I don’t know what made you smile this morning when you woke up but for me it was seeing the wind and waves all doing the right thing. Rather excitably, in fact – we had some big fat swells roaring up from the South East. The sort that made for a fairly anxious 90 minutes from first hearing my SeaMe alarm to spotting the monster cargo ship whose radar was hitting us. As I expected, there was no reply to my VHF calls – our radar shadow is super tiny and inconsequential in anything but a flat calm sea. The sea was anything but! It was a strange feeling to think that was the closest I had been to other people for weeks and weeks and weeks (assuming it wasn’t a ghost ship or being driven by, say, very intelligent sheep). I did wave as well, just incase they were having a nosey with the binoculars but didn’t want to chat or didn’t hear me/couldn’t speak to me etc. ‘Ha!’ I thought, ‘your loss, Mr Cargo Capitan – I bet you’ve never spoken to a crazed solo rower before, but I have spoken to many cargo ship Skippers in my time’. We stood and stared for a while as his massive white rage of a bow wave disappeared and he became a silhouette, pondering who was aboard, what they were having for their breakfast, where theynwere going etc.
Anyway, the lack of squashing pleased me very much and we celebrated by washing some clothes, long overdue. Always trying to conserve freshwater, said washing duties were a bit experimental today. Lather and rinses #1-2 in saltwater, with final rinse in freshwater. Time shall tell whether it was a prize bit of ingenuity or if we now have three very salty bits of lycra.
Pleased to report our Red Carpet looks stable, with just a small blip of a front momentarily ‘blocking my path’ for 48 hours on Wednesday, so says our guru Ricardo. And, we are now the furthest West we have ever ever been on this ocean, having nailed 85 degrees East in the wee hours of this morning. We rather like it on this side, so I don’t think we’ll go back on another shuttle-row any time soon. On the mileage front, we have barely 1500 nauties to go to Mauritius or well over 1700 nauties back to my mates in Perth. Hmmm… I like Australia a lot…but… I’ve already done the ‘Hey, look, it’s me! I’m back again,’ with Perth, so Mauritius it is.
Here’s hoping the weekend has been a happy one for you and that you’ve also avoided squashing by cargo ships.
Till next time,
Outey Toot Toot x
PS
Averil Trott – Our favourite bear of little brain can never be said to lower the tone, he is a personal hero! I believe he makes up that song while pretending to be a cloud so that he can pinch honey, before CR shoots him down.
Barry Gumbert – Special request for ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ by Wordsworth and, having watched Sense & Sensibility the other day, maybe a sonnet from dear ‘ole Billy Shakespeare… Thank you.
Louise Richardson – Tick tock tick tock! Home run now, matey!
Godfolkes – Happy walking, I hope with lots of sunshine and little rain.
What a start to the day!! how interesting wondering who was aboard, although i do like the thought of sheep. or maybe penguins in a madagascar-esque sense?? just been to look where the 85 degree is on my wall map and got happily distracted looking at all the places you are in line with – everest seemed pretty cool (though my map didnt quite say where that was!). Sending lots of fair winds and red carpet wishes, xxx
hi there and hope that is ecological washing products you have on board. Had a great day meeting the 5000 year old ancestors at Aveybury Rings in my local Wiltshire. Fantastic to think that these stones were erected long before Stonehenge. Was a beautiful, classic English Summer’s day too. Monolyths to Megatankers and tiny boats in the ocean, we apes like to think big! enjoy the surf and hit those niles good and sound. Happy rowing Susie Hewson
Hello Piglet:
I read that you are fond of bears of little brain. Have you ever read Benjamin Hoff’s The TAO of Pooh and The TE of Piglet? It is TAOISM explained through the characters in Winnie the Pooh. I called you Piglet because TE means bravery in the face of your fears. One cannot be brave unless one is scared. Other wise they are just foolish. Piglet is afraid of Heffalumps and Woozels but he always goes on the hunt. “It is hard to be brave,” said Piglet, sniffing slightly, “when you’re only a very small animal.” But as Rabbit would say “It is because you are a very small animal that you will be useful in the adventure before us.”
Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
Earth has not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!
From you have I been absent in the spring… (Sonnet 98)
by William Shakespeare
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew.
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.
Be brave Piglet.
Hi Sarah and Helen
You were both in my thoughts yesterday ~
We have our own shooting stars flying across the Blue
Each one very special, your Sarah
And our Two
Red Carpet to the rescue
another 1000nm or so
S,A and G *** stars of ours
We can’t wait to salute U
xT
Hi Sarah, Just back from a big family weekend in Hints to celebrate Ian’s 40th. Was fab with yesterday spent at Drayton Manor followed by much gorging on curry in the evening. The monsters and their cousins all had a fine old time playing together. Was thinking of you, mum, michael and matthew lots.
Glad to see the weather is staring to behave again. Lets hope its here to stay. J loved the mails btw.
Take care and much love winging its way to you xx
Congratulations…. you are now North of the Tropic of Capricorn!!!
Ride the red carpet currents.
Hello Sarah – been following you since you left Perth.Here’s a favorite Walt Whitman poem:
A noiseless patient spider
I marked where on a little promontory it stood isolated
Marked how to explore the vacant vast surrounding
It launched forth filament, filament, filament out of itself
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them
And you oh my soul where you stand
In measureless oceans of space
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing
Seeking the spheres to connect them
Till the bridge you will need be formed
Till the ductile anchor hold
Till the gossamer thread to fling catch somewhere
Oh my soul
PS
The penultimate line should read:
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere
Hi there Sarah, Elliot and I are still following your progress, you seem to be well on target. Boy what tales you will have to tell on your return. Keep in touch, kindest reagrds Hallie & Elliot. PS Elliot is nearly typing with two fingers now !!!!!
If these cargo boat sheep were anything like our darned Cotswold sheep it would be scarier- took me 45 minutes to get ten of the little critters to go through an open gateway to lush grass and leave their hungry patch yesterday – their woolyness you see means their fringes are so long over their eyes they can’t see a darned thing. Nevertheless if sheep ran things the world would be a very different place. Woolier and yet kinder- with time to just watch and stare and chew
Have a sparkly day and I will hold that thought of celebrating by doing the washing. Love the posts. Diana