Hi guys, hope everyone is ok. It's been really beautiful today and yesterday, clear blue skies. Huge swells forming around us like rolling blocks of water. I've never seen anything like this before! No waves given the light winds. We are getting a nice Easterley now going into the evening. Looking forward to rowing tonight. The stars lastnight were incredible I've never seen stars like it in my life. When a shooting star falls it's almost like you expect it to hit the planet, it's so close so bright. Absolutely fantastic. When the moon rises it's like a bright red ball coming up this normally happens between 10pm & 11pm. It's great to watch. Anyway better go, take care and keep those comments coming bloggers.
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
Guy out.
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IOR 2009 Blog Archive
132 article(s) found · Showing 81–100
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Bloggers, keep those positive comments, questions, jokes, comments coming_!
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
Guy out
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Hello it's me it's now day 58 - as you can see from tracker we are making good progress west now finally after our week of sitting around and the ocean has definitely come alive, we saw our first whale yesterday don't ask me what species it was but it was huge, it came up to the surface about 50m from the hatch of the stern cabin and blew it's air and water out and dived back down again which was pretty awesome. The reason we are seeing more life at the moment has something to do with the ridge we are on, we have a 500m depth at the moment compared of the normal 5000 which we have been on, which gives some idea of why we are having a lot of wildlife hanging around the boat at the moment. We have been going well for the last four days and it is looking good for the rest of the week and hopefully we will be getting to the halfway by the weekend - this is the plan!!
Not a lot else to report so Andrew over and out.
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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It is fantastic to be able to write that Andrew & Guy have now broken the half way marker on Flying Ferkin’s. The 2nd half will be quicker than the first as the boys hopefully won’t hit so many Southern Ocean storms and the wind is now more favourable (at least that's been the trend of the data). The boys have done a stock take on all the gear in the approach to 2nd half of the race and we're good for at least 2 months! Bodies holding up well to date.
Distance made West:
Thursday 11th - 19
Friday 12th - 11
Saturday 13th - 47
Sunday 14th - 46
Monday 15th - 50
I know Andrew & Guy would want to thank you all personally:
Bloggers & Supporters: Every comment is well received and boys love them daily. Please, please keep them coming!
Flying Ferkins Support Crew (Jem/Tim et al): Massive 'thank you'. Your dedication, commitment and daily support is crucial. Confidence comes from having people like you around.
Sponsors: Without you, Andrew & Guy's dream wouldn't be, being achieved.
Team MSS website: Thank you to John Plank and family. The way we can communicate what the boys are doing via this blog means everyone can live it with them. Also a damn good site don't you agree?
Flying Ferkin Family: All of us riding this roller coaster deserve a pat on the back. A lot of dedication, time and effort to the cause going on day in, day out.
Finally, thanks to Woodvale for your very professional support on and off the ocean !
Tom out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Hi everyone,
Now that we are over the half way mark we both feel a lot happier and positive about reaching the finish post. We have spoken with Helen Taylor from team Aud Eamus who have done amazingly well and are now just a few days away from Mauritius. We both met Helen in Australia and being 22 years old and from Suffolk we have a lot in common. Speaking to Helen gave us a big morale boost and she said all the right stuff on the phone. Good luck to Helen and her team mates - we look forward to catching up again sometime soon.
The weather today is mixed and we are still experiencing the tail end of the Southern ocean storm with some strong rollers coming our way, although the sun is shining. I've been out for a swim following a long and tiring stretch in the seat - can't tell you how refreshing it is! Music and films are keeping us entertained and today I've listened to Andy Williams and watched Lord of the Rings.
For anyone who has not seen it we were both very suprised to recieve the following comment on yesterday's blog from Olympic Rowing Champion Pete Reed MBE. It was very kind of Pete and we would like to thank him for taking time out of his busy training schedule.
Pete's message reads as follows:
Guy and Andy,
As our coach Jurgen Grobler always says to us: "miles make champions" You're well on your way now. You guys are doing something very special - so keep up the good work.
Best wishes and lots of luck
Pete Reed MBE, Olympic Champion 2008, men's coxless four / www.petereed.co.uk
Guy
Out.
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Andrew & Guy continue to make good progress heading West. Conditions are good with strong Easterley winds and ocean depth still relatively shallow at 500m. Yesterday the boys rowed 51nm. Mood onboard is positive and Flying Ferkins hull has been cleaned. They boys continue to take a steady pace with the main focus on keeping their bodies in good shape for the long haul.
Distance made West:
Tues 46nm
Weds 40nm
Thurs 51nm
Please keep your comments & questions coming.
Tom out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Well we are trapped again in a north westerly getting blown south east we have the para anchor holding our position as we fight not to go east. We were heading south west last night but that has all changed as we hit a weather system, so we're stuck in this shitty situation until Tuesday/Wednesday next week and we've just got to sit it out..........................very frustrating and there is no point in rowing.
Flying Ferkins is holding up well, thank you Rossiters, she's doing all she should and we are quite safe and comfortable on board at times like these. We manage to keep clothes dry for the cabin as we are often getting a soaking while rowing. Our spirits are still high and we are going to make it though it could be early August before we hit the Mauritian coast.
We are left with lots of time to think and my list of things to be bought out to Mauritius grows!! Along with the Haribo the clippers are the most important item - Man Friday has nothing on me!
So as we prepare to hang on in there waiting for this system to pass we're thinking of you all and again can't thank everyone enough for all the support we are getting it really is awesome. Thank you.
Andrew out.
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Hi Guys
Interesting day struggling with big seas. We spent the morning watching ships and waiting to see what the weather did. We had to get the drove out (giant sock) to hold the boat in line with the waves rather than allow them to hit us side on which is very dangerous in deep seas. We are experiencing pretty strong winds which is forcing us south, in fact the conditions are such that we have had the para anchor out and are using the time to get some sleep. I went out of the cabin earlier to check the weather and got very wet. We have been close to the eye of the storm and its been a strange sky with one side of us clear and the other full of intense clouds.
It's fairly none-eventful waiting for the wind to change and the storm to pass but we have got signs that it is finally shifting direction and in fact I did a rowing set earlier which was nice as we got moving. Andy is currently rowing and enjoying surfing the waves! We are going to keep an eye on the weather but is looks unlikely that we will be rowing tonight as it will be too dangerous. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier.
Cheers guys.
Guy out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Andrew & Guy continue to make progress having been on the para anchor for a day. They are using the para anchor to minimise drifting in the wrong direction. The boys have been making a North-West direction under heavy Southerly winds. Both the wind and heavy swell are dictating the North West direction! Mood remains positive onboard.
The boys managed to get a mention on EAGLE radio's breakfast show (96.4 fm) this morning.Thank you to DJ's Peter Gordon & Posh Al and Amanda and staff at Christopher Robins nursery.
Distance made West:
Fri 51nm
Sat 43nm
Sun -2nm
Mon 23nm
Tom out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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The para (parachute) anchor is a vital piece of equipment for trans oceanic passages. It is a large drogue deployed at varying depths to hold you in the current either assisting with the current or stopping you being blown in the wrong direction by your windage. A typical one is here, for sale in a chandlery.You use it on the end of a very long line, which itself has some slight spring to it, and it sits two or three sets of waves to windward of you. At your end it's attached to a bridal, a piece of rope which comes from a couple of places either side of the boat to spread the load rather than forcing a lot of load on one point and holding the boat evenly. It was this bridal that broke on 'Doing Time' earlier in the race, which led to their para anchor being lost.
You can change the angle of deployment by tweaking the lines, to anchor in an area of water below the surface current, which can move at about 1:25 - 1:50 of the wind speed and combined with the windage this is something that Flying Ferkins may want to avoid. However, if the wind is pushing them in a favourable direction, Flying Ferkins can simply drift with it, and in more extreme conditions, they use a very small drogue off the back end so that they do not go down face of the waves, which can be quite dangerous.
The para anchor is so efficient that it is very difficult to retrieve, so a trip line is fitted, and when you pull it in by one corner it becomes deflated. When the boys use the para anchor they will check their direction of drift hourly, have all rope points and knots taped up so that they do not wear in the friction and be ready to row again when ever they can!
Flying Ferkins Support Crew out.
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Conditions light at present although still a strong swell which is stopping Flying Ferkins going West. Winds South Westerley. Andrew & Guy presently sitting on the para anchor holding position. They will head West when they can. Boys have called and spoken to Simon Prior onboard the Woodvale support vessel Desiderata. By all accounts they enjoyed speaking to each other. More excitement onboard Flying Ferkins as they saw a ship last night. The ship was 4 miles away. The AIS (Automatic Identification System) proximity alarm worked well to notify them along with their 'see me' active radar reflector. They had a brief radio conversation with the boat and then watched the boat disappear into the distance.
Distance made West:
Tue 49nm
Wed 27nm
Tom out
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
Another frustrating day on board Flying Ferkins. Although good news is that they came off the para anchor this morning [Woo hooo]. Surface wind and swell making it hard for Andrew & Guy to row. Nothing the boys can do but be patient and sit it out. Hopefully good progress will start up again tomorrow. Congratulations to boat 88 Aud Eamus on reaching the shores of Mauritius! Also, a big thank you to Simon Prior's dad for emailing some very kind words across to the boys. Although this is a race everyone has been so supportive of each other.
Please keep your comments coming. If you are reading this blog and haven't commented yet then please register. Every single message makes a difference to Andrew and Guy !
Distance made West:
Thurs 3nm
Tom out.
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To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
We're both chilled and mileage is picking up - looks good for the next few days and we are looking forward to the south easterlys taking us north west.
We've seen a few ships on the horizon recently so we know we're not entirely alone, and it's been great to talk to Simon Prior who's on board Desiderata.
We have received the shock news that the legend Michael Jackson is no longer.................................all tributes and jokes to the blog please!!
Andrew out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Hi Guys,
We continue to make steady progress and are both in good spirits. I thought I would take the chance to let people know a bit more about the Ferkin and the all important team who built her. When we first decided to undertake this crazy challenge the Ocean Rowing Club suggested we speak to Charlie at Rossiters Yachts of Christchurch. We made an appointment and went along to meet Charlie and the other members of the very friendly family run business. Andy and I were amazed by what we saw and Charlie showed us other yachts built for ocean rowing. The Ferkin is made from a Carbon Kevlar mix which has the all important qualities of being both strong and light, both critical for the high seas expected during the challenge.
So far the Ferkin has not let us down and despite some initial teething problems she is our trusted friend in which we have placed our faith. She may even be in a good enough state to undertake another challenge, although not by us!
To find out more about Rossiters and even see some pictures of the Ferkin please visit the website:
www.rossiteryachts.co.uk
Back to the rowing then and from both of us thank you to Rossiters - you know how to build a boat.
Guy out.
As today's blog has been about the history of Flying Ferkins I thought it might be an opportune moment to tell you where her name comes from. Andrew's Dad had a speed boat when Andrew was quite young, and he called it The Flying Ferkins. Andrew has given the name Flying Ferkins, with the generous support of Guy, to this amazing boat in memory of his father.
Claire out.
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Hi everyone,Strange mix of weather we are experiencing at the moment. We can go from small seas with the sun out to stormy conditions and really strong wind requiring the para anchor, which is frustrating. The sun is out at the moment which makes a nice change.Both Andy and myself have been saddened to learn of the death of Jackson. We took a fair bit of his stuff on the i-Pods and have been playing it today which has been strange. My favourite song is Dirty Diana which I reckon is a classic, he will be missed but his music will last forever.Thank you again to everyone for your messages of support particularly of late Mark C, Moses and Neil Tutton. The have lifted our mood lately and remind us that we are doing the right thing.Also whilst writing I would like to encourage everyone back home following our progress to get involved in this year's Barns Green half marathon which is becoming something of a tradition in the Watts household and both Andy and myself have done it in recent years, even carrying an inflatable boat to raise money for the cause. We would love as many people as possible to have a go at it later this year and hope to get a good turnout with a big meal to follow as usual.Andy and I did a food stock take earlier only to discover that our supply of flap jacks have gone mouldy early today which we are both upset about as they are a rare treat.That's about all for now, but thank you all as ever we appreciate your thoughts and messages of support - they are very much keeping us going.See you all soon
Guy out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Good positive attitude onboard Flying Ferkins for the start of a new week as the boys approach the big 2000nm. Presently in a South Easterly wind giving them a good rolling sea. Due to these favourable conditions Andrew and Guy have driven some good mileage Sunday. If conditions hold we should get another good day today! The boys beaten the 80 longitude mark and continue to count down the degree's [77 longitude as I write this]. Each degree is one step towards Mauritius and remains a great motivational tool.
Some lovely comments and a few very, very funny comments! Please, please keep them coming bloggers. If you haven't blogged for a while then get busy with the comments.
Distance made west:
Fri 26th 23nm
Sat 27th 45nm
Sun 28th 39nm
Mon 29th 42nm
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Tom out
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
Guy and Andrew have experienced a variety of wind strengths on their trip across the Indian Ocean. The measurement of these wind forces were made into an objective scale created in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort, an Irish-born British admiral. Before this there was no standard scale, so naval weather reports were subjective. The scale was made standard for ship’s log entries on Royal Navy vessels in the late 1830’s and adapted to non-naval use from the 1850’s. In 1906 to accommodate the growth of steam power the descriptions changed to how the sea, not the sails, behaved. The scale runs up to force 12, a hurricane.
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Guy and Andrew faced force 9 gusting 10, in the storm of May, which in the open ocean is seriously intense. These winds hit over 50 mph (45 knots) classified as a “strong gale” with wave heights over the top of a chimney on a two storey house. That storm created extensive damage when it hit land and meanwhile it had turned Southern Cross over for seven minutes on it’s path through the fleet. The trend for the wind at this point will be more with them than against, more commonly being under force 3-4 which is just about rowable depending on which direction that it comes from. However, the possibility of a severe storm does still exist, either coming up from the Southern ocean or a tropical cyclone down from the equator. Lets hope that all the crews continue to face calmer seas with favourable winds and currents for the remainder of their row to Mauritius. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below, we'll endeavour to get back to you directly.
Flying Ferkins Support Crew out.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
It's an amazing feeling being 10 weeks at sea. Scarey how you can spend so much time on such a small craft. Nice feeling as it comes towards an end, definately different feeling onboard the boat given the end point is now in sight. Really pushing hard. Pleasure to speak with Sarah Outen (everytime we speak with her!). Given us some good helpful advice. She is quite an inspirational person, please look at her website. She will be the first female to cross the Indian Ocean, an incredible feat in itself. Watched James Bond movie 'The World Is Not Enough' which was cool. Good to get some time away from things. Sores coming back for an encore, big white heads abosolutely disgusting. Found a couple more apple crumbles, apple pies and lucozade bars. Nice to find these stashed away. Last day of June and hitting 2000nm was a nice feeling. Next big target is to clear the 1000nm to Mauritius marker. Always working out statistics in my head, thanks for that dad.
I'm having to row naked because of the sores, fair to say it's not a pretty site. Amazing day today beautiful weather, planning on cracking into some Haribo tonight! Andy & I planning on speaking to Helen (rower on boat 88 Aud Eamus) tonight as well. She became good friends of ours in Australia. Helped fatten us up with chocolate & doughnuts. Right guys thanks alot for your support. Looking forward to seeing you. Neil, we will be back in time! Cheers Greg, take care Tom and see you later on.
Guy Out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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What day is it? oh yes it's Thursday! We are on the obligatory once a week para-anchor!! We have been going north instead of east it's not much fun but the wind should be turning to our favour in the next day or two and we can get back into rowing.
Southern Cross called us out of the blue yesterday we asked them what their weather situation was and they are in a similar situation to us. We are all in good spirits despite the frustrations.
We have also spoken with Sarah Outen which is great and she is well.
Yeh it's all pretty good at the moment not a lot to report can't think of much else to say - but hope to be getting along soon and hope we'll be at the 1000 nm mark and really can't wait to get to Mauritius.
Andrew out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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Friday 3rd July. Press play to start. I am delighted to report that Paragon Software Systems have just doubled their contribution to the Orchid charity fund! Says Paragon MD, Will Salter, "We are so impressed with what Andy and Guy have achieved so far in incredibly difficult circumstances - they fully deserve the extra contribution we have made to the Orchid charity on their behalf. They are now well past the half way mark, but there's still a long way to go and we'll keep monitoring their progress as they get ever closer to the finishing line. "Bloggers, keep those positive comments, questions, jokes, comments coming_!
Guy out
Click here to donate money for the fight against the spread of male cancers and support Orchid, the boys chosen charity.
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
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