Day 100 Limping Along

08 June 2007 7:30am local time    
16.4317N,59.50713w
SMS message just received in from Bhavik 7:30am local time
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MY POS 16.4317N 59.50713W 109 NM/195 KM AWAY. FIXN ELECTRICS. NO VHF N SHIPS IN AREA. LITTLE STRESSD. OFF COURSE 17MILES OFF ANTIGUA.
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posted by rowdeb at gmail.com
NOTE: To keep communication lines clear for Bhavik, please do not SMS him as he is low on battery.
However, you are most welcome to post your messages of support on his website and I will pass these on when he is back online - Debi
http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Day 99 Water in compartments

07 June 2007 6pm local time    
16.5461N, 59.4617W
SMS message just received in from Bhavik
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WATER IN BATT COMPARTMENT N 1WATRTIGHT COMPARTNT.TRYING 2 DRY.NO RDR. N16.5461 W059.4617 24HRS 19NM.INTOUCH W FALMTH COASTGUA
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Received 6pm local time - posted by rowdeb at gmail.com
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NOTE: To keep communication lines clear for Bhavik, please do not SMS him.
However, you are welcome to post your messages of support on his website and I will pass these on when he is back online - Debi
http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Day 99 No power/radio. Backup oar!

07 June 2007 7-8am local time    
16.55,59.39W
SMS messages just received in from Bhavik
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FIXNG. HAVE ARGOS. 116 NM. BACKUP OAR USED.
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PLS UPDATE WEBSITE. GOT MSG FROM FALMOUTH COASTGUARD. N HAVE ARGOS BEACON. TRYING 2 MANAGE. (7:36am)
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CANT POST. NO ELECT. RADIO REFL. N VHF NOT WORK. BACKUP OAR.
IN TOUCH W FALMOUTH COASTGUARD. WILL HIT EMERGENCY IF NEC. WILL TRY MANAGE (7:42)
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DONT WANT RESCUE (7:32am)
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Although Bhavik's problems are not over by any stretch of the imagination, at least it sounds like he is well and that at this point he does not want rescuing. Hope he can continue to update us via SMS. - Debi
posted by rowdeb at gmail.com
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NOTE: To keep communication lines clear for Bhavik, please do not SMS him.
However, you are welcome to post your messages of support on his website and I will pass these on when he is back online - Debi
http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Day 98 CAPSIZED!... Cont..

06 June 2007 ~8pm local time    
16.58N,59.15W
SMS messages just received in from Bhavik
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TRY 2 FIX W SOLAR PANL. HAV ARGOS BEACON. WILL HIT EMERG BTN IN 8 HRS IF NO FIX. PLS PUT MSG ON SITE SO ORS N ERDEN SEE 16.58N 59.15W (Sent 06 June 2007 ~midday local time)
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PLS UPDATE WEBSITE. MILES. 28. NO RUDDR. HAVE LOST ELECTRICS. BROKEN OAR. WAITING 2 CALL RESCUE. 200KMS 2 GO.
(Sent 06 June 2007 ~4pm local time)
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posted by rowdeb at gmail.com
NOTE: To keep communication lines clear for Bhavik, please do not SMS him.
However, you are welcome to post your messages of support on his website and I will pass these on when he is back online - Debi
http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Day 98 CAPSIZED!

06 June 2007 ~8am local time    
17.06N,59.00W
SMS messages just received in from Bhavik
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CAPSIZED LAST NIGHT. 3AM LOCAL TIME. NO ELECT. NO COMP. BROKEN OAR. TRYNG 2 FIX. PLS POST WEBSITE. NO BODY MSG ME. SAVING SATPHONE BATTERY. I WILL CAL 4 RESCUE MAYBE.
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CANT REC. COMP N NO LIGHTS. WILL TRY FOR 24 HRS TO FIX B4 RESCUE CALL. PL POST ON WEB NO BODY MSG ME. SAVING SATPHONE BATTERY
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Day 97 – Course, Steering problem, Ballast

05 June, 07 – 23.15    
17.0745N,58.5731W

24 hr progress: 38.1Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 159 Nautical Miles ( 294 km)
Distance completed: 3230 NM (5975 km)
Wave height: 10 ft, Winds: 18-20 knots E-NE, Bearing: 250-270 degrees.

Life here is back to rowing without a rudder. The steering continues to be a problem. The lashing on the rudder loosened more since yesterday and by this evening it was impossible to continue rowing because of the vibrations. (The last time I fixed the rudder, I had taken it off the hinges and just tied it to the back of the stern. .This stress on the fiberglass back of the boat, but its hard to keep the lashings in place because there is no supporting structure.)
It was difficult to fix the rudder today without getting into the water. (I have too many bleeding sores on me right now to get in), so I was forced to lift it back out of the rear hatch. All these adjustments are very time consuming and I hope I can find another solution over the next 24 hrs. I have been thinking of using an oar blade in place of a rudder. I hope to get this fixed soon as I will need better steering ability to get past the reefs.
In the meanwhile, I've moved some water ballast from the center of the boat into the stern, to weight it down more and keep it into the waves.
I've made further progress back South and now just 7 miles of course of landing option numero uno - English Harbour, Antigua at 17.00,32 N 61.45,44 W.
Weather wise, the heat all day has been incapacitating but a strong steady wind all day helped take some of the edge off it. The sea as been fairly calm – in the pre-hurricane sense of the word. The forecast today predicts rain squalls for the next few days. Pressure is normal.
As I write this, its 11.30 am local time (GMT -3 hrs). A rain cloud has just passed over ahead leaving a clear sky. The moon is waning and the stars are back out again. I am still a few good miles away from the light pollution of land, so the view of the Milky Way is brilliant.
The wind has started to pick up a bit and the swell is back. Its going to be a difficult nights row without the rudder. The boats already rocking and rolling a bit more than Elvis.
ETA Antigua: 4 days.
B
Email: mail@bhavik.com
Confused by any of the nautical terms? Visit the Glossary: http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/about_glossary.htm
Get automatic alerts each time news is updated: http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/newsletter/index.php
Send me a short message via my webpage http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Ein swimming by the boat...one of the doradas that have been travelling with me for the past few weeks

Mo ro

Dusk taken at 23.00 GMT

Day 96 – Back On Course, Sea Weed, Turkish Tanker, Liquid Diet

04 June, 07 – 22.01    
17.1222N,58.1790W

24 hr progress: 43.7 Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 196 Nautical Miles ( 362 km)
Distance completed: 3189 NM (5899 km)
Wave height: 6-10 ft, Winds: 18-20 knots E, Bearing: 250-270 degrees.

I was greeted this morning by clumps of sea weed (Saragasso Seaweed maybe?) floating in the water. Its quite a strange feeling to see plant life again after 95 days. The wind has shifted from SE to E causing a slightly confused sea, as the old waves continue to come at the boat from the SE and clash with new larger waves coming from the East. If the wind stays put at E for a few days, the E waves will dominate, the SE waves should subside and rowing will be easier.
The weather got off to an erratic start. I had a rain squall in the morning and the sea got a bit rough by mid morning. By noon it was calm and sunny again. Then another squall came by and it went back to being calm and nice. Anyway, I'm very pleased with the progress for the day. The windspeed was good and I took advantage of its direction and made good progress, correcting my course back towards Antigua. I'm now just 12 miles off course.
The rudder is starting to come loose again so its on my fixing list for tomorrow. I will try and fix it back on in a way that allows me to steer the boat rather than just keep the stern centered into the waves. Right now I'm steering with the oars, but will need more control to navigate the reef surrounding Antigua.
Normally, the crew on passing ships are unusually friendly when they get to know that I am rowing across the ocean. Today was different. The captain of a Turkish tanker in the area, did not believe I was rowing across the Atlantic and refused to give me his GPS location over the VHF, thinking I was some sort of pirate. Anyway, while we are busy arguing over the VHF, the Tanker appeared over the horizon, almost dead ahead, bearing 070 deg. After much shouting back and forth, they spotted my boat in the swell and finally altered course. It was interesting to watch the conversation turn amazingly friendly and apologetic when they realized I was really rowing. Unfortunately, the conversation did not get very far. I said “Istanbul is a beautiful city” and the captain replied “I'm aware its a beautiful city”. And that was the end of that. What a conversation killer.
The Turks were quite fascinated at the rowing thing and extra hospitable to make up for nearly running me down. They inquired about my water supplies, food supply and offered to drop off wine, cheese, vegetables, batteries. I had to politely refuse primarily because I wanted to complete the row without outside help and secondarily cause the tanker seemed to be kicking up a massive bow wave that most likely would have capsized the boat if it had have come too close.
The most striking part of meeting the tanker at such close proximity though, was the smell of land, of paint, dirt, food and diesel fumes, things I had long since forgotten.
My food packs are over and its a liquid diet of protein shakes from now on. There is no fear of running out. There is plenty of protein on board for myself and the rest of China. Plus I find it a good way to de-tox from the preservatives in the meal packs. Not overly bothered about the lack of choice. Trying to focus on keeping course as much as possible. I tell you - after 95 days on freeze dried meals, I could eat sweets while they are still in their wrappers and still find them tasty.
It's good to be back on course to Antigua..
B
Email: mail@bhavik.com
Confused by any of the nautical terms? Visit the Glossary: http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/about_glossary.htm
Get automatic alerts each time news is updated: http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/newsletter/index.php
Send me a short message via my webpage http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Sea weed picked up this moring. Its got barnicles and other creatures growing on it.

Turkish tanker Chem Libra

Rowing at Sunset. Taken at 22.11 GMT

Day 95 – Steep Waves, Keeping Course, Ein Stein

03 June, 07 – 22.57    
17.2164N,57.3336W
24 hr progress: 32.8 Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 238 Nautical Miles ( 440 km)
Distance completed: 3140 NM (5809 km)
Wave height: 10-12 ft, Winds: 18-20 knots E - SE, Bearing: 270-290 degrees.

Last night, I rowed into the 57W meridian. Thats another merry crossed off the list. Almost officially in the Caribbean sea now, which starts at Barbados which is at 59'60W. Got an email today about a low pressure front arriving in the Canaries over the next 4 days. Not sure how long it will take to reach here.
Anyway, closer to home, the winds have been fairly strong and waves steep, but overall the conditions have been better than expected. I was prepared to deploy the sea-anchor out, but haven't had the need to use it.
Its quite an exhilarating experience being lifted up by a steep wave. The boat is raised about 10ft off the surrounding water, the bow is raised right up into the sky as if the boat is about to be shot into space. For a split second, there is an incredible view of a 15 foot valley forming just in front of the wave. Just before the boat slides back down the back of the wave.
My mileage today (32.8 nm) was above average and if the wind swings around overnight (ie. blow from the East or North East), I should be able to steer more efficiently towards Antigua. Currently, I've been trying to correct my course all day and steer towards Antigua in the face of SE winds. I managed to reduce being blown off course completely and was only pushed 7 miles to the North. Its incredibly difficult to aim a piece of wood and two oars across 3000 miles of ocean. Land fall will be within 50 miles N or S of Antigua (if not Antigua), so I'm quite pleased about that.
Still some way to go. No sign of human life as yet. I suppose all the yachts around the islands have been taken out of the water, packed away or transported further South, out of harms way. Looks like I've got the 200 miles of sea ahead to my self. How exclusive.
My 2 Dorado friends are still around swimming in the shade of the boat. Beautiful blue,yellow and silver fish, about a meter long. They have been faithfully following me for the past 400 miles. (I don't know if the flying fish I've been feeding them everyday has anything to do with it! ). I now recognize them by their stripes and have named one Ein and and the other one Stein. Its been quite entertaining watching them jump out of the water trying to catch flying fish. Very graceful and confident, as it they belong in the air. Anyway, I hope Ein and Stein turn back home soon, before they get caught by fishermen on the other side (here you go - me and Ein, Stein in the same sentence :).
Allrighty. Back to the oars....
B
Email: mail@bhavik.com
Confused by any of the nautical terms? Visit the Glossary: http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/about_glossary.htm
Get automatic alerts each time news is updated: http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/newsletter/index.php
Send me a short message via my webpage http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Sea anchor on deck, ready to deploy

Me

piccy of Ein

Day 94 – Tropical Storm Barry, Shipping Lanes

02 June, 07 – 23.14    
17.1624N,56.5956W
24 hr progress: 33.4 Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 271 Nautical Miles ( 501 km)
Distance completed: 3102 NM (5738 km)
Wave height: 12-15 ft, Winds: 25 knots SE, Bearing: 280-310 degrees.

(ps. Yesterdays post was uploaded late. Please check yesterdays post for more).
A short post. Very tired.
Its been a tough 24 hrs. Sea state has worsened. Im still in the shipping lanes, and its difficult to keep a watch of the horizon in the swell. The radar alarm has been constantly on. I've been blown a further 16 miles North since yest. Not been able to concentrate on rowing as I've had to get on the VHF every half hour to communicate with ships in the area.
Here is my most recent weather update from Weather.com and the NOAA:
“The Atlantic hurricane season has begun with a big bang with Tropical Storm Barry forming in the southeast Gulf of Mexico. Maximum sustained winds are 45 mph with higher gusts. Heavy rain has already invaded the Florida Peninsula and rain will continue working its way northward tonight. Some areas may see 3 to 5 inches with locally higher amounts some low lying areas may see some flooding. All in all the rain is very good news for the Florida Peninsula, however. Some isolated tornadoes and waterspouts are possible around the Florida peninsula, however.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the western coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to Keaton Beach. A tropical storm watch is in effect from north of Keaton Beach to St. Marks. Marine interests in the eastern Gulf should keep track of the progress of Barry as wind gusts may exceed 60 mph in some locations.
About 140 miles southwest of the Mexico-Guatemala border is Tropical Storm Barbara in the eastern Pacific. Barbara is back to tropical storm strength and still heading eastward. Barbara will soon turn northward toward the Mexico-Guatemala border. A tropical storm warning has been issued from Barra De Tonala, Mexico, to Sipacate, Guatemala. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Barra De Tonala to Salina Cruz.”
The weather to my West does not look too good. Hopefully, any low pressure system forming to my East will hold off for another week. Back to the oars...
B
Email: mail@bhavik.com
Confused by any of the nautical terms? Visit the Glossary: http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/about_glossary.htm
Get automatic alerts each time news is updated: http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/newsletter/index.php
Send me a short message via my webpage http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

A few low rain clouds

Hello!

Night row

Day 93 – Crossing Shipping lanes, Tankers, Storm Warning

01 June, 07 – 23.48    
17.0030N,56.2888W
24 hr progress: 28.8 Nautical Miles (1 nm = 1.85 km)
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 301 Nautical Miles ( 556 km)
Distance completed: 3068 NM (5675 km)
Wave height: 12-15 ft, Winds: 20 knots SE, Bearing: 280-310 degrees.

(NOTE: I had a storm warning this morning. I am awaiting confirmation. The hurricane season has started and the first storm of the season, tropical storm Barry is forming in the SE of the Gulf of Mexico. The weather where I am is a bit rough but currently I'm ok. Just a massive swell. A bit hard to control the boat.)
A busy and stressful day trying trying to steer south and avoiding tankers. Over the past 24, the shipping traffic has increased dramatically. I am currently crossing 3 shipping lanes,
Trinidad – Gibraltar, Trinidad-Bishop Rock and Curacao-Safi.
The radar alarm has been shouting its head off all day and I've been more or less constantly on the VHF radio.
As I type this, the radar alarm is still ringing. I've been trying to contact a tanker for the past 2 hrs, but I've had no response on the VHF. I had contact with the crew of another oil tanker called Great Horizon from Venezuela heading for Spain and they confirmed that there was another ship in the area, about 13 miles NE of me, bearing 230 degr. (heading South). So far, no response on CH16, and the alarm keeps getting louder. About an hour ago, the lights of another tanker that I had been trying to contact for 3 hrs appeared on the horizon. No response to any calls on the VHF from it either. I set off 2 white hand flares and it passed within half a mile, across the bow. Its incredibly irritating when there is absolutely no radio response from a ships crew. Thankfully, most of the other crew on the ships that I've passed have been professional. This evening, another tanker called the Symphonic, appeared on the horizon, dead ahead of me. Fortunately, this time I got hold of the Captain on the VHF and they altered course just in time to avoid me. They passed about 400 meters off starboard!
I've been quite lucky so far.
Getting run down by a big ships has been my worst fear since I started this row.
The radar alarm goes off each time it detects radar signals emitted by another ship. Unfortunately, its quite confusing as well as a ships radar emits the signals omni directionally (360 degrees), there is no way of knowing which direction the ship is coming from, or if the alarm is from a ship that has just passed me or a new one approaching.
Ships often de-sensitize the radar in order to eliminate radar reflections from smaller things such as waves, floating containers etc. and show reflections from only big objects such as ships. My boat is just 1 meter above the surface and often hidden between waves. So, although I have a radar reflector on board (to amplify the radar signal), most of the passing ships still fail to pick me up on the radar.
Being in a rowing boat also complicates all visual matters. When the boat is between waves, its very hard for ships to visually identify the boat until they are within a mile. Inversely, if a ship gets too close and the if boat gets under the bow of the ship, it may not be visible from the deck of the ship.
In a rowing boat, my visual distance to the horizon is also reduced to 3 miles (it's about 10 miles for a normal ship. As a rule, the higher the eye is above the surface, the longer the distance to the horizon). The average speed of a ship is 15 miles/hour. Which gives me about 15 minutes (from the time I first see it on the horizon till the time we cross paths), to taken any collision avoidance action. And that's without factoring in the time needed by the tanker to alter its course.
So, its a long night ahead. Very exhausted already from rowing all day. Could use some sleep, but will have to stay awake, row and keep watch for a few more hours 'til the alarm subsides. It will be a relief to clear the shipping lanes, hopefully within the next 48 hours. The propellers on 'em tankers don't look very friendly...
B
Email: mail@bhavik.com
Confused by any of the nautical terms? Visit the Glossary: http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/about_glossary.htm
Get automatic alerts each time news is updated: http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/bhavik/newsletter/index.php
Send me a short message via my webpage http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp

Conditions a bit rough. Tropical Storm Barry is forming to my West

On the VHF

Tanker Symphonic, about 500m off starboard