Well it seems a bit of shameless pleaing can go a very long way. Portugal to Mauritius, even. I am so happy.
I nearly had to call on a very large shot of port to get me to sleep after I had heard of the kind donations -I was soooo excited that the bouncing off the walls was getting in the way of the sleep fairies patiently trying to pursuade me to Nod.
Jim from Mactra Marine – thank you so much! See you at S’oton I hope. Folks -if you need Gin Machines (they do water makers too-but I recommend the gin machines), this is your one stop shop. www.mactrashop.co.uk
Geoffers, you ace buddy! Folks, you’ll see from my regular bantering that Geoff Holt is a good friend and an extraordinary guy. I was part of his support crew in 2007 for a solo sail round GB. He sails the Atlantic later this year. What makes all of this the more incredible is the fact that Geoff is a quadriplegic, I.e. paralysed from the chest down. www.geoffholt.com www.personalatlantic.com
And donor #3 to the ‘Ricardo to Mauritius’ Campaign – I don’t know who you are yet, but you made my day.
Safe to say, I am on Cloud 9 (I’ve been here a while – about 122 days), charging about like a hyperactive kangaroo – in my head at any rate – at the thought of landing in just a few days.
Mum and Matt fairly jolly ecstactic too. Our dear one-eyed pooch, Bonnie , has been packed off on holiday to my big brother Mike (sadly he is too busy jumping out of planes to be allowed out to M) and so the grand plan is coming together.
Folks, one and all, thanks so much for all the support and sponsorship and donations and goodwill. There is none more than I who shall be a wee bit sad to step ashore next week and round off this chapter of the expotition. It is mind boggling for me too.
My bet is tomorrow I leave behind the 60s and Monday we will be Rum Punching and laughing at my land wobbling…
More excitably than ever,
Outey Toot Toot x
PS: Massive congratulations to my buddies Andy & Guy on Flying Ferkins, who landed in Port Louis after 102 days at sea yesterday, as the first pair to row the Indian Ocean.
PPS
Charlie Chase – You win! It was Rachel not Richard.
Jenna – Just rechecked the letter and it said ‘Will bake you three cakes when you’re back’. Three! Ooh…chocolate…carrot…. Lemon. Hehe!
Mark Powell – Buckingham Rd here I come!
It’s soooooooo exciting that you are so close. I hope the final bit goes smoothly and according to plan. You must be able to almost taste that rum punch now! When you are next London-way you must come and have a much, much deserved brownie. xxx
Hey Sarah, You must be delighted to be so close to completing your epic journey. What you have achieved and are about to achieve is truly awe inspiring. Congrats and I hope you & dippers enjoy a well deserved holiday after. I have lost all your details as my laptop decided to die with all my contacts on there. Much fun! so I didn’t have your email. so when you have a minute please do send it on. In the mean time I seen this quote recently and it really struck a chord with me so thought you might also like it….
“ It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
enjoy the rest of your great journey.
Safe journey!
Keith x
Sarah-I extend to you my congratulations on a feat that is history-making. Being a seaperson myself, and having worked and fished in the regions you have travelled thru, I have seen on a daily basis the sort of weather you will have encountered.
For a person such as yourself whose life doesnt involve being on the deep sea on normally I can well imagine that it must have been a confronting challenge at times.
My best wishes to you!
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship I attend will be having a DVD presentation of an Interview with Mr Dawkins. So if you want to attend you had better hurry…..
Oarsome effort Sarah. The fat lady is definitely clearing her throat and straightening her dress. Good luck for the landing and enjoy the rum punches
Great to know you’re almost sighting land. All at the Annexe still with you. “The West” carried your pic and an article today (Friday) together with website details, so all Perth should now be aware of your fantastic feat.
Best wishes
Clem
Brave lady:
Don’t get overconfident yet. It is still a long swim to M!!
When you get there you will have done an outstanding job of seamanship and your efforts will not go un-noticed. I hope that you get the same universal acknowledgment that Zac Sunderland got and is still getting.
God be with you.
Sarah, we are late in the day following your progress – love you & your supreme determination even more!!!!!! Piggy bank being emptied today – not too much in it but it will be yours for a great charity – we know all about arthritis!!!!!
Keep safe, keep happy, take no risks.
Many blessings – Graham & Angie in rainy Cornwall x
Delighted to hear the latest news. I spoke to your Mum and said did you need any more donation to get Ricardo out to meet you but at elast things are ciovered. Very well done on getting so near. Don’t come in before they get there though. Enjoy the rest of your wonderful journey. We are having a few days away from Sunday to Thursday so will be desparate to find a computer, just wish I was there with you all on your arrival.
Do I presume from your previous message you will be speaking at the Boat show on the 20th Sept. do we need tickets for the actual talk. Plenty of time to sort it out.
Take care and give your Mum that extra big hug and one form me too.
Much love
C & K
Hi Sarah,
I have been following your progress from here in NZ ever since the practice lap. Congratulations on getting in sight of the finish line. I am full of admiration for what you have done and your bubbly optimistic blog posts always brighten my day. Don’t lose focus over the last 100 nauties. I look forward to reading that you have landed and are enjoying some chocolate and a nice rum punch.
All the best,
Bruce
Sarah,have just had an email from Helen (Mum)………and to say she is “excited” would hardly begin to describe how she’s feeling just now. Have a wonderful reunion with her and Matt next week – you deserve it. Your Dad would be so proud of you – Congratulations!
Love and good luck for these last few days, Gillian xx
well done sarah for the jones in herne bay.. what a acheivment i can only image what effort and will power it has taken to row across the Indian ocean!! amazing i could not even row across a swimming pool.
enjoy you family and good luck with the land legs..
best regards Robert, tracey and stanley!! (very cute jack russell)
Fantastic news all round!!!! I hope somebody will be around with a camera to make sure we get to see what you looked like upon landing before a change of clothes 🙂 Keeping my fingers crossed that the last bit of your journey goes well, and do get a little bit of sleep every once in a while – you might not have enough energy to keep down all the good food otherwise!!
Cantering towards the finish, no hand shakes you will winch, just big hugs to keep you from falling over methinks. The Royal London Yacht Club Cowes, all very proud of you. Keep on trucking girl.
I am on tenterhooks Sarah. Hope the nasty weather stays away and you have a wonderful next few days heading closer and closer to M. All of us at Arthritis Care will be with you in spirit. It’s just all so exciting. Kate x
THE INDIAN OCEAN BOATING LAKE COMPANY
Image a rowing boat with Sarah rowing
Picture wouldn’t print
“Come in Sarah Outen your time is up”
HIRE FEES:
1 Hour 25 M Rupees
2 Hours 40 M Rupees
Half Day 60 M Rupees
All Day 100 M Rupees
Longer Periods of hire can be arranged.
The management cannot be responsible for the weather.
Any equipment lost will have to be paid for. (forks)
You row at your own risk
Obey the rules of the sea
There was a picture of a girl in a rowing boat but the Blog Page only takes characters
Will send original to your email and home.
Wow, you must be floating on air 3 feat off the ground, or is it floating in a boat 3 feet off the Indian Ocean? Hope the last lap is a thrill for you, what a fantastic (almost) feat. Mike
Been following you from my home in perth since you left Freo. I’ll be honest – I don’t follow sailing but I thought what a great story when reading the press in Oz. Great work Sarah, you must be well-knackered, not long now and the very best for the next few days … and beyond. It’s been a great journey following you from Freo to Mauritius, what’s next ??????????????????????
Hi Sarah,
Ah, the weatherman cometh. What a splendid gang of bloggers you’ve got – so glad everyone like Mactra Marine and Geoff and Mystery Donor 3 have rallied around to help you and Ricardo reunite for EndEx. None of us will forget his eloquent writing in those early days, keeping us agog with the sputtering start of the voyage…..when we all feared you were to be whisked off to the Antarctic in nothing warmer than your rowing shorts.
Oh I do hope there’s a photo of landfall – you must have the moment ambered for posterity – raw ocean Sarah alighting like the Creature from the Black Lagoon!
Hope you don’t have too rough a ride coming in – I suppose there are all sorts of hazards – squalls and squalli, the shelf, currents, and rocks, and maybe a spaghetti of cross winds. Be careful and stay safe, best Jane
Wow. (How impoverished is our language). Just as well for me that Dippy was delayed in mid-ocean, otherwise I’d have been out of e-range for this bit, and that would have been ghastly. It sounds as if the adrenalin more than compensates for any end-of-choc cold turkey. Are there UK clinics for such complaints? No doubt the company of Mum, Matt, (let us hope ) Ricardo et.al., et al……..et al. will do the job fine. Sympathies to duty-ridden Mike. Wish I could be there, but shall be in spirit. Fingers not too arthritic to be symbolically crossed. Love (yes) and admiration, Hazel.
WOW!!!! What great news of your progress. I’ve got a few back blogs to catch up with. We’re just back from our own sailing for four weeks. Lesser adventure, but lots learnt and confidence gained and such fun. We love our boat too. Your news is great.You amazing woman! So proud and happy, and on track! You’ve been much in thoughts and prayers and I’ve been telling everyone to look you up on your blog!. Great that Ricardo can be there. Would have left a large hole if he had had to witness the excitement from afar. Love to all your folks! Last push. An excited Outey-Toot is a force to be conjured with! Lots of love, Pam
You are so plucky and courageous and I can’t wait to read the book. Take care and enjoy the last lap and look forward to hearing about it all in the book. Are you going to be on Radcliffe & Marconi once you have completed the journey? I first heard about it then and have been “following” you ever since and had recommended lots of my friends to to the same thing.
Very best and warmest wishes
Jane
hi sarah,fantastic news that things are going so well,as much as you don’t want this adventure to be over i;m sure that reuniting with friends and loved ones will trump that,i wonder do you have any sort of “decompression “stratergy for when you get ashore?are you prepared for the inevitable rock star moment,daunting and exilharating at the same time i expect!will you carry on the blog for a while to ease us off our daily dose of sarah which has been so much insightful fun for the last 100 odd days?hope the port ration is
holding up.
regards to you and dippers
ian
ps just found a yummy sounding recipie for chocolate and beetroot cake,will try it out this weekend.
Hi Sarah. I’ve been lurking and following your progress along with “the race.” WOW woman. What an inspiration you are. You are proof that dreams can be goals with the belief that ANYTHING is achievable. OMG the Indian Ocean alone!! A truly outstanding feat. You are an amazing person. Thank you for the ride.