Our dear friend the South wind seems to be swinging to and fro, coyly throwing a tincy bit of Easting into the show but nothing to shout about yet. And so we continue to trudge through concrete – the upshot of today being that I’ve squeezed a smidgen of South into the Westward wiggle. Even if it is a minute smidgen and all lost as soon as I pause, it is good to know it was there. I am having to rest more than usual at present, given the wind angle and course I am trying to make – I feel as minced after one hour’s slog as I would do after eight on a day with a friendly wind. Still, we’re not going backwards, the sun is shining and in a few miles we will edge over the border of 73 degrees, into the dukedom of 72 East.
Excitement continues to build towards the 100 days tomorrow – I have named it ‘Day of the Centurions’, as I think centenerian is a reverent term and should be saved for folks who have actually notched up 100 years, as opposed to this here fruitloop who has bobbed about at sea for a fraction of the time. So, as well as the Great Minstrels Munch, we might have a toga party as I think Roman Centurions did a lot of that and they’re the only Centurions I know about.
Very chuffed so many of you will be joining the chocolate fest – very noble of you. If you’re not acquainted with minstrels/they are unavailable/someone else has beaten you to the last packet/you’re allergic or for some crazy reason you don’t like chocolate (if the latter, I urge you to please go and get a head check), then a happy scoffing of anything delicious will do. It needs to be something you don’t eat very often – these little gems have been saved since I left Blighty in the dark and frigid depths of February.
From our penultimate day of the century,
S & D x x
PS
Barry Gumbert – We offered Mars sponsorship options but to no avail. It is my favourite choc! I once ate 13 in 36 hours when training…
Sally – Toughen up m’dear, I’m sure it’d be tropical for a Pom 🙂
SRS Mermaid – Well done on the regatta victory! Probably deserves extra chocolate rations….
Marcel – Any chance you could shift Mauritius to the North a wee bit, sometime between now and my arrival?
Malcolm Scriven – Beers sound perfect!
BPC – What was Lizzie thinking?! Maybe she had a toouch of sunstroke
Hi Sarah, Just to let you know that we are all going to be having a ‘Team Minstrel Munch’ tomorrow in the office in celebration of the Day of the Centurions…but I will be discouraging people from wearing togas! Happy rowing till then…Amanda x
Have encouraged the entire office to partake in the massive minstrel munch off, including the bosse’s two and a half year old- her mother will thank me for it later I trust- Congrats on the big 1-0-0!!! It is absolutely tremendous!! Well done! Kepp up the good work, those minstrels are well deserved! x x
p.s Ignore the typos, I’m a messy typist. Bad English Graduate! x
Masses of us Munching Minstrels ~ must admit i have cheated and opened a packet today with just the thought of tomorrow.Only allowed myself six and will take an extra packet with me to work tomorrow.
Then i have to replace Guy’s packets ready for packing for M ~ no mention of chocolate to him now, he and Andy are still stuck on Bob, and are having food thoughts badly.
Concrete rowing sounds very frustrating but at least you are moving and keeping busy.
Onwards and Westwards please and will let you know after work how our chocolate feast went at the NSPS.
Tx
phew have just managed to bag a bag on e bay , means summer hols are out the window but then again it is a century
Hehe – have planned a Centurion party in your honour…the main task of course will be to eat 100 Minstrels and swill the lot down with beers! Tasty!!! Keep going strong Sarah, and bashing those concrete walls down. x Mel
Hi Sarah
You’d be amazed how addictive it has become waiting for your emails each day here in Perth and how educational it is about latitude, longtitude and wind direction too! I’m learning lots too about rowers – initially I’d no idea who Sally Kettle was when she blogged but then Goggle (and you) sorted that out! You seem to get horrible weather and then a few days later we get the storms in WA.
As an obviously uneducated West Austalian can you enlighten me about “minstrels”? It must be some weird English lolly (sorry, “sweet”!) I think? I wonder if there’s an Aussie equivalent so that I can join in, I feel quite left out not knowing what to chew when the time comes (I’m assuming you chew
them!). Keep going strong – you’ve done tremendously well. Once I find out what these minstrels are then I can join in too.XX
Hi Sarah
You’d be amazed how addictive it has become waiting for your emails each day here in Perth and how educational it is about latitude, longtitude and wind direction too! I’m learning lots too about rowers – initially I’d no idea who Sally Kettle was when she blogged but then Goggle (and you) sorted that out!
As an obviously uneducated West Austalian can you enlighten me about “minstrels”? It must be some weird English lolly (sorry, “sweet”!) I think? I wonder if there’s an Aussie equivalent so that I can join in, I feel quite left out not knowing what to chew when the time comes (I’m assuming you chew
them!). Keep going strong – you’ve done tremendously well. Once I find out what these minstrels are then I can join in too.XX
hi sarah,will hunt out toga like garb to go with minstrels and beer for day 100 but suspect i may have to do it indoors as wearing a toga round here gets you taken away……….
hope the degrees continue to fall away and you relish your rest.
best regards to you and dippers
ian
ps for all of you unsure about what minstrels are type minstrels into google and scroll to the heading chocolate(about 4th down)www.chocolatereview.co.uk ,tells yo all you need to know
Dear Sara, Congratulations on your 100 days at sea. Been following along from the beginning. From the great redwood forest and Pacific Ocean of Northern California (where I live), keep up the good rowing. What’s your anticipated arrival date? Craig
july 9th 2009 at 1215am est.
Hi Sarah,well girl we are watching your tracker and hope you don’t
get any more of the frustrating rowing through setting concrete that you have had,I was looked up the name of your BOAT,Serendipity on google and found that we are indebted to the english author
horace walpole for the word serendipity around about 1754
walpole formed the name on a old name for Sri Lanka, serendip.
in the royal auto magazine of victoria australia june 2009
shows that the Melbourne Eureka skydeck is the highest viewing
platform in the southen hemisphere has a serendipity ( 6m long
interactiive table of knowledge) and follow the scrolling led floor
and wall displays,so there you go we have a serendipity too.
well Sarah keep rowing,good luck, keep safe as only you know how.
Hi Sarah,
You are doing fantastically well and wait for your daily news. Lots of us in Oakham will be joining you in the Minstrels consuming. My mum Terry is suppling us all with them. Just to let Granny (Perth) know what a minstel is…. I have this from an Aussie that I work with…. It is like a giant smartie but brown in colour! I hope that that helps.
Good luck and keep going strong.
Ange x
Now I know what minstrels are, and it seems I can’t get them in Australia, I’ll have to make do with smarties! I can’t understand why the Minstrel manufacturers aren’t sponsors of this amazing journey – surely a missed opportunity…..wonder what can be done. Keep chewing along.
Good work Sarah! Would love to join the feast but have finals dinner tomorrow evening & unfortunately have to fit into a corset top, d’oh! Perhaps will be enjoyed during the hung-over period fri morn instead! And yes, no more student life for now… Blimey!
Wowee! 100 days in a wee rowing boat! What an amazing adventure we have all enjoyed with you this far and the best bit is to come…I can feel the excitement building already!!! Well done old bean!I have visions of those oars being a blur as they plough through those waves powered by Minstrels!
I have posted an invitation on the Natracare Facebook page for all of your SISTERs to join you for the “Day of the Centurions” tomorrow in toga’s, armed with family packs their favourite “candy”. Should be a good party!
Part of Wikipedia entry on Minstrels: A new advertising campaign in July 2008 was accompanied by a new slogan: “Sophisticated silliness”.
Now they just have to sponsor Sarah !
I’ll join the choccy-fest in celebration of the 100 days. Perhaps the manufacturers will see a sales ‘blip’.
Hello my lovely!!!
Loving the ‘I once ate a gazzilion mars bars in one sitting story, never really understood why Mars didn’t think that was a winner, stupid people. Still following your every move and amazing to think you have been out there 100 days already, it’s gone so fast. I hope the sun holds out for you here as we have been having quite a good summer so far….
I and my nursy chums will be sure to join in the choc mistrel fest of 2009, Sarah’s 100 days at sea, whoop whoop whoop!
Lots of love
Laura x
My husband Pete has bought me a huge bag of Minstrels for tomorrow; I’ve no problem in supporting you there! But he’s gone one further. He has e-mailed Galaxy and highlighted your minstrel celebration pointing out that you have given them a good bit of publicity…. Perhaps a donation towards your cause would not go amiss…. he hasn’t heard back as yet, but will be following it up. Happy 100 Sail Day. Yummy, yum, yum.
Sarah
The impossible I do at once, miracles take a little longer.
Actually, although the main island of Mauritius is only 2500 sq kms in area, our Exclusive Ecomomic Zone comprising our outer islands covers 2.5 million sq. Kms.
So no problems in reaching us except that I won’t be at the Rendez-Vous if you pop up in Rodrigues, St Brandon or Agalega…our outer islands.
Neither will the Rum Punches !!!
Centurion : Charge !!!!!!
Nice to know you are less than 1000km (530nm) from land now (Port Mathurin) albeit not you final destination – it is just amaaaaazing that we can track this with you every day – almost as good as being there! Thank you so much. I’m addicted.