Attempt aborted. Till after the hurricane season. 16 Apr, 06 - 08:00 28.0520N,17.0632W

My attempt to cross the Atlantic started on the 11th of April.
Due to a stormy weather on the 12th and 13th, I was pushed further North than expected, setting me back by a week in my budgeted time to clear the Canary Islands and enter the Atlantic proper. It also meant, I was an additional week into the Atlantic hurricane season, potentially finishing the crossing head on into a hurricane. My concern was not bad weather at sea, but bad weather at landfall, possibly resulting in a rescue at sea, loosing the boat, the equipment and loosing any chance at a future attempt.
From the outset, the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially starts on the 1st of June, has been the main source of time pressure. Getting the timing right has been critical to ensuring a successful attempt.
Given the anticipation of sponsors and supporters, my decision to turn back to La Gomera, just 4 days into the crossing has been a difficult one. But I have taken it only after discussions with Rune Larsson, past rowers and the Ocean Rowing Society in London.
At stake is personal credibility, life, the investment by the sponsors and the support of those individuals who have contributed their time and energy in making this attempt possible. The outcome of the past few days have been disappointing and frustrating. However, such is the nature of the sport.
Ocean rowing, as a sport, has its risks. One of largest influencing factors is the prevailing weather conditions at the time of a crossing. A professional and responsible approach to this endurance sport calls for risk management, not risk exposure.
As the project director, my responsibilities are to:
a. minimise the risk to life from bad weather and equipment failure
b. safeguard the investment of the sponsors and supporters
c. ensure all the conditions are met to ensure a successful attempt
My decision to postpone the crossing till after the Atlantic hurricane season is based on the following calculations:
Official start of the hurricane season: June 1.
Best case time estimate for the crossing: 60 days
Start: April 15, End: June 15 (2 weeks into the hurricane season)
Worst case time estimate for the crossing: 100 days
Start: April 15, End: July 25 (8 weeks into the hurricane season)
Adding an allowance of 1 week for injury at sea,equipment failure etc en route gives an a 3-9 week exposure to the hurricane season.
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I have decided to re-attempt the crossing at the end of the hurricane season, in October 2006. It has been a difficult decision. Difficult decisions, however, are a privilege of rank.
Between April and October, training around the Canary islands will continue and regular updates will be posted on this website.
Till then, thanks to everybody for the support. It's not the end - yet.
B
TODAYS PHOTO - Atlantic Hurricane Season

Blown back, hurricane season & a decision 14 Apr, 06 - 22:00 27.5231N,17.1557W

12.00 am
Winds: Easterly
Sea state: rough
GPS Position: N27,48,469 W17,23,062
Woke up at 12.00am to log the GPS. More frustrating news, have been pushed further North in the past 6 hours, which has undone at least 1/2 a days worth of rowing. The bilge looks a bit flooded with the waves breaking over the side of the boat. However, the added weight should make it more stable in the bad weather. Will pump it out in the morning when the weather settles down.
3.00 am
GPS Position: N27.53.804 W17.21.832
I find my self being blown further North in the storm. Looks like I have lost at least 2 days of progress. The wind seems to be dying down a bit, the cloud cover moving on and the moon coming back out again. I can see the faint outline of El Hierro to my starboard quarter. I have been blown backwards north, between La Gomera and El Hierro. This is incredibly disappointing. Looks like I will take another 4 days just to clear the Canary islands.
6.00 am
Winds: 1-2 knots
GPS Position N27.52.316 W17.15.573
Clear brighter weather. The North - Easterly winds have resumed their business. The rain has stopped. In the absence of a morning news paper to read, I pump the water that has collected in the bilge. Two protein bars for breakfast and some cold coffee and back to evaluating my options taking into consideration the time lost due to bad weather.
Given the bad run of weather over the past 3 days, looks like it will take me about a week to get out of the Canary Islands (around El Hierro) and get back onto the original course.
A re-calculation of my schedule increases my concerns about the viability of moving forward with the current route. Unless, I made Trinidad, at 10N, my destination, it looked like I would be entering the hurricane season head on.
9.00 am
I give Rune and Tatiana a call to relay my concerns and ask for their opinion. My concern is not crossing in bad weather, but finishing off in very bad weather, hurricane conditions, resulting in me having to abandon the boat near shore or risk the boat being dashed against the rocks in Antigua. They both share my concerns and urge me to re-consider my decision to proceed.
12.00 pm
Sea state: calm
Winds: 1-2 knots
A few more calls to Rune. In light of my discussions, I take the decision that due to the delay with the weather, it is better to wait till after the hurricane season to proceed any further. Rather than risk loosing the boat and the project to a hurricane, it was safer to turn back to La Gomera and wait for more favourable end conditions.
TODAYS PHOTO - 6.00 am on the Atlantic

Rough weather, lost milage 13 Apr, 06 - 22:00 27.4512N,17.1907W

3.00 am
Winds: Easterly
Sea state: rough
The waves continue to break over the stern of the boat and occasionally over the side. I had to go out on deck briefly to re-secure on of the oars that had come loose as a result of the waves. Retreated back into the hatch to play the waiting game till the weather improves.
6.30 am
Winds: 30-35 knots, Easterly
Sea state: rough
GPS Position: N 27.45.126 W 17.19.074
A disappointing start. Been blown North overnight, but we still have some progress Westwards. The weather conditions have not improved, so its still more waiting. Haven't been able to get much sleep all of last night. The 1 inch think fiberglass and plywood walls of the hatch are attracting a lot of condensation at night, covering everything inside with moisture including satellite phones, sleeping bag, laptops etc. A quick thanks to Panasonic. The ToughBook laptop has been performing well despite all the moisture and banging about. Haven't got around to breaking any walnuts with it yet, but must try when I get back on land.
9.30 am
Winds: Easterly
Sea state: rough
Heavy rain continues. Each day lost is one extra day into the hurricane season. At this point, I'm considering Trinidad and Tobago as an alternate destination, given that lies at 10 N, which much further South than Antigua, and less exposed to the hurricanes.
12.30 pm
Winds: Easterly
Sea state: rough
The weather shows no sign of letting up. More heavy rain. Just as they spend 9 months of the year indoors to come up with design improvements at Ikea, my 24 hours in a 6ft hatch, has not been entirely lost. For starters, I've noticed that the four large screws that hold the rudder cable in place, protrude upto 1 inch into the sleeping cabin and 3 inches above my head, when I'm lying down. Looks like a concussion waiting to happen. Must also fix ducts to hold the cables for all the surplus electronics: the laptops, iPod, inverters, AA chargers, backup GPS. More foam insulation to be added to the ceiling, to absorb the condensation at night. Extra dampener for the rudder. The list grows...
6.00 pm
Wind: North-Easterly
Sea state: very choppy
The storm clouds are directly overhead. However, far off to the port side I can see the clouds clearing up. A fantastic sunset. Better weather tomorrow? Dinner is 2 power bars and a milkshake accompanied by catching up with updates from Dee Caffari and Aviva Challenge. Dee is attempting to sail around the world against the prevailing winds.
9.00 pm
Winds are still strong. A bit of rain but the weather is looking up. 2 protein bars for dinner. Its impossible to get out on deck to have a try at the gas burner to heat some water. A bit bruised. A couple of cuts from sharp edges that I still have not managed to locate. I suspect one of it's the inner surface of the handles on the roof of the hatch, that I grip while swinging in and out of the cabin. Anyway, the tiredness has somewhat dampened the pain from the cuts. I had a quick phone call with Rune to discuss weather it was wise to push forward to Antigua and we discuss if there was enough margin for error before the Atlantic hurricane season set in. It would be disappointing to turn back.
Side note: Often, the climbers who survived Mt. Everest were the one's who turned back even 30m from the top in the face of bad weather.
While the boat has been handling well over the last 2 days, I have doubts it could take the full force of an Atlantic hurricane.
Only a few hours earlier, I was flipping through Ron Hamil's book, The Naked Rower, given as a gift to me by Andreu Matheu. (Rob Hamil and Phil Stubbs won a race across the Atlantic in 1997).
From the book, a quote by an Anonymous seaman:
"You don't know what pitching-polling is, son? No matter how big the swell, a non breaking wave will not be a problem. It won't sink you. A single breaking wave, though, would flip you end over end if it was higher than your boat was long.
Typically, what would happen is that you would climb the wave at at angle of 45 degrees, and not having enough grunt fail to gain the top, you'd slide down the face. Your stern would bury itself into the trough and the crest of the wave would catch your bow and flip you over. You would only need an 8m wave.
Now, take foundering. That's where a succession of waves simply drives the boat under "founders", as we say. The dictionary defines founder as something like "to cave in, sink, fail, utterly collapse". On your boat the stern would probably implode, the front and cabin hatches fail and the boat would down-flood. You would be prevented from escaping by the sheer force of the water pouring into the cabin - it would be similar to walking into a blast from a fire hose. In that sense, pitching and polling is better than foundering because an overturned boat traps air in the hold and can stay afloat for a period of time. Rolling. Rolling is when the height of the wave is higher than the width of the boat, and if you are not square on to the wave."
With that thought in mind, its time to get some rest for the night. In the morning, I will have to re-consider the wiseness of moving forward in the route to Antigua, given the proximity of the hurricane season. Waiting until after the hurricane season will mean waiting until October. At stake is credibility, life, the investment made by the sponsors and the support of all those who have made this project possible...
Thanks for all the messages of support on the sat phone.
B
TODAYS PHOTOS -
1. Clouds moving in
2. Stormy sunset

Storm moving in 12 Apr, 06 - 22:00 27.4453N,17.1200W

3.00 am
Winds: 5-10 knots, Northerly
Position: N 27.55620
Sea state: slight swell
The GPS shows that I have drifted further South overnight, which is good news. I got onto the deck to check out the wind speed, which seems to have eased a bit with a few gentle swells visible in the dark, as the moonlight reflects off the waves. What's the Atlantic like at 3.00 am? Absolutely magnificent. Muscles are a bit sore from the previous days row. A quick check to see if the oars are secure. Instead of taking the oars out of the locks, I have crossed them and tied them together in the center, with the blades sticking out over the sea. This system seems to be working for now. Back to sleep till the next session at 6.00 am.
6.00 am
Winds: 15-20 knots, Northerly
The wind seems to have picked up a bit again. Breakfast with a fab view of the the sun emerging over the horizon. A few rain clouds visible further South, some cause for concern.
9.00 am
Winds: Northerly
The swell has increased a bit. Looks like it will rain in the afternoon.
Time again to make my protein mix and another 3 hour session at the oars. Seasickness still lurks. The body seems to be still adjusting to getting thrown about by the waves.
12.00 pm
Light rain with a slight increase in winds and swell. Waves height about 1 meter, with the odd wave crashing into the side of the boat. After a lunch of protein bars and Lucozade, time to hit the oars again. I briefly saw my first fin in the water at lunchtime. About 6 inches and visible for about 15 seconds. Probably a curious dolphin.
The sea is too choppy to cook up any lunch so I have to make do with with 3 more snack bars.
3.00 pm
Winds: North - Easterly
Sea state: rough
Had some progress since lunchtime, in getting further South. But the intensity of the rain has increased along with the force of the waves making it difficult to row. The body harness that keeps me secured to the boat has been irritating the skin ever since I left San Sebastian, looks like I'm well on my way to my first skin sore.
Rowing in the ocean is far far different from rowing on a lake. Its difficult to get both oars into the water at the same time, unless the boat is in the trough of the wave. It takes a bit of getting used to. Waiting till the crest of the wave has passed below the boat and getting the timing just right, more often, pulling one oar at a time thru the water.
I've been constantly sprayed with salt water since morning. A quick thanks to Helly Hansen. The Lifa base layer and waterproof shell that I have on since morning has been working swimmingly well so far and kept the wind and salt from getting to the skin.
9.00 pm
Winds: North - Easterly
Sea state: rough
GPS Position: N 27.44.634 W 17.12.000
Looks like I am in the middle of the high pressure zone. Rain has increased, with large waves crashing over the deck. The swell has increased to about 2.5 - 3 meters and the boat is listing to the starboard side. The ballast seems to have shifted as a result of the boat being thrown about by the waves. To re adjust the ballast, I will have to open the water tight compartments below deck and adjust all the heavy food items and water ballast to the center and distribute some of the lighter freeze dried food to the sides. Will have to
wait till the rain eases. The boat seems to be taking the rough weather quite well. In La Gomera, I had intentionally increased the ballast on the boat to give it more stability in rough weather and this seems to be paying off.
All is quite dandy otherwise.
Thanks for the messages, signing off for the night,
B
TODAYS PHOTO - Stormy outlook

Row starts today

I leave today at 11.30 GMT, initially heading south towards the Cape Verde islands. Thanks to everyone for the messages and phone calls.
Next update will be posted tonight.

First day at sea 11 Apr, 06 - 21:45 28.0520N,17.0632W

Winds : 3 knots, Northerly
A few people from the village and San Sebastian marina turned up for my castoff at 2.30. The feeling of leaving land is mixed with relief, anticipation, anxiety and physical exhaustion from over a month of preparations in La Gomera.
As I pulled away, the shallow green water of the marina turned into the Atlantic, becoming a deeper, darker and richer shade of blue. The sea became choppy accompanied by a fantastic view of the volcanic cliffs of La Gomera to the Starboard Quarter and El Teide on the Port Quarter.
I was a bit concerned about getting clear of the shipping lanes (from La Gomera to Tenerife and El Hierro) as quickly as possible. I tested the Katadyne watermaker just outside entrance to the harbour, where the water was relatively cleaner sans the boat engine oil floating around. I left it on to de-salinate about 1/2 a liter of water, for good measure.
A steady 2 hours of rowing later, I was safely outside the shipping lanes. Another 2 hours of rowing of rowing before stopping for an evening break.
10.00 pm
4 hours of rowing and 5 hours of sea sickness. Not bad progress on the first day. The strong Northerly winds seem set to continue over night, so I've decided to let the boat drift with the winds till my next GPS check at 3.00am.
So all is well on the first day. It feels great to finally be out at sea. Thanks for the messages, signing off for now.
B
TODAYS PHOTO - Sunset on the first day at sea

The Canary islands

La Gomera is one of the seven islands in the Canaries. My intial route will follow due South-East from La Gomera, to escape the circular currents around El Hierro.
TODAYS PHOTO - Map of the Canary Islands

Last days on land

This morning the rain clouds that were hanging over San Sebastian seem to have moved North.
We finally got a break in the weather, with stable Northerly winds forecast for the next few days. This should give me enough time to get out of San Sebistian and clear El Hierro (the island South East of Tenerife) and head due South. The new departure date will be announced shortly.
TODAYS PHOTO - Good weather

Weather window

Hi all, thanks for all the satellite messages. The Canary Islands are not best known for their speedy internet connections and getting updates across has been difficult. The time pressure is intense, every day extra has been one more day into the hurricane season. Last weeks high pressure front seems to have finally moved north and has made for more stable trade winds. I will need atleast 4 days of stable conditions to go past El Hierro (the Island to the south of La Gomera) and minimise the risk of being blown east towards Tenerife. Scheduled departure date Tuesday 4th Apri, 2006. b