Archive for December, 2015

Day 35 – Doris is coming home

Some of you may have noticed on our social media that, thanks to Transglobal Express, we can confirm that Doris will be coming home with us to the UK! A huge thanks to Izzy and our sponsors who have all been working hard to see if anyone could help us to get her home. After having an unexpected detour to Santa Barbara in the first month and our expedition now nearly 9 months rather than the planned 6, our contingency budget has been exhausted. Combined with having lost our shipping sponsor prior to leaving and having that unexpected spend, we unfortunately knew that we lacked the funds to get her home and if it wasn’t for Transglobal Express, we would have had to leave her in Australia for sale. Thankfully, Anton Bowring of the Transglobe Expedition Trust (one of our top supporters – see Izzy’s blog from Leg 1), put Izzy in touch with Lawson Archer of Transglobal Express and it was from here that they kindly offered to fully fund the shipment. Transglobal Express offer freight services, parcel delivery and international couriers, so basically can send anything anywhere in the world, including a 29ft, 1 tonne, pink ocean rowing boat! We are so happy and grateful to have them on board, supporting our challenge and bringing Doris home.

So many of you have asked what next with Doris? Certainly in the first couple of months after her arrival back to the UK, we would like to host a couple of events where you, and certain schools interested, can come to see Doris and have a guided tour. After this, with outstanding costs for the remainder of the expedition, we unfortunately will have to sell her and the remainder of funds will go to our charities. That is unless there are any sponsors out there that would love to see Doris homed in a museum such as the Maritime Museum in Falmouth, Cornwall, where she could potentially be housed in the ‘women at sea’ section? Maybe then her legacy can live on for years to come. Doris without a doubt has been our solid 7th member of the team, she’s stoic, resilient and persistent to battle through the waves and wind, totally in keeping with our team ‘spirit’ values. If anyone is interested in investing in Doris for future use, then costing and detail of full equipment listing etc. will be drawn up on completion of our row and once Doris has made it safely back to the UK. For any enquiries prior to this, please contact info@coxlesscrew.com.

Update:
At this precise moment, I’m feeling rather guilty. Nat and I are sitting inside our cozy cabin with Christmas lights flashing and tucking into our noodles and shepherds pie, whilst Meg and Ems are out on the oars weathering one of the most intense rain and thunder storms we’ve seen since the doldrums. I guess at least they’re getting a good wash! Although I’ve just looked out of the cabin to see the pair of them now rowing whilst wearing snorkel masks! Hilarious sight to see.

In our shift prior, Nat and I spotted something grey/brown in the water, slightly smaller than Fernando but possibly his son, so we’ve named our new sharky ‘Alonso’.

Otherwise, as you’ve no doubt seen, our progress once again has been slowed. I’m not going to lie, at this stage in the game we should be accustomed to it, but with Christmas around the corner any delays are becoming rather frustrating.

Day 34 – Feel the fear and do it anyway

But what is fear? And how does it differentiate from being scared? It’s a subject that myself and Ems were discussing on the oars last night, and as with the majority of conversations on Doris without the use of Google, it remains an inconclusive discussion. Surely it’s subjective and the above words mean something different to everyone? Pre-row this is something that Keith, our sports psych asked me to consider, and in doing so, collate a list of my fears of rowing the Pacific. Along with this, I was also to work on a list of things I was scared of, and to prepare a plan known as a ‘what if’ plan. The idea of this is to basically have a plan in place, and ways to deal with any situation that may arise that I was already scared of. The result being that having talked about the given situations prior to them happening would enable our body to go into survival mode if the said ‘what if’ arises as opposed to freaking out.

So yesterday, I felt my fear and did it anyway. It was a fear that I knew that I would be likely to face, but due to the rougher sea state that we have been experiencing it was also likely that I might not get the opportunity to actually face it.

– Swimming in the Pacific Ocean –

To be honest, it is not specifically swimming in the Pacific which was on my ‘what if’ plan, and fears list, but instead the potential sighting and/or contact with a shark. If you’ve been with me when I’ve been water skiing for the majority of my life, whether it’s in Sandwich Bay in Kent, or the South of France, you would have seen the panic in my face at falling off of the water-skis and waiting in the deep water for our boat to come back around and throw me out the rope. The thoughts running through my mind of whether I’d rather the shark bite my rear end, or my feet with the ski’s on! Irrational as it may sound, we all have these fears that we can’t explain, and whether it’s watching Jaws as a child, or is a fear that has appeared completely out of the blue I have no idea.

Ems and I lay in the cabin yesterday after putting up our Christmas decorations when we heard Laura say ‘can I suggest that we swim in the next hour?’. My heart pounded, and I lay there, silently hoping the idea might pass and I wouldn’t have to say the obvious ‘yes, absolutely, yes’. But it didn’t, and of course, an opportunity of a lifetime arose, and myself and Laura got ready for a dip. So, Snorkels on, Laura armed with her dads Volvo ice scraper ready for some overdue barnacle scraping, a quick pre-swim underwater shark check with a face plant into the warm Pacific; all clear, so in we plopped. Entering the water, it felt so amazing. Space! Space to stretch. Space to kick. Space to move our muscles in a different way to the last 33 days! But then the fear. Almost feeling my heart pop out of my mouth, I clung like my life depended on it to Doris, trusting that she would hide me from any roaming sharks! But then building up the courage to look around under water, and wow!

There’s not even words to describe the expanse of the unknown, the unknown that we are actually rowing on top of. Without stating the obvious, and of course not that I was expecting to touch the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at a minimum of 3km deep, but it just goes down and down and down into an abyss of electric blue, now tainted with flying barnacles falling deeper and deeper into the below having been released from under Doris with Laura and her power scraping. Still clinging to Doris, I checked the surrounding area for any shark sightings, as brave Laura’s very poor wingman in the operation. And then, I couldn’t do it anymore, my body was shaking, and it was time to jump out. Looking up at Doris and being athletically challenged at the best of times, I was extremely happy that we had decided to put out the safety ladder, despite the girls saying it was easy to jump out without it!

Landing onto the boat, and realising that actually we had the whole other side of Doris to clean, Ems took the baton and jumped in with Laura as I shark watched from out of the water. I sat there overlooking the biggest ocean in the world and became a little bit emotionally overwhelmed that I had just swam (if you can call it that) in her. Despite not seeing a shark, placing myself in a situation where my fear of sharks actually became rational, as opposed to skiing in Kent where the most you see is a seagull that wants to know if you have any food or not felt great!

What’s your biggest fear?

Update: It’s been a busy 24 hours! Last night at sunset, we heard Laura on the oars shout that she could hear a blow hole, so we all jumped out of the cabin, and coming towards us was a huge whale. Not sure what it was as we saw it really quickly and then it disappeared into the deep, But wow! Then, last night after Nat saying that we hadn’t seen an aeroplane pass us, me and Ems saw one fly across the whole sky. Perhaps the big octopus will be next after all! We also came within 6 miles of another passenger ship and could see it on the horizon due to the bright lights coming off of it. Finally, finally we can see Vanuatu in the distance – its a straight line to Cairns from here!

Each leg of our odyssey is a separate entity. We have had a different personality and team dynamic to get used to as we have had Izzy, then Lizanne and now Meg join us on our journey, different wildlife, changing sea state, areas of the ocean and weather conditions. The variety that this has created for me, LP and Ems is invaluable and none more so than this last part of the expedition. The only other human interaction we have had that is not with each other (apart from with families) is with the passing boats and these have been very few and far between.

I’ve just finished a rotation with Megs and it’s been an interesting ride. We’ve laughed hysterically and had deep, moving and thought provoking chat. We’ve shared perspectives on the row and on life, on religion, death, routine, gender, travel…and this can easily all happen in just one 2 hour row shift!!

Our last sunset shift was a great one. We had some chill-out music playing on the radio and were winding down for our first sleep shift. It was very overcast but this seemed to make the water look even clearer than normal although it was dull. Suddenly, out of the blue I heard a thud and then a flapping and knew that a large sized fish had landed on Doris. I jumped up and moved further forward to get out of the way of the unlucky fish. It was writhing around in a blind panic. My first thought was to call LP (our night in shining armour), as she was the large fish picker upper. I shouted for her to come as quick as possible and turned back to the fish. Meg had made her way forward from the back rowing position and having read my other blog from leg 2, was attempting the same ‘use the sheepskin to cover fish and pick it up before it dies and release back into the ocean’ approach. She was successful and the fish swam off. It was about 2ft long, quite round and flat, silver and with a big eye. It looked similar to a Butterfish. Looks like we now have two fish rescuers aboard!

We sat back down to row again and allowed the excitement to settle, when about 5 minutes later we were surrounded by Mahi Mahi. They glowed a luminescent blue and were playing around us like dolphins and living up to their nickname of dolphin fish. We have never seen such large Mahi Mahi (they are giants), never seen such an incredible show of belly flopping jumps that went on around us and also never seen such high clearance in the jumps.

In the dead of a pitch black night shift a huge sized flying fish (the biggest we’ve seen) smacked LP in the back. What’s with the super sized wildlife at the moment? Perhaps Giant Octopus or Blue Whale will be next!

Where are the aeroplanes?? We have not seen one plane since leaving Samoa. It’s all very strange.

We had our first sighting a passenger ship. It was very exciting. The Dawn Princess passed as close as 3 miles from us and provided an impressive light display in an otherwise starless, moonless night. 1st Officer Harry initially made contact with us as he saw us on the AIS and wanted to double check all was ok as we were travelling at such a slow speed! This is something we always have to explain. LP ended up having a long chat and found out that they are doing 2 week cruises of New Caledonia from Sydney. I think LP’s over active imagination combined with being at sea for 8 months meant she was rather taken with 1st Officer Harry. With a beautiful voice and an interest in our expedition, the conversation with Harry has definitely been one of LP’s highlights!

Christmas decorating has begun. We’re getting all festive on Doris.

It’s been strange being out here and having no signs of Xmas whatsoever. No concept of days of the week, months of the year or seasons. What time is it? What day is it? Where are we, who are we and what exactly are we doing? x

So ‘The Coxless Crew ‘have told us about their sad losses, mugs, sporks, Tupperware dishes and the like well, Emma, as a child, was well known for her ice cream parlour that collects all the kitchen bits that seem to have no home. Let me explain, as a little girl our first port of call when anything went missing was to ask Emma. It was always when she was washing up as a child that things disappeared they were never to be seen again so the family joke was that they were in her ice cream parlour. So girls, all your sad losses just ask Ems about her parlour!

So what is Ems really like? Well, quiet (except when in dispute with her siblings!) strong, thoughtful and always up for a challenge. Her idea of a gap year was to do a Three month Jungle survival course which included living in the jungle for three days alone. Her idea of a marathon was to do this up Mont Blanc or one being a lonely number, a double marathon in Berlin or triple in Pembrokeshire; She rowed with Marlow Rowing club but strived to be an Olympian, sadly her family genes were vertically challenged , you may have noticed she is on the short side for a rower! So we are often asked ‘were we shocked when Ems told you that she was going to row an ocean, the answer is simply No!. What about the Pacific Ocean, well still No!, It sounded just the sort of thing Ems would think was a good thing to do. Having rowed for England and been in the Cambridge boat race team, in one of the few years that they won, rowing across the Pacific was no surprise at all.

So what has this journey been like for us…Well there is the obsessional need to follow the pink dots. First thing in the morning no matter how early we get up we look to see, ‘where is Doris?’. Has Ems sent an email yet? And what is the weather like on The Pacific? I go to the stables both morning and night before and after work. I guess I feel closest to Ems at this time as when I watch the sunrise or sunset, see the moon and stars or clouds I often wonder what can the crew see now? Does it look the same from where they are? The evening is spent waiting for the blog to come in! Do we feel anxious, well yes every day and all day but the bright moment comes with cartoons from ‘The freaky wave’ (check these out on twitter) The humour given to every situation shared from Doris through their blogs cannot fail to amuse and make you laugh out loud! Another part of life that gives me both comfort but also never ceases to astound me is how many people ask after Doris and her very special and inspirational crew. I thought it was just me and the other Mums who look forward to reading the blogs but it seems there are so many people out there and you all do the same. We all live in the small town of Marlow on Thames and so many people are following this epic journey. I would like to say thank you, for supporting me and my family, but more so for supporting the team and their charities. This is a team who are so amazingly close and tight that even I feel left out when we are all together. They have an astounding bond linked by the passion to support, inspire and raise money to help their two charities, Breast Cancer Care and Walking with the Wounded, specifically the support of female soldiers who have been injured in war. I don’t think the Coxless Crew realise how amazing and inspiring they are to so many people who are watching their journey.

So my final thoughts are to share the huge pride that I feel, I have always felt for Ems. But to end this little glimpse of Ems and her family, Gramps would like to quote a poem from John Masefield:-

“I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow ro(w)ver,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trip’s over”

Dry socks and fluffy towels would certainly help too!!!

UPDATE: We are finally less than 100nm to go to Vanuatu. The
last two weeks has definitely been a case of stroke by stroke, mile by mile and shift by shift as we have made painfully slow progress. We are all getting excited though because tomorrow we will be decorating Doris for Christmas and breaking out the Christmas tunes for the first time.

Day 31 – Aft cabin evolution

Being a team of six but only having four of us together at one time is an interesting thing. However, the two girls who are not physically on board Doris with us at any one time, are still with us in spirit to such an extent that it seems strange to think that they are not really there and are just on the oars/ in the cabin/ in the forecabin when you are elsewhere. Izzy, Lizanne and Meg have all brought something unique and special to the row and each leg seems to have suited perfectly the fourth team member. With three such different people, each leg of our journey has felt like an entirely different experience. It seems crazy to think that Nat, Laura and I have been living on Doris for 212 days now sharing a cabin the size of a small two man tent with three other people. Although we are only rarely all in the cabin together we do all keep our personal belongings there plus communal stuff. We cook, eat, wash, change, blog, film, sleep, all in this tiny space so it is not surprising that there is a tendency for some mess to occur. The state of the aft cabin seems to have been an evolving process as we have progressed along our journey.

In leg one Izz was our glue. As she did in the journey to the start line, on board Doris she kept us all in line. She instilled our routines, nagged us to tidy our pockets and check the hatches and cleaned the footwell (her least favourite place on the boat) regularly. Often she’d even tidy up after us when she couldn’t handle the mess. Frequently since Izz left the boat in Hawaii we use the phrase ‘Izzy would be having kittens’ in relation to the state of the aft cabin. In Santa Barbara we installed some bungee behind the pockets in the aft cabin so that we could store a water bottle and our snack pack securely next to our individual pockets. In Izzy’s time this is what they held.

During leg two it was obvious that among the four of us Lizanne was the one most affected by the messy and cramped conditions in the aft cabin and the hair and other dirt that collects in the nooks and crannies on the deck. We drove her crazy by leaving the washing up sponge outside and not rinsing our tuna packets. She made a valiant effort to keep things under control, making us a bin and a pen holder which we still have. However without the experience Izz had of organising us in the months leading up to the row, Lizanne was ultimately outnumbered three against one and had to learn to embrace our slightly messy existence.

For leg three our fourth team member is the lovely Meg. I can’t decide whether Meg isn’t bothered by the mess or whether she just thinks that this is how life is on an ocean rowing boat but either way she seems happy with the state of our living quarters. Our autopilot shelf has never held quite so much stuff (Izzy really would be having kittens) and the gaps between our pockets have never been piled quite so high. This is slightly perilous during the rough conditions we’ve been having and we often find that the alarm clock is missing from the shelf when it goes off and we have to hunt for it among our sleeping sheets as it gets more and more angry.
UPDATE: Today I am a little bored of looking at the ocean. A little bored of the blue and grey colours, the regular soakings with salt water and our slow progress. I would like to see some trees, some fields and hills and go for a walk. Yesterday we had a sudden, exciting, increase in our speed and in 8 hours covered 12nm which is more than our daily progress recently. Sadly it didn’t last the night although we are hopeful that it is a hint of what is soon to come. Last night was black with no moon and a lot of clouds. The wind picked up again and we were subjected once again to regular salt water showers. However the huge bonus was that the flying fish don’t seem to like the rougher conditions and stayed away from Doris in the most part. Our beautiful mahi mahi nightly escort is back again and they surfed alongside us in the waves all night and regularly leaped out of the water with a big bellyflopping splash.

Day 30 – Gadget toes Mitchell

So as promised, following on from my last blog, each blog will now be a recount of each of the girls, their contribution and why they’ve made this journey so amazing.

As you’ve most probably learnt my now, this whole row has made me more in touch with my emotions than ever before, so you’ll understand when I say that writing about each of the girls makes me a little teary eyed, but none more than speaking of Emma and our journey together.

When I first met Emma (aka; Ems, Mitchell, gadget toes (they have a mind of their own!), sniffer (Ems can be found sniffing everything before use), the quiet one (self explanatory)) she was one of 18 who had come over to the Isle of Wight to meet us for the row. Emma stood out to me, amongst a group of raging extroverts as she was different, Emma sat back and let others take the lime light. When asked, it was evident that Emma had taken everything in but would only share her thoughts when prompted. It wasn’t until at lunchtime that she was sitting within a group that I saw the roles reversed, everyone transfixed and silent as Emma retold her story of having just returned from Belize where she learnt to survive in a jungle for 4 months and had returned to the UK with a machete in her luggage! This is the thing about Ems, she is honestly one of the most fascinating, interesting people I’ve met as you really have no idea when meeting her what experiences she’s had. If it was anyone of us, you’d know about it within the first hour for sure! Who would have thought, that a quiet, smiley, Cambridge Graduate has not only survived the jungle, but has roller bladed the Berlin marathon, run a marathon, run 3 marathons in 3 days, gone to circus school to learn the trapeze & rode the Black horse in the Lloyds TSB advert! To think she’s also got a Cambridge blue for rowing and winning the women’s race in 2006, oh and not to forget, she has a PhD in neuropharmacology. Seriously, she absolutely amazes me, but yet above all this she has no idea what she’s achieved and is so understated.

When Ems and I started to work together it wasn’t quite plain sailing. Take one strong minded extrovert and one quietly determined introvert, our communications were a tad opposite. I talk, think, talk, Ems thinks, talks, thinks. I will verbalise everything as it happens and as I’m thinking, Ems won’t say a word unless spoken to or asked. To say I got a little frustrated in the early days was an understatement, I had no idea what was going on behind those eyes, did she hate me, did she think I was stupid, how was she feeling? What were her thoughts? As a person who cares about what people think of her and shares everything, you can imagine where my thoughts ran away with me, but more importantly, did she have some great ideas about things but hadn’t shared them because I hadn’t asked? Ems is actually fairly simply stated, if asked how she is, the response you will get is nearly always ‘I’m fine’, of course from my perspective, I never thought this could be the case so would always pry for more and once introduced to our sport psych Keith, he too has driven Ems to delve into the depths of emotions and feelings. I will never forget the look on her face the first time she met Keith at Paddington station, rabbit in highlights comes to mind! Yet to think 2 years on and now you can’t stop Ems from dropping Keith an email or two & being best pals, love it.

Ems is one of the most thoughtful people I know. She may not express it verbally but will do it in her actions. On my 31st birthday, after being in the team for just 4months, Ems had made me the most beautiful present that was totally unexpected, a box full of little presents for the row; something sweet when I need a pick up (chocolate), something to do when we’re bored (a card game of questions), something for fun (a small paper kite), something for a laugh (face paints) etc. For this years birthday which was 3 days before we flew to San Fran, Ems had made me the most amazing birthday cake, topped with blue piped icing and an icing shape of us rowing Doris with mint choc matchsticks for oars, it was amazing.

Without a doubt, I can’t think of anyone else that I’d want as my wingman for an expedition like this. Emma is a ‘Tony Humphreys’ in the making! On the boat practically, Ems is the DIY queen, fixing anything and everything especially if it squeaks! She has organised the snack packs and the packing of Doris, supports with the navigation and worked with Tony on the logistics, not to mention being the strongest rower bringing with her 14years of experience. She is the most task focussed person I know and will give the team 150% to show we can get through some difficult conditions, only sometimes this has unfortunately been detriment to herself. Watching Ems lose her happy place in leg two was soul destroying, but one thing to highlight, is that it is testament to her strength and determination that she continued to power through. There are not many people that would be having internal struggles and yet still have got on the oars every shift, or have got back on the boat in Samoa. Emma faces things head on and I hope at the end of this, she realises what a true inspiration she has been and is to many. Ems certainly has been one of 5 that hve inspired me and motivated me to get on the oars every shift and stay focussed all the way to the finish line in Cairns! Thank you Emma for being you.

Music to remind me of Ems: Alphabet Aerobics rap (watch this space for our duet!)

Day 29 – Women in History

Gender equality has always been a topic of conversation in all parts of my life. Coming from a family of lots of girls, turned independent women, and then going onto study English literature whereby I took particular interest in topics of gender and sexuality; it is a subject that I am hugely passionate about. I’m proud to call myself a feminist.

It was in the summer, when I received a letter from Melody Bottle, one of my grandparents’ friends, a woman in her 70’s with so much zest and passion for life and quite honestly one of the biggest babes of all babettes. In her letter, she said how lucky I was to be a part of the Coxless Crew, but she didn’t label the luck in the same way that others had. Instead she discussed it in the bigger scale of us as a team of six women, being fortunate enough to live in a society where it is socially acceptable to put our lives on hold and make history for women. She was a sailor herself in her youth, and said that she was always looking for an adventure, but instead, she conformed to society’s expectation of a woman, and in her twenties married and had children. She really is an absolute inspiration, and it’s people like Melody that come to my mind on days like today when the currents are holding us back.

Melody’s words had completely opened up another perspective for me, as I began to realise how true she was and how lucky we are to live in a society that is not patriarchal. To get the opportunity to partake in challenges such as this, without having ones role as a woman questioned is something that we shouldn’t take for granted. Nevertheless, I believe that we still have a long way to go, and looking at the media in the last year highlighting the difference in average pay between the sexes still questions just how equal we are. Personally however, I don’t feel that in my life that I have ever been directly subjected to inequality, nor have I ever not been given an opportunity because I am a woman. I discussed this with the girls, and they all had different views. Nats agreed with me, whereas Ems talked about Cambridge boat club and how the men’s team had funded kit and a nice boathouse in comparison to the girls shed, and kit that they had to pay for themselves. Laura also discussed how the world of sport and sports media is still male dominated, but with London 2012 highlighting the success of women in sport, this has certainly helped improve awareness. Next step equality of women in sport.

Before I left to fly to Samoa, I went and watched the film Suffragette, it was so insightful into exactly what these women went through in order to get us to where we are today. They fought and achieved the vote for women over the age of 30 in 1918 after years of hardship. In the film, the protagonist becomes a suffragette, and as a result, we see that her husband is embarrassed by her actions and beliefs and she is caste out of the family home. The support that we have had in undertaking this challenge has been incredible and I’m so proud to be a part of the Coxless Crew. For me, the thought that we might inspire other women to follow their dreams and fight for what they believe is what keeps me rowing. In 2015, Saudi Arabia gave women the right to vote. This fills me with hope that across the world there are women continuing to fight, proving that with a little bit of strength, perseverance, integrity, resilience, inspiration, and trust anything is possible.

Update: Today could possibly be the last day that I eat Maggi noodles. The girls appear to be quite good at stashing supplies for further in the journey, however I’ve been living in the noodle moment, and will have to suffer the consequences. On the plus side, the mighty Pacific offered us a belly flopping mahi mahi, and a sea turtle that we named Tim. Wow, this wildlife tour really is getting very exciting and I was quite overwhelmed by the whole experience. Who needs whales. As I’m sure you can see, the pink dot is currently moving slower than a snail, I think even the turtle overtook us quite rapidly. Here’s to less current soon.

Only after completion of this expedition will we understand the full extent of our achievements and what subtle or monumental changes have occurred to us all personally. I don’t think it’s possible to spend time out here in Oceania (whether 2 or 9 months) and there not be a shift that happens mentally. What we have shared and experienced as a team will forever unite us and remain imprinted in our lives and all of us will have learnt pertinent life lessons that we can carry with us when we step back onto land.

I was told by Meg yesterday that I always seem to have a different perspective on things, so today, I wanted to share a different perspective on changes. Today, without thinking about the end and reflecting back on our journey, as that is yet to come, I wanted to let you know how I have changed even before the row began.

1. Rowing
Just before sending off my application for the Row, I thought I’d better see if I actually liked rowing! I went to my local gym and sat on a rowing machine for the first time in my life and stayed there for 1 and a half hours. I loved it. I found the movement really meditative, liked the fact that your mind could wander or be still and felt like many parts of my body were being worked.
I applied.
During the lead up before leaving from San Francisco, I spent time on Doris and I spent time on ergs (rowing machines), I was taught the basic technique by Ems and I set about learning a new skill – how to row!

 
2. Eye surgery
After our practice 48 hour row back in November last year, I decided that neither glasses nor contacts were going to work for me on the Row. With the 2 hour shift pattern continuing 24 hours, contacts were not a viable option and glasses were just annoying as they steamed up and would continuously have sea spray and rain drops on them. So, the fact that I would be in an extreme environment with limited home comforts and daily challenges, made me fast track my decision to undergo laser eye surgery even though the thought of it had always petrified me and I was a little dubious about the long term effects.

In January 2015, I bit the bullet and decided to go for it. I had the operation on the Friday and was back at work on Monday. As I lay down to prepare for the procedure, the team joked that I surely couldn’t be afraid of what was going to happen as I was about to head off and row across the Pacific! Although it was the most fear I have felt in a very long time, the procedure was painless, quick and professional. Accuvison (the clinic where I had the surgery done in London) were amazing and by the end of the weekend resting my recovering eyes, I was seeing perfectly unaided!!

The operation is revolutionary and I can actually say that it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. My better than 20/20 vision has done me proud and could be part of the reason that I’m nicknamed ‘hawk eyes’ out here on the boat.

3. Embracing pink
I have always been a lover of every colour…except pink. Maybe it’s because I was a tomboy as a child and just naturally rebelled against anything ‘girlie’ or maybe it’s because my mum distressingly decorated my bedroom in pink in my formative years. Who knows, but the fact remains, I have never liked pink. Yet amazingly here I am embracing pink like never before. All our branding is pink, my home on Doris is pink and most of our clothes are pink. I have even been known to openly and willingly purchase many random items of a pink colour over the last year! I never thought I’d be saying…bring on the pink…

 
4. The Body
I can honestly say that when I arrived back in the UK in May 2014, physically I was the the leanest and fittest I’ve felt in many years. I would maybe even go as far as saying that my body felt and looked one of the best it ever has. As LP has already discussed, there were radical changes that all of us had to undergo physically whilst training for the row. There is nothing quite as counter intuitive as making yourself gain weight. Although my strength increased dramatically during the training and there is something very satisfactory about pushing higher leg press weights than most of the men in your local gym, the change in body shape experienced was not the most aesthetically attractive. As the high protein intake was combined with fat and our need for rapid increased weight gain, the change that took place, although necessary, did not fill me with joy.

I will always count my blessings that I am healthy and love my body whatever it may look like but it was not easy going from lean and small before the row to strong but also the most I’ve ever weighed and the largest I’d ever been! It’s all relative, I know, and I fully comprehended the need to have the extra stores when we began the journey so that we would have the energy to continue it for as long as we have. However, from my personal perspective, I feel that the misconception that at the beginning and indeed the end of this challenge I will/should be ‘buff’ and/or the fittest I’ve ever been couldn’t be further from the truth.

What I have learnt though, is that our bodies are incredible. They adapt quickly and will often give us necessary signs before serious injuries occur. They come in all shapes and sizes and our mental perceptions of a good, healthy body isn’t necessarily what society leads you to believe.

5. Flipper had to go
When I was 15 years old I had my belly button pierced. I loved it and it very soon became my friend. The design was a silver dolphin dangling from a small silver hoop, I called it Flipper and Flipper became a part of me. As we have already discussed, all of us are taking part in some research being done into the effects of long term endurance on females and this includes bone density scans. To my dismay when I went for my first scan at GSK I was informed that Flipper had to be taken out as no metal on the body was allowed. You can imagine my disappointment. Flipper and I had never been separated – not for 25 years! Truth be told…I didn’t even know how to take Flipper out. As it turned out, it wasn’t quite as easy as one would imagine and in the end only with the help of the lovely Tess and a pair of pliers could we actually set Flipper free. I instantly felt naked. Belly button piercings close very quickly and are are not like ears where the hole always remains. The piercing was out, the hole closed and I said goodbye to an era of my life. I still look down at my bare stomach with longing and miss Flipper dreadfully and I even still think I can feel him occasionally.

6. UK – Winter
Having been away from the UK for a number of years (about 15), I’ve done my best, wherever possible, to attempt to live an eternal summer. The shock of having to deal with my first English winter in so long, definitely took some getting used to. As some of you already know, being cold and wet is not one of my favourite states of being. An English winter is just that…but armed with my three quarter length puffer jacket and my Mum’s winter boots, I managed to survive and push through. The plan to then complete the Row and come back for yet another Winter was not really supposed to be on the cards. However, if I’m really honest, after the relentless beating we’ve received from the heat out on the ocean, a winter and rest from the sun is most probably desperately needed.

—————-

I’m used to travelling by myself, beginning a new life somewhere in a far away destination alone and being in my own company. One gets very accustomed to independence and doing things as and when one wants to. I’ve recently been a little concerned that I am getting stuck in my ways and would find compromise difficult. Preparing for and implementing this expedition has shown me that for the right opportunity (and hopefully person), I am more than able to embrace and make compromises. What we need to remember is that compromises can more than often be positive changes. If we recognise this and always remember, as we know, change is present in every part of our lives, then hopefully every time something shifts or doors close, benefit will be felt and other doors will definitely open x

UPDATE:

Highlights
1. Had the most hysterical day shifts with Meg discussing every topic of conversation under the sun including twerking and her desire to perfect it!!!
2. We managed a half an hour sunset social where for the first time our cocktail/drink choice became a reality. We laughed, chatted and all drank Baileys from make shift fruit pot shot glasses.

Lowlights
1. We are still travelling at a depressingly slow speed.
2. Last night was by far the worst night I’ve had on Doris. There was the most flying fish carnage we’ve ever seen. They were EVERYWHERE. I dreaded coming out on the oars and spending the full 2 hours having to dodge the flying kamikaze creatures. One went down the neck of my jacket and another hit me so close to my mouth that if I had been breathing in slightly open mouthed at the time I would have swallowed it!! There were fish and fish scales all over the deck. I had to don my full wet weather gear for extra protection from them hitting me. I’m praying tonight will not be a repeat performance.

Father (Bernard): My first reaction to the news that Natalia had been chosen to join the crew, was a definite NO! to the idea. How could I, as a father, allow my daughter to embark on such a crazy venture!! Having always allowed my children to follow their own path in life, I duly resigned myself to the fact that she would, as usual, make her own decision. As time went by, I gradually accepted the fact that it was going to happen and that I had to learn to live with it. I have the greatest respect for Natalia’s abilities and know that she has always known which path to take.

Mother (Anne): When Natalia initially told us that she was interested in rowing across the Pacific Ocean, I actually laughed. My daughter, who loved the water, was a wonderful swimmer, had worked on yachts, had travelled the Pacific in a yacht, but who had NEVER rowed in her life, was contemplating this enormous challenge!

We were horrified when we realised that she was serious. “What if the boat capsized, what if a whale came up under the boat, what if they were attacked by pirates, what if she fell out of the boat and was attacked by sharks, etc. etc”. This was an adventure too far! We knew Natalia to be an adventurer and non-conformist and someone always seeking a new challenge, but this would be so DANGEROUS.

She went for the interview and we thought that would be that, until she came home some days later and told us that she loved the whole concept of the row, had met Laura and was very taken with her. She met Emma and Izzy and was offered a place on the row. The whole concept was incredible – 4 women to row 8446 miles, sleeping for 2 hours and rowing for 2 hours, unsupported, raising money for Breast Cancer Care and Walking with the Wounded. To say we were filled with trepidation would have been an understatement!

However, the whole thing came to fruition, but when Isabel was unable to row the whole way and could only do the first leg, I was secretly pleased and thought the project would collapse. I underestimated the determination of Laura, Emma and Natalia. They had the bit between their teeth and were going to do this. Lizanne and Meg were brought on board and legs two and three were sorted.

Once the row started and they left San Francisco we became addicted to watching those little dots on their tracking page and reading their daily blogs, we settled down a bit and began to rather enjoy the journey. We looked at the girls and the row in a different light – what amazing women they were – anything thrown at them, they overcame. Their determination and resilience became a talking point with our friends and family and with people from all over the world, who started following them, admiring their courage and spirit. Their salt sores, their ‘claw’ hands, their lack of sleep, etc, were talked about with such stoicism, and NEVER did they whinge or complain! They had a job to do and come hell or high water, they were going to finish it.

When we met in Hawaii, after their first leg, I was not sure how they would be physically and was quite apprehensive, but after a few stumbling steps as they came off Doris, they were energised and excited and enjoyed all that the lovely people from the Hawaii Yacht Club threw at them.

The second leg was a real challenge – 97 days instead of the 65 stated – The Doldrums really got to them and once again, their spirit and determination kept them going. (I would have jumped into the ocean and drowned myself, weeks before they arrived in Samoa!) I thought that Samoa was going to be hard to leave, especially after the gruelling 2nd leg and getting back on Doris, difficult. I could not have been more wrong – they were raring to go and now that it is the last leg, they seem to be galloping along with their goal in sight. We are so proud of all 6 of the girls and feel extremely blessed to have such a strong, adventurous, interesting, loving, spirited daughter.

Brother (Jared): My sister and I started travelling in 1980. She was 5 and I was 4. We packed up all our belongings in Johannesburg, and headed 5800 miles North, to the unknown world of Manchester. Not the most exotic of locations perhaps, but quite a big adventure none the less. More than anything, it instilled in us the notion that we were a little bit different from those around us, and that our home was not a fixed place. As we got older and learned to make our way in the world, the seed of that idea grew and branched out, and for Natalia, became a way of life. She decided that the whole world would be her home, and set about seeing as much of it as she possibly could.

Natalia is the most travelled person I know. And I know a few. She has literally been from the Himalayas to deepest darkest Africa. From the foothills of the Andes to the frozen wastelands of Antarctica. She is the epitome of living life to the full, she is the journey, with only a vague concern for the destination. When she told me about the ad for the row, my reaction was ‘haven’t you done enough already?’ But she hadn’t. For her, there is always more to see, more to experience. She walked into this great adventure with her eyes wide open, taking each day by day, moment by moment. As she always does. Since setting off from San Francisco those many months ago, I really can’t think of any time where I was worried about her. I chart her progress in much the same way as I have done for all her previous adventures.

For some, rowing a boat across the greatest expanse of water on earth would be the pinnacle of their life. For Natalia, it’s just another leg of the journey. I fully embrace, and in many ways share, her spirit of adventure. What else is there that makes any sense? We’re not here practicing life. We’re here living it. The ‘One night only’ performance is happening right now, and all of us are starring in the line-up. Natalia is making hers a show worth watching. Are you?

UPDATE:
A huge thanks to everyone that wrote to us with their star/planet suggestions.
We’re going with the info received from Mt. St. John observatory in New Zealand who describes the object perfectly. We now believe that it is the planet Venus and apparently it will be in conjunction with the moon today.
The reason for the fading in and out still remains a mystery but may just be an atmospheric effect seen by us as we are so close to the surface of the water.

It was an amazingly clear night with a star filled sky. Between the 4 of us, we saw about 15 shooting stars and the almighty Pacific became peaceful as she gently undulated around Doris.
Progress, unfortunately, is still a little slow as we’ve moved from being stuck in a Northerly current to being held back in a Southerly one, but we’re still laughing and taking it all one stroke at a time x