’s Oarsome Challenge blog. It is an awesomely (sorry, terrible pun!) honest and candid diary of how people who are ‘lucky’ enough to have someone else to irritate them, work through their often precarious relationship. Pete has only himself, and we all know how much worse our thoughts are to cope with when we don’t have someone else to bounce them off.
Update from Jules 9 Feb 10
When Pete first started the race the plan was to row 90 minutes on and rest for the same amount of time, repeating this for 24 hours. Lately, he has been faced with such a strong headwind that he started rowing 4 x 3 hour shifts with 90 minute breaks in between - this has made more sense because putting the para-anchor in and out is very time consuming and it didn’t make sense to do it every 90 minutes. Pete has found that this also allows for a longer uninterrupted sleep at night. The sea is still very choppy and the wind is constantly changing from SE to NE and back to SE, which is very frustrating. Yesterday hewas also rowing against about 1 knot of current but things have improved since then. He is getting much more forward motion today.
A weather update has revealed that another system is developing and coming my way. His goal for now is to get as far South as possible to try and avoid this. Go to www.passageweather.com, click on the Atlantic Ocean passage on the home page and you can watch an animation of the weather system forming and coming toward his position. Big swells and big winds – not friendly stuff. Followed, possibly, by some more airless conditions at the weekend.
Update from Cliffy 8 Feb 10
You’re running but going nowhere. You know that every step forward is two backward. The wild animal is close behind. The hair on your neck pricks up and suddenly you are awake and the nightmare is real. …
You will notice that Pete has dropped back quite a lot in the last few days - this mainly due to the weather and rowing in an ocean of syrup, every stroke feeling like a tablespoon in a golden syrup bucket, the boat not gliding like it should. Pete is heading south-west now. He had been too high north after the storm and was hooked in a system that did not affect the other rowers like it affected him.
Rowing rhythm is found and lost. The wind, or lack of it, and current over the weekend was against Pete, keeping him at sea longer than he planned. The ocean is sucking every spare inch of energy from Pete but he needs to row on knowing that, although Charlie is now 250 nm beyond the nearest boat (pairs crew on Karukera), and 500 nm from Pete, there is now his mate Dave Brooks on Team Panasonic on the horizon … only 74 nm away. This is what Dave Brooks wrote on Saturday:
“Had a very nice surprise this avo in the form of a sat phone call from Peter Van Kets. Was great to hear from him and good that he's fit and healthy and enjoying himself! Although I had a very saddening confession to make to him. Before we left La Gomera we'd been playing the game where 4 people stick their hands through the plastic loops that hold beer cans together, then you pull away all together and whoever is left with the rings still attached has to leave it on for 24 hrs. Me and Pete both got done and in our state of non-sobriety decided to make a pact to leave them on until Antigua, where they'd be re-united. You can imagine my horror when I looked at my wrist the other day to see that it was gone, must have been snagged on deck. What was worse was having to tell Pete and hear that he still has his....gutted! I've failed you bru! My round in English Harbour then ay?”
Although Pete has obviously chosen to row Liberty Nyamezela, his “woman” of choice for now, Pete cannot wait to hold his Kim and Hannah again. He is almost to the halfway mark, but there are still many days left on the water. Pete is 100% committed and continues to try and keep positive but he is burning inside and out. The temperature is 40 deg in the sun and the cabin offers no respite. He has no shade from which to take refuge (if he used anything to make shade it would be construed as a ‘sail’ and the result would be disqualification as per the race rules).
Pete’s hands and body are burning and his back aches. It’s his mission to see another person as soon as he can that drives him on. While we hold thumbs for better conditions remember Pete isn’t able to hold his thumbs. Eina!
Update from Kim (and Pete) weekend of 6 and 7 Feb 10
Very hot, very hard, very relentless Friday - thank heavens for the big pilot whale that came to visit 20m from Liberty Nyamezela!
Pete battled to row into a light south-westerly headwind, with the current running against him. As you will see from his progress (or lack thereof!) he would row 2 miles in 90 minutes and will then go backwards 3 miles while he rested. Obviously this is very frustrating and demotivating. Although the progress of the pairs and fours is also affected by the wind, there is always someone rowing so they continue to move forward albeit more slowly than usual.
Pete‘s strategy was to row for 3 hours, then put his para anchor out for a 90 minute break, work to take the para in and then then row again for 3 hours and so on for the rest of the day - lots of effort for very little return.
Pete's description of Sat 6 Feb: "The sea and the sky and the dolphins are beautiful beyond description - but I keep thinking of the troops in Vietnam or those in the South Pacific during World War 2: in paradise and hell at the same time. I am in the most beautiful place in the world but virtually unable to appreciate it as I am fighting a savage battle against the elements with the odds stacked very much against me today!"
By Sunday evening conditions slightly improved in that there was now a very light ENE breeze and the current eased up. Another hot hard day of rowing 3 hour shifts with very little in the way of wildlife.
Update from Julian 4 Feb 10
Pete was visited by a school of about 30 spinner dolphins at sunset which was the highlight of his day yesterday! He lost his favourite hat overboard but has two extra onboard Liberty Nyamezela so there is no need for concern on that front. He has no shade at all when out on Liberty Nyamezela (a cover of any kind would be construed as a ‘sail’ and this is against race rules – this is a rowing race, after all). Pete has so much facial hair now that ultra violet rays are struggling to penetrate the growth.
Today, the sea is very choppy and is coming from all sides. This makes it very hard to row as it is hard to get leverage with both oars at the same time. Another frustration is that rogue waves come bashing into Pete every once in a while, which totally catch him off guard. Regardless he has done some high mileage. There has been no real wildlife to report on. A few birds overhead but nothing major. He did come across an enormous buoy with a long pole fixed to it with a light and radar reflector fixed to the pole. He thinks it may be from a long line fishing vessel.
Pete is missing his wife and daughter tremendously. It is apparently the same feeling he had when rowing with Bill two years ago, but Pete says he will never get use to it. To take his mind off them, he has worked out approximately how long it is going to take him to reach Antigua. He is predicting that it’ll take another 30 to 40 days. I am 1592 nautical miles away from Antigua but every stroke is one more closer to seeing Kim and Hannah.
Update from Kim 3 Feb 10
I have been following one of the pairs teams with avid curiosity. Mick's original partner withdrew from the race a couple of weeks before the originally intended start date. Mick (a middle aged family man with a stable job) found Lia (29, single, professional sailor and artist) via a friend and facebook and they decided to team up for the Woodvale Race. An awesome challenge indeed! The pair hardly knew each other when they set off and come from very different worlds. Not surprisingly they experienced rather a lot of conflict in the first weeks and their blog has made riveting reading. It’s interesting to see that they have used some advice from Peter (through Cliffy) and Bill and that things appear to be going a lot better! Here is an extract from a recent blog:
"The remaining 1692 miles looms like an impossibly large number, but our spirits are high, our manners have improved and we’ve been practising being kind to each other! One suggestion we received was from the Van Ket’s camp (Pete is rowing solo this race). Last race Pete and Bill Godfrey won the pairs class and at oar change-over they made a pact to exchange several positive words. One example given was, “Hey Bill! I got you 90 minutes closer to Antigua” and Bill had to respond with something grateful and positive like, “Yee Ha!” or “Thanks Pete!” So we’ve started saying something along those lines and apart from being mildly comical in that American drive-thru ‘Now, you have yourself a nice day!’ superficial way, I like it and I think it will help."
Pete is making steady progress today, there is a very light N Easterly wind which he is hoping will pick up in a day or two. The swell is being cooperative and he is being visited regularly by birds and flying fish (another one landed on the deck earlier.) All in all, things are looking good and he should be at the half way mark by Tues or Wed next week if all continues to go well.
Update from Julian 2 Feb 10
Yesterday, Pete was followed for about 30 minutes by a pair of albatross, which circled above him and flew down to check him out. According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ (1798), being followed by an albatross is generally considered an omen of good luck. This is exactly what he need to catch Charlie. He has a good wind behind him and it's blowing him slightly south which should work in his favour. According to a statistician (thanks Shane Exley) on Mr. Pitcher’s website, Charlie has completed 49% of the journey to date and Pete has completed 33% of the journey. You can check it out on - http://www.transatlanticsolo.com/statistics.php. It shows how much work Pete needs to now do to catch his rival.
Update from Julian 1 Feb 10
The continued bad weather has now severely hampered fleet record attempts, including that of Pete’s friend, Charlie Pitcher on JJ – the solo record of 42 days is now almost certainly out of reach.
The low pressure system affecting the fleet is now moving East towards the Canary Islands. The wind direction has started to change from an Easterly wind to a Northerly one and Pete has decided to start rowing South in an attempt to escape the bad weather. Pete got back on the oars at 2pm this afternoon. He had a difficult morning trying to pull in his para anchor (the anchor rope had become tangled with the retrieval rope) and it was a 2 hour tug-of-war with the ocean. There was a time that Pete thought he should just cut the para anchor rope but he managed to get it sorted out, although his repaired hands are back to sore. Pete is still experiencing big seas but the weather is finally calming.
To give you an idea of what it was like trying to row in the storm, young David Brooks described it well, “I was of the mind that I wanted to be certain that being on the para anchor was the only option available to me, so I hauled it in and then had a row for an hour into the weather. 1 hour's progress saw me move 500ft in the right direction, then I stopped to have a quick drink and scratch my back and I drifted back 800 yards! A Complete farce!”
Simon update from Kim 31 Jan 10 (and an update about Pete too)
Simon emerged from the corner he had been huddling in all day at about midnight, hopped around the cabin, climbed over Pete, had a sip of water and then clearly communicated that he didnt think the accomodation was up to scratch and that he ws keen to be on his way. Pete explained that conditions were horrendous and that it would be wiser to stay put, but Simon was determined. Peter opened the hatch a fraction and Simon made a burst for freedom. Peter was very sad to see him go and hopes he will be back to visit...
Last night Peter experienced the worst conditions to date, 30 knots of wind, 6 - 8m swells. He kept expecting the boat to capsize and didnt sleep a wink - partly due to worrying about Simon and partly because he was being tossed around non-stop. He is still sounding positive (how? how?) and is hoping to be rowing again by late afternoon tomorrow.
and later
Pete is meant to be celebrating New Year's Eve tonight - pity all his tiny bottles of Drambuie are down the hatch already! Still, it seems that he may be on his way again by tomorrow so that is reason enough to celebrate. Conditions are still bad, but it is predicted to blow Northerly from tomorrow afternoon. Pete is hoping to clean Liberty Nyamezela's bottom before he sets off again if the sea calms down sufficiently to allow. He is pleased to report that all his blisters have healed and been replaced by calluses. Peter has been anxiously scanning the horizon, but to date there has been no further sign of Simon. Enormous thanks from Pete to all the people who have phoned him and sent him messages over the last few day - it is SO appreciated!
Pete is delighted to have just had a long chat with Charlie Pitcher - he (Charlie) managed to do a bit of rowing today (because he is so far West conditions are different to what they are for the rest of the fleet) but he is now back on para anchor, probably for at least tonight. Still no sign of Simon.....
Update from Cliff 30 Jan 10
It’s hot outside … moist, sticky heat … the air is thick and there’s wind ... lots of it. There are huge waves crashing right over Liberty Nyamezela – and the cabin hatch is closed so inside it’s just getting hotter, and stuffier.
To open the hatch to let in air means that there’s a good chance that a wave will come in too, and inundate the boat. At the very least it threatens the sensitive electronic equipment that Pete uses to navigate and communicate.
The storm that Pete is experiencing is not the type of storm that we might look forward to … no cosy couch, fire burning, good book or remote in hand, blankie and hot chocolate. No … nothing like that. Let’s go back to that tin can analogy. Imagine being alone in a can inside a washing machine, again. This time the water is warm, and the heat is getting turned up. It’s dark in there, in that washing machine. What to do? Watch a movie? Read? Well, the fact is that all you want to do is get out that tin can and row. Instead you’re stuck inside. It's getting hotter and stickier and the minutes just drag by. You can't cook because your cooker is outside and you will get burned or lose it should the boat roll too much. The treats in the Dankie Tannie pakkies that you were enjoying are now getting a little too sweet.
The sat phone is your lifeline. It connects you to the outside world. It’s a handheld entertainment tool as incoming smses lift your spirits, until you’re dropped by the realization that you are on your own (although not alone). Phone calls lift you … and then drop you. The battery power sustains … and then drops as the sun’s power weakens behind the grey clouds. Waves lift and drop you. Your whole world is hanging … tumbling … getting lifted up and dropped, your emotions are fragile. All you want to do is row because you’re a competitor, and although its painful to do, anything is better than this damp, moist, view-less cabin - and anything is better than getting blown backwards over miles, hard earned with your sweat.
Last night a little brown bird landed on Liberty Nyamezela, and fell into the footwell. Pete rescued it and now has ‘Simon’ in his cabin. We are all hoping it will recover. The bird is named Simon after Paul Simon and Ladismith Black Mambazo’s song ‘Homeless’ which Pete and I harmonized often when we were preparing Liberty Nyamezela in La Gomera.
I don’t know about you but I find birds are little gifts. No matter where you are in life, there will be a bird (of the feathered variety) somewhere to lift your spirits. Pete now has a creature to nurture, something else to worry about other than himself. Long live the little birdie … and let’s hope he’ll be on his way to … well, wherever, in due course.
Update from Kim 29 Jan 10
Pete's sat phone ran out of battery late last night and he is waiting for some sun so that he can get everything charged again. Note that the sun (if there is any) only rises at about 9 am Pete time (11am RSA time).
And then later: two massive waves broke over Peter's boat while I was talking to him and it seems that squalls and 35 knot winds are predicted for the rest of today. Pete is very uncomfortable at the moment from being constantly flung around his cabin, his lower back is very painful and he is finding it very unpleasant to keep his hatches closed - his choices are unbearably hot and stuffy or soking wet! Nevertheless he is in good spirits and is delighted to be half way through the storm already (hopefully!) He is also relieved not to be sharing his already cramped cabin with another rower, as all the pairs and fours are having to do. He is very grateful to everyone for their messages and asks that you please keep them coming!
And from the Race Bridge:
The fleet continue to suffer with adverse weather, having lost nearly 100nm between them through day 24. With most of the fleet on para anchor crews become passengers in the ocean, and as a result over 2/3 of crews have lost ground to the finish.
In conditions such as these where waves come from all angles, the boat moves and lists in a very unpredictable and unstable manner. This means that although competitors have learnt and accepted how to move around and get into or out of the cabins through the first few weeks of the race, mother nature then decides to throw a curve ball and disrupt these well learnt processes. All of a sudden, getting into and out of a cabin becomes even more troublesome.
Competitors will also be faced with terrible living conditions, far worse than the previous 3 weeks. The risks of having a cabin hatch ajar have been well documented. Water in the cabin is one of the worst issues –taking away any possibility of comfort and can obviously effect the electronic equipment onboard. But in leaving the hatch closed, cabin temperature will rapidly rise and create a very humid environment. Furthermore, being in even closer confinement, crew members will undoubtedly irritate and anger each other – competitors will need to learn to control and manage their psychological state even more so to enable them to continue progress when the weather turns.
When in these conditions the morale of a crew can really plummet – especially as crews are unable to determine how other crews in the fleet are performing. It is really important to try and put the race to one side and focus on the challenge that they set out to complete. Crews can only control the controlables and make best use of all other skills and attributes in order to succeed.
Update from Cliff 27 Jan 10
This time the proverbial poo poo has hit the fleet and if you check the distances done in the last 24 hours, most of the rowers are down in the late teens, early twenties. TJ, our weather man, tried to put Pete as far south as possible but he has not escaped the storm. An sms from Pete at 4 am read: 'At para anchor now. Current same direction as wind. Heading north.' Pete is wanting to head south or west, not north or east. The sea is getting wilder and he can’t stand not rowing. He received a barrage of smses in return to try and cheer him up. Pete’s highlight of the day was getting a call from Brooksy, who is following him. This is what Brooksy wrote in his blog:
‘The time had come for me to brave the ink and give the old girl's hull a scrub, something which I had been rather nervous about doing, as you never know what might be lurking in the gloom with no-one watching out for me on deck. So gingerly, I lowered my torso in, dangling over the side of the boat with my legs hitched around the hand rail and scrubbed the sides of the hull, removing the small molluscs that were dangling off like bogies with my window scraper, every now and again making fleeting glances around me just to make sure. Once I had done this on both sides, and was content that no 'orrible beasties lay in waiting, I went in for a dip, and to finish off the bottom, bow and stern of the hull. I made sure to tie myself on with the 25m throw line and I even strapped my knife onto my upper arm just in case. Like that would make any difference whatsoever!! I still remember, vividly, the conversation I had with Peter van Kets back in La Gomera about my concerns about makos, great white, white tips and hammerhead sharks. His remark was, and I quote verbatim, "Don't worry about it bru ... there's nothing to worry about, and besides which, if a shark really wanted to eat you, you wouldn't even know about it. You wouldn't see him circling like in the films. He'd just come at you from below!" Now I know that is supposed to be some kind of South African form of reassurance, but, WHAT THE HELL?!!! I did ring him straight after to tell him what I did, and he was very pleased for me, but mentioned that he'd been in loads of times before and quite enjoyed it! Ho hum! It turned out that the only drama I had was ending up getting tangled up in my knife and scraper lanyards and my safety line, which were wrapping themselves around me. In the meantime and group of sour faced looking "Helmuts" rocked up in time to gawk at me whilst I turned into a writhing tangle of string and line. I think I even heard them sniggering, but reckon that was my comeuppance for eating their friend last week!”
Leo Rosette is another solo rower. His boat is Halcyon and he is one of the oldest competitors in the race at 59 years. He is a retired (they have to retire at 50) US marshall and is now following his dreams. He says his next plan is to climb Everest. In La Gomera I was lucky enough to meet his wife. We were often treated to the aroma of awesome home-cooked meals being made next door as she pampered her man before he left. Halcyon is a very neat boat – Leo had attempted to row before unassisted but not with in race. He had to turn back but he left Halcyon in La Gomera and came back to do the race. He is a powerful man and has a strong will and I can see him doing a fair time to Antigua. His infectious smile and strong American accent was a welcome change from the many strongly Britsh-accented people we met. He is currently beating much younger rowers and we wish him well.
While Pete rides out the storm … well, so do we as we armchair ride and astro travel to be with him. Waiting for the storm to hit was more scary for Pete than the actual storm. In a chat to Kim this morning Pete said it was like going to the headmaster for a caning over and over and knowing that you still have not had the big one. It’s still coming because he keeps telling you. Eina! What a thought! The big one has hit and it is followed by another front so Pete will be para anchored for 3 to 4 days. I have thought today about prayer and collective energy how this can assist and help people in times of need. So without sounding too deep or applying any pressure I am going to light my candle for Pete today and think consciously of my mate out at sea, on his own but not alone.
I’ll also be thinking of Kim, Pete’s wife … the stress and strain must be tough, especially when the going gets rough for Pete. East Londoners, you have a hero at sea but you have a LEGEND at home, supporting Pete on a level of which few of us are aware. Kim is doing this because she loves Pete ... WOW!! Standing right beside him as he heads out into the ocean. Kim is A-Team, Legend, first class mom, best support a friend in need can have, top supporter of Row Pete row, Facebook updater, endurance athlete of note, proud South African, lawyer, beginner surfer and all-round lekker person.
Gawie’s quote of the day:
After a few days without internet it was so good to see that Pete is still the Leader in the Solo Rowing Category!
Klaar.
From Charlie’s blog 25 Jan 10
I met another amazing person in La Gomera who gave me her very expensive sunglasses to wear as we were about to leave (the first time!)and I'd lost my spare pair over the side. She is going to run around South Africa!! Yes, the perimeter of the whole country. Kim Van Kets has been in touch with Emma and we are all looking forward to seeing each other again whilst we wait for Pete to turn up (ha ha!...hope this doesn't backfire!). I'm rowing for Kim tomorrow and hopefully will beat her husband's daily mileage, but with no wind it's going to be evens Stevens! Please wind come back, I can only go on so long before my body will go on strike.
Update from Cliff 26 Jan 10
We blue (sea blue!) it yesterday and so delayed getting all the news to you. As with all good apologies comes a good story. Yesterday Nic 'Moose' Good and I did some film work for Pete’s next DVD in Scarborough and, as I live 140 km away, I was up early and back late. I was, however, able to chat to Pete for a while, with Moose filming our interaction.
Pete reported that he has had a very tough last 48 hours. Conditions have been terrible for rowing and the boat is all over the show. He is really concerned about the next two storm systems which are about to hit the fleet and especially the prospect of going on para anchor. What is he worried about? Well, there is some trepidiation but he also is worried that he won’t be able to row, instead being pushed northwards by the current. Instead he’ll probably be sitting for a few days … and this is something Pete does not do very well. However, if he does have to sit and wait, it will give his body time to rest and heal.
I realised that all the attention on Charlie has left you short of news from the other single rowers. Dave ‘Brooksy’ Brooks is a solo rower on the boat ‘Team Panasonic’ and he is a warm likeable guy. He is the life and soul of a party and a dark horse in this race. He is young at 24 years and heals quickly and recovers faster than the older guys. He was only 50 nm behind Pete at the start of last week. Since then Pete pulled away from him. However, Dave is extremely stubborn and won’t go away. He has been picking up and losing distance to Pete for the last week and is currently 88 nm behind Pete. The bad weather will have reached Pete first and thus Pete would have been slowing allowing Brooksy time to catch up. Check out Brooksy’s blog at http://www.davebrookssolo.co.uk/page2.htm#56932. He is very entertaining – and not a little risqué. (More about the other solo rowers to follow.)
About that recurring rudder ‘cable’ problem ... Liberty Nyamezela is a very lightweight boat and, instead of cable Southern Ropes in Cape Town supplied Liberty Nyamezela with special lightweight rope. This 5 mm rope has the strength of cables as of the same thickness but it does not have resistance to abrasion. Pete will be waxing the rope to help with abrasion and he has a lot of spare rope. How does he fix the rudder rope? He would use his rear hatch and lean over and tie a new knot. This not easily done while sitting on a tin can in a washing machine. Lean down, sway from side to side as fast as you can and try tie your shoe lace with one hand. That’s Pete trying to fix his rudder.
Enough deep thought provoking stuff. I am missing our Orange river chirps from Gawie. Jy's still, boet. Kom gee vir ons daai woorde van krag .... Klaar!
Update from Kim 26 Jan 10
This morning Peter is singing the praises of his special "Pete's Bum Balm" made especially for him with great skill, love and care by Nicky and Andries Steytler of Casa Castile (the soap people of the East Coast). Peter reckons that it is a miraculous potion and is now applying it to all his surfaces. Thanks Nicky and Andries - it seems to have become Pete's secret weapon! A light easterly is blowing and the sea is calmer but he is now battling a northerly current so has slowed down a bit. He had a brief visit from a pilot whale - the highlight of his night shift!
Update from Kim 25 Jan 10
Christmas day has been good for Peter! The sea has calmed down dramatically and a light South Easterly is blowing, this has enabled him to film his Christmas tree and gift opening, do some maintenance on the boat, have a shower, wash his hair and do the laundry. He has enjoyed his Christmas cake and other treats and is saving his 2 tiny bottles of Drambuie (spelling?) for if/when he is on para anchor in a couple of days time (holding thumbs that won't happen)! He also had a call from another couple of flying fish which are becoming regular visitors now that he is well and truly in the tropics.
Update from Kim 24 Jan 10
Peter had a very wild night and was bracing himself for the worst (capsizing). Then at 2 am this morning Liberty Nyamezela’s rudder cable snapped again and he had to head out into the inky blackness and appalling conditions to make repairs. For most of the night the sea was too rough to put a stroke in. As soon as the sun comes up Peter will have a lot of minor repairs and boat maintenance to do before he can get going again...
(From Team Pete: last night Pete was positioned at 7 th. Today he’s at 9th with a mile between each of the two boats ‘on front’. The leader board is determined by the boat’s position on longitude - there will be lots of jostling in the fleet throughout the race, with position determined by tactics and weather conditions.)
Woodvale ‘tutorial’ : How to make time
Most supporters will no doubt be aware that as the fleet progress around the Earth they will move through several time zones. Celestially speaking noon is the time at which the sun passes the observers meridian and as such is at its ‘highest’ point. When referring to time zones the suns position is slightly different at noon depending on the exact location of the observer. The best example of this is actually in the Canary Islands where the sun rises and sets a little over an hour later than at Greenwich each day. This is simply because the Islands are West of Greenwich and as they are in the same time zone, by definition the sun must rise and set later.
As everybody will know, there are 24 hours to each day and as the earth is 360 degrees, by travelling 15 degrees along the lines of longitude the time changes by one hour. Again, for example, La Gomera is 17 degrees West of Greenwich, so the sun rises a little over an hour later each day.
The crews will move through 4 time zones on their way to the finish line to the South of Antigua (GMT -4) and most are currently at GMT -1. Crews will pass into and out off the time zones at the following longitudes:
GMT -2 from 22° 30’W to 37° 30’W
GMT -3 from 37° 30’W to 52° 30’W
GMT -4 from 52° 30’W to 67° 30’W
So when the progress page publishes a crews position, check their westing against the list above to find what time zone they will be in.
Should one wish to check time closely, look at the mileage each crew makes West each day. As 15 degrees of longitude equates 1 hour of time, then 1 degree (which equals 60 nautical miles) of Longitude is equal to four minutes of time, therefore it could be suggested that if crew travels 60 miles west in 1 day then that crews day is extended by 4 minutes and will therefore be slightly longer than 24 hours…they are making time.
Update from Cliff 23 Jan 10
It’s 4.30 in the morning and I’m woken by my phone. An sms from Pete. Oh no, I think, in my groggy state, ‘Something’s gone wrong!’ and I leap out of bed. As it turns out … it’s actually so right it could not be better. Pete’s message: “I just overtook the gals on Explore and the French girls are next. Feeling good and just realised that caffeine is the cause.’
Liberty Nyamezela is smokin’ … Pete is now in 8th place. How awesome is this man? As at 7 am today, he is only 1 mile behind Reason Why. Charlie mentioned Pete’s advances in his latest blog entry:
‘I feel lonely out here at the front and am wondering what people think about my situation. New design of boat, fair-play or whatever, but the fact is I've come up with an approved innovative alternative to the more traditional craft and am presently storming the entire fleet. I do wish it was more of a race and Pete was up here with me. (Storm coming in three days, maybe he will be!!) He is certainly the Sound of Thunder and is working his way through towards the leading pack, so watch him.’ (Read more here.)
Charlie credits his boat, along with his mental and physical fitness and preparation, for his position in front of the entire fleet (comprising solos, pairs and fours). Certainly JJ’s performance must be surprising the organizers who approved her for the ‘open’ solo class, rightly or wrongly, as much as the rest of the fleet. Sounds like Charlie would like to be racing Pete in the same class boat. (What a gentleman he is.)
We have seen many messages from supporters telling Pete not to give up because it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. Rumour has it that she is about to start and in a big way. A weather system is about to hit the fleet - very strong winds, and very big seas. (Check out www.passageweather.com and watch the animation of the system across the Atlantic – very dramatic!) Many crews in the fleet will put out their para anchors and batten down their hatches. We know that Charlie’s JJ does not perform as well as Pete’s Liberty Nyamezela in this situation. Pete may well make up distance on Charlie if JJ is caught in the system, goes on para, and then gets blown backwards or south.
Remember to keep Pete in your thoughts, and Kim too. She has to listen to Pete as he battles it out. However, Pete did tell me (when I asked him about storms): ‘I am not afraid in those kinds of conditions. I know I can handle them, and I know that Liberty Nyamezela can too.’
The pin on Liberty Nyamezela’s autohelm has been giving Pete a few headaches. It keeps coming loose, and this results in quite a lot of oversteer. Robert Galley of Galley Electronics was once again at hand to provide advice on how to solve the problem without damaging the sensitive electronics on board, with the help of Radio Holland (sponsors of Pete’s satellite airtime). Remember that Pete is working on min sleep with limited dexterity – and very complex tasks take longer and can end in error. He’s not exactly sitting comfortably in front of his computer. And, if his autohelm was to fail completely for some reason, Pete would not be able to sleep and make distance at the same time.) Fortunately Robert and Pete were able to work through the pin problem together – Robert in Cape Town and Pete at 20°40 N 29°23 W or thereabouts.
Last week when Pete had the sat phone charger problems and rowing seat bearing issue he used a lot of airtime on the sat phone to summon assistance and advice and, at $10 per minute, he quickly rang up a large account! Pete is very fortunate to be supported by Radio Holland who have given him airtime to communicate with his Kim and Team Pete. Without Radio Holland’s support we’d really battle to keep blogging and keep you up to date on what’s happening on the water. Radio Holland has essentially provided a lifeline for Pete to enable him to make repairs and continue strategising and, of course, speak to Kim and Hannah. So … as much as Robert is the knight in shining armour, Radio Holland is the castle, the princess, the horse and, we hope, the fairy-tale ending.
We have been passing on some amazing messages to Pete and noting some very significant donations to his charity of choice, Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf. For instance, Justin Smith made a R1,000 contribution, and issued a challenge to other Facebook fans. Keith and Cathy Shearer of Mango SMS donated 1,000 smses to the Centre’s sms update campaign. You are all clearly behind our man. Klaar! We’d love to be thanking more people as we go along so please send us your pledges – and a note when you make a donation directly to Carel du Toit (bank details here), buy into the sms campaign or buy a km through Liberty’s website.
Update from Cliff 22 Jan 10
Pete is out in the middle of the ocean but on this day two years ago he and Bill rowed into Antigua and won the 2007/8 Woodvale Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race (pairs). This year the race started a lot later due to the safety flares not arriving on time, and then the weather played havoc with the start.
Pete spent Christmas at home and New Year in La Gomera. During the preparations for the race, Team Pete hid gifts and messages in Liberty Nyamezela for Pete to find for Christmas. So, on 25 January 2010, Pete will put on his Christmas hat, eat his Christmas cake and open presents from home. He will also be celebrating New Year on 1 February. So, we expect lots of festive wishes and ‘happy new years’! Forget ‘Christmas in June’, we’re having Christmas in January!
We would love to give Pete a present of 1,000 members in the Row, Pete, row! Facebook group. Please invite your FB friends, spread the enthusiasm and let’s get it there! We have the biggest Facebook following of all the teams in the race and are getting excellent hits on our sites. Thank you - it’s so great to be able to tell Pete this.
Although Pete has had phenomenal support – one only has to read the many messages posted through Own Your Life, the race site and, of course, this one – there is a down side … We just can’t seem to get that charity drive going.
I know we as South Africans live in a country filled with need and that many people make demands on us for donations and hand-outs. But if you're enjoying this ride with Pete, then you'll probably also want to show your solidarity by making a donation to the Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf in the Eastern Cape. www.careldutoit-ec.co.za. The banking details are: CDT Trust Account, Nedbank Acc: 1206028726 Vincent Park 120-621. Any amount will make a huge difference to the lives of little people who are deaf, or hard of hearing. Please put RPR followed by your name in the reference line. And please accept our thanks in advance!
Enough said. Although Gawie from Augrabies might want to add something .... Gawie kom swaar! Ons soek daai woorde wat ons so trots maak en ons so lekker diep laat lag.
P.S. Steve asked: what does Pete eat? Well, he aims to eat 8,000 kilo-calories a day. He has freeze-dried food for his three main meals (he just adds boiling water – he uses his water maker to make the water from seawater, then boils it in his cooker.). During his evening shifts he has a protein shake and then he has what we call his Dankie Tannie Pakkies. These are full of nuts, sweets, chocolates, dried fruit, energy drinks and, most importantly, 100 g of biltong each day. To top up his calorie count and prevent too much weight loss he drinks 100 ml of olive oil per day. This is very difficult to do – somehow it doesn’t taste as good as when it is served with a salad, or gourmet meal. Pete really looks forward to his Dankie Tannie Pakkies!
Pete chooses his freeze-dried foods randomly. We packed them all into Liberty Nyamezela’s hatches – breakfasts and desserts in one, and lunches and dinners in the another. Pete gets to have a lucky draw every day. The Dankie Tannie Pakkies are in his cabin – there are 90 of those, one for each day (if he should be at sea for 90 days which we hope he won’t). He told me he likes the strawberry flavoured porridge the most. The rest … well, let’s just say he’s looking forward to his next steak and chips with an ice cold Black Label.
Update from Cliff 21 Jan 10
Pete’s boatspeed has slowed somewhat in the last twelve hours. He has rowed only 1.5 mile less than Charlie for in the last 24 hours and this probably weather related. The minute Charlie hits a system where the wind is not from the behind, he slows down and Pete advances on him. The sea at present is rough and the wind is side on from the north east. Not too friendly!
We have been able to get expert medical ‘just-in-case-let’s-be-sure’ info for Pete for his hands and burns from (Dr) Mark Mark who is away on paternity leave but has made himself available 24/7 should we need him. Mark Mark, you rock. Thanks man!
To mount a campaign of this nature Pete has had to draw on a multitude of friends, family and, most of all, a generous anchor sponsor. Without them this amazing small turquoise dot on the map would not exist. Liberty has been the most amazing company to work with. Julian Dallamore is our main contact there and we know our Team Pete day has started when we hear the phone ring and Jules is on the other side to check up on us ;-) and get all the latest updates. He and Rae are behind Pete all the way and have created corporate miracles. Rae Tekateka is a fairly new name in Team Pete and is Public Relations Manager within Liberty’s Group Communications division. She is our media liaison contact. If you have any friends or connections in media let us know and we will give them opportunity to connect with Pete and have a live chat. We are calling on community newspapers and radio stations too every little bit helps motivate Pete and make him go faster. (Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf will hopefully also benefit.)
Liberty’s staff has been amazing – the entire company is behind our man on the water and the messages of support have been a major boost for Pete. He continually asks that we thank you all.
Update from Cliff 20 Jan 10
Pete is rowing well – serious distances each day. He is also managing to sleep solidly and deeply when he has his 90 minute sleep sessions. This really helps when it comes to the rowing and one hears it in his voice: when Pete is tired he slurs slightly, but when he has rested his voice is sparkly and crisp.
Hopefully we’ll all hear our legend’s voice again in the near future. I made contact with Sias du Plessis of Supersport/5FM today and they’ll will be interviewing Pete soon. We will provide an accurate time for the airing of the interview when we know it. I am also trying to get Redi Direko to chat to him on Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk.
The burn that Pete incurred the other day is healing – that’s excellent news as it will be very uncomfortable trying to nurse a burn in the current wet conditions. Remember that Pete is using his feet as much as his hands when he’s rowing – and there’s no hiding from the sun when he’s out on deck.
Pete has been blessed with visits from humpback whales, dolphins, albatross and yesterday he slipped off the boat to film a school of a hundred or more dorado (aka mahi-mahi) swimming below. (These are spectacularly dramatic looking fish – gold with green and blue.
A few people have expressed concern about Pete being secured to the boat when he swims. Pete promised Kim and me that he will always be attached to the boat, even on board. Before Pete leaves his cabin for a shift he puts on either a foot leash like that used on a surfboard or, when the sea gets bigger, he wears a chest harness. If he swims he always wears the chest harness. It would be too easy for Pete to fall off the boat (remembering that he hasn’t stood properly for two weeks now) or be knocked off by a wave hitting his oar the wrong way. In heavy seas he would be parted from his boat very quickly – with dire consequences. (One of the other rowers recently dived overboard to go and visit a pairs crew nearby – and the latter had to row him back to his boat because the two had drifted far apart from each other in no time at all, and it was too far to swim.)
Back to the race. Charlie is flying and Pete is hanging in. Charlie is currently catching the 12's boat which is an awesome feat. Pete has done some excellent daily mileages . For those of you who followed him and Bill you will notice that he is going almost the same speed and sometimes even faster than when they rowed together. Credit must go to the machine Mr van Kets but also remember him and Bill rowed an older, heavier boat whereas Liberty Nyamezela is carbon and weighs nearly half of what Gquma did. Also the weather is playing a much more positive role so far and is more supportive of rowing (and sailing) than in the last race with Gquma.
Our contact with Pete is going to be a little more irregular from now on. As a result of the crises in the last week (the bearings in the rowing seat, the sat phone charger) we used a lot more sat phone airtime than we should have. Please bear with us as we will keep it going as best we can. Thanks for all the awesome messages. We are not able to reply to them all – we compress and send them to Pete via sms. Those that aren’t sent by sms, are read to him by Kim. He just loves them.
A big thank you to Gawie in Augrabies. He has posted some classic South African tell-us-like-it-probably-is comments on the Facebook group – they bring a big fat smile to the faces of Team Pete, and Pete himself.
Gawie, dis mense soos u wat vir Piet so trots maak oor die mooi land waar ons woon. U woorde is musik vir sy ore. Dankie baie. Ek wonder net waar al die ander steme is!!
Gawie, it’s people like you who are the reason we love this country so much and why Pete is so passionate about being a South African. Even if he is a rooinek. Klaar!
P.S. Kim received this message from Michele Nel at Carel du Toit and it makes our hearts soar.
“Hi Pete...We are following your race with great interest and we talk about your news everyday at Carel du Toit. You are doing an incredible thing for the benefit of our little deaf ones. We have a new little cochlear implantee, Lincoln, who has just turned 2. His parents are so committed to him. The father brings him to the Centre daily. As he is unemployed he cannot afford to go home and then return to fetch Lincoln so he sits in the class with his little baby. He wants his boy to own his life one day. Thank you for being such an inspiration and enabling us to help our children from indigent families such as this. With love and prayers from all at the Carel du Toit.”
Remember that it’s easy to donate money to Pete’s cause at www.own-your-life.co.za. So far the sms updates generously facilitated through Mango SMS has raised just R12,000 and the Own Your Life ‘Buy a Km’ campaign has raised only R2,400. We can do so much more, don’t you think? If you’re enjoying Pete’s adventure, from the comfort of your office or home desk, please pull out your credit card now and buy 100 kays, or even just make a small donation. Every cent counts – and makes a huge difference in the lives of kids like Lincoln and his family.
P.P.S. Kim has expressed concern that Pete is closing on a boat which happens to be crewed by four beautiful French women. They may well be rowing topless by now. ;-) No, Pete, no! OK, pass them if you have to. No stopping.
Update from Cliff 19 Jan 10
Pete called late last night as he was about to go to sleep. He had had a good day’s rowing but, while making his breakfast that morning, he had accidentally poured boiling water on his feet.
When Pete cooks he sits with his bottom in the cabin, and his legs hang either side of the cooker which is on a gimble (a swivel-type adaptor which keeps the water level while the boat rocks). (Those of you who have seen 90 Minutes Closer to Antigua will remember Pete seeing operating the stove.). Pete spilt the boiling water and EINA! Fortunately no one was around to hear what he said! The burn is painful but not too bad and Pete thinks he will be OK. He has got Burn Ease on his boat and has used it. The good news is that the blisters from his rowing shoes are now healed.
Pete is sounding focused and is rowing strongly.
Kim’s Team Pete Part 2 18 Jan 10
Much has been said about "Team Pete" but I am not entirely certain that everyone knows who they are. The core team are Cliffy Coombe, Tracey Whitelaw and Tjaart (‘TJ’) van de Walt. All three of these legendary and gifted people are available to Peter and me 24/7 for no other reason than because they are our mates and because they are enormously amped by what he is doing.
Cliffy has been Pete's friend for close to 15 years and is the man who introduced him to paddling. Although we have always been dimly aware of Cliffy's magnificence it was only after he and Tracey seconded me on the 100 mile Tuffer Puffer that we began to grasp the full impact of their collective enthusiasm, technical/practical/medical genius, unequalled ability to nurture grumpy athletes, people skills etc. Cliff cycled next to me for 80 km, right through the night, singing my favourite music pitch-perfectly, telling great jokes, handing me tea and ham/mustard sandwiches, medicating my aches and pains, both of them acting as if it was all both a joy and a delight! I am talking about Mother Theresa, Art Garfunkle, Albert Einstein, Steven Covey, Florence Nightingale and Marc Lottering all rolled into two pairs of cycling shorts! Cliffy has been involved with Liberty Nyamezela from day one and has towed her between Cape Town and East London, been constantly available to help Peter, accompanied him to La Gomera, made sure he stayed well fed and took his vitamins, provided endless emotional support and the odd back massage, provided innovative and practical solutions to technical boat issues, fielded calls, and kept churning out entertaining and informative blogs despite having to deal with all the demands of his job and private life. Tracey (of Aardvark Press fame) is the literary and IT genius behind the Row, Pete, Row website, who slaves tirelessly to keep everyone up to date with Peter's news. She also ensures that all Peter's messages are collated and sent to him daily in a manner which is easily accessible. Most importantly she graciously allows, no, encourages Cliffy to be completely available to the needy van Kets family! She will also ensure that Peter writes and publishes his book on his return! Serious legends if you ask me!
Tjaart too is a remarkable man and a great friend. We have known TJ for 11 years and have become brothers in arms after running the Amatola Trail Run, the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon, the Addo Elephant Trail Run together! Although he has work responsibilities equivalent to those of running a small country and is in the process of moving jobs, cities and homes he routinely spends 7 hours a day (when? when?) studying weather charts, collating the information, formulating strategy with Peter and speaking to him on the phone. He does all of this in such a calm, methodical and analytical manner that it makes me feel like a crazed drama queen on acid and ensures that he has my lifelong gratitude and admiration.
There are so very many other people that we need to mention, that there will soon have to be a Part 2. Watch this space!
Update from Cliff 18 Jan 10
Yesterday Pete was on a bit of a game cruise. He spotted two pilot whales, an albatross and saw a wahoo jump clear of his boat. His last 48 hours has been really eventful with a visit from the support yacht, Aurora, and seeing this sea life. One comfort and distraction for Pete is the occasional visits he receives from the different creatures of the sea. The other thing that can lift his spirits, and remind him that there is life out here, is a familiar voice on the end of the phone.
Our Pete is motoring and he is now in 10th position. The news is that the weather is getting calmer and hotter as they row in the Tropics. You will notice that their daily ‘distance made good’ (DMG) has reduced. What’s interesting to notice is that Pete always catches Charlie in these conditions. Although we would love Pete to have wind from behind, to make his rowing easier, many of us would like to see the calm lasting longer to give Pete more opportunity to catch up and make this a dingdong battle. (Note that Charlie is leading the WHOLE fleet, doubles and fours, and is giving the twelve-man Britannia III cause to look back at the horizon.)
Body wise Pete is in good nick. His hands are a little stiff but his bottom and blisters are all good and with the treatment that was recommended to him yesterday his hands should be loosening up in the next 24 hrs.
All going well Pete should settle into his current position in the fleet for a few days and if anything will move up again shortly so keep watching the dots.
Update from Cliff 17 Jan 10
I guess we all know that Pete would not be able to do this race without support. Pete’s wife Kim, although she is physically in East London, is beside Pete all day and night. She’s literally on call, awaiting Pete’s calls which tell her of his progress, and also of problems as they occur.
Kim is Pete’s first port of call (sorry about that pun!) and, from there Team Pete is summoned. Kim is under enormous pressure – will the next call mean her day is going to be better, or worse? A few days ago Pete called at 2 am to say his sat phone charger was broken. Poor Kim started her day particularly early – she knew the implications of sat phone failure … what to do? We’d briefed her to phone Team Pete at all hours – rather than hold on until a more polite hour – even if it’s to talk about what’s going on, and a plan of action for later in the day. Alas Kim thoughtfully stuck with her early morning worry until 7 am before Team Pete stepped into the breach and there was soon someone to talk Pete through the problem. Talk about remote support! South Africans have really stepped up to help.
Then there are the Pete’s supporters who pitch up to keep Kim company, or chat on the phone. There’s a very healthy following on Facebook and Twitter – and people posting messages on the Own Your Life, Row Pete Row and Atlantic Rowing Race message boards. Quirky comments, cricket updates, news from home. All appreciated.
Kim, you are doing an amazing job and your man is very lucky. Without you, and the now fixed sat phone, there would be no race. On Thursday, besides looking after little Hannah, Kim was with Nic 'Moose’ Good, friend and cameraman as he toured East London. He filmed Kim and Hannah, and Arno (who did Pete's music and has assisted in many other areas including researching various options to optimize the performance of Pete’s rowing seat!).
Back to the race. Other than an sms at 1 am to say that he was listening to Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s ‘Homeless’ which reminded him of me (we’d sang it in harmony often during preparations in La Gomera), yesterday was rather quiet … Pete didn’t phone as he usually does between 3 and 7 pm. Perhaps he’d given me the day off? ;-) Instead I checked in with Kim: Pete had a good day of rowing, very hot with a great swim. He had a brief visit from the support yacht Ocean Planet which was rather surreal after 12 days of solitude. Apparently the crew are going to send us a picture of hairy Pete which we’ll post on Facebook and this blog.
Pete’s mileage for the day has dropped as the winds have died down and Pete had to row a lot more. Charlie has also slowed down. Pete and Liberty Nyamezela are eating away at the fleet and have moved from 15th place to 13th in the last two days. Pete is only 10 miles behind 10th with 1 mile separating him from 12 and 11th. So he is doing really well.
It’s also our IT support babe’s birthday and we would like to wish Tracey a very happy birthday.
Update from Cliff 15 Jan 10 (specially for the weekend)
Pete has been exhausted the last 24 hours. Nearly losing his sat phone to a charge/wiring issue was extremely stressful. Losing it completely would have been like cutting his umbilical cord to the outside world. All contact would have been lost and he would truly have been alone with Liberty Nyamezela. Having fixed the sat phone charger and with his seat working well again I am pleased to report that his spirits are up and he is feeling much better.
So, back to the race. Dot watchers take note: the positions are determined by the boat’s location in relation to the lines of longitude and thus to Antigua. The dots that Pete is beating are mainly pairs and fours. How awesome is this man, and his boat?! Pete is flying today and has moved into 15th position overall. He is lurking a consistent 109 miles behind Charlie and his revolutionary boat but he’ll be closing on him soon. Just as Charlie is covering Pete, so is Pete waiting to make his move. We’re getting the ding-dong battle that these two friends promised.
Last night Pete was visited by a school of between 50 and 150 dolphins which played in the phosphorescent waters around his boat. He also managed a very deep sleep session for about 30 seconds or something. Whatever it was, he feels much better.
We have realised that beside Charlie covering Pete's every move on the water, Team Charlie is also reading this blog and we just wanted to let them know about the new revolutionary miracle cure for sore bum and blistered hands. Ahem. Use any one of these products: Deep Heat Rub, Cool Heat Ice Rub or Vicks Vapour Rub. It burns like crazy but only for a short time. Take the pain … pain is good and only helps to spur one on. The area may become red and inflamed but push through. Real men like Pete do ... ;-)
Note: Do not try this at home! This remedy is only to be used by really nice ocean rowers with big cabins and an even bigger sense of humour.
Update from Cliff 14 Jan 10
Overnight Pete indicated that the charger for his sat phone was no longer working. He called Kim at 02.00 with this worrying news. However, in the fresh light day Team Pete set to work. It looks like he has options - always a good thing. We are so lucky to have awesome people and companies behind this campaign. Robert Galley of Galley Electronics and Carl at Radio Holland helped work through the solution. Robert rather ingeniously wired Liberty Nyamezela to accommodate such a possibility: he had noticed that the wiring design spec had allowed for only one cigarette lighter socket for the charger so he made sure Pete had another option by wiring a spare socket for an emergency. That emergency is now. There is some work that Pete needs to do but then the problem should be sorted, and safely. Looks like Rob has saved the race for Pete. No phone = no comms = no weather reports and calls home ... all adds up to no race.
Update from Cliff 13 Jan 10
It’s all happening according to Tjaart … the weather should be on Pete’s back for the next few days. I say few because when the weatherman says two to three it often ends out being one but when the weatherman says few it can be anything. Tjaart is doing an amazing job and Pete is fortunate to have him on Team Pete.
When Pete sits rowing for hours on end he has a lot of time to think and zone out. He has taken with him a list of people who mean a lot to him and who have helped him along his journey in life and on this adventure. Each day he chooses a name from this list and places that particular person in his thoughts and prayers. So, Pete’s family and friends, if Pete comes in to your mind particularly strongly remember he might have chosen you for that day.
I think it’s time to put down some facts in defence of ‘Spinnaker’ Charlie. The race rules stipulate that you may row any boat across the ocean as long as the cabin is no higher than 2 metres above the water line. Yes, there is a basic Woodvale design – along the lines of the kind of boat seen in the marina preparing for the race and, of course, Pete’s boat Liberty Nyamezela. But Charlie cleverly used the rules to his advantage. He had Phil Morrison, a well-known yacht designer, build him a boat which would perform downwind. After all, this race is dominated by downwind conditions. The result is JJ. She has a large, 2 metre high spinnaker-like bow cabin which designed to catch the wind from behind. She also has a flat bottom without a keelson unlike Pete’s Liberty Nyamezela which has one (a keelson is a keel-like structure which runs the length of the boat). JJ has an undersea rudder like that of ocean sailing yacht and in the front cabin (Liberty Nyamezela’s cabin is at the rear) she has a 2 m long daggerboard which Charlie puts down to stabilise the boat but when the boat rocks (which they do a lot), the energy created helps push his boat forward. Pete also has a daggerboard but it is not as long. The other plus JJ has is that when Charlie is rowing side on to the wind, with the dagger board down and rudder, the wind pushes on the side of the boat helping to move him forward. The same will happen to Liberty Nyamezela but the effect is not as great as she has a smaller windage area.
Pete has a stern mounted rudder and this does not assist in windy conditions like JJ's rudder would. In contrast, Liberty Nyamezela is nearly 1.5m longer than JJ. Pete has surfed at speeds of up to 10 knots and more but JJ can only manage 6 to 7 knots. Waterline length is a big plus for Pete in this regard. And Liberty Nyamezela’s slimline beauty benefits when the wind is head on as she doesn’t have such a big area to displace as she goes along.
When Charlie isn’t rowing his boat moves at between 2.5 and 2.8 knots (according to his blog). Pete says that Liberty Nyamezela moves at between 1 and 1.5 knots. This all obviously depends on the sea conditions at the time.
Charlie says he can only row his boat on average 30% faster than it moves when he is not rowing. This is an increase of about .75 to.84 of a knot. Pete says he rows his boat at about 2 to 2.5 knots which is 1 knot difference so it is clear to see who is rowing faster. However this race was open and Charlie took advantage of this well done Charlie. Pete row hard.
OK now that we have this out the way and we will leave the rest to history let’s get down to what’s happening out there deep in the Atlantic.
Pete is experiencing big seas with three waves in a row washing over him and flooding his decks. He has had huge surfs often clocking 10 knots and did an excellent 24 hour run. He has one complaint and it is that when he and Bill rowed there were two people to share the chores and doing his chores is taking a lot of time which could be spent either rowing or sleeping. “What chores do you have to do on a rowing boat?” I hear you ask. Well here is a list for you.
- Checking equipment and making repairs
- Lubricating the rowing tracks
- Making and eating food (cooking or boiling water for food)
- Using the toilet
- Cleaning the toilet bucket
- Washing his rowing clothes (cleanliness is vital as salt water sores are no joke)
- Phoning his family (surely not a chore but takes time none the less)
- Phoning Tjaart his weather man
- Phoning Cliffy and Tracey, his team manager and bloggers
- Navigation (vital to stay on course)
- Cleaning Liberty Nyamezela’s bottom to stop growth which will slow her down
- Cleaning himself and basic body care: hands, bum and crotch, feet to prevent fungal infections (In a previous race a rower was evacuated because of a life-threatening case athlete’s foot.)
- Making energy drinks mixtures
- Putting out and taking in the para-anchor (if conditions require it)
OK that might not sound like a very long list list but try doing these simple tasks while sitting on that tin can I likened the boat to in an earlier blog, having not slept, feeling exhausted and only having one hand because you have to hold on to the boat with the other...
So there you have it.
Update from Kim 13 Jan 10
Good day of rowing despite issues with seat! Thanks again to all the great long distance bearing/lubricant consultants! He has spotted no wildlife for 2 days but did see a distant ship. Peter has been listening to a Wilbur Smith novel (The 7th Scroll, I think? Something like that?) when he is rowing and has found it deeply confusing - he was beginning to think he was too tired to follow the plot when he realised the chapters had been saved randomly and not chronologically! Heehehe! Happy Birthday to Charlie Pitcher who is turning 47 tomorrow. What a way to spend your birthday!
Update from Cliff 13 Jan 10
Pete is experiencing minor bearing problems on his seat sliding system. The sealed linear bearings from Bearing Man are getting sticky and messy. The extreme (salty, wet) conditions are causing the grease to become jelly-like and this is concerning Pete a bit. Bearing Man has been really helpful in trying to find a solution to make things more comfortable and efficient for Pete- thank you to Roy, Leon and Rob (and also Charmaine). You guys are legends. Pete's mate Arno, engineer and general all-round helper to Pete, is looking into all the options and will be meeting with Roy tomorrow.
Update from Kim 12 Jan 10
Peter managed to catch some great waves today with his best effort being 3 consecutive waves, which placed his deck completely under water, but allowed him to clock up a speed of 10.8 knots - his record so far! He is having some difficulty with his sliding seat - the lubrication/grease seems to be clogging. On a different but equally important note, Hannah van Kets (4) is incensed that her dad's dot is not pink! I understand her anxiety. We are thinking of lodging an official complaint to Woodvale.
Update from Cliff 12 Jan 10
Pete’s been at sea for just over a week. Yesterday my head was spinning … what to write about? There’s so much to tell you … where to start? I ended up doing the next best thing ... I didn’t blog, took a break and caught up on the blogs submitted by the other rowers. I read this from Charlie Pitcher, whose physical prowess and clever ‘sail’ boat design means that he’s pretty much walking over the fleet:
"I have pushed myself too much, too soon as I have made some silly errors which could have been more serious. Last night, on coming out on deck, I dropped my remote control for the steering over the side. That is the second mistake and all because I'm not thinking things through. My body has taken a battering as well. I'm losing fingernails, have 14 blisters (proper ones!), a cut knee, a bad knock on my heel and my tendons are crying out for a rest. The muscle tissue can be fixed straight away - non-stop protein! I've been sleeping about four hours a day, but now the race is less strategic and more straight line work, I'm able to sleep more now.
“Every day the waves have been different. Earlier today, they were every sailor or ocean rower's nightmare. Small, but coming from all directions, the boat never gets a chance to settle down and you find your oars slapping, missing and jerking as you are rolled from left to right like a cork! That was the first time I wondered why I was doing this!"
Our Pete may be pushing himself but nothing like Charlie. Charlie’s blog today details even more discomfort. Pete is pacing himself, getting his body to work with him. Yes he has pushed though his sleep at times but he has always recognised the need to give back to his body. He is still in excellent shape. His infected blister has healed and his bottom is holding up rather well under the circumstances.
Pete and I have been discussing how the race is about pure endurance. And Pete’s ability to keep his head in the midst of major physical discomfort is his strong point. All the rowers will start to get pressure sores on their backsides. For those of you who do not know what this is it is a problem which occurs frequently for wheelchair bound or bedridden people. Your bum bones press hard against the skin and stop the blood from getting to the skin and surrounding tissue. This causes the tissues to slowly break down and die. As a result large sores develop. The sore has a very inflamed and almost grazed-like appearance and eventually it can become more ulcerative if not treated. To stop this from happening Pete applies a specially formulated barrier cream and massages his bum regularly. This encourages blood circulation, to help heal the tissues, and puts a layer between him and his seat. He also sits on sheepskin, which has lanolin in it, as well as sponge padding. All the rowers will get pressure sores – it’s a given! The secret is how they treat them and how and if they let their bums go to their heads, if you know what I mean ...
Last night the sea was wild and Pete put on his full harness. This is a safety device used by all sailors and rowers and looks very similar to the type used for safety work on high-rise buildings. Attaches Pete to the boat and should a wave wash Pete overboard or should the boat capsize (God forbid) it means that Pete is not washed away. The forces of nature are powerful and these harnesses can fail so before the race we double- and triple-checked the harness’s stitching and deck mounting.
Pete has had a rough night but at present is back at the oars. He opted to have a longer rest period because he had such big sea and the boat was moving along well without him at the oars. Waves were coming from all directions and was a bit like being back in that washing machine. Charlie mentioned in his blog that his boat. JJ, was sailing along at 2.5 to 2.8 knots even while he was not rowing. This just goes to show how his spinnaker-like cabin is helping him sail past other rowers, including the fours. His boat speed yesterday was almost the same as the twelve-man boat, Britannia III, which has six men rowing 24 hours a day! The big question here is, is he sailing well or rowing well. I would say both.
Other blogs for you to check out:
Charlie Pitcher www.transatlanticsolo.com
Lia and Mick www.oarsomechallenge.co.uk
Update from Kim 11 Jan 10
Peter was visited by a large unidentified swimming object last night which kept bumping his boat - he is not sure what it was. His auto-helm seems to be working, there is a strong easterly wind with a lot of chop and he should make good progress today.
Another sunny day. Highlight of the day seems to be the rice pudding! Peter has put in a hard day of paddling, seems to be out of the shipping lanes (a great relief but fewer diversions) and has seen a couple of birds (storm pestrels? Did I get that right? Does anyone know?) but little else. He is loving recieving all your messages of support and encouragement so please keep them coming!
Pete is experiencing good NE conditions at the moment with swell of about 4m. This is enabling him to clock speeds of up to 10.6 knots when he is surfing a wave. The sea is big so he will replace his leash with a full harness on his next shift.
Update from Kim 10 Jan 10
Peter has had no wind at all for 48 hours which is making the rowing very hard going. Nevertheless he had a good night with deep sleep (albeit for only 90 minutes at a time) and a visit from some dolphins which came alonside the boat and were clearly outlined by the phosphorous in the water. He is raving about the superb biltong from Frank at the Vincent Spar - it’s certainly the highlight of his life at the moment! He has has two lov ely sims and has just seen a camera shy giant turtle.
Thank you to Robert Galley of Galley Electronics and Hylton of MDM Services, who fitted and supplied the auto-helm respectively, for handling Pete's technical problem on a Sunday afternoon. You guys are legends. This is what makes this campaign so special - that South Africans are standing behind our man on the water.
Update from Cliff 9 Jan 10
There I was, having my Saturday afternoon power nap and dreaming that the world was a better place when all of a sudden I realised my brother's girlfriend, Kayang, was telling me that there was a voice from afar on the phone. It was Pete sounding exhausted but focused. He says that he has not slept properly for a long time and is hearing voices. It's very warm - not ideal for taking a quality nap. Pete, however, has agreed to try to take a long sleep tonight. The reason he is so driven to keep on rowing is that he is not just racing against the other boats. There is a bigger problem: another weather system is about to hit the fleet and Pete needs to get as far south as he can to miss it. If he is hit by the system he will have to put out the para anchor again. This is something he wants to avoid as he doesn't want to be stalled again on para. The upside of going on para is that, if the wind is not too strong, he will be able to get some sleep.
There is a north-west swell with an easterly wind forecast for the next twenty-four hours. Pete is rowing side on and it feels that he and Liberty Nyamezela are, once again, in a washing machine.
Tjaart van der Walt in Cape Town is consistently providing sound weather information to Pete who is using his recommendations to set his GPS way-points. We'll be posting Tjaart's Charts each day to give you sense of the conditions in which Pete is rowing. Tjaart's analysis has helped Pete gain his current position and he will continue to do so throughout the race. Being the understated guy he is he is happy to be in the background but now, with the race gaining momentum, we have pleasure in revealing the important role that Tjaart is playing in Pete's campaign.
Update from Kim 8 Jan 10
Some more drama on the high seas! Pete's (now functional) AIS alarm went off this afternoon so he darted out of his cabin to see a ship bearing down on him (too close for comfort for the second time in less than 24 hours!) This time the crew of the ship (Finesse, en route to the Caribbean) had in fact seen him and they were deeply curious so they brought her closer to investigate. The crew and Pete had a long chat on the radio and Peter explained to an incredulous Russian-sounding sailor that Nyamezela and a number of other boats were in fact rowing to Antigua. After a pleasant exchange, Finesse continued on her way and was quickly out of sight! Moose will be pleased to know that the interlude was captured on camera.
Update from Cliff 8 Jan 10
Today Pete has been at sea for four days and is settling into his routine. When we speak, I always ask him about the highlight of his day, and the low point too. As Tracey and I are Pete's blogmeisters we feel it is our responsibility to put you, the reader, on to the boat with Pete and try and give you some idea of Pete's experiences at sea on a 7.2m (24 ft) rowing boat. Life as you and I know it changes completely for Pete once he's on the boat and his routine is everything to him. The smallest change or occurrence can change his mood and swing him from being completely down to over the moon. What might seem mundane and ridiculous can cause such excitement it's beyond our comprehension. We tend to take even the most basic bodily functions for granted. We also take for granted that if we have a physical problem, we can simply go to the pharmacy and get a pill and fix it. Well, Pete has no pharmacy ... only his medical kit. It's difficult to imagine the excitement when, after three days, he can use the toilet. For him it shows that despite the kind of food he's eating, despite the dehydration as a result of his sea-sickness, despite everything, his body is working and there is one less thing to worry about. So when a post or a blog seems to be heading south it's only because that's how basic Pete's life has become. Wake, eat, sleep, row, rest, phone home (the highlight of his day) and then back row, sleep, eat ... and, we hope, regular bucket usage.
Pete is feeling a lot better. His mood is up. The weather has turned and he is heading in a far better direction, west-south-west, as opposed to towards Africa. He covered a good distance in the last 24 hours and is racing hard. His bottom and his hands have started to blister. Of course, he knew this would happen and is prepared for it, unlike many of his competitors who are experiencing this for the first time. Pete commented that he does not have enough time in his rest time to do what he has to do between phoning home, making food and making his video diary. These all take up valuable and necessary sleep time. (Although Pete's had time to have a shower and do some washing too.)
Yesterday Pete had a close shave with a ship. He heard what he thought was a helicopter and crawled out of his cabin looking skyward. To his horror, instead, he saw a ship's bridge as it cruised by. Pete has an AIS (Automatic Identification System) on board and he wasn't aware that he did not have it switched on. Needless to say it is ON now, at full volume!
We are sending him all your messages and feedback so if you have any questions please let us have them. Till tomorrow then.
Update from Kim 7 Jan 10
Oh my NERVES! Pete just called sounding high on adrenaline to say he has just missed a ship. He was resting in the cabin when he heard a noise that sounded like a helicopter, he emerged to see an enormous ship bearing down on him and managed to radio it in time to avoid a disaster. (Largely as a result of all the fervant prayers being offered up for his safety!) His AIS (?) alarm which should warn him of approaching ships appears not to have activated. He is in the process of sorting it out. He also had a chat on the radio with the guys on Spirit of Manchester who are only a couple of miles away from him. He says that the weather has improved dramatically in the last few hours and is sounding very upbeat! Hooray!
Update from Pete 7 Jan 10
Pete just called: had the most amazing sleep while on para anchor and he's chuffed that the bucket has had its first use. After three days at sea that's Relief. He sounds GREAT!
Update from Cliff 7 Jan 10
The last 24 hours have seen some drama on the seas just off Morocco. All the boats in the fleet are getting smacked around in cold, windy, rainy conditions. Pete has stopped rowing for now. He says he is unable to carry on into the side swells. The wind is hitting him side on as he rows south and he feels that is getting too close to the coast of Africa for comfort. In the cold and wet conditions the grease on his custom-made rowing seat system is becoming hard and clogged with salt but we both believe that this will ease up when the weather gets warmer.
Pete has hoved to and put out his para anchor to sleep, or should we say rest. Putting out a para anchor is an extremely difficult task to achieve in the current conditions - and even more so to retrieve when he wants to get under way again. (More about that later.) Picture this: you are in your washing machine in a tin can, unable to keep your eyes open and you must sleep because in a few hours you have to go outside, sit on top of the can and turn the washing machine on to 'spin'. All the while you're handling a huge kite attached to the can. To top it all, you still tell your wife and friends 'No, I'm fine ... having fun actually, and I really want to do this again and again!'
We had two good 'long' chats yesterday and both Kim and I feel Pete he is in good spirits, although he is very sleepy. Pete says he is getting a lot wetter on Nyamezela than he did on Qguma, the boat that he and Bill rowed to Antigua. This is contributing to a lot more discomfort. Pete also had a chance to make contact with Charlie Pitcher, his main rival, and he learned that Charlie is having it just as bad if not worse. Pete has started to get the first few blisters and his bottom is a bit painful. Judging by the drift patterns of the two boats Pete's boat has a lot less drift than Charlie. This could be due to a) the design of Charlie's 'spinnaker' boat (which catches more wind), and b) the size of Pete's para anchor. Charlie's para anchor is 5 to 6 ft in diameter whereas Pete's is 8 ft and capable of stopping a 45 foot yacht from drifting. Pete's boat is only 21 foot. The weather may be worse further north than where Pete is (further south). All this taken into account, Pete drifted far less and is looking well placed for when the weather clears.
Update from Cliff 5 Jan 10
So you thought your first day in the office was difficult. (Those of you started work on Monday.) Well spare a thought for Pete in his 'office' ... The wind and waves came from all sides all night and day yesterday. He has been seasick and unable to hold anything down. Not even the most delicious brownies in the world. The boat is like a cork in a washing machine. He is holding two matchstick oars and sitting on a seat the size of a barstool. Basically it isn't a comfortable place to be right now. So lean back in that comfy office chair, or deck chair, and be grateful for small mercies. He is now already sleep deprived and, well, let's just say that the medication to treat the sea sickness isn't taken orally. Pete had to get that medicine down, or should I say up, all the while getting thrown around from side to side. It makes Billy the Kid and his six gun look like a bad shot. Good work Pete.
The seasickness Pete is experiencing is a result of both sea conditions and nerves. He will find his emotional and physical sea legs very soon and things will start to be a bit more comfy on that score. You may recall that Pete suffered sea sickness the last time around too, and many of the other rowers are feeling motion-and-nerve-related nausea as well.
My phone rang yesterday and displayed a number that was longer than the screen could cope with. Suddenly I heard the ocean in the background and my mate's voice saying 'hello'. He sounded so focused - more than I have heard him in a while. He is happiest on the water doing what he does best. He said that he had only just had a moment to clean all the mess on the deck as it had been so wild. I know Pete likes a clean boat so that must have really added to his discomfort.
For those of you who are interested go to www.atlanticrowingrace09.com/progress/ and check the dots*. You will see they have little arrows on them that indicate the bow direction of the boats. If it looks like a boat is going in the 'wrong' direction, it might be that the rower may have changed course or the rower is asleep. Pete is heading south right now to get the better trades and currents to push him along as he rows. He is following the route he and Bill did last time so when you see him at 16th overall it's OK for now. When he is ready he will soon turn west and hopefully make up.
*Liberty has a tracking system that is following only the solo category rowers: www.own-your-life.co.za. Also, look out for the 12-man boat Britannia III which set out early on Monday to try and break the trans-Atlantic speed record. Britannia III is competing in the Open category.
Update from the race bridge 4 Jan 10
After all the delays and set backs to the race over the last month, the crews for the Atlantic Rowing Race 09 have made it off the start line and are now heading towards Cape Shirley off the south coast of Antigua. The official race distance is 2548 nautical miles and is expected to take anywhere between 40 and 90 days. After 2 hours of racing it was reported that QBE Insurance Challenger, crewed by James Croome and Oliver Back, had a narrow lead of several hundred feet. Closely followed by Pygram, Reason Why and No Fear.
Britannia III, the out of class record attempt started their row at 0500 hrs this morning. Having been rowing for 11 hours they are now clear of La Gomera and are 2535 miles from Cape Shirley. While this is only a gain of 13 miles on the official race distance they are on a course of 205 degrees. That is to say, they are heading South South West, towards the stronger trade winds and currents. With this in mind, the first few days may show slower progress towards the finish, where the priority is clearing the islands and getting the boat into a position to make best use of these winds and currents.
Now all the hard work and preparation over the last couple of years takes the back seat and the reward of trying to row on ocean is firmly on the new agenda. The priority for all crews now is to settle into their new environment and get into the routine of rowing, eating and sleeping.
Update from Cliff 4 Jan 10
So, it's official. The Woodvale 2009/10 Atlantic Rowing Race is under way and reports are that during the first half hour the rowers enjoyed downwind conditions which allowed Charlie Pitcher to sneak off ahead. Subsequently, however, the fleet has had wind from the front and from the side. We managed to put through three calls to Pete today on his cell but we were cut short each time because he needed to keep rowing. His main aim is to get as far away from land as soon as possible. This is to avoid any possibility of running aground should the weather change and also to escape the effects of currents around the islands. Pete indicated that he was going to be rowing pretty much non-stop for 24 hours so think of him tonight while you're cuddled up and warm.
When we last spoke the wind was dead to the nose. Pete says that the start of this race feels very similar to the start of the last one with regard to the wind and the water so it's nothing new. Pete is feeling strong and has just finished his first five-hour non-stop rowing shift. At present he is in his cabin eating chocolate brownies, drinking Fanta and asking after his poor neutered cat (see Kim's post on the Facebook group wall for more about that!). His highlight of the day was 'getting off that island and on to the water where I am most happy'. The low point was the swirling winds. He will be having a short rest and will also be making his first entry in his video diary.
To start following the progress of this race you can use the Woodvale site which is supposed to be updated every 6 to 12 hours: www.atlanticrowingrace09.com/progress/. Each boat has a transponder which equates to a colour tag on the map. Below the map is a table of stats (see image at the bottom of this blog entry). This makes for interesting comparisons. For those who don't know DMG is 'distance made good' and VMG is 'velocity made good' defined as the distance or velocity, respectively, gained in the direction of the destination, measured over the Great Circle between the previous and the new position. (I know, because I Googled the terms. More about the Great Circle later.)
Warning: it is very important that, if you a relationship of any sort, you warn your partner that for the next 90 days you'll be addicted to checking up on the progress of the race, possibly often during the night. I know ... been there, done that.
Note: Dream It Do It is still listed as a pairs boat when it's actually being rowed as a solo, making her the seventh solo entry.
Update from Cliff 3 Jan 10
It's the day before the now confirmed race start and Pete isn't exactly overwhelmed by relief. In fact, his butterflies are worse than ever. The race will start at 13.30 GMT (or UT) which is 3.30 pm SA time. The rowers have been briefed to expect bad weather at about 48 hours from departure. They've been advised to go far south. There is a massive weather system developing over North America that will impact the fleet mid-ocean. So, not only do we have thrilling strategies to watch, and huge human effort, but we also have some weather systems starring in the cast. Yeee haa!
Pete out testing Liberty Nyamezela's sea legs. The ferries in the background. I guess we'll be getting used to the skew horizons in future pics.
The Own Your Life (OYL) Challenge (by Cliff)
Pete is Liberty's first Own Your Life ambassador and, in my view, they couldn't have found a better person for the job. But, then I got to thinking ... what does that actually mean to you and me? How does Pete 'own his life' and how can I 'own' mine? Does 'owning your life' mean doing it alone? How can I 'own my life' without setting myself up for failure? Where do I start? How can I 'own my life' and be supported? Do I actually 'own my life'?
While Pete is far out to sea, on his own but not alone, I want to support my friend in the best way I can and from my truth. It is my wish for all of us to grow with Pete as he challenges himself. So ... my challenge to you is: think about what it is in your life that is stopping you from taking control of your life and owning it. How are you blocking your life energy and not living your truth? I challenge you to come alongside yourself, and dig deep. It might be painful and it may be scary but step up. Pete has and does every day. It could be committing to investigate a health niggle you been ignoring. It could be repairing with a friend that you are afraid you may have hurt. It could be a commitment to becoming debt free. It could also mean starting that hobby/sport that you wanted to start. It could be dropping your carbon footprint by fitting green energy. Anything that you feel has prevented you from owning your life. When we own our lives we reduce our stress. Less stress = better health. So, where are you going to start?
You might want to keep your own your life (OYL) pledge to yourself but you also might want to place it on record on this site. A recent study in the States showed that people who write down their goals were more likely to meet them. So don't be shy. There's a new page for OYL commitments - all you need to do is submit your OYL pledge here. We'll post your entry with just your first name attached here. Please send updates at any time during the race.
As Pete will see how the campaign is changing lives it can only spur him on. Let's show our strength and support for our man on the water and start to own our own lives. I'm committing to getting myself fit - I have missed being fit and lean and it's time to take that back. I'm going to own it.
Update from Cliff 2 Jan 10
Happy New Year all! Pete had himself a blinder of a New Year's party. I can see that his infectious character is shining in St. Sebastian, La Gomera and he even managed to do the real South African thing and have a braai to bring in the new year. Pete's message is that he wishes you a blessed new year. Pete's own new year is going to be more blistered than blessed - it's now looking really good for a start on the 4th of Jan and the competitors are all getting restless and itching to go.
The high tech coating that we put on Liberty Nyamezela's bottom has had to be replaced with two coats of good old anti-fouling so she's now blue below the waterline. That's one upside of the delay - Libery Nyamezela was in the marina while Pete was away and there was substantial growth of sea life on her when he returned. The watermaker has been cared for by the father and son team, Norman and James, (the Beech Boys), and is working well. If they hadn't looked after it in Pete's absence then it would require pickling all over again. Thanks guys!
I will in contact with Pete every day from the 4th onward and will bring you regular updates as to his position and his daily grind. As you can emagine it could get quite tedious (rowed, rested, rowed some more ...) so please send any questions . If I have things to ask Pete in my daily calls to him it will make things far more fun for you. Let me know - I will do my best to get your questions answered. We have received many, many messages from supporters both near and far (see here) - thanks so much, and please keep them coming.
It is our aim to have 1000 members supporting Pete on the Row, Pete, row! Facebook group so send out those requests to your friends to join Pete on his journey.
On the home front Kim has been itching to be with Pete (for farewell number 4) but has been unable to get a flight. Being the Legend she is she pushed through and is standing by her man over the phone and keeping her self occupied with daughter Hannah and training for her next race. Spare a thought for her ... how amazing do you have to be to support your man like she does. Talk about commitment!
For those of you who missed the interview on 702/Capetalk a few days ago, wow what a rocking interview. Simon Gear asked the most amazing questions and, of course, Pete gave the most informative answers. We are trying to get the podcast for the website so hold thumbs - let's hope we can pull it off.
We will be posting you a challenge in the next few hours so look out for it and LET'S GET BEHIND OUR MAN!
Update from Pete 28 Dec 09
I am back in La Gomera, Canary Islands and we are now into the fourth week of race delays. I had an incredible (and very unexpected) time at home during Christmas. It was fantastic seeing my beautiful wife, Kim, and daughter, Hannah, again. What a blast! I did some good training, and also reached my target weight of 92 kg with all the Christmas goodies. I left home the day after Christmas and had an amazing journey back here ... full of adventures and close shaves as far as timing goes. I flew back with Lufthansa and I have to say that it was an excellent flight. Managed to get an exit seat with nobody next to me and put my legs up on the jump seats (where the air stewards sit) opposite me. Who needs business class? I met the best and most interesting air steward on the flight to Frankfurt. His name is Reiner and after hearing about what I was about to do, he went completely out of his way to make sure I had THE most comfortable flight. If you read this Reiner, SHOT BRU! (That's the Eastern Cape way of saying thanks!)
I can't say that being back here really gets me going ... it doesn't. I would like to be off these islands and in the middle of the ocean, but I am here and so I am making the best of it. Liberty Nyamezela is coming out the water tomorrow and I am sorting a few things out. During the recent storms the islands experienced an unheard of 300 mm of rain. The sea is still on its head with SW winds - the usual Atlantic currents have disappeared, and have been replaced by major counter currents. The wind patterns are moving in an anti-clockwise direction - totally the opposite of what should be occurring in the northern hemisphere at this time of the year. It's all very mysterious. Anyway, the upshot of this is that the race will not start on 29 December, but the first week of January ... next year! Howzat? I really want all those who are following my race not to give up on the situation. This is how expeditions go (sometimes).
I have shacked up with fellow solo rower Charlie Pitcher again and we are sharing ideas with each other. He is going to be a lot of fun to row against and I am looking forward to the duel, even though his boat has a magnificent 'spinnaker' created by the forward cabin. Charlie and I have bonded very well and I believe that there is an expedition or two out there that we could manage together. Watch this space.
Keep praying and I'll be back soon with the next blog entry.
Update from Tracey 28 Dec 09
Pete arrived back in La Gomera, the Canary Islands last night, at 23h00. Pretty terrible weather all round. At the race meeting this morning, Pete found that the race has been postponed AGAIN, this time to 2 or 3 of January. He is staying motivated and keeping focused.
The weather really isn't playing ball - and it looks like the one knot current that usually helps the rowers along, simply isn't there. Rowers have been advised to take on additional provisions because there's a likelihood that, once this race, commences, it will be longer than expected. Stow, Pete, stow!
P.S. As I write, Pete is being interviewed by Simon Gear on 702 on audiostreaming at www.702.co.za - excellent questions being posed by listeners from all over the country.
Update from Pete 21 Dec 09
The north-east wind was pumping the whole day here in East London and it got me pacing and thinking. Strange how it works ... this is exactly the wind that we need for the start of the race and it's the worst wind along our coast. It makes the water cold. It's bad for surf and generally makes people a bit ratty - hence the pacing.
I managed to squeeze in a good two hour gym session today and plan a long downwind surfski paddle tomorrow. The wind is swinging back to west tonight. Hooray!
I have attached a pic in this blog which I am sure you will be able to see in the gallery section of my website showing another storm in the North Atlantic on the 25 December - courtesy of Windfinder.com.
Last night we had an amazing dinner with the COO of Liberty, Rex Tomlinson, his wife Simone and John Allan, his wife Claire and their three beautiful children. What lekker people! If anybody knows anything about South African rugby then you will know and remember John as the Sharks and Springbok hooker in the early nineties. He is also the host of the television series on Sporting Legends in South Africa. We had a huge braai (that's a barbeque, Charlie) and I am sure I managed to put a few kilos in the process. That's a good thing. Rex is the man behind my sponsorship and was so inspired by the Gquma story and the solo quest that he decided to back me. The Liberty slogan "Own Your Life" has really become a major part of my life as it has for many of the people I know. There will be a lot more said about that in the future and will be a big focus on my book when I complete the race. Roll on the Start.
Update from Pete 20 Dec 09
Being at home during this time is weird. Wherever I go I get quizzical looks and I can hear everybody's thoughts, " What is he doing here - he should be rowing his nuts off". Well I wish I was and I wish I had more positive news on the weather for the race, but I don't. So, lets get that bit out the way and then on to the positive stuff which is what I like to focus on. The weather as far as I can see (forecast to 28 December) is still very bad and shows no signs of getting better - although we know that at some stage it will. I have a flight booked to the Canary Islands the day after Christmas. The race is due to start on the 29th, but that is looking unlikely now. This will play havoc with some of the rowers as there are work commitments and financial implications which may put the race out of reach for a few. I really feel for them. I know that one of the rowers from the pairs boat "Dream It Do It" has had to withdraw and his partner is going solo. Hats off to him because of the change in mindset he'll need. Now we have seven solo rowers - a great fleet. There are considerable costs involved in staying in the Canaries, especially for a South African converting rands. These are costs that I had not expected or budgeted for. Liberty has really spoilt me as a sponsor and have covered my travel costs to come home. Thanks Liberty - you guys rock!
And now for the positive stuff - life is good! I have been spending some quality time with my family and in between I've been doing a little training (surfing, paddling and mountain biking). Not much though, but it has been fun. One of my paddles included the company of a school of about 200 dolphins. They stayed with me for about 4 km and then turned. I think they were feeding as they were swimming really fast, but what an experience - beautiful stuff and good for the soul.
My sister Liesl and her family are visiting us from Cape Town at the moment and it's great to have them here. I had forgotten how busy things are at this time of the year. A bit chaotic, everybody seems in a bit of a frenzy and all I want to do is relax and soak it all in before I leave. One of my many motto's in life has been "embrace chaos" and so this is what I am doing - bring it on.
This time at home has also allowed me to do a few things for my boat. The very first time I used my waterproof camera it got swamped and rendered useless. So I managed to take it back to the suppliers, Photoquip and they gave me a new one, for which I am very grateful. So now I can do those whale and shark shots if I get the opportunity. I also needed some special grease for my bearings which Roy Raffen from Bearing Man is sorting out for me. Thanks Photoquip and Bearing Man.
Cliffy and Tracey, my good friends and cyber maniacs, are really keeping things going with this site (www.rowpeterow.co.za) and the Facebook group of the same name. Thanks guys. Julian from Liberty is at me all the time for more news. Keep it going Jules, I know I am hard work.
Update from Pete 17 Dec 09
Following yesterday morning's weather meeting, the race will now start on Tuesday 29th December 2009. I'll be required to report to the Woodvale Challenge office in La Gomera, Canary Islands no later than Sunday 27th December. As I am sure most of you are not aware, the Spanish authorities stipulate the conditions that crews can safely leave the Canary Islands. The conditions offshore and to the South West of the islands are over and above the guidelines set out by both the Spanish Port Authority and Woodvale Challenge Ltd. These conditions indicate that crews would struggle to leave the islands safely given the current forecast.
Although the forecast is due to remain unchanged for the next 10 days, by the 29th the conditions should reverse. The authorities predict we will benefit from a North Easterly wind that will help push us towards Antigua and hopefully some of us can break some records along the way!
Looks like I'm going to be spending Christmas with my family in East London, which I'm really happy about. I'm staying focussed and keeping busy!
Update from Pete 14 Dec 09
After travelling for a few days via Frankfurt (-2C in shorts, flops and T-shirt) I have arrived home to spend a few days with family while the Atlantic weather systems sort themselves out. For those of you who are wondering what is going on with the weather and the race - here is a bit of info that will help.
At this time of the year there is a high pressure system that sits around the Azores in the north of the Atlantic. This system pushes the hectic storms away from the African coast further north and into Europe. This system is simply not there at the moment which means that the storms can move further south and influence the weather up to and just beyond the Tropic of Cancer. The winds that these systems have (WNW and WSW ) are in the completely opposite direction to the trade winds NE and E. If we were to start rowing in these conditions we would immediately have to put out our parachute anchors and would probably be blown onto the Moroccan coast. Most of the boats would retire in the first few days and there would definitely be a few rescues. These rescues are very expensive and the Spanish authorities want to ensure that when we leave their waters that we do so in the appropriate weather conditions to get us away from land. If these storms were to occur in the middle of the Atlantic we would just ride them out. It's the nature of the race. Last time Bill and I went through four hectic storms and survived to win the race.
So where does this leave us? At the moment I am on a 72 hour standby and the wind for the next week is still WNW 15 to 25 knots (you can see what's happening with the winds here.). Although I am not physically on the water, the race has started in my head. I am geared up for the race and am feeling a bit like a horse at the starting gate. Thanks to everyone for the messages. This waiting has not been an easy time and is one of the greatest tests I will have to face on this race. You have made it easier for me.
Daily Dispatch online - Newsmaker of the Year 2009
http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=366262
Update from Cliff 11 Dec 09
Like anything in life change is one of the most difficult things for people to cope with. We set our intent, we plan and then something completely out of our control comes along and changes everything for us. The race has been put on a 48 hour stand-by. There was one front that hit the Azores and right behind that, another. What does this mean for Pete? He has options - he can sit in Liberty Nyamezela's cabin and wait, he can go to the UK, he can come home. What Pete decides is in his best interest. His race has started. His head is on the water and all that is left to happen is for his boat and his body to follow. This leaves us wondering what to write about for the next two weeks while we wait for Pete to hit the water. But, like any change we know it will create an opportunity and we are looking forward with anticipation for whatever that opportunity may be. We started yesterday by encouraging you to donate to Pete's charity - let's not lose that momentum. If you have any ideas we would welcome them. Questions and messages of support always go down well.
In typical Peter van Kets-style, just as when we thought the weather had messed up the best laid plans and the talk of high pressures and low pressures stopped the race in its tracks, Pete causes a tsunami in his home town. Can you believe it, while sitting in the Canaries, waiting to start this race, it has been announced by the Daily Dispatch that you guys and the online readers (60% of 6,000 voters) voted him Dispatch Online's Newsmaker of the Year 2009! As I write this he does not even know that this has happened. Can't wait to see what else he has up his sleeves while he waits to start. How awesome is this oke at keeping the positivity flowing? Daily Dispatch you couldn't have announced this at a better time.
By now we were expecting Pete to be somewhere between San Sebastian and English Harbour. Now we have no clue where he is and until we have further information his whereabouts will remain unknown. We will keep you posted when we can track him down. If you spot him, no matter where you are in the world, let us know!
Update from Pete 10 Dec 09
Another hot day in La Gomera! Charlie Pitcher - fellow solo rower - and I have been on a mission to get some underwater filming of our boats for our respective documentaries. Great fun, but we have a lot to learn about filming. We will have to do it again sometime. News on the weather front is that there is no change in the system that is playing havoc with us. There is a string of serious low pressures that are moving from west to east and are not being forced north by the high pressure system that is usually over the Azores. That high pressure system is just not there. The long-term picture is bad weather till 21-22 Dec.
Update from Cliff 10 Dec 09
I'm back in Cape Town. Long trip made very pleasurable by another awesome flight on Virgin Atlantic airlines. My feelings of being ok to leave Pete behind and leaving him ready for the race are now very mixed. The race has officially been postponed until 22 December, leaving Pete with nothing to do but wait. I guess that this is what happens when you are an adventurer, and there's weather involved. He could equally be sitting in camp on Everest waiting for the summit to clear.
It must be remembered that the race has begun - it's all about what's happening in the rowers' minds. Although Pete has not yet rowed across the starting line, he may well meet a storm system like the one brewing over the Azores while on his row, resulting with him stuck for many days in Liberty Nyamezela's 1.8 x 1.8 m cabin, hatches batttened down, with 50 ft waves breaking above, parachute anchor deployed and no one to talk to.
So why the delay? There is a hurricane season window period and that is why the race is run at this time of year. What has happened is that the window period has shifted slightly leaving the race organisers with no option but to make the change. It is impossible to row against seas of the size that the rowers would meet in a hurricane and they would be forced to either put out their para anchors or run with the wind. In this case that could mean going backwards by hundreds of miles.
It is crucial for us, as Pete's supporters, to now more than ever come alongside Pete to keep his head busy and stay in touch. There is a very good chance that Pete may return home, while he waits. Many of the other rowers have returned home to the UK, a four hour flight. Pete's total travelling time would be four times that. With the awesome support from Liberty, Pete's anchor sponsor, he is trying to find good cheap flights. Liberty Nyamezela will be taken out of the water for this period otherwise she will start growing sea life on her neatly polished bottom.
What does the wait mean to Pete? Being the positive guy that he is, it creates opportunities and that means getting ready to use another further ten days to increase his fundraising efforts. To date Liberty's buy a km campaign is still only standing on R600. The Carel du Toit campaign has sold SMS packages and received donations well under what Pete is aiming to raise. To all of you reading this blog, please dig out your credit card, raid the piggy bank and ask your friends for R10, R5 or any kind of donation for Carel du Toit Centre's coffers.
Every rand counts. For those of you who have given time and your money, we say a huge big thank you and invite you to tell you friends to match what you have done. We hope that the experience so far, has been worth the donation.
For those of you who like reading about other people's adventures, and might want some additional stimulation while we wait, may we suggest the following? (With each sale Aardvark Press will allocate 5% to Pete's chosen charity, the Carel du Toit for the Deaf.)
Good adventure books
To the Top from Nowhere by Sibusiso Vilane (with Gail Jennings)
In a High and Desperate Place by Rachel Kelsey Colenso
Good adventure movies
Pete and Bill's 07/08 race: 90 Minutes Closer to Antigua.
The full catalogue of Moose's Fresh Air Crew DVDs is available www.aardvarkpress.co.za.
Update from Kim 8 Dec 09
I am gearing up to leave La Gomera on the early ferry tomorrow (Wed) morning and believed that Peter would be heading off shortly after me on the start of his epic journey. However, rumours began surfacing this morning that a further delay was on the cards and it was confirmed at a race meeting at 11am that there is indeed a low pressure system over the Azores which will result in a NW wind ranging between 20 and 35 knots which would hit the fleet by Friday. Under the circumstances the organisers have no choice but to delay the start in the interests of safety. This is obviously very difficult for the rowers on many levels, it is very hard psychologically to keep waiting for "the axe to fall", most of them are alone as their families have had to leave by now and many of them are on a shoestring budget and are now having to live on their boats and start using their race rations. Despite the frustration of the further delay, Peter is fine and is very involved in helping the rest of the fleet with last minute fine tuning. He is feeling very positive as his boat is shipshape, the autohelm is working superbly and everything has been perfected and is ready to go. On the other hand I am completely distraught that I have to leave him knowing that he will be alone for the next while (Cliffy and Julie left on Monday and Moose and I leave on Wed morning). It is totally dreadful to have to say a second round of farewells.
Peter is planning to share accommodation with another solo rower, Charlie Pitcher, and many of the fleet are making arrangements to charter a boat for some fishing and sailing while they wait out the bad weather. More news to follow when I arrive home in East London on Thursday.
Weather delay
There is a weather system developing over the Azores. While the fleet 'could' start tomorrow, by Saturday the rowers would have their parachute anchors out and be at the mercy of a particularly tempestuous ocean for five days or more. A meeting was held to discuss the forecast and implication and the fleet took the decision to stay in harbour. Quite right, I say!
Never has a boat been more well named than Nyamezela! Pete is doing a lot of 'hanging in there' at the moment. Never mind the epic row, this is an epic start.
Update from Cliff 8 Dec 09
Jules (Good) and I left the team yesterday and it was really hard. We said good-byes to some amazing people. In two short weeks we have made some friends that I know will be friends for life. Eyes were wet and there was lots of hugs all round. Had a large lump in my throat as we walked the gangway on to the ferry. I am so glad that Jules and I were traveling together. We also had the company of solo rower Charlie Pitcher's family: his mother, wife, sister and his camera crew. I am sad not to see the start but was able to swim out to each of the boats and let them row over my head as I swam under them and looked up as they glided over me. They will be home to those brave adventurers for the next two to three months.
When I arrive back in Cape Town on Wednesday my job changes gear to make sure all the media, friends and supporters are kept up to date with what Pete and the other rowers are doing. I will be making contact with the other solo rowers and a few of the pairs crews regularly to let you have their experiences.
Update 7 Dec 09
Today was a fork-in-the-road day for Team Pete. Jules, Moose's wife, and Cliff, Pete's shore manager, left the island for London, and thereafter Cape Town. Cliff indicated that he had mixed emotions about departing at this time - after the months leading up to La Gomera he has spent two intense weeks working with Pete on Liberty Nyamezela and supporting Pete as he prepares emotionally, psychologically and physically for the race. He has commitments back home but it will be a long time before he sees his friend again. Cliff is happy that his job is done for this part of the race, that everything is ready (barring the gates which Pete adjusted today after yesterday's race experience). He is looking forward to once again providing us with regular updates about Pete's progress.
Back on La Gomera Pete has the excellent support of Kim, his legend wife, and Moose Good. Kim is leaving on the 8 am ferry on Wednesday, unfortunately. However, Pete is making the most of the last few days of rest, company, fresh food, and a comfy bed before the epic journey begins. Ultimately, though, Pete is firmly in the zone - focused on the race ahead.
Supersport Blitz
A clip with an interview with Pete was aired on Supersport Blitz in late November. It is up at www.rowpeterow.co.za/rpr/rpr/blitz.html.
(Thanks Keith!)
Update 6 Dec 09
Technology troubles! The notebook that Cliffy uses to post updates had a software challenge today so I'm posting a phoned-through summary of what happened today (Sunday) ...
The organisers arranged a race to show spectators, family and friends who will miss the Wednesday start, just what a Woodvale start looks like. Twenty boats participated in the race and our Pete finished fifth overall on a short course among fours, pairs and solo rowers.
The one thing that came out of the race experience was a need to adjust the oar gates ... the oars were knocking Pete's legs and that's not a good thing! Rowing seat and oar gate adjustments are crucial - especially for the kind of effort that this row requires ... rowing 90 minutes on, 90 minutes off for months. There'll be enough repetitive stress to Pete's body without having injuries and discomfort caused by boat set up. But, from every challenge (the race delay) there's an opportunity to be found and Pete has another few days to further finetune Liberty Nyamezela.
As a break from the preparations, Team Pete went on a sightseeing trip around La Gomera. It is a very beautiful island - a nature reserve well away from the teeming beaches of Tenerife. The roads are very good, the scenery spectacular. Pete will be seeing La Gomera every day for the first three days of the race but then it'll be far far horizons as he becomes surrounded by ocean. He'll be missing this stubby remnant of ancient volcanic activity soon.
Cliff has to return to South Africa before the race starts - he is, of course, sad to be leaving before he sees his friend off on this race, especially as they've spent such an intense time together preparing both Pete and Liberty Nyamezela for the challenge. However, as indicated in an earlier update, cameraman Moose and Pete's wife Legend Kim will be there to assist with last arrangements and, most importantly, warm farewells before she leaves a few hours before the race starts at 2 pm South African time (12 pm GMT). Pete will hopefully blog on Tuesday night but Cliff will resume blog entries and updates when he arrives back in South Africa.
Update 5 Dec 09
Cliffy wasn't able to log an update today - it's been a busy Friday and Saturday for Team Pete. What we can say, however, is that Liberty Nyamezela is on the water, and her water maker is working just brilliantly. A forklift crane lifted her, in a cradle with Pete on deck to keep an eye on equipment, over the edge into the marina.
Pete and Nyamezela went out for a row and rather pleasingly everything worked 100% - the boat is ready, Pete is ready. Cliff will report back on Saturday's activities tomorrow.
On Sunday, there will be a race around the cans. Family and friends who have gathered to witness the start of this epic race will appreciate getting a taste of how things will be on Wednesday when the official start commences. And I'm sure that the rowers are looking forward to being on the water, testing their waterwings, so to speak. More soon! In the meantime, enjoy these photos (they're also in the Gallery, captioned).
Update from Cliff 4 Dec 09
It's official: the Woodvale Trans-Atlantic Challenge will now start on Wednesday 9th December. That's barring any further logistical problems. Emotions are running very high. The delay has triggered quite a lot of unhappiness especially as family members who have travelled to see them off will miss the start. I will be leaving on Monday as planned and will be travelling back to South Africa with Jules, Moose's wife. Moose will be staying behind to film the actual start.
The race organizers have decided to do a mock start and a short 'around the cans and back' dash on Sunday for the benefit of families so at least we will get to see a rough idea of what a start looks like. Although this delay is happening it must be remembered that the sport of ocean rowing is very fickle. To prepare for a race of this nature is difficult to say the least. I often hear Pete say that everything is non-standard and has to be specially done or made. The start of such a race is no exception. A few years back it was delayed because of weather. At least the weather looks good, so far, for the Wednesday start.
Last night Pete and I sat and checked our emails from home. After seeing a photo of researchers on Marion Island in the South Atlantic showing their support for him, Pete turned to me with a huge grin and said, "This is aaawwesome! What great support - I feel so privileged!" Thanks Marion Islanders - you made Pete's day.
Pete is getting such great support from so many people and companies that we count our blessings daily. When they heard that we were having problems with our watermaker, the people at Liberty back in South Africa took the trouble to call and offer assistance. Liberty, you are amazing! I was standing with a group of rowers when I took the call and everyone just shook their heads and said, 'Wow, you guys have such great back up. The messages from home and around the world are great and important and he reads them over and over. Please keep them coming. Pete is able to confidently say, "I may be on my own BUT I am not alone".
OK. On to the update stuff. Today Pete will catch the ferry to Tenerife to meet Kim who has flown from East London to see him off. He will leave at around lunchtime. Great excitement!
We have removed everything from Liberty Nyamezela that will not be required by Pete during the race and she is amazingly light and seems quite empty. She will get her final polish with hull coat and then be lifted into the water today. That's if all goes well - we had thought Nyamezela would be in the water on Wednesday. Nyamezela is ready and shiny and a real celebrity. Potential crews for future races are in La Gomera to see what the race is all about. They've brought camera crews and cameras and ask heaps of questions and chat. With Liberty Nyamezela's flag and clean-lined beauty Pete is turning into one of their first ports of call. He's only too happy to answer questions and allow his brain to be picked.
Pete has decided to take two spare oars with him. He was originally only going to take one spare set. This is a huge relief for me as I believe it could be a tougher row than with Bill and they broke two oars in the last few hours of the race.
I really recommend visiting these beautiful islands. Bring a surfboard if you surf as there are some good spots. Learn a little Spanish (it helps) and be prepared to be blown away by the stark beauty and island charm. I would like to think that I will be back one day. The rowers started arriving two weeks ago and it was all about boats and work. Now that the preparations have been done, and the boats are all in the water waiting to leave the shift has been very interesting to see. Friendships are being forged and people are getting to know each other well. It's wonderful to witness the human spirit at work. Men and women who are going onto the ocean, who did not know each other two weeks ago, are building bonds that will last a lifetime. Just yesterday Pete received a letter from a rower he rowed against in the 07/08 race in which he told of how he had impressed them and what a great experience it had been to get to know him. It's wonderful to be able to witness the universe work its friendship magic.
Update from Cliff 3 Dec 09
As I sit writing this it's 6.30 am on Thursday morning and Moose is about to film me waking Pete with his morning cup. Pete's energy levels are up and he is eating flat out again. The knowledge that his Kim is coming has given him extra verve after the long preparation, and the waiting for the start.
It's almost a given, the Woodvale Trans-Atlantic rowing race is not going to start on time. We heard last night from Simon, the race organizer, that they have not been able to get flares. There is a meeting scheduled for 9 am this morning where a vote will be taken. The main problem is that there are no white flares. It is possible to purchase flares in Spain but they only sell orange and red distress flares and not white ones. White flares are used as signal or warning flares and are vital when you are in a small rowing boat and about to be run over by a ship. There is a lot of emotion around the race village and a lot of opinion. Small groups chatting and sharing their thoughts in hushed voices. We know which way we will vote today after discussing it last night - we decided no compromise. [Ed: It was confirmed today. Start will be on Wednesday.]
Below is a picture of the row locks or gates which Pete will use to attach his oars to the boat. They were made specially for him by Fabkomp in East London. Fabkomp also supported Pete and Bill's 07/08 race. This time around the company made the row locks, Pete's special seat holders (of lightweight aluminium) and a beautiful dolly or hand trailer which helps us move the boat without need for a car. There has been huge interest and respect shown for these products - the rowers seem to be really impressed by Pete's set up.
We now have our AIS (Automatic Identification System) fitted and there were a few tense moments when the GPS did not pick up the satellites. We moved the boat from where it was parked and suddenly there were satellites everywhere! Pete's trusty Garmin is now working like a dream.
We finished the day with an evening out with the solo rowers. Everyone enjoyed the restaurant and the food was stunning. The evening was full of laughter, fun and banter and Pete and Charlie (Pitcher) teasing each other non-stop.
The most interesting conversation I overheard was between Pete and a guy called Mike who is over to help out the Jersey crew. He said to Pete, "You and Charlie are friends but I can see that when you hit the water it's going to be a race to watch. I can also see that should you ever need to stop racing to ensure the safety and support of each other you would not hesitate. I really admire you two for this." He said, " You are true heroes in my mind." I thought that Mike summed up the friendships forged between these gladiators of the oceans rather well. Fierce competitors who also caring and thoughtful for the needs of others. Real men, I thought.
Mike presented us with a sketch of Liberty Nyamezela set against a South African flag - with the words: "If anyone can, a South African can."
Race start delayed
It was announced today (Thursday) that, as the flares have not yet arrived, the start of the race will be delayed until next Wednesday 9 December.
Update from Cliff 2 Dec 09
Pre-race preps are hotting up. Nearly all the boats have been launched but we are still on dry land. Yesterday we placed the dagger board and polished the bottom with hull coat so Liberty Nyamezela is shining and ready to go in. As I write the Woodvale electricians are on board fitting the AIS (Automatic Identification System). This is a mandatory unit on ocean-going watercraft that allows boats, even small ones, show up on the radar of larger ships. It is important to prevent boats from getting run over. It helps solo rowers like Pete as they need to sleep and can't always keep an eye out.
Moose the camera man and his sound 'fluffer' holder wife, Jules, are working flat out. We have started to feel like movie stars ... "please say that again" and "go back and walk this way". We've been the cause of many a detour and extended conversation. Moose is great to have around and is excellent at what he does. Don't we all know, those of us who have watched '90 Minutes to Antigua'?
Pete's spirit is high and he is focused. We are looking good. The only problem now is the mystery over the whereabouts of Jim the watermaker guy Pete flew out from the UK. He has disappeared ... rumor has it he is in hospital in Tenerife and has had an operation but nobody has heard from him in days. His family are concerned, as we are, for his well-being. We also need his expertise to sort out the watermaker. Without it, no row for Pete. The Woodvale organizers say that they will help which is great. The delayed flares may result in the race starting on Tuesday. We hope not but we will know for sure soon.
We have a dinner tonight for the solo rowers and I wrote a short poem in their honour, based on what Pete has been experiencing and what I think these guys will face. Here it is:
Dear men, warriors of the ocean.
I stand before you honored, honored to have met you and been a small part of your quests.
Like the knights of old you fitted your armour and prepared your steeds.
You have held your sword as oars and I leave you with this message.
Row forth onto the desert ocean, place your fears of the unknown out on the end of your oars just as the ninja knights did on the end of their swords.
Know that it takes a real warrior to stand alone with his fear and by admitting his weaknesses, he turns them into his strengths.
Know your truths warriors, for it is only then that you will be safe from the sweet voices of the maidens of the deep, calling to you with their false promises, calling you to the rocks.
Only in your truth will you be able to keep them at bay and only then will you know the sweet taste of victory on your quest.
Remember that, hundreds of years ago sailors with less left these exact shores and the safety of their families to venture onto this very ocean.
They too felt what you feel now.
They returned heroes as you will be and are in my eyes.
Be vulnerable, be strong my friends, you warriors of the oceans!
Update from Cliff 1 Dec 09
Well, it's hotting up here in St Sebastian, La Gomera. Boats are getting launched daily and we are due to be put in to the water on Wednesday. We still have to put Nyamezela's hull coat on. This is a polish which, like anti-fouling, will restrict sea growth on Nyamezela's hull below the waterline while she is on the water. Sea growth happens very quickly and can slow the boat speed dramatically, making it difficult to row. Every three days Pete will go over board and clean her bottom. Not very lady-like and very un-dignified for our special lady but very necessary.
We had a small setback yesterday and are waiting to find out what the outcome is. Jim, the water maker expert who Pete has flown in specially from the UK to make sure his water maker was ok, went to the fancy dress party on Saturday, had a little too much and fell, hitting his head on the ground. He was knocked out stone cold and was taken to hospital by ambulance and kept under observation before being airlifted to Tenerife for further tests. We hope he will be out soon. Latest news is that he spoke to one of the other rowers and said he is OK. We hope so and wish him a speedy recovery. We will be in a real pickle without him.
Yesterday, Pete's wife Kim made a decision to come to the start and see him off. I think it's a great move as Pete will not being seeing her for a long time and this will really make a huge difference to his row and their time apart. Kim will be arriving on Friday midday. Pete has been taking strain on this front - his spirits are already lifted and his mood has changed with a huge smile permanently on his face ... I wonder why.
Nic 'Moose' Good and Jules, his wife and sound technician, arrived last night. Moose is the owner of Fresh Air Crew, a film company that specializes in making adventure documentaries and films. He is making Pete's movie and his filming also helps with the build up to the start. Moose made the last movie of Pete and Bill's 07/08 race '90 minutes to Antigua'. If you don't have a copy buy one - it so worth watching - just make sure you have tissues ready!
It is quite interesting to see how Pete will be living - his approach is very minimalist. We have packed the boat and there is a lot of space left. It's clear Pete knows what he needs and wants and what he does not want for this race. Other boats seem very crowded and heavy, almost overloaded.
The race organizer Simon came to chat yesterday and hinted that the start may be delayed as a storm is expected to hit the island on Saturday and the race will not start in those sort of conditions. The other problem is that the flares which the rowers have to take with them have not arrived. They are explosive and are sent as hazardous cargo. The paperwork was not quite correct and they were left on the ship which ended up in Cape Town. South African officials also refused them to allow them to land. So they are on the way back to London. In the meantime Simon has been trying to fly or drive new flares in but it's not looking good. Two Manchester-based firemen who are rowing the race also tried to help. We are holding thumbs - without flares there will be no race. Safety comes first and no rower will be permitted to leave the harbour without proper safety equipment.
I must go off to the kitchen to make tuna mayonnaise sandwiches for Pete. With all the work and excitement it's been hard to keep him eating but his weight is looking good. So is mine but I don't have an ocean to row to lose it.
Update from Cliff 30 Nov 09
On Saturday we had a slow start but managed to do a job which has been worrying Pete for some time. We put Nyamezela's dagger board in place and checked the fit. The dagger board is situated in the front cabin and is so long that it can only be fitted from under the boat. We pushed the boat to the water's edge near a spot where the charter boats launch and board. We found a set of stairs down to the water and this allowed us to push the boat's nose far enough over the edge to enable us to do the job nicely. We then had a thorough inspection of her underside and she looks great. The daggerboard fits even if it is a bit tight and sticky. It should loosen up when it has water on it. Pete is using a daggerboard to stop the rocking motion he and Bill experienced last time and also to allow him to put the boat on a course while he sleeps. If there is a side wind he can actually use it to move or drift forward just like a keeled yacht would.
That job done we both needed a swim and an afternoon nap back at the apartment. On the walk home we discussed starting a pre-race detox. No more alcohol for Pete, and lots of fruit and veggies to prep his body for the row. We had no sooner decided this than we were off to the fancy dress party. Pete had brought some blow-up aliens from Fusion, a sponsor of Nyamezela's sound equipment for the boat. So we mounted them on some inflatable travel pillows, put on some green tops, made some feelers out of foam and went as little green foreigners (aliens!). The rowers really went all out with cowboys and sumo wrestlers. One fours team made a boat out of cardboard boxes. They had a navigation light, rudder, the works. Race owner Simon and fellow solo rower Charlie dressed in drag (Charlie borrowed his mom's dress). After sampling the seafood paella we left early to attempt a good night's sleep after a very late night on Friday. I'm so glad we did as rowdy partygoers were out in the streets at 2 am this morning. Poor Pete isn't sleeping well.
It's amazing how a race of this nature can fascinate people all over the world. I have a brother who teaches English in Japan and we have arranged for some of his pupils to chat to Pete when he is in the middle of the Atlantic (literally on the other side of the world). Well, in an email yesterday, my brother said that his pupils wanted to know what food Pete is going to eat. Well Pete will eat expedition freeze-dried food as his main meals, three times a day. Each meal is 800 calories. Breakfast is muesli or porridge with strawberries or raisins. His lunch and supper are a range of flavours from spaghetti bolognaise to Thai chicken. He will always have a pudding after each meal or in between meals for extra calories. He also has his 'dankie tannie' packets which have the following assorted goodies (sponsored by Vincent Park Spar: sugar-coated fruit sticks, chocolate bars, glucose sweets, Sugas sweets, raisins, biltong and nuts. There is also an assortment of flavoured energy drinks for his water bottles. It's like a party pack for a big kid! He will also use special protein shakes during his evening rows and between meals. Pete has packed his food into separate compartments and each meal will be a lucky dip. He will put his hand in and what he grabs, he eats. His watermaker will be used to make the water required to rehydrate the food, and mix up the shakes. In the heat he'll be drinking a lot of water too. He also has five litres of olive oil and he will drink a few millilitres each day to boost his calorie count. The Japanese will relate the soy sauce and wasabi that he is taking along. Pete will be trailing a fishing line and if he catches a fish he will enjoy sushi with the chopsticks which he also packed.
I am now off to massage Pete's back which he says is feeling stiff and painful. It's a bit of a worry actually, but it may be because of all the pre-race tension he is shouldering.
Update from Cliff 28 Nov 09
Yesterday was, I would say, the best day so far - the race is getting closer and Pete has moved past his low ebb of the day before. We spent the morning fitting the rowing seat and making sure the rails were clean and the bushes ran smoothly. The seat slides back and forth and it is vital that the mechanism which allows Pete to push the seat with each oar stroke is smooth and trouble free. He will be cleaning the mechanism after every shift of rowing and ensure that it is well-lubricated. The rowing seat is, after all, like the clutch system of the boat - with Pete as the engine. Pete has to generate the right kind of torque to race strong and safe and everything needs to be just right with these particular moving parts.
When Pete rows he puts his feet into a pair of white, very bling rowing shoes(they are white because when he gets into the tropics a black shoe would cook his feet). Remember that there is no shade on the deck at any point of the race (rowers are not allowed to use anything that might be deemed a sail to give them an unfair advantage). So, it's a choice between having roasting feet or being blinded by the white - thank goodness for his Vuarnet sunglasses to keep deck and shoe glare under control! The shoes are attached to the boat with bolts. The right shoe pivots at the toe and is connected to a bar that controls the rudder and thus allows Pete to steer Nyamezela. At the beginning of each rowing shift, Pete ties himself in and sits on as many foam sheets as he can. One of the main issues concerning Pete is the care of his buttocks because spending so much time sitting on his bum causes pressure sores. This is not only painful but dangerous as no sore heals properly in the perpetually damp conditions. The custom made bum balm that he has brought all the way from East London will go some way to fending off discomfort but bum care will be top of his list as he rows.
After we tested and re-tested the sea, we unpacked the entire boat and laid out all the equipment Pete will need for the scrutiny next to her. Pete is really organised and has far less clutter than any other boat I have seen. At midday we took a well-deserved swim with the other rowers. It was a great bonding session - lots of messing about and joking and banter.
We are both missing our quiet homes back in South Africa. We are staying in a lovely apartment which is situated on the town square and overlooks the beach. We sleep with the balcony door open, to enjoy the fresh sea air. Last night, as it has for the past two nights, the local disco let rip at 3 am and we were tested by the bass beat that went on until 5 am. Dirt trucks, street sweepers and cars joined the din and Pete and I battled to sleep. No soon was I nodding off when there was a feeble attempt at a blood transfusion by a local mosquito. If there is something the Spanish need to do it is to beef up the mozzies here. This one came in sounding like it was riding a Vespa scooter - nothing like our Mig squadrons from home. One solid clap to my head as it buzzed my ear and it was history. Peace at last. Barring the human noise and merriment, of course.
We pulled a fun move yesterday. As Liberty Nyamezela is made of carbon fibre she is very, very light for her size and nothing does more to a rower's head than knowing a competitor's boat is lighter than his. So, after we removed all the provisions except the food, I casually strolled to the front and lifted her up. The average boat weighs between 300 and 400 kg. Nyamezela must be somewhere in the 180 kg range and to see her lifted off her trolley got some broad smiles and lots of heads shaking. Pete naturally also had a go to show it was as easy as it looked and then a few other guys wanted to check if we were serious and had a go too. Well it's a fact ... she is light!
We left the boat ready to be checked and that's what will be happening today. We will then have a list to complete and we will have next week to tie up any odds and ends and get Nyamezela on the water.
Again, thanks for all the messages and yes, please keep them coming. Pete is feeling strong and the days are counting down. Scrutiny will be a big hurdle tomorrow (Saturday). We had a good chat to Charlie and have arranged to have dinner together before the race starts. The energy between the rowers is far less about being competitors than being fellow rowers and friends. But there is a race and somebody must win - let's hold thumbs that it's our Pete.
Update from Cliff 27 Nov 09
Today has been a difficult one for Pete and he woke at 3 this morning with the sound of drunk rowers returning from a party. We all know the 'three o'clock can't go back to sleep' feeling too well.
Well that was Pete ... ping ... wide awake with his head going home to Africa, his darling wife Kim aka THE LEGEND and his dear Baba Hannah. Can you imagine the feeling of preparing for the most important job interview and the interview keeps getting put off day after day or worst still, knowing that you love somebody beyond your comprehension and you are choosing to remove yourself from them, place yourself in a dangerous and lonely place and not see them for 90 days (three whole months). Try this: NO chocolate for the next three months, no car, no friends, no one to hold or touch, no one to see! No fridge, no bed, no shops ... nothing but a boat, a radio and sat phone, a pair of oars and open ocean. I dare you try the chocolate and see how hard it is. Try the rest and see how really unbearable it becomes. Yes that's what Pete is about to put himself through. Having said all this today was reality day ... it all hit Pete at 3 am this morning. Did his heart miss a beat? Of course. Is he afraid? Of course. He knows only too well what he is putting him and his family through and it hurt him like hell! So why should we feel sorry for him, I hear some say - he chose to do it. Well, sure, but this man is a human has feelings and although he rows and paddles like a machine he feels deeply. So when we say keep the news from home coming, we really truly mean it. Today was what Pete called his wall day it had to come and it came on dry land with support. Pete has also worked non-stop on this project and the ocean and the water are what are calling now! Waiting is not what he has trained for.
On the preparation side of things (not that the emotional stuff is not preparation) Nyamezela had her stickers placed yesterday and just like any warrior preparing for any war or ceremony she has her war paint on and looks the part. Virgin Atlantic took pride of place on the forward cabin roof. Virgin has given Pete free flights and went the extra mile to make us comfortable, and helped immensely when we lost our baggage at OR Tambo Airport in Jo'burg.
The Suunto sticker went below the trusty Suunto compass which Pete will watch day in and day out for the entire race. It's will be the only way he knows which way to row as he crosses the ocean facing backwards. There's another Virgin Atlantic stickder to the left side if you facing the aft cabin. I think it's to remind him his wife and kid are flying safely and quickly to see him in Antigua.
Liberty's branding was painted on the entire boat and this boat has by far the best sponsors' branding in the race thanks to them. After the stickers were stuck and a bit more boat pottering and some shopping Pete and I took a short swim, a walk and well-deserved slow afternoon napping and resting. We have not stopped since leaving SA and this was needed.
We are contemplating bringing the scrutiny forward so we have time to act on any problems. We will keep you updated on that.
It's also important for Pete to let you all know that this race would have been very different without his sponsors' support and as supporters of Pete I'd like to encourage you to support his sponsors and his chosen charity. Please take a look at who they are on this website and next time you may need their services, let them know why you have chosen to use them.
We noticed that there has to date been a disappointing response to Liberty's buy-a-km campaign and we think maybe that's because some of you don't know about it or are waiting for the race to start. Please check it out and support it! See www.own-your-life.co.za
Update from Cliff 26 Nov 09
We have been here 3 days now and it feels like weeks. It's great to see the 'to do' list get a lot shorter. There are more words scratched out than readable which means we must be doing something right. Today we spend the day unpacking the entire boat and doing a mini scrutiny on ourselves. This meant finding everything and ticking it off the list Woodvale sent Pete. The two main items missing are a handheld bilge pump (looks a bit like a prawn pump or a very large bike pump with pipes running off it) and 50 metres of (tow) rope. The rope we can get locally and the bilge pump will be brought from London by Jim. Jim is Pete's water maker agent who Pete is flying out, as he did last time, to check that the watermaker is working. He is also going to helping a few other competitors while he is here. After we had done the unpacking and checking we had ourselves a great to do list which consisted of
To buy:
2 x pencils
1 x tow line 50 m
1 x 500ml water bottle with water for the grab bag
2 x chocolate bars
1 bag glucose sweets
4 spare round watch batteries.
To fix and do:
Secure throw line
Make tow line strop
Make parachute anchor retrieval line
Laminate/waterproof all charts
Fix bilge pump handle
Fix rudder brake line
Fit 2 x knives and 2 x axes, one each in the cabin and one each outside the cabin.
We managed to achieve most of these tasks today. of this and I won't tell you what it's all about except to say that to fix means to secure it all to the boat so that Pete does not lose it overboard. We use a very clever system of zip ties with a little bracket which we apoxy onto the boat.
Pete is very positive but admits to having huge butterflies in his tummy... a lot of them. He is acutely aware, more so than any of the other rowers, what lies ahead. The loneliness, the raw bum and the painful claw hands ... I think this makes the apprehension worse for him than the other competitors. One thing which makes me feel relieved is his ability to voice this and show his feelings. If he was holding the butterflies in it would only be more energy sapping. He is an amazingly positive guy as we all know and turns each butterfly into an eagle (perhaps that should that be albatross?). Either way they are flying high and looking good, are strong and enduring. Pete is all this.
One thing that also needs to be said is his support base is so important to not only him but his wife Kim and daughter Hannah (his baba). You guys have been awesome ... DON'T STOP WITH THE MESSAGES - HE NEEDS THEM! Kim is so awesomely supportive of Pete and you can see this by the way the his face lights up when I hand him the phone to him saying "Pete, it's Kim." He is a very lucky man!
I am getting to know the other rowers between working on the boat and walking past them. Dave, our neighbour, is doing well - his boat is nearly ready for checking but he still has a few issues to resolve. James our other neighbour passed scrutiny yesterday and is all ready to go. He is re-packing his boat and making sure everything is in the right place. Nyamezela will be scrutinized next week when Moose will be here to record the process.
There was huge excitement yesterday as Charlie put his prototype boat in the water. It weighs only 550kg and according to people who saw it, took only four strokes to cross the harbour. I wonder how he will feel when he sees Pete do it in two.
Yesterday we had a talk on para anchor deployment. In a nutshell the anchor is a 12 foot wide parachute which Pete will use if he is drifting off course and needs to maintain his boat in a certain sea position. It will not be used in storms as it can be very difficult to retrieve and can hold the boat upside down in the event of a capsize. It will mainly be used in winds up to about 35 knots and it will help keep Nyamezela bow (front) to wind or stern (back) to wind whichever Pete needs at the time. We were also shown drogue deployment and use. A drogue looks like a windsock you find at a helipad or airport. Pete will use this when he stops to sleep or rest - it will also hold the boat in position but will not stop the boat. He will also use this in storms to maintain his direction.
So again after a hard day's work we packed up the office, took our briefcase and headed for the beach for a refreshing swim in the 23 deg water. Then it was off to do emails and we were in bed lights out at 9 pm.
It's again another awesome, clear, sunny day here. The town is woken by the dirt trucks who do the rounds sweeping the streets so that when everybody wakes it's as if the entire town has had a shave, shampoo and good all round wash! It really does sparkle - there is not one bit of litter.
If there are any questions you may have please send them in message format and I will do my best to answer them. I look forward to the questions and really need them to help me give you the info you are lusting for. So get them coming.
Update from Cliff 25 Nov 09
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a good day as far as boat prep and getting Pete closer to his goal ... rowing!
We started the day by placing the scuppers. These are small covers that go over the draining holes made in the deck so that if water should, and it will, come onto the deck it can drain out through special holes. The scuppers are like valve flaps that stop the sea from coming back into the boat. While Pete did that I finished off strapping his dankie tannie packets (the black bags in the photo). They needed to be tightly taped closed so his treats aren't ruined if there's a capsize.
By the time that was done it was time to do our medical kit scrutiny. This is done by the race owner and organiser's mother. She is a registered nurse and a very sweet lady. The process was simple - we had been given a list of requirements and we had to make sure we had all the medication, bandages and equipment to help him should something go wrong. It is interesting that there is a lot of emphasis placed on fungus prevention - clearly because as an ocean rower you are pretty much wet all the time. In a previous race a team of four rowers had to pull out because they all such bad athlete's foot their lives were in danger! To my surprise there was very little emphasis on trauma stuff. I would have included suture material - the list included steristrips but not artery clamps. Both of these are to stop big cuts. I am glad though that Liberty Nyamezela has everything we can think of padded and covered so that Pete has little chance of cutting himself.
Anyway, as far as the medical kit was concerned we found out we were missing a low-reading rectal thermometer. This is used to check for hypothermia. We initiated a hunt back in Cape Town but it seems they're not widely available. We eventually went back and said as much, and were directed to a team who had two rectal thermometers and no normal one. We've arranged a swap that will be in everyone's interests. Just have to 'import' a normal thermometer now.
After that we spent the rest of another hot day placing the two fire extinguishers: one inside the cabin and one outside in the foot well just outside the cabin.
The cabin bilge pump was fitted next - the pump inlet is on the roof and is used in case of a capsize. If this happens and a hatch is open the cabin will fill with water. The pump enables the rower to pump the roof dry and right the boat. Fitting this turned out to be a little more challenging than expected. The hose we had bought along was too small so off we went to the local hardware store to get a bigger one. This then meant that the drill bit Pete had brought was too small. However, after much huffing and puffing the boere made a plan and we heated the new pipe with Pete's gas cooker and managed to force it through the smaller hole. The final result was better than we could have imagined - a large hose in a small hole and no chance of a leak.
That done we then got on to fitting the bags which are attached to the walls inside the cabin and act as a sort of kangaroo pouch to keep cloths and stuff close at hand. Disaster! After we had fitted them we noticed that Pete had drilled holes right through the boat and we had two screws sticking out. Fortunately it was quick to repair by borrowing some filler putty from our neighbours and our holey boat was fixed. A neatly placed reflective sticker hides the repair!
The last chore yesterday was spent packing the boat with the dankie tannie packets. They are all stowed in the large floor hatch under Pete's bed.
The heat is really bad here but the most amazing thing is we can spend the whole day in the sun without a T-shirt and not get a tan at all. The sun is simply not as vicious as it is in South Africa!
We finished the day with our usual swim in the sea and an ice cold beer at the local pub run by Manuel. He is a legend amongst the rowers and warmly welcomes them. His pub is full of race history and a SA flag hangs on the wall with Pete and Bill's names below it (after their win in 07/08)!
Today (Wednesday) will be a biggie. We are going to unpack the entire boat of all its equipment and make sure that, when our turn comes to be checked, we have it all. No doubt there are going to be a few 'oh **** ' moments. Let's hope it doesn't require another La Gomera treasure hunt. We are holding thumbs that we did our groundwork. To date it has been a well-planned campaign.
The sun has now risen and it's another beautiful day in La Gomera. I must go now and make Pete his sandwiches and food to make him big and strong. Today it's avo sandwiches again and local sausage with fruit and knock-you-dead brownies from Home! I'll also ensure Pete has his two bone and joint building tabs and make some breakfast - how's that for service?
Pete is getting all his emails and good wishes. It is part of our ritual to sit in Manuel's pub, beer in hand, checking emails from home. Pete says keep them coming. It's just there is no time to reply to them all but we will try.
Update from Cliff 24 Nov 09
We had a hot day yesterday - Pete spent it in the cabin glueing in the foam to reduce noise and make it a bit cooler and most important to protect him if the boat should capsize (of which there is a very real chance). The boat is receiving lots of admirers. I asked a few people what makes her special because to an untrained eye she is just another carbon rowing boat. The main response is that it's because she is so neat and simple. When you look around, that's exactly the case. Pete has pulled off a great job. Simple, no frills ... just a working boat.
After we had done all the sweaty hot work we came up to our apartment which is about 200m from the boat village and we spent an afternoon going over the medical kit. We had our medical scrutineering today at 11am. There were a few things missing - we had fun though trying to get some stuff from the local pharmacy.
The town La Gomera is small - about the same size as Hermanus town but with a lot fewer houses. It is built in a small valley on steep slopes and it's very Karoo-looking in its shrubs and bare mountains. The houses have almost a Greek island feel to them. There is a beautiful old church in the town square. In the afternoon the shops all slow for siesta and open again in the evening after which the entire village comes to life with kids playing in the promenade and riding bikes and families walking around. It's amazing to see. The whole village changes when the rowers come and there is a lot of interest in the race.
This morning I could not sleep so I woke up at 5.30 am SA time (3.30 am La Gomera). My body clock is still stuck in SA. I woke Pete with the smell of hamburgers on the stove (his lunch) and also made some avo sandwiches which will go with bananas. It is hard work making sure Pete eats. I feel like such a nag ... "Pete have a sandwich ... Pete have some water ... Pete have another sandwich ... Pete here is some coke ... Pete some brownies ... mmmmm yummy ... look at the chochoo train come now open wide"... I am trying all the tricks but they are working - Pete has put on a bit more weight for sure.
The race is going to be very interesting. The main rival and the talk (but you never ever know) is a guy called Charlie Pitcher. He is British yachtie and a nice guy. The boat he is rowing is a totally new concept and this is the worry. It is shorter in length by 1.5 m. This means it is that much lighter. It also has the cabin in the front of the boat. The cabin is about twice the height of Nyamezela's cabin and will act like a spinnaker downwind. It's a very clever idea. The aft cabin is low and small so Charlie can see oncoming waves. Charlie is a nice guy and has done many ultra marathons like Kim does and has also done the marathon in the Sahara (marathon de Sables) so he has a good head. Why am I telling you all this? Well just to show you that this race is exciting and is going to be a nail biting race. I must also add that there are three other single boats that are very quiet and getting on with the job so one never can tell. It really is up to the weather the rower and his head of which I have no doubt we have the best. Pete is amazing - he freely gives his experience from the last race and just been an all round cool guy. The other younger rowers are picking his brain and he does not act cagey and shares what he can with the most amazing enthusiasm and care. No inflated head or an 'I am better that you' attitude. The truth and fun of competing together against elements is what it's about. I am so proud and stoked to be associated with him. He truly is a wonderful caring man!
Liberty is in good company here - there are a few other insurance company sponsors and Pete has by far the most impressive. The Own Your Life branding along with '100% committed' is so powerful and is going down awesomely with the racers and the public. I think a lot has to do with what lekker guys us South Africans are
So, what else did today hold? We had the medical scrutiny at 11 but we were missing a rectal thermometer. We're going to have to get someone to bring one in as La Gomera is fresh out. Then we started fitting the water maker. Pete has arranged for a technical representative from the company which manufactured it to come out from the UK to prime (pickle) the water maker and test it before Pete sets off. We were also intending to do the dagger boards as well as fix an eye bolt which was not properly fitted and broke!
We are both doing well and it's so great to have the messages of support from the home town and country. It's good to have solid support to read to Pete daily. I know it helps with the butterflies in his tummy.
Update from Cliffy Sunday 22 November
We have been travelling flat out and for the first time now have good internet connection at the Blue Marlin, a pub down from our apartment. We are having a problem with sms and cell reception and will try sort that out tomorrow. The trip up was ok. Flights were good, Virgin Atlantic was great. The floods and bad weather meant that our flight from Gatwick was delayed by an hour which meant that we missed our ferry. However, we sat next to a lovely English couple, Sue and Nigel, who put us up in their holiday house (on the first night of their holiday!) and took us out for a beautiful meal and paid our taxi fare from the airport ... amazing people - so hospitable and warm. Nigel is a retired fireman from the UK. He will be coming over from Tenerife to see us in the next few days.
Today we had a great day. Started out just catching the ferry to the island and then checking the boat out and all the other boats. There's great energy here. Very British. Pete has interesting competitors.
We unpacked the boat in 30 deg heat. Everything survived the journey - the chocolates arrived unscathed! Pete has registered and we have booked our slot for the medical kit check and the scrutiny has been booked for next Monday. Lots to be done till then! We spent the rest of the day packing the treat bags: Pete's jungle juice, his chocolates, etc. 90 bags, one for each [potential] day.
Tomorrow we will get on to setting the dagger board and a few other pieces of kit
It is really amazing to see how well Pete has been received. He is really liked by the rowers and it's clear that they really respect him. There were lots of oooohs and aaahs at Nyamezela - she is beautifully built and people are raving about her. I feel so proud to be with Pete and connected to his campaign. Photos to follow soon!
Update from Pete Monday 23 November
Cliffy and I have spent the last two days getting the boat ready for the epic journey. My dankie tannie packies have been packed, we have interior decorated the cabin with some nice white foam (which will keep me cool and the sound out) and organised my medical kit which was supplied by Life Health Care Group. Tomorrow at 11h00 I have my medical scrutineering. We discovered a few missing items and had an interesting shopping spree in the local pharmacy. Cliffy and I were trying to explain in our best Spanish (our vocab so far is "dos cerveza por favor" - two beers please) that we need Vaseline, an eye bath and tough cut scissors. Not easy and we are still not sure if we have the right thing. Oh well at least our Spanish has improved. Butterflies are still huge but I am looking forward to the start.
Daily Dispatch 20 Nov 09
Setting out to tame the Atlantic demon
PETE GO FOR IT: Peter van Kets with children from the Carel du Toit School for the Deaf, who presented him with a good luck banner on Wednesday for his solo adventure across the Atlantic that starts on December 5. The school will receive money raised from the race. Picture: PHILLIP NOTHNAGEL
AHEAD lies the expanse of the mighty Atlantic Ocean, unpredictable weather, gale-force winds, storms, giant waves and swells, blazing sun and endless days of pain and loneliness. All of this awaits East London adventurer Peter van Kets, who in two weeks' time, on December 6, sets off on his own to row across the Atlantic.
The race begins in San Sebastian, La Gomera in the Canary islands and ends in Antigua in the Caribbean, some 5 000km away. This is the second time Van Kets will be crossing the Atlantic, having done so with fellow East Londoner Bill Godfrey in 2007/8. The pair emerged heroes after winning the pairs section of the Woodvale Atlantic Race.
An excited Van Kets left today from East London Airport for Tenerife in the Canary Islands via Johannesburg and London, where his carbon-fibre craft, Nyamezela - which means in Xhosa vernacular, to push through tough times - waits for him.
Nyamezela, specially built and fitted out in Cape Town, will be Van Kets's home away from home for 50 to 120 days, depending on how he fares during the race. Van Kets says he is hoping to shatter the standing solo record of 78 days.
Of huge relief to Van Kets is the fact that his boat has been cleared by customs and on Wednesday was on board a barge heading for the start. More relief came in the form of manager Cliff Coombe, who arrived on Wednesday from Hermanus, near Cape Town.
Nyamezela will undergo further tests in La Gomera and two further instruments still need to be fitted to the craft. Also on board Nyamezela will be four cameras that will record every second of Van Kets's epic attempt, one of which will be waterproofed, allowing him to film under water. Van Kets admits to feeling nervous.
"I have butterflies but not for myself but rather for my wife Kim and daughter Hannah. I will keep wondering if they will be OK while I'm away. They won't be there to see me off at the start as it's very traumatic. They will be there to meet me at race end.''
Van Kets added he still hoped to put on three kilograms. "I weigh 89kg at the moment but will lose a lot of weight while at sea. Once I come down to 70kg problems will set in and I'll become weaker,'' he explained. During his first crossing Van Kets shed 18kg.
Though the race starts on December 6, Van Kets said his race had started as early as February this year already.
"Millions and millions of things had to be seen to. Having Cliff around will be a great help and in the last few days I want to focus, race and survive.''
The plan, according to Van Kets, is for him to use the first two-thirds of the race to pace himself and then push hard during the last stretch. He'll row for 90 minutes and take 90 minutes off for the first two-thirds of the crossing, then shorten his rest periods to one hour. He also expects to be sea-sick for the first three days but not as stressed as in his first crossing.
He will be in contact with Kim once a day via satellite phone, of which two will be on board in case one gets damaged or washed away.
To follow Van Kets's progress visit www.rowpeterow.co.za or www.own-your-life.co.za
Readers can personally receive text messages on their cellphones from Van Kets when he leaves the Canary Islands, and at the same time support his charity of choice, the Carel du Toit School for the Deaf. The package is R50 for one sms every second day and R100 for a daily sms. Included in updates will be weather conditions, race news, total distance covered, distance still to go, and comments from Van Kets.
Phone us on 072 753 0900 for more details. - By BRIAN McLEAN
SOLO ROWERS VAN KETS WILL BE UP AGAINST
Charlie Pitcher, United Kingdom (InsureandGo)
James Ketchell, United Kingdom (Speedo)
Lee McNamara, United Kingom (2Hopes)
Leo Rosette, United States (Halcyon)
Sean McGowan, Ireland (Tess)
David Brooks, United Kingdom (Team Panasonic)
Keeping connected 6 Nov 09
The Woodvale Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race starts one month from today on Sunday 6 December. Liberty Nyamezela is on her way (thanks to Schenker) and should arrive in San Sebastian, La Gomera, soon. Pete and his shore manager Cliff are flying out courtesy of Virgin Atlantic on 20 November to make final preparations for the race, and check that Liberty Nyamezela is shipshape. Her set up needs to be perfect because Pete will rely on Nyamezela completely as he rows 90 minutes, then rests 90 minutes, 24 hours a day, during the race of between 50 and 90 days.
Anchor sponsor Liberty has created a place on www.own-your-life.co.za where you can track Pete's progress online. There's also an opportunity to support Pete's charity, the Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf in East London, by sponsoring Pete's distance.
Or to keep a tab on Pete's progress while you're away on your holidays, why not sign up with Carel du Toit to receive sms updates throughout the race. A donation of just R100 gives you an sms a day, or R50 for an sms every two days. All proceeds go directly to Carel du Toit. See here for more details.
Of course, there'll also be updates on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/l/8542a;www.rowpeterow.co.za, on Twitter www.twitter.com/petervankets/, and Woodvale's site at www.woodvale-challenge.com.
Remember, you are welcome to send messages to Pete at any time during the race through the various media available to you. Messages will be consolidated and sent through once a day.
Training and tapering 5 Nov 09
Brian McLean, Sports Editor of the Daily Dispatch, published this report 5 November 2009
WHEN East London's Peter van Kets attempts his 5500 km solo race across the Atlantic in his boat Liberty Nyamezela, he should be in peak physical condition.
The race starts on December 6 in San Sebastian, La Gomera, in the Canary Islands.
Van Kets, who for some time now has been working on a special training programme under the watchful eye of Australian strength and conditioning coach, Caron Williams, leaves East London for the Canary Islands on November 20.
Williams, a multi-sport athlete, has provided Peter with a periodised training programme to prepare him for his big race.
Van Kets's postural weaknesses, analysed by physiotherapist Tanya Mackenzie before his first race in 2007 in the pairs section with Bill Godfrey, has had to be re-examined and addressed at the start of his training.
According to Williams, Van Kets needed to be well-trained physically to endure and withstand any adversity during his long race but at the same time, should not to be over- trained or be peaking before the start. "His training has been designed to slowly build his fitness up over a long period of time to allow for optimal physical and mental adaption,'' she explained.
The training programme was divided into four phases, of which the third was the longest and hardest and targeted his main training goal - his ability to cope with fatigue.
The final phase over seven weeks has been a tapering down which allows for extensive mental and nutritional preparation to take place.
Van Kets said yesterday his challenge was to reach his destination, Antigua, without damage to himself or his boat and that's what the training had been all about.
"It's all about survival and rowing two-thirds of the race comfortably and pushing myself harder for the final third.''
Williams has the last word: "Peter is highly motivated, extremely disciplined and an awesome athlete to train.''
The original article can be found here.
Weight training 27 Oct 09
Pete is tapering his training and concentrating on rest and putting on some weight. He's currently weighing 87 kg (Pete's 6.2ft/1.86m) and aims to weigh 92 kg at the beginning of the race. So, everyone, send a pudding or Black Label to Pete to help his cause!
Paperwork and admin 26 Oct 09
Now that Nyamezela is on her way, Pete and his team are finalising the paperwork to get themselves over to the start. Virgin Atlantic has sponsored the flights for Pete, Cliff and Nic. And also for Kim and Hannah to meet Pete at the end of the race. The team will fly into Heathrow, and then take a bus to Gatwick to catch a flight to the Canaries on Easy Jet. There'll be a ferry trip to La Gomera for final preparations. Pete and Cliff leave on 20 November ... still in good time to do what is necessary to finish Nyamezela for the race.
The visa shopping isn't Visa shopping, or as much fun. In fact it is an exercise in giving over just about every ounce of personal information barring what colour your underwear is ... However, with the able and enthusiastic assistance of Mariska Smith at Visa Connect in Fish Hoek, the process is being made much smoother, especially for Cliff who requires a visa for the UK (transit) and also a Schengen visa for the Spanish leg (The Canaries).
Containerised 19 Oct 09
Nyamezela is packed into her container, and ready to sail away, courtesy of Schenker (specialist in worldwide logistics). Schenker came to the party - as it did for the last race - to ensure that Nyamezela arrives at the start in La Gomera in good time, and then comes home from Antigua safely. All Pete has to do (!) is row her across the Atlantic Ocean in between.
Pete, Cliffy, Nic, Neville, Andre and Alexis worked hard in the boiling sun and oven of the container to make sure that Nyamezela was strapped down securely so there won't be any bumps and nicks during the voyage. The Schenker team made sure that Pete and Cliff were well-fed by providing delicious sandwiches and Coke to keep them energised. (You guys rock!) Nyamezela should reach La Gomera in the Canary Islands around 9 November. Let's hope there aren't any nerve-wracking delays like last time.
Nyamezela's land legs (her trailer) have found a safe home at Schenker until she returns. Thanks Schenker!
Sea trial 2 18 Oct 09
Today's trial took place in Table Bay ... Pete took Nyamezela for a downwind row, almost to Robben Island, before heading back with a tow from an NSRI craft from Station 2. There were some great photo opportunities - particularly with Table Mountain and the new World Cup stadium in the background.
Murray Williams was on hand to interview Pete - an article appeared in the Cape Argus a few days later. Of interest to Capetonians was, of course, the fact that Pete is an ex-SACS teacher. How's that for inspiring a generation of young adventurers?
Sea trial 1 17 Oct 09
On Friday 16 October, Dave Colly from SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Association) surveyed Nyamezela and made sure that everything was functioning correctly so that Pete could get her registered as a ship. He also set-up the auto-helm (mechanical steering device) and it works perfectly. Saturday 17 October and the day dawned cloudy and still. Perfect weather for a sea trial. Pete and Cliff took Nyamezela from her Capricorn Park berth to False Bay Yacht Club in Simonstown where they launched. The NSRI Station 10 craft oversaw the process - and helped with support as Pete put Nyamezela through her paces.
Why trial in perfect sea conditions? Aren't trials supposed to test the boat in, well, rough seas? Well, not really - the idea is to get a sense of how the boat performs when conditions are just perfect for rowing ... if she yaws to one side then that yaw will be magnified many more times in rough weather. That's not something you want to be trying to fix in the middle of the ocean. By yourself.