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30th April - Day 12

The day after the night before is invariably painful but not today because we got up to see the winds had changed and the conditions were finally in our favour. Pete and I hadn’t slept a wink and were up and at’em so to speak as soon as daylight broke – like over excited kids at Xmas time we tip toed our way down the deck to see if the grown ups were awake in the penthouse...which they weren’t but we soon changed all that.
Tom and Matt then came out looking all too sprightly if you ask me, but just as well because the para anchor needed to be dragged in and we needed to get on the oars asap as we had already lost way too much time. How much time and how much distance who knows, but one thing’s for sure it was too much time sat still not rowing...time which would be better spent in a bar in Mauritius.
Anyway today was a good day and it was great to be back at the oars competing once again as we were desperate to make up for lost time. Easterlies on our backs and strong seas pushing us along this was to be a good day with some good mileage clocked up. No real dramas or spectacular stories to recount apart from another close encounter from the ‘rogue’ wave during a night time shift when Pete and I were once again on the oars. All day was spent surfing down the waves, a technique which we were picking up pretty fast. Anyway after free wheeling it down one wave we were turned so that we were almost facing the oncoming set side on...not where you want to be in a swell. As it was darkness we couldn’t actually see what was going on but one minute we were surfing and the next we were engulfed in the mother of all waves which broke over the side of the boat – in many ways you could say we were ‘riding the tube’ but the reality is we were in the sh*t and but for the break clearing the boat i hate to think what might have happened, suffice to say we might having been kissing our chaffed backsides goodbye. Anyway a lesson learned and yet again the ocean had put us back in our place just when we were starting to get a bit carried away!
Rather depressingly we heard that we had only made 12 miles the day before, which actually was a minor miracle and was all down to the good work provided by the para anchor. To further compound this misery however was the news that only one other crew had struggled like us and everyone else had seemingly found favourable conditions and managed to clock up some really good mileage – unbelievably frustrating given we had deliberately been heading towards this bearing for the past 3 days in the belief this was where the favourable weather would be...we couldn’t have been more wrong. The one other crew who had also struggled was ‘Doing Time’ and it was very sad to hear that they had actually been forced to retire from the race, making that 4 crews whose campaigns had so sadly ended prematurely. Whilst I’m not totally in the know as to what happened rumours via Gary the albatross are that Ben and Mark’s rudder broke during the storms the night before and were forced in to a recue situation. One thing is for sure, like the other crews taking part in this race it would have had to be something pretty drastic to get them to throw the towel in but whatever it was we wish them well and hope to goodness they made a safe return to land. We also heard on the grapevine that Simon Prior, the solo oarsman in the race had capsized but was still in the race – it sure takes a certain breed of nutter to do it solo and he must be 100% nuts but good on him for showing such amazing bravery and determination.
So 4 teams down and now only 6 left, not counting the exhibition 8 which set off after we left. Much like Simon had always said to us this was a marathon, not a sprint and that finishing would in itself be a major achievement. This was fast becoming very apparent and only 12 days in it was a simple matter of keeping our heads down and plodding on as best we could.

29th April - Day 11 - 1 week after dark Wednesday

Pete and I literally sprung out of bed for the 6-8am shift full of the joys of life for what we hoped was going to be a magical sunset. All night we had made steady if not spectacular progress south westerly in a bid to keep enough northerley allowance\in the bank for the approach to Mauritius – it may seem a little premature to be planning our entrance but we had been told that the passage to paradise was a pretty treacherous one and that we didn’t want to be any less than 25 degrees latitude when making our final approach. Currently we were teetering around the 26 / 27 degrees so were keen to get as much southerly latitude in the bank as poss.
When Pete and I arrived on deck Tom and Matt looked like they’d just been a couple of rounds with Tyson...or to put it another way they were absolutely pooped (now there’s a tough macho ocean rowing word for ya!). alas the winds had changed and changed the for the worse – the easterlies we had been promised had been replaced with strong southerlies, and when i say strong i mean about 30-35 knots, not something you can row in to especially with no seats. So this was just a little depressing but it’s a cruel world out here and i guess you have to take what’s given to you and get on with it...which we would have done had we not then be dealt another blow. Sadly our worst thoughts re the solar panels had now become true and so it was they were not recharging properly leaving us with inadequate power sources to operate the desalinator, which when you’re consuming 30-40 litres of water a day is pretty much our lifeline.
So we were left with little option other than to deploy the dreaded para anchor which kind of locks your position in the sea and stops you drifting too much. The plan was to use the hand held water pump to make as much water as we could until the wind eased at which point we would get back to the rowing. The hand held only allows us to make 5 litres an hour and we pumped in 15 minute cycles for what ended up being about 7 hours – desperately demoralising stuff especially when you fear all other crews may be making good headway elsewhere on the ocean. That said we had no option because without water you have no crew, so it was a case of needs must.
The winds never dropped, infact they got stronger making even hand pumping too damn difficult. So at 6pm we decided we should bunker down and ride it out until conditions improved. With every deployment of the para anchor comes the nightmare scenario of how to fit 4 grown men in to 2 cubby holes fit for 2 men – before anyone says anything, yes i am fully grown even if i seem to have stopped a little earlier than some people! Tom and Matt by virtue of being the biggest got to snuggle up in the penthouse whilst Pete and I squeezed ourselves in to the storage cupboard.
Without wanting to relive every minute of last night i will just say for the record it was the worst and most uncomfortable night of my life, and no doubt Pete’s. Where Tom and Matt had a sky light to look out on to the stars Pete and I had an automatic shower facility, called sweat and condensation which poured on to us throughout the night. We each had turns at keeping the hatch open so we could breath and thankfully the occasional wave burst in through the door to cool us down. That aside i wore a few pot noodles in the face, got a flask in the head and lost goodness knows how much weight. Pete now looks more akin to Herman Munster after the number of bolts and screws he got to the side of the head after the number of times we were thrown against the cabin wall – my side was padded as was his bar a couple of rogue nuts and bolts right in line with his head.
Matt had suggested we keep in touch via the walky talky every hour which seemed a good idea. So it was every hour i would let rip with, ‘hello salty sea dogs this chocolate chicken, do you read me over?’ this was then followed by a silence and so i would repeat the call sign over and over and over again...on the hour every hour, again and again. Mmm i should have known the penthouse was asleep and they had little if any concern for their friends down the road in the servants quarters...what heartless b’stards.
So it was Pete and I literally counted down the seconds desperate either for sun light to arrive or the crashing seas and furious winds to subside. We would have given anything to swap this torture for any amount of time on the oars, even if it meant going backwards. The ferocity of the sea meant this wasn’t going to happen so we were left with little option other than to ride it out and hope and pray dawn would bring a new beginning.
I am beginning to wonder exactly what it is we’ve done to deserve all this, i mean we don’t seem to have been dealt any good cards yet but as my bank manager will testify that never stops me going back to the casino so it won’t stop me cracking on with the challenge ahead – surely lady luck will pop over to say hi. May be i left work (hello one and all at ARC...love you all...well the girls anyway) with a few outstanding invoice queries and this was my penance – if so i’m so terribly sorry and will sort them out on my return, and i’ll even muck out the stables. Anyway less dwelling and more positivity please Gammon.
Quick update on the boys is as follows:
Tom and Matt seem well settled as a pair, and Matt definitely wears the trousers. You can often hear Matt barking at Tom ’20 seconds until drinks break Tom’ at which point Tom can be seen rolling his eyes knowing its 20 seconds too long but he daren’t break up Matthew’s routine! We don’t see that much of Matt at night because he scurries off to the servants quarters after each shift while Tom takes the aft cabin. That said he seems in good spirits and is still the boss in the kitchen out of these two – oh and is by far and the way the most ‘regular’ visitor to ‘the bucket’...sign of a very healthy constitution...or is it a sign he’s just eating more that the rest of us?! On that note can i just say you have mo idea what a skill it is to use the ‘boys room’ in 6 metre swells...but i digress. That he wears the trousers is i think welcomed by Tom who as we all know has always has a penchant for dresses, skirts and any other such lady’s garments. As far as facial hair growth is concerned Matt is seriously hating this beard business and money has it he’ll find a way to get rid of it before too long. Tom on the other hand loves it and aside from that actually seems to thrive on the small probs that keep cropping up – may be because it gives him another chance to fiddle with things or may be he’s just the problem solving soul at heart. All in all a good pairing and the birds in the sky will be pleased to know they each have names courtesy of these two.
Pete is still as strong as ever and with every knock seems to get stronger. Where Matt probably wears the trousers in that pair so Pete probably does out of he and I – although when i say trousers i mean the Simon Cowell variety, you know uncomfortably tight and pulled up just a wee bit high! Where Matt and Tom have strict timings re drinks breaks Pete and I keep going until one of us breaks – both too stubborn to give in but similarly just keen as to make every stroke count and every second wasted is a second longer it’ll take us to get to Mauritius – not that T&M don’t think like this as well by the way it’s just i can see the stubbornness in Pete and I! Aside from that Pete has also developed arthritis in his left knee, although he would have us believe he has banged it...whatever old man, just embrace old age gracefully, like the grey hairs in your beard there’s nowt you can do to prevent it.
That’s it for now folks apart from to say another massive thanks for all your messages of support. We had a very very blue day yesterday and your messages have helped lift our spirits immensely. Tomorrow is another day and if we’ve lost ground then fear not we will grit our teeth and make up what we can. Miss you all massively...as i do chocolate muffins and chicken.

28th April - Day 10

Well the forecast assistance from Easterly winds has yet again failed to materialise and instead we had a day of south easterlies which meant trying to hug a south westerly course was again a tough ask. Throughout the day we made steady if not spectacular progress averaging little more than between 1.5 – 2 knots at best – when oh when are these easterly winds going to finally grace us with their presence?
Al contacted us with the much anticipated news re the rails. He had spent the day with the rail manufacturer to try and conjure up some magical solution and early indications were good following some testing they had done back in NZ – to be fair if there’s one nation of people who seem to excel in circumstances like these it’s the kiwis who thrive on these conundrums. The proposed solution entailed replacing all the ball bearings inside the cars which slide on the rails with some pre Vaseline/sun cream soaked 8 mm rope and inserting a plastic strip to prevent the grinding of the car o n the rail...mmm just the sort of solution i was on the verge of coming up with (yeah right Billy).
So without further a do Matt and I took it in turns to keep Glenda going whilst Tom (chief on board engineer and handy man) and Pete (Tom’s apprentice) got to work on making these new cars. 2 or so hours later and it was show time, the moment we had been waiting for so long. If this worked it was a lifeline that we so desperately needed if we were to keep pace with the rest of the fleet. Sadly there is no happy ending to this little episode at this juncture as whilst the cars have improved we still can’t row on them and so it’s back to the drawing board to try and tweak this idea further, or come up with another idea – until then the lunge and jerk technique must go on, a joy to behold for the shoulders and back.
Not terrific news on the seat front then but not wanting to let this deflate us any further we got on with the job at hand and just kept on pulling those oars...hour after hour after hour! Nothing much else to report yesterday – Gary the albatross made another appearance and Pete managed to stay awake all night on the oars, or at least i think he did.

27th April - Day 9

A tough day on the oars with the winds and waves trying to push us north but we needed to go further south (south west). All day we spent battling the elements and whilst it was a struggle to make much ground we nonetheless had reasoned that the slow painful progress of today would reap rich rewards if we could catch the favourable conditions that were forecast for the route we were following.

We called Bex for the daily update and heard we had amassed a fab 51 miles yesterday which was our best yet and more than any other crew...call for a gentle nod of approval amongst the crew and then on with the business – gosh what a focused and desperately professional crew this is! With all this increased effort there does come a price to pay and that is body wear. Each and every one of us is certainly starting to feel the strain of this new rowing technique and backs, shoulders and some muscles i didn’t know existed are starting to get a bit of a going over – not to mention that fact that the lack of manoeuvrability with the seats just adds to the friction on the bottom.

So today was just about slogging it out in preparation for what we hope will be easier days ahead. To try and help bring a bit of meaningful reward to this daily grind on the oars we have decided to introduce a bit of completion – hey we’re blokes after all and there’s nothing like a bit of testosterone fuelled completion to bring out the fighting spirit in each of us. The competition is simple, shift A versus shift B – so that lines up Pete & myself against Tom and Matt, or little (although i prefer to think we’re medium size) versus large (or just those members of the crew who are carrying excess baggage). It’ll come as no huge surprise to you to learn that it has already got ferociously competitive with each shift already adopting various stall tactics for the opposing shift as well as some creative accounting re distances travelled! Anyway all good stuff and may the best and strongest pair win...as long as it’s mine, if not then we’ll scrap this competition.

Tom has also introduced a new term for the rowing equivalent of an air shot, and he’s named it the ‘monty’ after cricketing legend Monty Panesar and his infamous wicket taking celebration where he tries to high five team mates but invariably misses...desperately uncool look and not similar to the rowing air shot where both feet tend to leave the ground, the arm left flapping and the rower with head in hands.

No real sea life to report apart from a solitary albatross again which Tom has named Gary - the same one i fancy who tried to gate crash our management meeting. Haven’t seen any sign of human life for a few days now which i guess is a good thing as it means we are getting further away from mainland.

Last night was by far away the toughest rowing night yet – not sure why given the dramas of some of the nights in the early stages but 2 hours of pulling was only returning about 2 miles of distance...very depressing. This coupled with the Baltic conditions made it very hard to get up for each 2 hour shift. Have to admit the fatigue is starting to kick in and I’m desperate to find a way of snoozing whilst the arms keep going. Judging by last night’s antics so is Pete because during our 3-5am shift he actually fell asleep, only problem being he fell in THE bucket, you know the bucket you really don’t want to go too near let alone fall into! This could explain why for so long during that shift Glenda felt like a tank, which she would with one person on the oars!

Anyway the end of another day and hopefully a day that will set us up nicely for the coming days of changing weather patterns. Tomorrow we’re hoping for a resolution to the rail problem as big Al has a meeting with the manufacturers to see if they can come up with a solution. This would be a real break of fortune so fingers and everything else crossed. Only other slight concern at this stage is that the power\doesn’t seem to recharging/replenishing as quickly as it should, but here’s hoping that’s just a one off or at least just the salt crystals on the solar panels.

Once again thanks for all your messages of support and please keep them coming in. We do get every single one of them and i cannot tell you how much of boost they provide each day. Now i’m off to learn how to add water to instant mash...there’s a story here but i’ll save it for a rainy day.
p.s. whilst typing this Matt and Tom are signing Christmas carols and arguing about which bird in the sky is whose friend, insisting they have both named every bird in the vicinity...prey tell me what i have done in life that is so bad as to land me on a boat in the middle of an ocean with these two.

26th April - Day 8

After the lack of responses from the locals to our invitation to the inaugural RFP party night the crew decided to shift the celebrations to coincide with our first management/Trustee meeting of the voyage over a breakfast meeting. So it was apologies were accepted on behalf of Bex who couldn’t make it due to commitments back home in NZ.

On this very exciting occasion we got to open the first of our presents that had been packed on board for those milestone moments, and the first of which was to get through the first week, which we had done...and what a week it had been. I probably shouldn’t try and second guess what the other lads were thinking over the past 7 days but money would be on the fact that we all at some stage feared our challenge would be over early doors due to the never ending dramas we seem to be faced with. That we’re still here and still competing, legs or no legs was reason to celebrate and so it was we wrapped up the management meeting in approx 1 minute and got stuck in to the more important thing of opening the presents Bex had packed for us.

Inside there was a special message for each crew member form someone special in their lives – for Pete there was something from Beth, for Tom something from (Gay) Dave and Andrea (his smokescreen wife?), for me a note from mum and dad and last but not least for Matt a very moving note from his brother Tim. In addition there was a wee packet of m&m choices for us all, and I cannot tell you how well received they were – who ever said we wouldn’t be able to take chocolate over the Indian was soooo wrong!

The other little surprise was a fishing kit complete with all the lures you could ever want on a row boat! Beth has set us a fishing challenge each day complete with a gold medal for the champion fisherman to wear for the day – I’m beginning to wonder just what Pete has told his daughter he’s off to do. Anyway on past performances aboard chartered fishing vessels this crew have never worried the fishing population but if, like i said earlier in the blog, we can snare a marlin to drag us to Mauritius then it’s got to be worth a crack! Personally i think the only fish we’re going to catch are those poor dozy souls who happen to jump aboard, but even they have a good chance of getting away. On that note still no sign of sharks, infact very little sea life to report.

Party over it was back to business and back to the pulling. Today was a good day on the oars and we felt like we made some pretty good distance but then last time we felt this we were told everyone else had made ground on us so who knows. Bex told us that the solo oarsman wasn’t that far behind us which provided enough fire in the belly to get us going in to overdrive. Still the frustration remains for me that we can’t make every stroke count like otherwise we would be able to but this is just something i need to get over and put behind me – at least we were still in it unlike some of the other crews who had so sadly had to pull the pin.

Last night was a good’un, infact the best yet and for the first time since starting we didn’t have to wear the complete ski outfit but could get way with shorts and a jacket. The one question i have for anyone reading this is ‘where the heck has the moon gone?’ for eight days we’ve been rowing and the moon is yet to make an appearance but i’m not up to speed with the astro stuff so am struggling to find a reason. That aside Pete is slowly but surely educating me in the way of the stars and the milky way which helps to pass the long dark (and invariably bleedin cold) nights.
Another day gone and another day closer to McDonald’s, I mean Mauritius.

25th April - Day 7 – one down and lots of weeks to go

Today was way more what I had signed up for – crisp blue sky, gently rolling seas and hot! Day 7 had arrived and for the first time we were able to air our sores and top up that tan that had fast disappeared through feverish sweats or been washed away over the previous 6 days. Great day of rowing, or rather pulling (we’re still reefing the technique and until our no leg grab and lunge resembles something we can be proud of I will refer to it as simply ‘pulling’ – desperately ungraceful but it gets the job done). At last we were starting to feel that we were getting in to a routine. Gone was the depression following the seats etc and now we were getting amongst it and all things considered the tracking suggested we were doing ok.

We had a phone call from Al as well who told us that he was going for a workshop with the manufacturers of our rails to see if they can muster a solution to our problem which is great news – infact they and so many others have already been so so helpful in trying to find a solution to this problem. Anyway we shall wait with baited breath and pray there’s a positive outcome that we can then action. What else? Ah yes Matt and Tom braved the Indian and took a plunge in to the big ocean with Pete and I on hand as shark spotters. Both hit the sea like wounded whales and it’s a wonder every shark in the southern hemisphere didn’t gather for a feed but thankfully all was quiet and they returned safely. To be fair given the lack of space this is really the most practical way to wash especially as we have marine soap so expect a few more swimming stories (surely I am little more than an entree for as big angry shark so why would they bother with me???).

One more ‘freak’ wave during the night shift again landed on Pete and I but thankfully no harm done, just our confidence dented a tad. Tom and Matt continue to keep each other amused with games of ‘I spy’ whilst gaily rowing along singing various Carpenters numbers. Aside from that we saw a white flare during the night shift but didn’t hear any distress calls so am assuming all was well. What else? Loads of shooting stars, one sighting of a tuna, more chaffing but improved body tans all over. On the basis there isn’t much news I thought I would give you a quick update on the crew...

Tom
Continues to look every bit the younger brother of legendary explorer Ranulph Fiennes and can often be seen putting his hand to his brow to scour the ocean in search of new things to discover – something we have to be wary of as before you know it he’ll have us rowing off to some other island. If not Mr. Fiennes Tommy must surely be the original salty sea dog.
Pete and I have already nick named him Mr. Fiddle as he seems incapable of going more than a few hours without having a tweak of the technology on board.
Beard growth: more hair on his face than he has on his head
Chaffing update: probably leading the field in chaffing and an avid applier of the Sudocrem

Matt
All things considered he is holding his composure together well. I thought given the lack of McDonald’s and the somewhat disorderly manner in which we’re living might have sent him in to freefall but not as yet – that said I think the regimented 2 hours on 2 hours off routine pleases him more than anyone else. Strong in the kitchen back home he continues to excel in that department on board, it’s just a shame I was only on his shift system for a day but judging by Tom’s gut, his new shift partner, he seems to be feeding him well! Definitely the power behind the Tom/Matt shift but then the seat drama has taken away the legs for Tom which is much like cutting Samson’s hair.
Only other point or note at this stage is his insistence on doing the Michael Flatley shuffle up and down the 2 inch wide deck which very nearly ended in disaster – fear not Mr & Mrs H I have had words and he has promised to crawl like a child from hereonin.
Beard growth: looking worryingly like Freddie Mercury right now and really not enjoying this exercise in facial hair growth – might be missing a mirror as well, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Chaffing: also starting to struggle in this department but i think he’s got it under control, as only Matthew would. That aside a few dodgy rashes but we’ll put those down to the heat.

Pete
All in all pretty strong but throw a flying fish (fush) in to the mix and suddenly tough man Staples turns in to a weeping child. Main concern at this point would be that he’s going to arrive in Mauritius looking like Don King’s doppelganger – the boof is starting to take shape! Much like Tom and Matt he’s also got a fair pair of lungs on him and when you get the 3 of them together you have a snoring trio to match that of any 3 in the world!
Beard growth: coming on nicely but money is on him having the ‘badger’ look by the end as the grey ones are already starting to sneak through!
Chaffing: he is right up there with Tom and squirms of pain can often be heard coming from his corner whenever he has to sit down.
Right that’s about it for now but will be back tomorrow with more news from the Indian – it’s a big day tomorrow as we get to open our first surprise package from Bex...let’s hope it’s an outboard motor. Thank you all so much for all your amazing messages of support, I cannot tell you how much they mean to us and how much of a morale boost each and every one gives us. We have been blown away by the response to the challenge and to the probs we’ve been facing and your words of encouragement will help us immensely during those dark times that are sure to pop up over the coming weeks. Sorry I can’t thank you all individually but rest assured we will find a way.

24th April - Day 6

Billy's Blog

Got a call from Bex this morning to tell us that we had covered the most distance in the 24 hours beforehand recording 42 nautical miles – who needs legs to row anyway?!

This was welcome news for us and gave us a much needed lift as we had no real idea up until now as to whether or not the rest of the fleet would sweep us aside and leave us in their wake – something they may still do but at least for now it was comforting to know we were holding our own despite the handicap.

On that note we are still searching for the McGiver solution to our rail/seat problem so if there are any budding handymen/mr fix it types out there who might know how we can get the sliders back on the road then please please let us know – last thoughts were to carve up a couple of oars and create some rails which we could attach the existing sliders to...but on closer inspection this wont work for a whole heap of reasons. Anyway there’s no such thing as a bad idea so let us know if you have any thoughts but remember we are not a floating steelworks factory so our ability to manufacture or modify stuff is a wee bit limited!

Not a whole heap to report on today really. All in all a good day on the oars with favourable winds and currents helping us limp our way West. For once this was a drama free day and long may they continue, that is apart from the appearance of the much dreaded ‘rogue wave’ which arrived during one of the night shifts that I was on with Pete and which floored the poor boy wiping him clean off his perch (I on the other hand was in hysterics but not sure whether that was a nervous reaction to what had just happened or just my naturally sycophantic side coming out) – just when you think all is well mother nature has this knack of slapping you in the face to keep you honest!

Aside from that not much to report… Clothes are still wet, chaffing is now rife amongst all the lads (we are pretty much a floating Sudocrem factory) cabins are starting to give off a very interesting aroma and the beards are coming on nicely. We’re also making good inroads in to the zillions of calories we have on board although personally I am still struggling to make an impression in the kitchen but my ability to fill up water bottles cannot be questioned. Still yet to see any real sea life of note although did see one more dolphin today but he/she was clearly in a rush to find his/her buddies so didn’t hang around for a chat. Oh and Pete thought he saw some trees...say no more apart from I shall be keeping a close eye on him for further signs of derangement as we haven’t seen land let alone trees for 5 days.

23rd April - Day 5

Billy's Blog

The mood in the camp this morning was at best low. Yesterday had taken its toll but there was more bad news to follow. The sea drogue we put out last night had been snapped in the raging seas taking with it the aft bridle and the 50 metres of working line and shackle, a crucial bit of kit and another blow for us. How this had happened we will never know but it must have been one mother of a wave because again the piece\of kit was supposedly ‘unbreakable’...although we’ll be having a stewards enquiry on that when we get back.

Spoke to Al back in NZ and he gave us the cheery news that the weather was set to continue for another 4 days...oh joy. Anyway we got back on the oars, put this latest set back behind us and got on with it.

The rest of the day was the best yet, apart from day one may be, and you could sense a new level of resolve amongst the boys that actually we could still do this. Yes rowing was now going to be even more difficult but we could still do it – may be the ‘race’ part was over for us but winning had always been completing and we mustn’t lose sight of this goal. We heard from bex that we had drifted North East during the night which wasn’t ideal but given our drogue had snapped was not surprising. Everyone else seemed to doing ok with the girls and the Bexhill boys making great progress...lucky them!

For the first time in 3 days we managed to row throughout the night and progress was clearly being made. Watch out the rest of you the RFP boys and comin to get ya...legs or no legs!

Day high: getting back on track
Day low: seeing the state of Tom’s backside – it’s not looking good considering it’s early days!

22nd April - The rails are coming off

Billy's Blog

We resumed rowing again at about 1 am and gave it some full tilt until about 10am when the first of a couple of dramas happened...the rails for our seats stopped working. Pete woke me up from my break to let me know we were going to have a crisis meeting which wasn’t exactly the perfect alarm call. I clambered out of my badger set to see the seats had been dismantled and there was a very sombre looking Tom and Pete – it was a similar look to the one i received when returning to the boat yard to hear our hull had hairline fractures. I don’t need to tell you how important it is to have rails on a row boat but if you don’t believe me then go and sit on a rowing machine in the gym and try doing it without using your legs...this is what now confronts us.

The major frustration was that we were using technology that was supposedly ‘unbreakable’ and whilst we had experienced some inclement weather we were only 3 ½ days in...unacceptable and i could see the rest of the lads were in equal states of rage about what had happened. We had done everything we were supposed to have done, as in just row row row and that this technical hitch had hit us so early was proving very difficult to stomach.

Anyway like so many other hurdles we had already got over we were sure as eggs not going to let this end our campaign and so Tom set about trying to change all the ball bearings in the hope this might buy us some time, like 70 days if poss. We all knew this was pretty unlikely but we little other choice right now – the call had already gone in to the support yacht to see if they had any spare rowing set ups on board but not surprisingly they didn’t, and besides that would have put us out of the race anyway.

3 hours later, a group huddle and some morale boosting words from each and everyone of us and we started rowing again on the new and improved rails...new and improved for all of ½ hour before they packed up again. So in short we had a call to make, a call which we didn’t want to have to make so early on, whether we called it quits and put it all down to bad luck or accepted the situation and just got on with the job in hand using only our arms and upper body to row to Mauritius – pretty obvious call in my book and once again the solidarity in the team was incredible and not one of us for one minute ever considered the ‘other’ option.

So off we went on our journey of exploration to find a rowing technique that would work given we couldn’t us our legs. One thing we wouldn’t be able to substitute was the loss of power but we could still make an effective stroke, it would just hurt a bit more and probably give more osteopaths extra business on our return.

That evening the weather packed in again so we put the drogue out at 7pm and bunkered down for the night once again – although with hindsight i would have preferred to take on the might of the swells and winds than have had to wedge my head under Tom’s arm pit and next to Pete’s feet in a cabin little more than 6ft long, 3ft wide and that was 40 degrees.

The other sad news today was that we were informed 3 teams had pulled out – solo rower Mick, Tom & Roger and much to our amazement the Ozzie four man crew. All we heard was that Mick had dramas with his steering and that Roger had broken a rib so had to be air lifted to land. There was no news on the Ozzie crew but considering they were planning a 45 day crossing you would have to assume something fairly drastic had happened to stop them – or what that just Ozzie bravado from word go ?! Regardless this was tragic news and the Ozzies had been a great help to us throughout our campaign and had become good friends during our time in Geraldton. Yes this is a race but everyone wants everyone to finish and finish safely because we all know exactly how much time, effort and no doubt personal finance had gone in to making these campaigns. To see them end so early must have been absolutely heart breaking and our thoughts go out to all of them, especially to Roger who we wish a speedy recovery. Money is on him lining up either for the Atlantic or the Indian in 2 years time.

All in all a dark day for us but a darker one for those 3 crews whose dream had ended so prematurely. This was not going to happen to us.

Day high: the boys all pulling together when the chips were down, as in really down
Day low: those dreaded rails

21st April - Day 3

Billy's Blog

More hard slog on the high seas today and more hard toil against the winds and waves which seem to be getting ever stronger and bigger making progress hard work to put it mildly – someone once said every stroke was like stirring cement and right now that’s what it feels like. The sea is like a cauldron full of contempt, hate and fury in equal measures but may be it’s just keeping us honest and reminding us exactly who’s boss out here – respect to the sea! Anyway not quite the Indian i had in mind so far...suffice to say we are all wrapped up in sallopets and jackets when on the oars...and when in the cabins it’s like a sauna. Ho hum stop the whinging...

Good news is that we heard from Bex and Al that we were leading, how we’re not quite sure but it was pretty heartening and a mighty fine pick me up. Other big things to happen today included our first meal now that the sea sickness had gone and on a personal note the first trip to the infamous poo bucket – a big moment but really a bit of an anti climax...although i think it’s made easier because i’m more vertically challenged than my team mates so i look forward to seeing how they get on with ‘the bucket’!

Rest of the day was more of the same, rowing, sleeping and more rowing with occasional bit of fodder. We bunkered down soon after dark because it was too rough and then resumed rowing at about 1am. The seas were still unforgiving but we were desperate to get on with it so strapped the life jackets on and got on with it. Some time between then and the next morning a wave smashed the EPIRB so hard that it set it off which was a bit alarming as that sets off the international warning – anyway we contacted the main man Tony at Woodvale to let him know that we weren’t in distress and he told us that the Ozzie Air Force had been alerted and were standing by to launch a search and rescue. Thankfully he was on hand to deal with it and the warning alert was turned off.

Day high: eating for the first time and keeping down...and the trip to ‘the bucket’
Day low: the never ending wet feeling – whether that be on the oars or in the cabins you just can’t get dry!

20th April - Day 2

Billy's Blog

Day 2

Mmm this felt a bit like the day after the night before – the stark realisation of the routine had kicked in and the stark realisation that this was it for the next 70 days. In addition the dreaded sea sickness kicked in with a real vengeance today and got myself, Matt and Pete – and whilst Tom wasn’t vomiting he also couldn’t eat a thing. I think i paid a visit to the side of the boat some 5 or 6 times today but to be fair they weren’t memorable times so forgive me if this is wrong.

The sea state was pretty unforgiving but we were making good progress and managed to get through the reef system in good time. The night however horrendous - the sea unrelenting in its fury and eventually Tom and I decided to call it a day and bunker down because we were making no progress and quite frankly it was just a tad\dangerous – the icing on the cake for me was when i got knocked off my seat by a rogue wave, snapping my shoe tie and then getting hit by a flying fish...a great 5 mins for Bills. So we put the sea anchor out in the hope of riding the night out. At about 12.30am Tom noticed something was up and found we had become trapped by a set of buoys – lobster pots potentially. Anyway some 2 hours later Tom and Pete managed to wrestle us clear after a tortuous battle in the driving wind and waves – great work lads. At about 4.30am Matt and I got back on the oars to resume business.

Day high: getting past the reef system in one piece
Day low: nausea big style

19th April - off and rowing

Billy's Blog

After 18 months of planning and a final 2 weeks of drama filled action in Geraldton raceday was finally here. The goodbyes never got any easier and that final call to the parents was nothing short of agonising – yes i know they are behind us all the way but you still can’t help but feel an immense sense of guilt over the pain you’re putting them and no doubt many other people through. The mood in the camp was very subdued and clearly the other boys were all in the same camp emotionally. After all the messages of goodwill and support there was now an expectation and a duty to deliver – the talking now had to stop and it was over to us to go and deliver for all those who have invested so much either financially or emotionally...or as in so many cases both.

In keeping with the rest of the campaign there were the obligatory last minute panics and things to change before we were ready so we made our way down to the boat at 7ish to get cracking. Spider, a mate of Pete’s had been an absolute legend over the past 2 days and had taken on the responsibility of helping Tom suss out the watermaker as well as building our rowing positions...a couple of crucial elements to any ocean rowing campaign! Spider had worked tirelessly the night before to put these together and spent the best part of 2 hours this morning fixing them to the boat as well as reconfiguring the life raft release system...Spider we love you and please keep your phone on as you are the RFP ‘go to’ man.

10 am and it was time to get into Glenda and make our way to the start line for the 11am start. We all made our way around the other teams to wish everyone well - which was in itself quite weird because for the past 2 weeks there had been an air of competitiveness about the others with so much chat about who was going to win, who had the b*lls to win, who would choke, who would fall out blah blah blah, this was replaced by a genuine air of concern and respect for each other. I’ve never exchanged so many genuine good wishes and genuine words of support – it was as if the realisation had arrived that we were all part of a very special club but who were all about to embark on a very special and potentially very dangerous journey which we all hop and pray everyone will get through safely.

The hardest of all the goodbyes was of course to the rest of the RFP crew, namely Bex, Michelle and Beth. Whilst Michelle & Beth had only been with us for 2 or so months they had made a massive difference to the team and had so quickly become a key part of the RFP set up. You could see the strain in their faces as they had to say goodbye to Pete and all I could say was that we would promise to look after him and make sure he arrived in one piece in Mauritius – and for Beth he would then be the 1st Kiwi dad to have ever rowed the Indian! As for Bex well that was always going to be a nightmare and how Tommy coped I will never know. She had always been such a key part of this team and there was a real feeling of injustice at having to leave her behind. However I know that while she won’t be on board she, like Michelle & Beth will be with us every stroke of the way and Bexster will still be the one making the cogs turn back in NZ and keeping the campaign on the map.

11.10am – after a 10 min delay the second hooter went and we were off...well nearly. In keeping with the rest of our campaign we decided to ignore the rest of the crowd and leave our very own stamp on the start. While the other teams were all pumped up to blast away and make a dash for the front we decided to do nothing, nothing apart from derobe down to one ingenius article of clothing which will apparently save our cherished parts during the crossing! Once we had all done this there was a quick salute to the onlookers and support vessels as a mark of respect for all Simon Chalk had taught us about this unique method of body protection – I would explain more but let’s just say it left very little to the imagination and gave the onlookers on the shore and on the support vessels a sight they may not forget for a while to come! Judging by the cheers this all seemed to go down quite well with the locals, so much so that a kiwi in charge of one of the support vessels donated $1,300 to the cause...what a nice touch.

So after our little display it was on with the business at hand and off to Mauritius! First challenge was to get through the infamous reef system that there had been so much chat about over the past 2 weeks. All crews had to go the same way through this because it was particularly hazardous and Woodvale wanted to make every effort to get as many teams through as they could. Tom and I took the first 2 hour shift and it’s hard to put in to words just how this felt but above all a huge relief that we were now off and away. It was fab to see so many support boats out there cheering us on our way and even a pod of dolphins turned up to wave us off!

Early reports had us in first place, which was surprising given some of the other teams had blasted off in such a hurry. Rest of the day was spent trying to get in to the 2 hours on 2 hours off routine and very quickly the adrenaline was replaced with fatigue...but that was always going to happen and the sooner it arrives the sooner we can get over it. Nothing much else to report – haven’t really eaten anything yet, after the first 6 hours we didn’t see another boat but assume they are all still going and still not used the ‘facilities’. Over and out for now, back to my rabbit hatch to get some sleep.

Day high: leaving port to such an amazing send off

Day low: the long and painful goodbyes

18th April

Billy's blog

This will almost certainly be my last blog because tomorrow is D-Day...yup it's raceday. 18 months of planning, hours of toil, the occasional blood and quite a few tears but we're nearly there. Last night was good and there was a fair amount of reflection done with other teams, as well as amongst ourselves about just how well we have all done to get this far. Some 15 or so other teams had fallen by the way side but the 10 teams (11 including the 8) on show had made it, and each with very different stories to tell. Over the past 2 weeks we've met some great people and i'm pretty (hope) sure some life friends amongst some of the other crews.

If I was feeling a bit anxious yesterday then i was feeling a bit emotional today, although whether that was post alcohol enduced i'm not sure. Anyway it's all so real now and in 24 hours time we'll be off on our way across the Indian to follow the dream. We've just been to Customs and they have effectively cleared us to leave these fair shores, so now it's a case of getting ourselves ready, finishing the boat prep work and hopefully having a relaxing evening with the crew before the big day tomorrow.

Have to admit the nerves have started to kick in, but they are nerves of excitement and anticipation more than anything else. The other thing is the weight of expectation, or rather hope from all those people who have supported us throughout this challenge - from the sponsors, friends, family in the UK and NZ, as well as those we've met during our brief stay in Geraldton. It's that desperate hope that we will do everyone proud and in doing so repay all the faith and support that has been invested in us - yes there have and always will be some doubters out there but we're not doing this for them and i don't care if i never see them again because this journey is for everyone else. Sitting here in the internet cafe I have every confidence in this crew and I am both proud and privileged to be setting off on this challenge with Tom, Matt and Pete. They have been an awesome team and I know we have the strength to get through what ever is thrown at us (although the pepperami may kill me).

The one huge sadness will be leaving loved ones and I expect Tom and Pete will have a hard day tomorrow - unlike Matt and I, although whether or not Matt is leaving loved one(s) in Gero is still unknown! Bex has been such a massive part of this campaign and in many ways is the rudder to our boat, only problem being we can't actually take her with us. Michelle has obviously only been with us a relatively short time but in that short time has been a real gem for the team and we are extremely lucky to have found a couple who have embraced the challenge like they have. As for Beth well i know she will beep Pete honest throughout this challenge so in her own little way she is a massively important cog to our machine.

Anyway better go as we're going to pop in one more row before tomorrow. Next blog will be from the Ocean...triple yikes.

Tally ho for now...

17th April

Billy's Blog

Woke up today and for the first time had that slight feeling of fear that i haven't felt since I sat my finals at Uni - you know that feeling of mild anxiety where you just don't know if you've got enough time to get the work done (not helped at Uni by sitting an additional paper by accident, but that's another story). The good news is the food has arrived, infact it's been in Geraldton for 3 days but the courier company 'forgot' to tell us...genius.

Anyway not wanting to let this get us down Tom, Matt and Pete then started the mission of packing the boat up - all 100 days worth of food, all the safety and navigation equipment and basically everything needed for the race. Some 3 hours later and she was ready, although much like our waistlines she was bulging a bit..but then so would you if you went from 600kgs to something over 2 tonnes in 3 hours!

In addition the saga surrounding the medical kit goes on because the kit given to Bex was also incomplete, meaning we now have 24 hours to find some drugs which are nigh on impossible to get in Oz. Not ideal prep 48 hours before raceday but just another hurdle to get over and following the team work used the night before to break in to our house i was quietly confident we would get over this latest set back - very interesting just how comfortable Tom and Matt were about breaking in and also just how competent they were! Anyway a few phone calls to NZ and we had another contact in Geraldton to help us with our drugs, only slight drama being none of us were registered with a doctor so we couldn't get a prescription. Not wanting to let this get in the way of our drugs I signed up with a doc and got an appointment there and then. Lovely doctor but a bit of a waste of time as he wouldn't give me a script, so a bit of a futile appointment all in all - especially given he told me i didn't look like your average ocean rower (does that make me better than average...judging by his look of disdain at my frame i don't think so, but hey it's all about quality not quantity). Anyway the drug run was still on and our options were fast running out.

Thankfully Woodvale came to the rescue...yet again. As has happened so many times during the past fortnight nothing has been too much of a problem for them and Leslie, Simon and the crew managed to locate some of the required drugs and our medical kit was finally complete - i should also mention that a number of the other teams had also offered to help us out which was a really nice touch given how stressed i'm sure they are as well.

After the boat had been packed we finally managed to get he in the water, fully laden with the ballast and everything else and moored her up in the berth where she will stay until raceday. Have to admit we were all a wee bit nervous about how she would look in the water but she looks magnificent, infact better than that - I think Simon even gave us a genuine compliment about how 'trim' she was...although i'm yet to fully know when he's being serious and when he's taking the proverbial (it's that dodgy eyebrow raise manouevre that unsettles me!). Next on the list is the weter maker, our life line and another key moment in the campaign. We tried it briefly last night and whilst the motor worked it wasn't drawing water, but thankfully we have Spider with us who seems to be a 'man that can' when it comes to all thiongs electric - infact when it comes to anything technical! We love you Spider...but please get our water maker to work!

So after another full on day we were all ready for a drink, and just as well as this was the official farewell bash hosted by the City Council. In true RFP style we were late, infact we missed all the speeches but thankfully didn't miss the food or booze - although we probably should have missed the latter. Not much to report on the bash apart from it was a let one and yet again we were led astray by the Angels (the camera never lies and I should be able to make a small fortune from some of the footage I've got!).

2 days to go...double yikes

15th-16th April

Billy's blog

The past couple of days were in many ways quite similar to a lot of the others - in other words more rushing around frantically trying to get everything done, more chasing of the proverbial tails and more waiting for couriers! Every day that goes by the boat looks ever better but you can't help but think someone somewhere is trying to derail this challenge because everything that could go wrong pretty much has! Thankfully the oars have arrived but we're still waiting on the Back Country food, which should have been here a few days ago - and without food the love handles will vanish over night and i will move swiftly from a main course to an entree on the ocean shark menu! Mmm just another company to add to the 'not very reliable' list - although whether it is them or the courier i'm not sure.

Aside from the food not showing up the one thing that has been a real test of our resolve has been the medical kit which has arrived, but only 1/2 complete with the supplies required for the race...all this after having paid a vast amount of money to a certain individual in NZ to look after our medical requirements in good faith that he would take care of this and make sure we were totally (as in 100%) prepared -ah the sweet naivety of trust bites us on the bum again! Ho hum just another person promising the world and delivering next to nothing...Scotty we love you (not).

So let's just say the medical scrutineering didn't exactly go according to plan, infact it was a disaster and poor Leslie must have been close to a nervous breakdown after inspecting our medical kit, or rather lack of medical kit. Anyway a few irrate phone calls back to NZ and a back up plan was launched, only problem being all the missing goods would have to be picked up from Perth (to be fair i would drive to Sydney if it meant i didn't have to rely on couriers).The good news was that Bex was going to make the long and lonely drive down to Perth to pick up Michelle and Beth, Pete's much better other half and daughter.

Some 13 hours later and after a string of wild goose chases around Perth, a jaded Bex, Michelle and Beth finally made it back to Geraldton and the RFP team suddenly became 7...soon to become 8 with the arrival of Spider later that night. So the house is now more of a hostel which is great, and it's brilliant to have them all here, especially for Bex as the house may return to more polite and orderly ways...although Pete assures me this will not be the case (although whether he would admit that to Michelle's face is another matter entirely).

So while Bex went South all the race teams had to assemble for the official race briefing, conducted by Tony and Simon from Woodvale. This was basically an overview of all the race rules and regs and included a briefing from Tom, a fellow competitor, on how to deal with the threat of pirates. Personally i think any pirate coming across our boat will be a little disappointed with what he/she finds, unless of course the naked fully bearded sweaty man is what they're after...

The only other thing to happen of note was that Tom, Pete, Matt and I locked ourselves out - oh joy. Ah yes and I have moved out of my room and in to Matt's room so Pete, Michelle and Beth can share a room - all good practice for my upcoming 2 hours on 2 hours off shift system because sleeping in a room with a chain saw generator is proving nigh on impossible.

So another slightly frantic few days of running around and the list of things to do seems to keep growing - although yet again Pete from Ranger Outdoor continues to bail us out with his amazing ability to make things happen! The good news is that spirits are still high and the humour still straight from the toilet.

14th April

Billy's Blog

Another one of those frustrating days in Geraldton where so much time was spent chasing our tails, or at least that's what happened to Tom and I in the morning session. To be fair this has been an ongoing problem since we've been here but with raceday drawing ever closer it's getting kind of frustrating just how little we can actually get in this place - even the simple, regulation nut and bolt seems a mission (i would elaborate on other vital tools/bits of D.I.Y equipment that we need but i'm soooo out of my already out of my depth) but time after time we get sent on wild goose chases around town only to waste hours on end. I would start on the state of the couriers and general lack of urgency/timeliness of some of the suppliers out here but i fear my language may deteriorate to a level where my parents will disown me - i should note at this sgtage there is one notable excpetion, Pete from Ranger Outdoor (we love you Pete, you have been our saviour!). Anyway here endeth that rant...now for the news...

The anti foul on the boat has now been finished and our pride and joy is now ready to leave terra firma and get in the Indian...at last. We're told she'll be popped on the crane tomorrow and then we'll row her around to to the berth where she'll stay until Sunday. Loads of the local community have popped down to see the boats over the past few days and we've met so many characters, including a number of Kiwis who have assured us they will be there on the start line on Sunday to wish us well. The general consensus from most is that we're all mad and right now i'm not in a position to disagree...

The big job on the agenda today was the food required for the trip. This job has landed in the laps of Matt and Bex, both culinary gurus and surely the best men for the job...urh I mean man and woman. Words cannot explain just how important this part of the project is and Matt has spent many a hour with Claire our nutiritionist putting together the plan to ensure we don't all come back looking like jockeys...some of us I fear will have little choice, although judging by the fact Pete and I can't do up our shorts my concerns about wastage are not as great as they once were, infact a little weight loss might actually be a good thing (never have i seen so many people so pleased to have grown love handles, back wings and the dreaded 'over hang'...especially so called athletes). The plan is to try and consume approx 6,500 calories each per day, and with any diet of that nature comes the problem of trying to get food stuffs that are light weight, easy to pack and suitable for 60 odd days at sea in soaring temperatures...not to mention trying to cater for my indifferent food tastes (why can't we have chicken 3 times a day and why can't we find chocolate muffins that won't melt??).

Anyway after days of toiling over the right mix Matt and Bex hit the cash 'n carry to get all the supplies needed to bolster our freeze dried diets and hopefully add a bit of joy to our daily lives. Some 2 1/2 hours later Billy the Taxi turned up to find a rather withdrawn Matt and Bex after what had clearly been an exhausting experience - exhausting on the wallet and the mind...and soon to become exhuasting for us as we were going to have to cart all this over the Indian. Matt and Bex then set up a food production line that McDonalds would be proud of and Pete, Tom and I then joined forces to help sort all the foods in to daily packs. Besides a little incident with the Pringles it was actually quite an efficient process and some 3 or 4 hours later most the packs were done - I'm still yet to understand how the dreaded Pepperami has made it on to the daily menu, but the fish could do worse than follow our boat as i know where my daily rations of that dog food will be going! That aside great work from Delia's favourite son and Bex, our on board catering specialist - she makes a cracking sarnie you know.

To be honest i'm still struggling to get to grips with just how we're going to row all this food over the ocean, or more to the point where we're going to store it because the volume required is nothing short of phenomenal - infact we've all agreed that we could become the first crew to put on weight during a crossing. All will become clear when we come to load her up tomorrow, but right now i think we'll look more like a floating supermarket than a row boat...and if we get taken by the pirates then they won't go hungry.

That's it for now, another day gone and another day closer to raceday.

12th April

Billy's Blog

Not much to report following the antics of the night before...4 back to back dvd's later and a quick Easter egg hunt around the house (thanks to Bex the Easter bunny) and team RFP went to bed, bellies full of chocolate and heads full of post 'Saw' trauma. Not surprisingly everywhere was closed today and like the good religious sorts that we are we respected Easter Day and did very little - surely that's what the good Lord would have wanted given all the upcoming Sabbath's when we won't be allowed to rest! One thing's for sure, we won't be feeling like this next Sunday!

So the clock is well and truly ticking with only the one week to go...yikes, so much to do and so little time. That said the Woodvale boys have nearly finished the repair work on the hull and then hopefully we'll get her in the water on Wednesday. Until then it's a case of playing the waiting game until Geraldton finally wakes up again post Easter...mightily frustrating but not much we can do about it. We've got a shed load of stuff to get for the boat and we still need to agree on the food we're going to take - although Matt's been working around the clock to ensure our taste buds wil be well satisfied and our bellies remain well rounded.

Bex has taken ownership of the main sleeping quarters where she's nbeen slaving away inscribing all the personal messages on the walls. The boys won't be venturing in there until race day for fear of reading your heart felt messages of support until we really need them - andwhilts the boat yardcan be a depressing place at times i suspect we'll miss any form of life and land in a few weeks time.

Over and out for now but rest assured all is on track, it's just the track is a little more treacherous than we had hoped!

11th April

Billy's blog

As a break from the norm I'm going to keep this blog short and sweet, more because my head hurts than anything else following the much hyped fancy dress bash last night. Not much to say about yesterday because all the focus was on getting the outfit for the party - something Tom, Pete and Matt had been looking forward to ever since we arrived in G'ton.

As feared, but also expected we went in drag, and a pretty racey form of drag at that. So it was 'The Prostations' all donned a lovely figure hugging (or handle grabbing) tight flo glo little number with a combination of hair do's and hit the Rowers Arms fashionably late after a couple of swifites to calm the nerves at home. Not quite sure what the rest of the teams made of our outfits but I doubt it's done our reputation any huge favours. Lowlight included being hammered in a boat race by the original 'weeman' from the J & J crew, and highlight was a game of satanic whipping with a local Kiwi out the back of Nitey's nightclub!

Anyway a great night but another little blip in our otherwise obsessive training schedule (?), followed up by a universal chorus of 'never again' at the breakfast table this morning...how many times have i heard that before?? Time to get in to race mode me thinks...but maybe that can wait until tomorrow!

Happy Easter one and all.

Bex's Blog

Hi everyone, we’re hoping to have a comments section added to the website in the next few days so that you can get involved – we’re getting lots of e mails about the blog so it’ll be great to get the comments all in one place… in the meantime I thought I’d share a little of the ‘behind the scenes’ story on Team RFP in the form of ten things you outta know…

We have discovered a rare and unexplainable condition that Billy sadly seems to be suffering from…currently known as ‘the Gammon sounds’ but we’re open to suggestions on a better description…the Gammon sounds consist of a series of humphs, sighs, gurgles and snorts coupled occasionally with something resembling a Tasmainian devil or a particularly rare noise that we have dubbed the ‘tree frog’…these noises are commonly heard during moments of excitement (such as seeing a new pair of trainers), when feeling full (perhaps after consuming round 3 or 4 of breakfast), when feeling tired (most of the time) or just to fill a gap in the conversation (we all know he struggles with silence)…these noises provide the team with a constant source of amusement so serve well at keeping team morale high. Apparently the tree frog is a throat itching solution for hayfever…Tom just thinks he is preparing to become amphibious for the row.
The food consumption is unbelievable…breakfast is nothing short of a 4 course banquet and we should really be taking out shares in McDonalds right now, the boys are literally consuming enough to feed a small army and unbelievably are ‘starving’ almost within an hour of eating. They proudly pat their protruding stomachs in the evenings following weigh ins with the lovely Lauren, although I’m quite sure food fatigue will start to set in shortly.
The boys go everywhere in their team kit, either their navy Canterbury shirts in the evenings or their white Canterbury t shirts and navy shorts during the day, and look very smart and very much a team. It has caused some dramas when it comes to laundry time so careful attention is now paid to which t shirt belongs to who…having said that with the food consumption as it currently is they could be growing out of their t shirts – I notice today they have resorted to Woodvale t shirts which are a little larger. Hmmmmm
We have made so many local friends, and really have been blown away by the amount of support and help we have received (very similar to home actually) everyone we meet wants to help in some way and there is a constant stream of visitors to the boatyard to come and look at the boat and chat through the challenge. Some more often than others and it seems Matt is starting to develop a bit of a following!
The video camera comes eeeeeverywhere with us…and most of the team now adopt documentary presenter style’esque personalities as soon as it gets switched on…hushed whispers and an excited tones are accompanied often with the words ‘exclusive’, ‘inside story’ and ‘exciting’. Poor Pete regularly has the camera thrust into his face whilst being asked what he thinks… and thinking is something he admits he doesn’t actually do. The rest of the teams have now become used to frequent camera invasions and I think are even starting to enjoy their interviews…even Angel Fiona who now has a well rehearsed script!
We have discovered a new element to Matt’s personality…when accompanied by his very well planned and well documented food plan (as team chef) he turns into a Blue Peter presenter…terribly excited and enthusiastic as he lays out endless demos of a day’s worth of food and tells us the nutritional benefits of a bag of Uncle Ben’s rice compared to some instant noodles. We have frequent cooking trials and are currently going through a minor noodle crisis as we try to determine which brand will fit the jetboil best…watch this space for updates on that one.
THE HOUSE STINKS! Sadly due to the amount of food currently being consumed by the team, flatulence is rife – its truly beyond me why when boys go on tour they feel the need to compete in the farting stakes…sadly they are always followed by a giggle and a critique and whilst Billy refers to them as ‘Windy Pops’ it really is hard to keep a straight face.
Peter is team jester…he constantly has us in fits of laughter with his (very) ‘un-pc’ style of humour… its direct, to the point and often offensive – and whilst Team RFP are now used to it, its amusing to watch the bemusement on the faces of others when they are subjected to it.
The spirit of mateship is alive and well between the Aussie and Kiwi teams – we are neighbours in the boatyard we have been getting on well, sharing tips and tools and off course a little light hearted banter.
Tom has now taken the title of the incredible sleeping man from Billy after a particularly spectacular sleeping session with his head in a very odd angle whilst sat next to the sofa.. In addition to this he really does need to take the title based on the fabulous hairstyles he wakes up with each morning – he must have been sleeping very hard to achieve such art. Photos on both of these will be up soon.

10th April

Billy's Blog

Got up about 4 hours before I would have liked but running was on the agenda today and we had to get out before melting in the scorching heat. After all the pies over the past 8 days it was time to do a bit of fitness so we decided to run the 7 or so kms to the boat yard this morning while Bex very kindly delivered meals on wheels to the boat.

We then continued working on the boat and put the finishing touches to the insulation in the cabins and the hatches, something we will be glad to see the back of. Meanwhile the Woodvale crew carried on with stage 2 of Glenda’s repair work – i won’t even begin to explain what they were doing but it did involve strengthening with more fibre glass and resin...i think. Anyway they are doing an amazing job especially given the working conditions out here, not helped by the never ending alcohol fueled parties that seem to be on every night!

On that note we then went to yet another party, this time hosted by the awesome eightsome... currently a seven (Rory who?) but soon to be an eight again. Anyway Angela and her crew hosted and pretty much all other crews, supporters and the Woodvale team turned up to taste Bryan’s bar-b-q sensation, and to fill up the tanks with yet more high calorie alcohol. More bonding, more banter and yet more ocean tales from the experienced Atlantic competitors. Personal lowlight was when I found out that what i thought was some kind of stuffing was actually apple crumble...an interesting addition to a chicken dish and possibly something i should have had for dessert instead. Silly Billy....

Next up it's fancy dress night tomorrow, although I suspect I have my work cut out to convince Tom that drag really isn't the way forward for hardened ocean rowers (?). That said Pete's navy background makes me a little nervous, Matt has that look of mischief about him and Bex is just being plain naughty so goodness only knows what's going to happen.

All this partying reminds me of Trevose at Easter so a quick 'hello' to everyone down there...have a charteuse on me.

9th April

Billy's Blog

After 6 action packed, drama filled days in Geraldton today was a slow day in the RFP camp. Thanks to the excessively warm hospitality at the Ocean Angels pad we didn’t get going until late am at best...Matt apart who was up with the sun cooking a breakfast feast for us all and keeping his best friend company...the Blackberry.

That said it’s been a productive day – we’ve sorted out our food requirements following a presentation by our on board chef Matt. This was always going to be an area of potential conflict – I’m at best a fussy little (but getting bigger...slowly) bugger but we’re all going to have make sacrifices in this area and so it is nuts will soon become my favourite snack and muesli a daily dream. Surprisingly we all pretty much agreed on everything and whilst the diet won’t exactly be gourmet Matt and Clair have done a fabbo job in trying to bring some joy to our daily lives.

After Delia’s long lost son had taken us through the food it was time to hit the road and sort out the kit requirements post scrutineering and do some other chores...nothing that interesting really but time enough for Bex to befriend a dog called Billie.

Chris and James, the Woodvale boat builders started work repairing Glenda (again, pleasssse bid for the name so I can stop referring to her as Glenda). Stage one is to sand her down in the problem areas and that’s about all i really understand at the moment. Anyway it’s started and she’s well on her way to recovery.

That night we all piled down to the Freemasons Arms, renamed the Rowers Arms for the period we are here. The pub had put on an erg challenge with 3 of the Indian competitors taking on 3 of the locals...with very mixed results. Team RFP kept their powder dry not wanting to reveal any secrets at this early stage – although the gluttonous diet of chicken and mushroom risotto followed by one or two Guinness might have had something to do with our reluctance to get on a stage and compete - past experience would suggest a high probability of it ending up on the pub floor. Highlights of the contest included 3 people falling off the erg (including one of the Ozzie team, much to the dismay of the team skipper who couldn’t believe he would let himself down like that), the local ‘Hulk Hogan’ look alike who had a rowing stroke not dissimilar to the golf swing of Jim Furyk (very ugly) and one of the local Surf Club legends who did it semi naked, leaving little to the imagination of the onlookers (although in fairness this could be normal local Geraldton attire). Good night all in all and a few more pints of the black stuff to help put on a few more pounds...and as usual we had to drag Tom home kicking and screaming and for the first time on tour our team manager Bex was also trying to lead us astray...mmm the Angels seem to be rubbing off on her...naughty Rebecca!

Weigh in update: The lovely Lauren wasn’t there today but Bobbie volunteered to conduct the weigh in for us. Tom and I seem to have lost weight, Pete has put on 1kg and Matt has put on about 0.5kg...but then he was holding his Blackberry with an inbox that must weigh at least 1kg! How I have lost weight eating the amount I am eating is beyond me so I will just put it down to inefficient scales.

Tom's blog

30°C Wind: 19 km/h W Humidity: 29%

After reading some of Billy's dribble below I just thought that I should put in a few words! Billy has a new name 'The Incredible Sleeping man' if we can't hear him he will be asleep!

Last night we all went to the Angels for a bbq to celebrate Sarah's birthday which was good fun. Today has been a little slow, after a few to many last night! We went up to Rangers outdoor to speak to Pete the Manager this morning to get some more supplies, the best bit was ordering our cooker, a jet boil that boils 1 litre of water in 60secs where as our old one took 15 mins!

The boat is coming along well, last night Matt and I carried on with the insulation of the hatches which is almost done, while Billy and Pete where playing around in the cabin, finishing off the insulation of the walls and hanging the cargo pouch!

Bex has been brilliant running around for us picking stuff up, bringing us sandwiches and the odd beer!

8^th April – Woodvale to the rescue

Billy's blog

Following a satisfying day at the hands of Tony the scrutineer we were all in pretty high spirits. Yes we still have some way to go before we’re race ready but there was nothing Tony mentioned that we couldn’t either buy or fix.

There were two things that were still preying heavily on our minds, or at least mine: the money issue between Justgiving and Prostate Cancer Charity, and the unknown physical state of the boat. First up the money issue...

I had a conversation with Claire from the Prostate Cancer Charity to try and put to bed an issue that had suddenly developed with regards to how the donations were to be used. This was a classic case of miscommunication, or rather no communication which had the potential to completely sour our relationship with the Charity. From the outset we had an arrangement in place whereby all donations would first and foremost go towards helping put the challenge together and all monies raised above and beyond this would go direct to the charity – the understanding being that a challenge like this was formidably expensive to put on but had huge potential benefits in terms of the awareness & exposure it could provide the cause.

Anyway after an hour long call to the UK with the lovely Claire the partnership was back on track and the money issues resolved...possibly helped by the fact that Claire honeymooned in NZ recently and saw us on the news! So rest assured all money will be going exactly where we have always said it would!

Next on the agenda was the boat, and a meeting with Simon to understand the fate of our boat and potentially the fate of our challenge. Earlier in the day Chris from the Woodvale team had taken two samples from the hull to assess the extent of the damage and then work out what would need to be done to fix it – Chris has years of experience building the Woodvale ocean boats so we couldn’t be in better hands. Simon then contacted the boat surveyor back in the UK to get his views on what the problem was and what could be done to fix it. He never really gives anything away so I couldn’t tell whether there was good or bad news on the horizon but thankfully it was the former – but it was better than good, it was sensational!

In short the hull could be fixed and only needed some patchwork (apologies but I can’t remember the jargon as all i wanted to hear was that she was safe and could be fixed!) and that his team could do this tomorrow morning...arise Sir Simon and the Woodvale team, I take back any bad words I might have said in former blogs,! 24 hours ago it was all doom and gloom but thanks to the expertise, enthusiasm and positivity from the Woodvale team our campaign was back up and running, and soon to be rowing.

As luck would have it Sarah from the Ocean Angels had a birthday today (26...oh to be that young) as well and was hosting a bar-b-q, so the perfect opportunity to go and celebrate with a few quiet ones...and do a bit more inter team bonding! All in all a top night courtesy of the Angels – personal highlights included the special guest appearance from a certain pink rabbit and the verbal banter assault unleashed from that man Staples to secure our first away point of the tour. Aside from that my personal thanks to Carlton Cold for a mother of headaches and some great video footage...sorry girls but i don’t think you’re going to enjoy it!

So another emotional roller coaster of a day but at least we would all sleep well...especially Tom who got up close and personal with the sitting room carpet.

7th April - judgement day...part 1

Billy's blog

Today was a big day, the day we would find out exactly how far we had come and how far we still had to go before getting passed 'race fit'. This was scrutineering day, something all crews dread but one of the most important parts of the challenge - pass this and you're ready to go but fail it and this is almost certainly to be accompanied by an expensive list of 'to dos' in order to get yourself up to speed. The events events yesterday hadn't exactly helped team morale but we have been meticulous in our preparation so were pretty confident that we were in good shape to pass everything but the structural boat test - which we won't be passing until the repair/patch work has been carried out (and everyone from the race organisers, the boat builders etc still seem to have conflicting opinions on exactly what does and does not need to be done anayway).

12pm was our allotted time slot and Tony was our scrutineer, but working in Ozzie time meant we didn't get started until nearer 3pm. Pete and Tom were the head spokesmen for the scrutineering - Tom to talk the technical stuff and Pete to keep the Woodvale crew in line...with Matt on hand to keep Pete in line as his 'direct' approach can be a little too direct at times...although where Al's direct approach is normally accompanied by a gratuitous bombardment of obscenities Pete is a little more reasoned in his approach...only a little mind.

Bex and I went on a couple of smash 'n grab rampages around town to pick up more stuff, although there was very little grabbing done and we returned with little more than the insulation mats required - oh and some washers but they were the wrong size (my fault for not only letting a woman accompany me to a hardware store but actually listening to her advice).

3 hours after the scrutineering started and Tony had seen all he needed to see at this stage. I say that in a positive way because we had passed 90% of the srutineering and just had a few minor adjustments to make and a couple of holes to fill in with our kit list, most of which was stuff we couldn't bring over from NZ. The one very satisfying bit of news was that Woodvale openly admitted to being more than a little surprised about our depth of knowledge, attention to detail and comprehensive equipment list...not to mention the number of ingenius modifications we had made to the boat to improve her efficiency.

So a good day for RFP and that evening we all reconvened down at the yard to start work on the hatches and to finish off the insulation in the cabins - accompanied by a few ice cold beers which we felt were well deserved given the stresses of the last couple of days. Tomorrow is crunch time for the hull and we've got a meeting wit the race organisers to work out eactly what needs to be done and how we go about getting it done so she passes the survey in time to get out on the water for some much needed practice.

Update on 'get fit get fat campaign: No weigh in today as scrutineering killed most of the day and Lauren wasn't around, so we have postponed this until 4pm tomorrow - personally i'm expecting some big results after some pretty full on eating although after Matt's hat trick of visits to McDonalds on Monday he must be odds on favourite for % gain since our last weigh in.

Update on Bex: she's keeping us all in shape although i worry the antics in the house may scar her for life. She's keeping a close tab on our eating and still won't let me in the kitchen, although i was allowed to cook some porridge. Aside from that the hunt for a water supplier goes on but i have every confidence she'll work her magic on someone to give it to us - if her antics in Bunnings Warehouse are anything to go by then i vow anyone to turn her down! Whether she'll still go to heaven however is another matter entirely.

6^th April - a dark day for the team

Billy's blog

Part of our outstanding paperwork is the requirement to have a marine survey done on the boat, something we couldn’t get done in NZ because they just don’t have the people to do it. Anyway having purchased the boat off the race organisers, and given it more than a little TLC we were confident she would sail through any examination and then all focus could go on putting the final tweaks to the interior. How wrong we were…infact so wrong that the 5^th April will forever be etched in our minds as one of the most depressing days in this campaign.

The Australian team (our neighbours in the yard) had hired the services of George, a local marine surveyor to look over their boat and we were fortunate to be able to use his services after their boat had passed the test. Whilst this was going on Bex and I were on the scrounge, running the Sikaflex Challenge in the hope of persuading someone somewhere to donate some Sikaflex for our hatches – which at the time was a big concern for us all. After a couple of knock backs we were fortunate to find the lovely Denise at Bunnings Warehouse who went above and beyond and agreed to give us the 11 canisters we required – what a legend...and she even gave us $6 towards the cause!

So Bex and I returned to the boat full of the joys of spring, expecting the boat survey to have been a foregone conclusion...

On arrival back at the yard and seeing a very somber looking Tom, Matt and Pete it was pretty clear that all was not well. To be fair that’s a complete understatement as George the surveyor had found a couple of depressions in the bottom of the hull which had led to hair line fractures of the interior compartments..oh sh*t.

We have had so many knocks during this campaign but this was like a thunderbolt – and I for one wasn’t ready for it. We had all been assured that post the sea trial nightmare with the boat she was in the best shape possible, stronger and better then ever before. To say my heart sank would be a complete understatement and I could see on the faces of the boys that they were suffering very similar emotions - so many people have put so much time and effort in to getting this vessel in to the perfect race condition and to get this news at this late stage was nothing short of heartbreaking. For a second the dream was slipping away and this campaign was fast falling off the rails, or so it seemed. It’s always difficult to have clarity of mind at moments like this and I for one really struggled to think straight with a barrage of emotions entering my head – ranging from anger, fear, sadness and complete and utter helplessness, not to mention the surprise given we had bought this boat under the assurances she was race fit.

Anyway as has happened so many times during this campaign this was another hurdle we just had to find a way of overcoming. Back in NZ we have had so many humbling experiences of complete strangers giving us everything in return for nothing just to help us keep the challenge alive, and the situation today was no different. So it was George contacted JC (short for Jesus Christ our Saviour) who is a local boat builder to see if he could help us, and more importantly so he could confirm exactly what needed to be done, or more to the point whether anything could be done to get our boat ready for raceday. JC is up to eyes in work at the moment but literally dropped everything when he got the SOS call from George to come and check out our boat.

The news from JC wasn’t great as he found the problem was more serious than George had first thought, but in true Aussie style nothing was too big a problem and JC told us ‘she’ll be right’ and that he would be able to fix it in good time. What this will cost and when we will actually get the boat back in to the water is not known, but the main thing is that she will be fixed and we are still in the race. At this stage there are conflicting views as to what needs to be done, with the race organisers (who built the original boat) suggesting the problem can probably be rectified by the crew of boat builders they have brought with them but whether this will then be signed off by George is another matter. To be honest we’re all still a little shell shocked about the news and so will attack it again in the morning..a big day as this is when the scrutineering takes place as well.

Post the news re the boat Matt and I sneaked in a trip to McDonalds in aid of trying to pick up our morale and maintining the focus on our commitment to the get fit get fat campaign – something we haven’t admitted to the other boys, although i later found out this was infact Matt's 3rd trip today as he had done a sneaky with all 3 of us at separate moments throughout the day...that's great commitment to the 'get fit get fat' campaign and if he keeps going like this we won't have any need for the ballast.

During the pm we got ourselves ready for the scrutineering which we think we’re in pretty good shape for, although after today nothing will be taken for granted.

So another knock but like so many of the knocks we’ve had before we’ll get over it and come back stronger for it. Having seen one of the other crews turn up in a pink muscle vest today I can sleep easy in the knowledge that all’s not that bad after all. No weigh in today but we’ll be back tomorrow...fitter and hopefully fatter.

5^th April - meet the parents...or at least the organisers

Billy's blog

Lesson one from yesterday was to get in the yard early am and late pm to get as much stuff done out of the searing heat and stifling winds as possible.

We had our first one-on-one meeting with the organisers to go over all the paperwork and clarify what was missing from our race entry – one of those meetings that you never like to have. Anyway we came away relatively unscathed with our heads held high, safe in the knowledge that whilst we weren’t model students we had met most of their requirements and were pretty much on track.

After a few more hours of hard toil on the boat we’ve finally managed to get all the hatches off from the deck, insulate the cabins (following a game of inverted Twister on the cabin roof) and all in all things appear to be taking shape – time for a well earned beer down at the Geraldton Hotel. Most of the other teams were down there and what was supposed to be a few quiet beers turned in to a few more beers...all in the name of bonding with our fellow Ocean rowers, and race organiser Simon who had some very ‘interesting’ advice on how to avoid chaffing (involving a sock...but more on that no doubt during the row!).

4^th April - Day one in the yard

Billy's blog

Desperate not to let the fitness slip we all got up early and went for a run followed by a dip in the Indian – good ol Bex has found us a pad near the beach and metres from the crystal clear Indian Ocean…paradise, albeit in a Geraldton kind of way.

This was followed by a trip down to the boat to get to work on putting the finishing touches to our pride and joy. Job one is to get the hatches off and re-seal them, a time consuming ordeal but something that needs to be done if we don’t want to cart a few tonnes of additional water over the ocean. To be fair my practical input on the boat has been minimal at best and at times I get the impression the boys would prefer I stuck to what I do best…sleep. I’m sure I’ll find my niche when it comes to the handy work but until I do it’s probably best I stick to applying the sponsor stickers.

The 3pm official welcome was delayed because the only local team competing, the Ozzies were late – potentially a psychological. Anyway all the teams gathered and Simon Chalk introduced his team and outlined the events for the next 2 weeks leading up to raceday – the good news is that whilst we might not be favourites to win the race we must be favourites to win the fancy dress comp…especially with Tom and Pete on board!

Following the briefing it was back to the Pharmacy for another weigh in – a different Pharmacy this time and a new ‘official’ to help oversee all weigh ins from hereon in...the lovely Lauren. Sad news was that most of the team had actually lost weight, whether that’s down to using a different set of scales or just genuine weight loss due to the 36 degree heat we’re not sure but lets’ hope it’s just a wee blip in our get fit get fat campaign – looking at the team physiques I’m not quite sure how any of us have lost weight but we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

On a brighter note we heard that Michelle and Beth will be joining us next week...great work, although it almost certainly means us boys will have to change our ways (sorry Bex but you’re just one of the boys right now!).

3^rd April - Arrival in Geraldton

Billy's blog

Eager to get up and at’em we got up at the crack of dawn and made tracks for Geraldton, some 500+ kms north – some had more sleep than others and Pete opted for a bit of bed swapping, although whether he was looking for Matt or just didn’t want to sleep in the same room as Billy is unknown.

Aside from the occasional dead roo it was a pretty uneventful journey…more because I slept for most of it than anything else and just as well as I’m told there were a few hair raising moments as Matt played real life Super Mario up the coast. Aside from that Tom got up close and personal with Harold (our team mascot) and Pete finally expressed his true colours with his love for Gaytime Anytime…it’s an ice cream in case you didn’t know. As for Bex she insisted on filming the nodding dog...most unkind when all I was doing was having a sleep.

There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere as we got in to Geraldton, and a real sense of excitement amongst the team – suddenly this pipe dream was oh so very real. It had been such a along time in the planning and finally we had arrived at the start line, or at least at the venue for the start line. The next time we would be leaving Geraldton it would be on the 29ft boat we have become so attached to over the past few months.

So first stop was to find the boat which we found down at the marina along with all the boats that had been shipped over from the UK. This was always going to be a nerve wracking experience because up until this point we hadn’t seen any other boats and had no real idea as to how ours would fare in comparison. It was very heartening to find out that ours is more than a match for the others in the race. That said it’s only first impressions and I’m sure there’s much a tinkering to be done on all the others, as there is ours.

We bumped in to James and Jamie, a pair taking part in the race who had arrived from the UK with no money, nowhere to stay and by all accounts a boat that was little more than a shell – that said there’s something about them and they have that very endearing air of naivety mixed with unbreakable resolve that I think will see them through almost any situation. I should say at this stage that I was also more than a little bit relieved that I was actually bigger than one of them…although the boys have me believe I am actually bigger than both of them…happy days!

That brings me on to a challenge that has been laid down amongst the team...the ‘get fit get fat’ Geraldton Challenge. This will now run every day until raceday and it’s pretty simple...the team member who puts on the most weight wins...what the prize is hasn’t been decided but a VIP McDonalds card could be up for grabs.

So it was that while Matt and Bex took control of the food supplies and went off to do the mother of all supermarket shops Pete, Tom and I went for the first official weigh in down at the local pharmacy – not something they are used to seeing every day but in true Ozzie style they embraced, or at least accepted our weird ways. Results were encouraging with all 3 of us weighing in between 6-9kgs heavier than when we started out…but there’s still plenty of work to do and many a trip to McDonalds to fit in.

That night we headed in to town to sample the local hospitality at the Freemasons Arms, the drinking HQ for the race and by all accounts the place to be on a Friday night. First impressions were that we had definitely walked in to a time warp, something Pete and I were quite happy with given we were born in the early 70’s, although even I can only take so much of Agadoo. Some of our fellow competitors were there and after a few medicinal pints of the black stuff, a wee bit of bonding and some early race ‘chat’ from the other teams we made our way back to RFP headquarters like the good boys (and girl) that we are…although it is early days and there are plenty of bad influences on hand should any of us wish to stray off the path of righteousness! Oh and Pete and Simon would appear to be a match made in heaven...or not...only time will tell but let’s just say I don’t think Simon quite knows how to handle to direct ‘Shaper’ approach from Pete!

2 April - Goodbye NZ hello Oz

Billy's blog

Welcome to our first blog and the next keg of our journey over the Indian. Our aim is to update these every day but please bear with us on this as some days we may not physically be able to do this.

After 18 months of blood sweat and the occasional tears (especially from Tom) the time had come to leave the fair Kiwi shores and make tracks for Geraldton as the countdown to raceday entered its final stages.

Like so much of this challenge things didn’t quite turn out how we had hoped for the flights over to Oz which meant Matt, Tom and Pete went at the crack of dawn on 2^nd, leaving Bex and I to pick up the pieces and bring all those things they had left behind in the mad panic to make their 7am flight – a penalty worth paying as it meant I could sneak in a few more hours sleep.

For Bex and I the journey over couldn’t have been better with the lovely Karen Scott looking after us all the way over to Perth - so whilst we had to be content with turning right as opposed to left Karen made us feel like we were infact in First Class…good ol Kazza. 7 ¾ hours later and poor Bex's ears had taken about as much as they could from the incessant chat from Mr Gammon who had barely drawn breath, aside from the regular intakes of Pinot Noir…as our poor unsuspecting neighbours will testify. All in all though a great flight which was topped off with a special on board announcement about our challenge made by the Captain on touching down in Oz…a lovely touch (we love you Karen and apologies once again for Rebecca’s rowdy antics but thank you for humouring her with the impromptu interview!).

We were reunited with the boys in Perth at which point I was a little embarrassed to be handing a somewhat worse for wear Mrs.Wigram to her hubbie. Following this it was straight to the ‘Lucky Shag’ pub in search of the Australian crew’s leaving do who are also taking part in the race. Whilst it was a great night out the slight dampner was that we were 24 hours late for the bash and so it was we had our very own Australian welcome and Perth farewell bash…nice one Tom.

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