I was on the oars with Izz one day,
When a flying fish came out to play.
While talking of cabbages and kings,
We watched as on its outstretched wings,
It soared like a dragon small and blue.
Further than we could imagine it flew.
That very first time I saw it fly,
Between San Fran and Hawaii under a bright blue sky,
We watched it with excitement and wonder,
Some more wildlife to name and ponder.
We saw them in shoals, fish big and small,
We’d point and gasp and to the others call.
The mahi mahi and birds were no match,
And only occasionally would the fish they catch.
As time went by they increased in number,
And started to disturb our peaceful slumber.
Nights on the oars we started to dread,
As flying fish hurtled towards our head.
Coming at us from the darkest night,
Streaking towards our navigation light.
The worst is hitting us in the face,
In their rush to escape from those who chase.
We needed the protection of our wet weather gear,
As fish scales on bare skin we began to fear.
Each one we rescued and returned to the sea,
But in the end between you and me,
Sadly we couldn’t save them all,
When so many on Doris’ deck did fall.
When the sun above the horizon began to peep,
Dead fish strewn all around in a heap.
The evidence of a night of carnage lay,
Cleaning of fish guts to start every day.
We left from Hawaii and to our delight,
No flying fish to disturb rowing at night.
We were doing so well but the tables have turned,
In the last few days the fish nightmare’s returned.
I’m terrified a fish will land in my hood,
I have to tell myself there’s no way that it could.
In and out of the hatch we go at great speed,
Scared the cabin light will require a fish to be freed.
Dead fish behind the oars and every small place,
Before they decompose its a hide and seek race.
Fortunately our trusty bbq tongs mean,
We can clear the decks and keep everything clean.
Despite the magic of their elegant flight,
They still have the power to give us a fright.
So there’s one thing that you all should know,
I won’t miss the flying fish at the end of this row.
UPDATE: We are still stuck in a northerly current but have been making slightly better progress over night despite the attack of the flying fish, and our top speed today has been 1.5kts. This morning the sun is shining and the seas are the calmest they’ve been in a long time so we are enjoying a peaceful time on the oars without the constant soakings we’ve become used to. I still haven’t re-found my happy place on the oars but on a day like this it is easy to stay in the moment watching the fluffy white clouds wander across the sky and enjoying the warmth of the sun on unsalted skin. We are still waiting for some wildlife to appear but the calmer conditions are set to last at least another day so we are keeping our eyes pealed for any movements in the water.
I’m finding it very surreal that I am finally now writing this blog. January 2012 was when I first got involved in this project, what will nearly be to the day on completion 4 years on. It is so surreal to think we talked about it for so long and now we are out here, actually doing it and nearing the finish line. Since leg one I said to myself that the final leg will be the time to reflect on us as a team, to give my account of how we came together and how these 5 ladies have made this journey the life changing experience it has become.
When I first got involved in this row, I never in a million years would have thought that pulling a team together to do this would have been one of the most challenging parts to getting to the start line. As far as I was concerned, I assumed there would be hundreds of women who thought the same as me and would jump at the chance to be involved. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a once in a lifetime experience? It was a bit of a wake up call to realise that my way of thinking maybe was not quite the ‘norm’! Certainly at the start, I was naive to the enormity of the project, what had begun as a row across the Indian Ocean, developed to the first leg of our journey, just to Hawaii, to then wanting to row the whole Pacific all the way to Oz. In my head, I knew that one day there would be a team of women who would be the first team to row across the Pacific and I knew that if I gave up, then someone else would have a little more staying power and they would succeed in getting a team together, so my mantra was ‘don’t let it be someone else, we can be the first’.
There has been over 20 amazing women who have actually been directly involved in the row, that have applied and been selected to be part of the team but through one way or another, lasting a day or maybe a year, whether it was life that may have got in the way to waiver their commitment, or postponement of the row, they had made a decision to step out. At first when someone had invested their time and you had invested yours along with our support team’s time, it was hard not to take it personally when someone decided to pull out. Each time felt a little like a relationship break up, only in these circumstances you really do hope to remain good friends afterwards! However I grew to realise that the commitment and dedication I was looking for in people, was a massive undertaking and for someone to be able to take it on, all the jigsaw pieces of their life needed to be in a good place; financially, physically, emotionally and with a good social support team around them. People’s reasons for doing the row was also a key indicator, to not be in it ‘to find themselves’, but to actually already be fairly content with all aspects of their life and the row to only enhance it. I recall an ocean rower who did the Atlantic as a pair and he recounted how his rowing partner became very withdrawn and so he had said to me ‘if you’re in a bad place before starting the row, what gets thrown at you in the ocean will only drive you deeper into despair, make sure you’re in a good place to start so you can cope with what the ocean has to offer’.
For some people, the realisation that the row wasn’t for them was actually a harder decision to make to pull out than to stick with it. I have always respected their decisions to recognise if it wasn’t right, something of this scale needs 100% commitment and no questioning as to whether it’ll go ahead or not. There were plenty of moments where it was questioned if the row would happen and even 3 months before departure we still didn’t have the full budget! The row had been postponed twice and not just for a month or two, but a whole year at a time, so the track record I realised, most probably didn’t give the applicants endless confidence in their applying. There are also other things outside of our own lives that will impact on our decisions to commit, that being if you have a partner or any family pressures. I remember having the discussion with Izz when it had been a painful decision for her to step back and do the one leg instead of all three. I knew how difficult this decision would have been for her and fundamentally family always comes first. To me, I remember thinking that it was a bonus that Izzy was still keen to be involved and actually her decision worked out for the best, without it we wouldn’t have had Lizanne and Meg involved and we wouldn’t have ended up with three journeys in the one expedition.
Every person that has been involved in this project to get to the startline has been instrumental and without a doubt, everyone has made an impact and a mark in developing what this project has become. I feel like the row has become like a patchwork quilt, every person being influential and having made a mark when involved.
So how did our crew get involved?
About a year and a half into the project, Emma had seen our advert on Escape The City.com. She was part of a group of 18 that were selected after application and came to meet us on the Isle of Wight at the Round the Island Race with Raymarine. There was then a second round of interviews and testing more on a team dynamic perspective which was held at the clinic I used to work at Pure Sports Medicine. It was a few months later in the year, that we unfortunately lost the crew member who had started the idea of the row. Annie and I had been working together on the row for over a year and a half so when she stepped out, the next few months felt like a divorce. We had been inseparable for that time, putting all our efforts into the row, so when Annie was no longer able to be involved it certainly became a testing time for me to try and remain focussed on why I was here and what the row was for.
It was at this point though that the lovely Emma became involved and thankfully was still interested in the row and for her sins she has remained highly dedicated ever since. Going into Christmas of 2014 there was Emma, myself, Ella (who has been doing our social media) and Natalie Miles. Natalie brought a huge amount to the row, just naming a few, she was behind the new logo, new design and website, bringing in great contacts such as Stephen Coe for the logo design and branding, alongside Stephanie J who designed and still manages our website (thank you both for all that you do!). Post Christmas though we realised that we still lacked the funds we needed in order to be ready and safely prepared to leave in April 2014, so the painful decision of a second postponement to 2015 was made. At this point, understandably neither Ella nor Natalie could continue to commit the time to the row, so they stepped out of the physical row commitments but thankfully Ells was still able to help out with the social media and Natalie, although has moved to Canada, I know would still have helped out if needed.
So 2015 was the last chance for me to pull a team together. I figured there was lots of change and lack of clarity on our previous attempts, so learning from them and collaborating with our Sport Psych Keith, along with our charity Walking With The Wounded, the structure of recruitment was much more planned and stringent. Firstly, the advert and applications clearly highlighted the commitment needed for the next year and post row. These applications went out to the military, to sailing communities, rowing communities and escape the city.com. Once again through Escape the City, both Natalia and Meg found out about us. Izzy had heard through Emma’s Facebook post and Lizanne spotted the tweet about us on Chrissie Wellington’s Twitter feed (thanks Chrissie!). They were 4 amongst 20 that were invited for a day of interviews at Bisham Abbey. Here they met an experienced ocean rower Fergus Scholes, who took them through images and videos to show them what life was like aboard an ocean rowing boat. They then did physical testing with Alex Wolf our S&C coach, met with Keith our Sport Psych, did a film interview to camera, had a group session with Ems and a 1:1 with me where they could ask me anything. All applicants had a chance to visit Doris and take her out for a row too.
The final stage was with Fieri Leadership & Development who generously arranged a 24hr non-stop slog across the Brecon Beacons in Wales. This was interspersed with leadership skills and tasks to develop communication and teamwork under more stressful conditions and as we became more and more sleep deprived. Combine this with our Psychometrics with Keith and for once we had a good snapshot of team dynamics and who would work well together.
Having the Psychometrics and our team supports input, made this selection much more objective. Either way, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and without a doubt I cannot imagine ever rowing this ocean with anyone else than the 5 girls that are here. I haven’t laughed this hard for this long ever, I have never been this open with my emotions that aren’t my best friends or family, I haven’t got this close and personal with anyone who I’m not in a relationship with. To me these girls have got to know me inside and out, my flaws and imperfections included, they have made the dream of this project come alive and every step of the journey an enjoyable one. I always wished to find a team that we step on the boat as team mates but step off as true friends and I’m so proud to say that we have achieved beyond my expectations with this.
Over the coming few weeks I will be writing individual blogs about each of the girls, to share with you what I believe they brought to the team and why they have made the journey so special.
I’d hate to state the obvious, but really, ocean rowing is not that easy! It’s not like I joined the crew expecting top tanning and weight loss without any challenges, but it’s week 4, and the honeymoon period of experiencing newness is most certainly over for me and crossing the Pacific has become normality. This is not to say that I’m not having the time of my life, and at risk of sounding like a wimp member of the Coxless crew and aware that my mere 3 and a bit weeks in comparison to the other girls 8 months at sea, I shall elaborate…
Is it strange to say that the rowing part of ocean rowing is actually the easiest part of the experience? Being on the oars is the place where your mind can drift away, it’s where you have space, it’s the seat that you’ll see the wildlife from (still yet to see any), it’s the spot where you’ll have that moment of realisation of where we are, and what we are doing, and it is the position that will get you that tan! However, being on the oars is also where you are most subjected to the splashing, the soakings of salt water on those salt sores, and you remain the victim of a flying fish attack, as well as it being the place that you must remain awake throughout the night.
So the above, is where 12 hours of our day is spent. Where do we spend the other 12? We climb through the human sized cat flap into a sweat festival. This festival allows only 2 to enter it at any one time. Upon entry, there is a process of drying and de-salting as much as possible, applying talc and sudocreme and then jobs. Jobs ranging from downloading emails, blog writing, making water, making food and then getting a few winks before heading back out for another 2 hours.
So there we are. That’s our routine, and it is this that I am struggling with the most. The monotony of everything being controlled by a 2 hour window. This window of time is regimented to the minute and when we say 2 hours on, 2 hours off – that is it – there is no excuse of ‘being stuck in traffic’, and there is no shortened shift for a dentist appointment! Thus 7 days a week and 24 hours a day we complete this routine. In normal life you might guess that my life is not governed by routine. In fact one of the only routines I have is cleaning my teeth, and that’s one that I’m struggling to maintain out here, most of the time not entirely sure whether it’s morning or evening, breakfast or supper time!
Encapsulated within this 2 hour time pattern is also sleep. Ahhh sleep I do miss you! I know in my first blog I said how I loved napping so sleeping on Doris is great. I still stand that napping is brilliant – however it’s much nicer when it is on top of a nights sleep. The horrid alarm bleeping sound that goes off at night time and causes a wake up that makes you feel like you have been hit with a sledge hammer, and the amounts of time that I have woken up and it’s a surprise that I’m on a boat in the Pacific!! Then there is the wet weather gear that we put on at night, and if it’s been splashy, putting it all on wet. Who’d have thought as a Pisces and a massive lover of water I would have become scared of being hit with any nighttime splashes! As Ems keeps reminding me – ‘if you take up water sports then expect to get wet’ – wise words from a fellow hater of the splashes!
I did have one new experience this week, that of the para-anchor. What a truly incredible piece of equipment! It was so exciting learning how it all works, and then seeing it do its business. The girls had told me not to be so excited about the para-anchor as its a very uncomfortable experience. Well I had a fabulous time! All be it a rather sweaty affair, there was a film with LP, whilst munching a twix and then there was the whole night of sleep (for me), absolute bliss!
Update: last night we had an attack of the flying fish – always fun in the dark, and then feeling a flapping fish in the lap. For LP it was the head! We do also appear to be stuck in a current that doesn’t wish us to pass Vanuatu too quickly! Watch this space!
My last experience on a boat was a little different to this one.
Flash back to 2013 where I found myself on a 62m Super Yacht cruising Mallorca, France and Croatia in the Mediterranean. My role on the boat was Lead Stewardess, which basically meant that I served the clients and was a glorified cleaner of the boat interior. For those new to the industry, Super Yachts are 5* luxury boats that are usually privately owned and used by their owners and friends or chartered out to randoms.
Before the owner’s arrival and during their stay, the boat has to be cleaned thoroughly and I mean meticulously in every nook and cranny, air vent, cupboard corner, ceiling, floor, sideboard, surface, picture frame, light switch…are you getting the picture? We’re talking ear buds and toothpicks in the final stage of the ‘detail’ clean to ensure not a speck of dust or dirt remains and then the cleaning continues daily.
Let’s now come back to Doris. The state of cleanliness on our little 8m boat is definitely questionable. In our defence it’s not easy to clean thoroughly when you’re constantly being thrown around a tiny cabin space, time is of the essence during an awake shift, you’re sleep deprived and there is no financial motivation.
So…we’ll let you decide how clean is clean!
Living quarters:
When the sea state is rough, the hatch door has to remain permanently shut. This means that condensation forms on the walls of our cabin and then everything gets and remains damp. For very brief moments of airflow, we may flush the cabin by quickly opening a hatch to allow some air to enter. If this is timed incorrectly there will be varying amounts of water depending on the wave size that will enter the cabin. With all this moisture and water, the underneath of our cushions that line the bottom of our cabin are always a little or very wet, covered in small bits of stray food and hairs. The ideal scenario is to go into the hatches that are underneath these cushions as little as possible! Cleaning this area is futile but we make a cursory attempt every week or so.
Our make shift rubbish bin (thanks to Lizanne in Leg 2) works well but is not a self emptying bin. It still requires someone to decide when it is full enough and be changed for another bin bag and small enough so that it can still fit into our ‘rubbish hatch’. I would say that both Ems and I are the main two that take the initiative to empty the bin but it very often looks overflowing.
The footwell has always been a little distressing. It was definitely Izz’s least favourite place on the boat in leg 1. It is a collecting area for any stray hair, rubbish that didn’t quite make it into the bin plus any random stuff that a rower may accidentally bring in with them on their feet when entering the cabin after a row shift. Luckily our footwell also holds four 4 litre water containers that we use to collect our desalinated water. Without fail everyday when the watermaker is run someone will be momentarily distracted and there will be a minor fresh water flood. For this reason we all seem to think that the footwell is almost self cleaning!?
Food and beverages department:
Our sporks all live on the small thin shelf in the aft cabin that is the holding place for the auto pilot. It is not meant to be a shelf for random stuff that has no home, but it seems to be used as such. So the sporks just lie loose on this shelf collecting all the talc and other roaming particles in the air. After eating we normally give them a good lick and consider that to be clean. They then go back on the auto pilot shelf!
Tupperware (by the way mine seems to have befallen another tragedy yesterday where it was apparently washed overboard by a large wave…sad times) is used for breakfast, main meals and desserts. There has been an evolution of cleaning methods where the tupperware is involved from cold water and a sponge to a quick rinse with boiling water. They often look pretty clean, but when you open them in the morning there has been known to be a strong smell of the previous day’s meal that wafts your way. So are they really clean?
Our water bottles have been with us for our whole journey. Some just contain water and others are used for our SOS rehydration salts. After a certain amount of time any plastic water bottle will begin to develop black bacterial spots. We have been rowing for over 8 months day in and day out drinking water, so although attempts have been made in each stop over to clean the bottles and with Milton during the legs, for the most part these black spots still remain. We all seem to have done a mighty fine job of just ignoring the spots or some (myself included) will try a wipe with tissue paper to temporarily remove them. That makes them clean again – right?
The outside deck:
The main deck area is in direct line of rain so will often get a natural clean when the heavens open. The area under our gunnels, however, where our extra oars are stored, is another story. This part of the boat can be tricky to access and is quick to accumulate grime and slime. Flying fish often end up in this area too and if undetected as they are well hidden from sight and if they are not smelt, will stay here and decompose. Only if we have a large foot washer or wipe out wave (please refer to A, B, C of Waves Blog for more info), will these fish be released from this area. BBQ tongs are too big for this type of cleaning and none of us even own ear buds!!
In conclusion, Doris is privately owned, and although she is not maintained to the incredibly high standards usually expected from her owners, she will always be our ‘Super Yacht’.
We love you Doris we do!!! x
UPDATE:
High wind and travelling in an unfavourable direction led us to deploying the para anchor last night. That meant an uncomfortable 12 hours for Ems and I sweating horrendously in the fore cabin and LP sweating and doing log book duties in the aft cabin. The lovely Meg, however, had a great night. She managed a full 8 hours sleep and was not hot at all!??!! Go figure…
How can we ever follow such informative and varied blogs, but here goes! Being the parents of Laura who began her journey approx 4 years ago telling us that she planned to row the Pacific with a team of 4 girls in aid of her chosen charities and unsupported! This last word sent shivers down our spines, reflecting back on watching the likes of David Walliams, Davina McCall and John Bishop doing their charity swims, where their support was invaluable. Where did she get this idea from? Over the next few months/ years we watched the struggle to get funding to build Doris, along with building a team, with the correct dynamics. Watching her juggle work along with many courses to be able to carry out this epic journey safely. The team had to carry out sleep studies, survival training, learn about sea, electronics and mechanical skills, alongside getting fit with rowing most days and building up body mass. The dedication to detail for all the girls has been a testament to their success. Then last March the parents had a chance to meet ‘Uncle Tony’ if ever you want someone to put your mind at ease then he is the man to go to. He is their support, albeit from the land either home in Plymouth or waiting on the Marina at their chosen stops. The other major support has been Keith their psychologist who has been just as invaluable, helping to get the right team together and be at the end of the phone for the girls and us parents if required.
Remembering the first time we were taken to Rossiters boat yard to see the shell of Doris, I felt physically sick at the thought of our daughter out in the middle of the largest ocean in the world in this little 29ft boat. I think at that stage, I secretly hoped she would not get to the start line. However over the coming months, seeing the determination and the way that they were planning every detail, along with a team building weekend, where the last of the crew were chosen, we began to feel that it was going to happen. Meeting the girls was my turning point, as they seemed so focused and bonded this gave us the confidence that we needed. So by the time we got to San Francisco we were fully committed to the row and in our small way tried to help. They had to reposition the boat to the Presidio Yacht Club the afternoon before they were due to set off, this was difficult as the currents and wind in the bay around Alcatraz are very strong, and challenging, however they made it and I wish I could have bottled their smiles as they stepped off the boat. I felt then, they had shown us parents that they can do it unaided, silly I know but if you’d have been there you would understand . That night at 02.00hrs in the pitch black, with nothing more than their head torches and our torch lights, they set off out under the Golden Gate Bridge, a surreal moment. The night was still and all that could be heard were the boats clanging, oh! and our nervous laughter. I had so dreaded that moment and yet having the other parents there giving each other support, was so much better than envisaged. I do not recall any tears, just hugs and “stay safe” then we became glued to the iPad and the little pink dot. Many a time it has been very frustrating at home, as we know they have struggled against the mighty ocean, sometimes being pushed backwards, and worrying when we hear that they are in rough seas, or dealing with seasickness. However nothing prepares you for the pride we felt when we saw them arrive into Hawaii, I was so excited I thought I took a video of them, instead I have a lovely picture of the ground, the yacht club and a couple of arms and our faces! Yes I had the iPad on reverse. What has humbled us the most is the kindness shown by so many people, by the hospitality of people that did not know the girls, the support from different parts of the world, and the generosity of so many people towards their chosen charities Walking with the Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and all we want now is to bring our girls home safe and sound. Roll on Cairns, we will be there waiting for our hugs with our girls, parents united.
Father here, can you imagine what Laura will be like when she gets home after the row and has fully recovered, she was stubborn before God knows what she’ll be like now!! I am sure one day she’ll meet someone and get married and have a family, I can just imagine it, up at 6:00 out by 8:00 coffee at 10:00 lunch at 12:00 etc, a young child saying I can’t Mum and Mum saying you can do anything if you put your mind to it, and a husband thinking “and they say growing up is hard”!! We have made new friends and met some amazing people during this journey and yes it has been pretty stressful at times but I know when we see Laura step off the boat in Cairns it will be one of the proudest days of our lives.
Anyone reading this especially those that have children I’m sure will appreciate and understand when I say that they are the most important part of your life and when they achieve great things you can’t be anything but immensely proud of them. We have two wonderful children so I must also mention Adam who along with his lovely wife Katie designed a massive extension to their property and did a great deal of the work themselves whilst also bringing up our gorgeous granddaughter Isla, I’m sitting here now in their house writing this and thinking WOW! this is some achievement. So with what they have both achieved so far in their lives, both determined to reach their goals and doing so I think I can safely say not only are we very proud but also very lucky. Anyway Father is signing off now before I write something I shouldn’t, like for example the night Laura deprived our dog of his bed (bet that gets edited)!
UPDATE:
We have just passed the 1000 mile mark. Woooohhhooooo! Reward is a shot of Baileys.
No boats for 22 days and today we saw 2.
Everything is still damp and salt sores continue to decline…today might be a double chocolate bar day!!
By 
By 
By 
By 
