Hooray hurrah for the end of our cabin craziness and a settling of the seas. The very excitable happy high which fairly mullered us with huge winds and waves, has shimmied round to leave us with 20 knots of perfect, nearly due East, winds. Imagine the smiliest smile you can and that is me right now.
I have just upped Bob and returned the boat to a normal state, fixing and sorting and bilgeing those bits and pieces which needed fixing, sorting or bilgeing. Deep breath…and…relax. We are headed towards the Rum Punch(es), regaining our latitude, the sun is shining and the relative peace of the waves is a beautiful tonic to my somewhat weary body after the beatings of the past few days. My pulse is normal again and we are going to rip up some great mileage – folks, tomorrow I hope to blog from the 60s. Happy, happy days. Now I’m off to go catch some waves…
Yours in smiles and hopefully many, many miles,
Outey Toot Toot x
PS: Bob did an amazing job at keeping guard – we only lost 10 miles North and yesterday he took us on a little 1 mile loop despite the monster seas. Hero. I’m putting him up for the New Years Honours list.
PPS
Mrs Butler and 5.1- Great book by MM. And albatrosses really are as brilliant as Allie says they are.
Clare Holt – Wow, psychic lady! That time over here (0515) was the worst moment. You have special powers, methinks.
Marcel – I reckon first/second week of August-we’ll see what the weather does. Massage will be perfect-there’s more than a few minced muscles now.
Xtina – Funny you should mention it…A mars bar did happen to find its way out of a food bag and into my paws and somehow, as if by magic,into my tum.
Robert Nixon – I don’t think you can ever beat the ocean – I believe you’re just granted leave to cross it if you’re as tenacious and relentless as it is. We are nothing in the face of such a mighty force. It is humbling and wonderful to be travelling across such a beautiful, energetic giant.
Hi Sarah,
It was immensly frustrating reading your previous blog and not being able to do a thing about it. I’m sure that everybody following your progress was willing the wind to drop and sea state to calm down. It’s really good that things are more settled now with a strong Easterly to help you in the right direction. I hope the damage to body and boat are minimal and that the magic mars bar helped restore the spirits – lets hope the remainder of the trip is much more settled.
Malcolm
Who is Bob. Sorry to be so dumb but i have only just got on board. I am sure its not me
So pleased that the seas are now a bit calmer, and that you even have sunshine..very reassuring news indeed!..and I’m sure the mars bar helped too.
LONG MAY IT LAST!!!!!!…………..hope those miles keep rollin’ under your belt and that you’ll soon be much closer to the mighty M!
Mum
Message to Rob…………..Bob is Sarah’s para anchor. That’s the parachute thingy which she puts out behind the boat in rough / adverse windy conditions to slow the distance covered by winds pulling her in the wrong direction. Sarah calls it ” Bob”./
So, if Bob’s out , it usually means that the weather is rubbish!!
She is very pleased to have ” him” back in at the moment and be rowing happily in the right direction!!!
Helen
What magic news Sarah, 🙂
Hope Bob doesn’t have to leave your side again!
X
Hurray! The Good Weather Fairy’s spell worked a treat then, and Bob definitely deserves a rest – you can’t have one yet! Amanda x
‘Rollin rollin rollin keep those oars rolling Raw outen’ not quite Rawhide but close. Just great to see you are out and about again. Onwards and across this magnificent ocean of water. Rum punch I think you might be able to smell it shortly. keep rowing, faith and spirit not broken just a few sore muscles for your hurcelian endeavour not bad for a girl from the smallest county in the UK!!
Hello we think you are doing a fantastic job .Keep a smile on your face as you ride the waves.Clouds are white the sea is blue we are all thinking about you ( that won’t get us a level 4 in sats.)Imagine a big chocolate cake at the end of the journey (yummy.)We are going to make and sell cakes to raise money for your charity.We are about to break up for our summer holidays, and hope to see the sun and sea too, but unfortunately not the Indian Ocean.All the luck in the world from Danielle,Harvey,Geogia,Thomas,Emily,Luke and lily from 5.4 Perton Middle School.
Wow – one extreme to the other seemingly in an instant. Sounds like heaven holds no joy as when you have the winds, sun and ocean on your side (sounds good to me).
hi sarah,fantastic news that all is well with you again,i suspect you have a talent for understatement with regard to the privations and dangers you face on a daily basis which makes your endeavour all the more remarkable.i can’t be that chipper about the little things that mess up my day to day so as always am in awe of you!
best regards to you and dippers,special thanks to bob for keeping you safe
ian
hurrah for miles and smiles!
Glad all is calm after your days ‘cabin’d, cribb’d, confined’. Well done Bob and Dippers. And Sarah
We’re a bit busy at Arthritis Care responding to an official audit of rheumatoid arthritis services – the report has lots of exciting recommendations for doing things better, so we’re urging action on them you will be pleased to hear.
Stay safe and enjoy some happy rowing – Go, go, GO! best Jane
phew, and relax! all of our pulses back to normal and stomachs back to position one. That Bob needs a break. Wonder what he sees when the seas are raging around him. Back in the saddle and ride those waves.
Well done does not seem appropriately bold enough for the last two days, but we may have to invent some new words to describe you soon.
Yahoo-oo-ahoo. Susie Hewson
A note to Rob, the new man on board. Another name you will see Sarah using is Dippers. That is her pet name for the boat.
HI SARAH I TAKE IT THAT U GOT OUR CLASS MESSAGE FROM MRS BUTLER CLASS me alice and ellie are doing a cake stall tomorow to raise money for u we are really inspired by u loads of people have asked what time u doing it and how much they cost thats a good sighn p.s keep on going u will do it and get lots of sleep and u will soon be there best whiches katie bowen xxx
Hello my speedy Otter! Blimey hadn’t looked at your blog for a bit and just looked at the tracker – you’re flying along – can’t believe how far you’ve rowed!!! having just read your last few days blogs I’m mightily relieved that the sea is now calmer and that Bob is off duty again, that all sounded very hairy! I’ll circulate your website again around work and try to get lots of sponsors for you – you’ve doing so well and have raised so much, keep rowing! sarahx
Hello Sarah
So glad that things have improved for you, what a credit you are, lets hope the winds keep going. Got to try and get your total up a bit more. Because of the summer holiday how about everyone who reads you messages having a couple less icecreams and sending you the money, that will help a little more.
Just keep going, wish I was going to be able to come over to M and be there to welcome you.
Take care for now and happy rowing.
Christine & Kathleen
Hello Rob ~ You don’t happen to be Rob from Grand Cayman do you?
Sarah.We all breath a sigh of relieve when Bob is off, and mostly all of you rowers come off Bob when things are changing for the better!!We do like Bob lots as he does look after you all.
As you said ‘a beautiful tonic to my somewhat weary body after the beatings of the past few days” now you can go catch some waves!! and Bob can have a rest. Thanks for the Bobs on this Ocean.
No I’m not going mad, just pleased that the sun is out and it’s peaceful for you.
xtina
Happy, happy days indeed Sarah, the big sigh of relief as you chill out & power on 🙂
Whew! Your poor mother must have no finger nails left. Pleased that “one of the scariest moments” of your life has passed safely. Poor Bob must be worn out! Hope the rest of your journey towards the rum punches is plain sailing. (Oops, what a giveaway!)