Leg 2, Day 25 – Building Queen Doris 2 (QD2)

Laura Penhaul By

Over the last few blogs you have heard from Doris herself and a description from Lizanne, how well Doris is looking after us. Hopefully with the detail from Lizanne and the images you have seen of Doris, for those of you that have not met her in person, we hope you have been able to build a good picture of our current home sweet home on the ocean. Now not to distract from the perfectness (if that is such a word?!) of Doris now, but whilst out here, we have developed many an idea of how to renovate Doris when we return home, or potentially these ideas could be shared with Rossiters if a new build is under way. So here are a few of our ideas……:

– A garbage compressor: this would be ideal as space is limited and we seem to accumulate a lot of garbage that we have to keep on the boat until disposal when we reach land.

– An invisible shield: this is to go up at the sides of the boat without compromising the oar stroke. This predominantly was for nighttime to protect from flying fish, but thinking about it, it could also double up to be used 24/7 to protect from the waves and therefore minimise being salty.

– A robot cleaner: this you would set to work in the morning and it would make its way around the boat,cleaning every nook and cranny including the hatches, to leave Doris spotless and smelling fresh.

– Air conditioning: a spot of air con in the cabins would be pure bliss!

– A fridge freezer: this way we could have ice for drinks, a frozen yoghurt supply, chocolate (especially Snickers) kept cool and even keep some fresh fruit and meat.

– A bbq: this could be gas so that’s it’s easier to clean and manage. It could be concealed on deck with a sliding door over it so that it doesn’t take up too much walking space on deck.

– A clear glass hull: This way we could see what fishes and wildlife swim beneath us and would mean we wouldn’t have to dunk our heads into the sea first to check for sharks before jumping in.

– A power shower outside: we do have a solar shower but no where high enough to hang it so we have to take it in turns to hold it for the other person.

– A Parasol : I would suggest this could be mounted in the middle between the 2 rowers, so that when it either rains or you require protection from the sun, this pops open and covers the entire rowing positions and the rowers themselves. Unfortunately a screen that slides out from the aft to the Forecabin was something thought of previously, but it wasn’t suitable as the rowers sit higher than the cabins.

– Free wifi with unlimited download ability: this would be pretty perfect as we could share photos and videos with you all via Social media, plus live Skype calls, the communications would be endless.

– A washing machine!: we try and rinse our clothes in a bucket of clean water and soap regularly but slowly they deteriorate as there is an accumulation of sweat and/or not drying properly. There would be nothing better than laundry fresh clothes on Doris.

– the pièce de la resistance!!……A projector screen mounted between the 2 aerials with the projector mounted on the Forecabin hatch so we can merrily watch films as we row. Perfect! Although we do love being in touch with nature and listening to the sounds of birds, being able to watch a few episodes of Greys Anatomy or to watch a film whilst out on the oars would certainly help break the monotony!

Update: last night was a beautiful star filled sky and we woke this morning to pan flat water conditions. Nat was right …’ You never know what you’re gona get!’ Now at just 10am I’m already sitting in a pool of my own sweat in the cabin yet there’s a torrential downpour out on the oars, bizarre!

This morning we received a sat phone to sat phone call from the lovely Sarah Outen who is currently rowing solo on the Atlantic. We shared a ‘100days at sea’ celebration, whilst we toasted with an isotonic drink to her, she apparently sipped on a G&T (so jealous). Sarah will be finishing in Falmouth approx. same timing as we reach Oz, so Cornish folk keep your eyes and ears peeled and pop down to support if you can, she’s a legend and has been a true inspiration and support to our row. We’ve just reached 900miles! Nearing half way and the equator is an exciting thought for us all.

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3 Comments

  1. Simon TY says:

    What about a Cornish Pasty maker ? Or a whiskey still ? Or a Chippendale ? or an outboard motor ?

    Does anyone read this who is in charge of the map ? Can we have the Equator superimposed on your map ? Would be great to watch the gap closing all the time. That will b a monster, mega moment crossing to the Southern hemisphere. Mega achievement and psychological boost.

    Mo Farah just won the 10,000 meters at the World Champs in Beijing and Jessica E-H is leading in the Heptathlon after four events

    XXX PS, I thought Doris was perfect ? XX

  2. Ray Penhaul says:

    I did suggest a cruise ship crossing Laura before you left home, you would have had virtually all the amenities you mentioned!!

  3. Simon TY says:

    Oh no. Looks like the Doldrums have sucked,you into an ocean of glue. The ticker says just a few 1000 yes forward in 24 hrs. Hope conditions improve. I have been mowing the lawn in light rain. The least of yr worries.

    Hope conditions and currents improve Asaph. Keep strong xxxx

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