Team Northern Atlantic 2011

As I watch the movie ‘Deep Water’ again and listen to some of the sailor commentaries on the race at the end of the DVD, I grow more and more enthralled with the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race of 1968-1969. There were so many interesting characters taking part in this journey, and each one is a fascinating story unto themselves.  Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the winner of the race, is a true-to-life hard sailor.  Hard core as they come.  And then there is Chay Blyth, who just two years earlier had rowed across the North Atlantic with John Ridgway in their dory English Rose III.  In his commentary in the ‘Deep Water’ DVD, he discusses how he did not even know how to sail prior to setting off in the Golden Globe around the world sailing race.  Talk about learning as you go.

I’m also struck by the contrast in levity between the projects of Donald Crowhurst and some of the other sailors, like Chay Blyth, Knox-Johnston, etc.  Bill Leslie King’s account of his journey (also one of the competitors in the race) is one of healthy eating, lots of literature and spiritual material reading, and sailing zen, with no opportunity to sin, as he puts it.  Makes me wonder what I’m doing sitting here in front of my computer!

I like this quote by Bernard Moitessier:

“You do not ask a tame seagull why it needs to disappear from time to time toward the open sea. It goes, that’s all.”

I’m intrigued by the life of Moitessier.  He seems to have been a man who was truly about the journey.

Happily, I have just learned that Moitessier wrote a book called ‘The Long Way’ about his journey as a participant in the Round the World Race in Singlehanded Yachts.

A friend bought me a 3 month subscription to NetFlix for Christmas.  So far, I’ve watched ‘Deep Water’ and ‘Morning Light’.  ’Deep Water’ is a movie about Donald Crowhurst’s attempt to win a London Times-sponsored sailing race around the world.  Crowhurst risked everything to enter the race, including his house and business, and got himself between a rock and a hard place with investors; he ended-up cheating in an attempt to save face and ultimately lost his life.  ’Morning Light’, on the other hand, is a much lighter movie from Walt Disney about Roy Disney’s Transpac sailing team of twenty-something’s who put forth a valiant effort to win the Transpac Yacht Race in 2007.  I was most impressed with Jeremy Wilmot, who was voted by his peers to take the helm as the skipper of the ‘Morning Light’, but the other crew members were unexpectedly talented as well.  Crew members hailed from schools the likes of The Naval Academy, Stanford, Harvard, and the Merchant Marine Academy.

Both movies are good open ocean sailing flicks.

On another note, I completed the 200k meter Concept2 Holiday Challenge just in time for Christmas.  I also hit my first 1 million meters logged in the C2 Logbook.  I’m now working on fast twitch workouts, wind sprints and such, in preparation for Erg Sprints at the end of January.  I don’t think Crash-B’s are going to happen for me this year, though.  Bummer!

I thought having to race a couple of hours late was well neigh intolerable, but the poor souls awaiting the race start of the Atlantic 2009 Rowing Race are having to wait about a week-and-a-half beyond the scheduled race start.  So, while we await the start gun, here’s another original composition.  This one is more rowing related:

A Rower’s Winter Lament

My erg broke yesterday while trying to squeeze in some extra Sunday meters.  Unfortunately, my Model D is on a list of ergometers known to have some metal strength issues, so C2 is shipping me a replacement piece.  So, since I am not planning to get up early tomorrow morning and erg, I decided to play around with GarageBand on my Mac to see if I could compose anything cool.  The following is my creation – not too shabby for two hours of work:

Jolly ‘Ole St. Nicholas

Amongst a field of British rowers, and a hand full of French, sits a lone 59 year old American (not including Anne Miltenberger rowing with Team Britannia III) from Boston, Massachusetts, Leo Rossette. Leo is fixin’ to row solo across the Atlantic in his row boat, ‘Halcyon’, as a competitor in this year’s Atlantic Rowing Race. Slated to start this coming Sunday, December 6th, 2009, the Atlantic Rowing Race is undoubtedly one of the toughest rowing races around. Nevertheless, taking part in a rowing race, sponsored and supported by Woodvale Challenge Events, is understandably a safer way to get your ocean rowing adventure on.

If you recall, Leo attempted to row the Gran Canaria to Antigua route earlier this year, around the same time Paul Ridley was setting off, but had to cancel the row due to health reasons. I called Leo, sometime after he had returned stateside, to chat with him a bit about what went wrong with his first attempt to row the Atlantic. He indicated that in addition to some stomach problems he was having prior to his departure, he suffered from severe sea sickness which prevented him from keeping anything down, including fluids, which led to severe dehydration, muscle cramping, etc. Sounds wonderfully miserable, does it not?

Woodvale built his boat, ‘Halcyon’, for him. Woodvale also packed the boat with food and supplies and shipped it to La Gomera to await Leo for his first solo attempt across the pond. Now, Leo is taking another crack at the challenge, but this time as part of a fleet of ocean rowing boats all vying for a top finish position across the finish line in Antigua.

As I think about Leo’s second attempt to row the pond, and as I ponder Leo being only one of two Americans competing in this Winter’s field of competitors, I can’t help but wonder why the American contingent is so small. Perhaps Americans are so concerned about doing their part to buttress the Global Economy working (or looking for work), that taking part in such ‘frivolity’, such self-centered adventure, is simply unthinkable? Or are we simply a nation who has conquered all and are now simply content to kick-back and enjoy the fruits of our labor, drinking beer, watching TV and accumulating more wealth? Or maybe Americans on the whole are simply too practical to expend time and wealth on such adventures? I’m not sure why Adventure Rowing is not more of an American phenomena, especially in light of the fact that ocean rowing was started by two American Norwegian immigrants (Harbo and Samuelson) in 1896. I wish it were. We need to continue our diligence in keeping British maritime dominance in check. That’s a joke, come on.

As for myself, I’d love to be competing in this Winter’s Atlantic Rowing Race. I’ve dreamed about it almost daily for over a year now. Unfortunately, my financial position got hammered by the economy this year, which made buying a $40k ocean rowing boat a bad move for me and my family. Secondly, convincing my wife, and mother of three (ages 12, 10 and 6), that allowing me to spend 2-4 months at sea in a tiny ocean rowing boat is actually a good idea for all parties, is no small undertaking. I know, excuses, excuses. These are merely set backs in my opinion, however, not roadblocks…necessarily (my wife does scare me, however).

In contrast, Leo is a retired U.S. Marshall. He’s also got tons of money from his Government Pension. That’s a joke, come on. As I understand him, his wife is not all that happy about him rowing the ocean, but tolerant of his plans. As usual, best to get on with it and ask for forgiveness later.

So good luck to Leo this go around on the Atlantic – and God’s speed. Go USA!

Six months at sea…in an ocean rowing boat named ‘Bojangles’. It smacks of lunacy. Nevertheless, Mick Dawson and Chris Martin seemed to have pulled through the ordeal alive and sane, if not gracefully even.

Chris Martin rowed solo in the 2005 Atlantic Rowing Race in his rented boat, ‘Pacific Pete’. Mick Dawson had tried twice before to row the North Pacific route just conquered (in partnership with Chris), as a solo rower, albeit unsuccessfully in both attempts. Now the two are undoubtedly basking in the accomplishment of being the first two to successfully row from Choshi, Japan to San Francisco. But what a long journey to make to get there!

Here is an interesting interview with Katie Spotz, where she discusses her attempt to row across the Atlantic, from Africa to South America, this month. She’s rowing the ocean row boat, ‘Liv’, which was designed by Phil Morrison and built by American company Aquidneck Custom for Paul Ridley’s row across the Atlantic (E-W from La Gomera to Antigua) earlier this year.