Please note this blog reads from the bottom up - the most recent blogs appear at the top of the page.

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BLOG 9

Day 37

We achieved 700 miles to Antigua just before 11am this morning. The weather forecast is currently for a mix of variable light to no winds for the rest of the trip. It's hot and fairly heavy on the oars during the day, with pleasant rowing conditions at night. We still have a long way to go but everyone now has their eyes firmly on the prize! This week's crew blog focuses on what everyone is most looking forward to about arriving in Antigua.

Louise - Going home, being with the family, seeing the puppies, sleeping in my own bed. And cold beer! 🍺

Kitty - I'm most excited about my youngest two children seeing me row through the finish. I'm hoping it will be something they always remember and they will realise that if their mum could achieve her big dream then they too can achieve whatever they want to. After that, I'm most looking forward to some big hugs with Ross and the kids, a comfy bed, a proper toilet and some good fresh food. Hopefully we will have a few days to enjoy Antigua before I fly home and get back to work.

Dave - I am looking forward to a hug and a kiss. Followed by a cold beer. Followed by a long cool, freshwater shower. Followed by a dry bed and dry clothes.

Johnny -Seeing Lizzie and Anna. Having a shave. Fresh fruit 😋

Damian - Stepping off the boat and seeing Avni for the first time in nearly two months. Followed by sitting under a tree with a cold beer!

Martin - I can't wait to see my amazing, beautiful wife and my family. Asado, beer, wine, fernet, whiskey, tabaco, hamburgers, pizza. With these things I am so, so happy! Beer for everyone please!

Jim - As soon as I step off the boat I want to hug Rebecca and my kids. Then to be handed a cold slice of watermelon and an ice cold beer, having abstained from alcohol for 3 months. And then to dive head first into a swimming pool to wash the salt and grime off. I'm then looking forward to a shower, a mattress and in the morning a really good strong black coffee. I will then start to digest the epic adventure I have been on whilst allowing my heel to start healing!

Ian - Get off the boat! Looking forward to a special dinner at the Galleon Bay restaurant with my son and his girlfriend. Followed by a holiday with Karen and a potential visit to friends on Montserrat.

Brian - Arriving prior to my scheduled flight out! Seeing Cindy, a very long shower. Finding out how our New Glenn launch went.

Neil - A shower, clean t-shirt and shorts, soft bed for half an hour and then cold beer 🍺 and a brie, lettuce and cranberry sandwich.

Day 38

We had an interesting night, with a bit of every sort of weather from un-forecast strong northerly winds, yet another tropical monsoon, no winds, light southerly winds. This resulted in rowing speeds from stationary, when an exhausted crew at the end of their shift could no longer row into cross winds, to a shift where 10 miles were covered in 3 hours. In the early hours of this morning we went through the 650 miles to go mark.  We had overcast skies and then, at around midday, someone turned the sunshine up from a 5 to a 10 in about 1 minute.

Below is our guest blog on a very important aspect of Roxy life. Written by Ian, with Jim as contributing editor.

Surviving on Roxy is all about process and routine, which we have developed over the weeks. As a guest blog, we thought we’d introduce you to the complexities of what, at home, is a relatively simple task …… using a toilet!!

HOME

Watching TV; need toilet; walk to bathroom; use toilet; wash hands; walk back to TV. All in a lovely, quiet, peaceful and private environment (unless you have proclivities we’d rather not know about).

ROXY

Due to the complexities involved, an Operational Order following nationally approved guidelines is required.

INFORMATION

Following consumption of suitably nutritious fuel (most simply identified as red, brown or white), Rower requires use (possibly ‘urgent use’) of toilet facilities.

INTENTION

A safe, complete and efficient bodily evacuation which does not hinder the progress of Roxy towards her Nirvana.

METHOD

1. Recognise one's bodily need

2. Rower decides on the level of privacy required, assessing whether a more discrete, dark, night time evacuation is more in-keeping with their need for greater discretion (this is dependent upon the urgency of the situation). No Rower will risk their health, or indeed that of their crew mates, by delaying for such a period that an uncontrolled, unintended evacuation occurs.

3. Identify suitable facility. Roxy provides 5 facilities: Aft cabin - Bucket 1, Fore cabin - Bucket 2, Starboard Outrigger, Port Outrigger, and a 360 degree all around ‘sea’ option. An Outrigger is a triangular, metal construction which is fixed to the side of Roxy. When deployed from its resting, vertical position to a horizontal position, an oar is attached and pivoted to it for use. Roxy has two ‘unused’ Outriggers at its fore. Rowers sit with their backs to the Outriggers. See Appendix A - attached photograph.

4. Announcement of Intention of impending evacuation to crew mates on deck.

5. Group discussion as to most appropriate side of boat to use, in order to maintain balance and smooth progress through the deep blue sea.

6. Following consensus being reached, Rower removes straps from footplate; unclips safety lead 1 from ground strap and attaches to upper safety strap; repeats process with safety lead 2; hoists self to feet, ensuring buttock protecting seat pads do not fall into the soaking wet cockpit area; Rower staggers in time with the rocking and rolling motion of Roxy on the waves towards selected facility. It is expected that either Outrigger will be utilized in all cases of a no. 2 for both genders and no. 1 for females, with the Bucket being the preferred option for male no. 1s. In event of storms, see Risk Assessment. (Editors note. Ladies are quite capable of peeing on a bucket, Louise and Kitty are obviously much more discreet than we realised!).

7. Deploy Outrigger; remove box containing toilet paper, wipes and hand gel from secure storage beneath fore cabin entrance; remove lid; locate zip lock bag containing toilet tissue and place easily to hand.

8. Pull lower clothing to ankles and reverse carefully onto the Outrigger, holding upper safety line to prevent requirement for man (or indeed, woman) overboard procedures, (see Op Order 1/25) ensuring buttocks are evenly spread to maintain boat, and personal, balance.

9. Crew mates should consider taking suitably discrete photographs for assessment of correct posture and adherence to safety procedures, for use in personal development training programmes. Photographs are for serious feedback and are not to be used for humour, humiliation, ridicule or blackmail of said Rower. To do so, will result in said offender opening themselves up to disciplinary procedures (see Op Order 7/25).

10. Following swift and successful evacuation, Rower is permitted use of a small damp slab of toilet paper and two wet wipes in order to cleanse the appropriate area. The use of more than two wet wipes WILL result in disciplinary procedures, with the offender being required to request wet wipes from the Skipper for the next 3 personal evacuations.

11. Rower removes self swiftly from Outrigger, dips ‘used’ hand  in sea before cleaning both hands with anti- bacterial gel, ahead of reversing the previous process in order to return to their rowing position.

(Editor's note. Properly committed rowers will time their trips to the Outrigger to coincide with their rest time, not use valuable rowing time!).

ADMINISTRATION

Printed copies of this Operational Order will be numbered and distributed to all crew mates. An electronic version will be digitally stored by the Roxy Skipper. This Op Order will be reviewed, updated and signed after each Roxy voyage.

RISK ASSESSMENT

1. Unexpected self-contamination. Higher risk at night. Mitigation: ensure quick early decision-making re time of evacuation.

2. Breach of Roxy Rule no1 - failure to remain attached to safety line, requiring Person Overboard Procedures to be invoked. Higher risk during night and/or storm or huge waves. Mitigation: double check safety harness security before alighting from seated position.

3. Selection of appropriate ‘ facility’. Roxy has two further buckets (one aft and one fore), which are used as dishwasher and washing machine. These ‘white goods’ are stowed with the required Buckets 1 and 2. Use of the wrong bucket will result in crewmate discontent and unpleasantly smelling clothing or food bowls. Mitigation: don’t be so blooming daft!

4. Poor Outrigger selection, resulting in an unbalanced boat leading to crewmate frustration and an unexpected bidet experience for the Rower, as one’s backside disappears below the waves, potentially landing on crab carrying seaweed! Mitigation: clear communication with crew mates before Outrigger selection.

5. Evacuations may take many forms. A particularly hazardous form is the ‘Homing Pidgeon’, leading to potential crewmate revulsion and sickness. Following evacuation, the ‘Homing Pidgeon’ lingers close to Roxy’s hull before slipping into the cockpit area via a small ‘water vent’ on the waterline, called a scupper. This phenomenon is generally only experienced whilst Roxy is on para anchor. The visit of the Homing Pidgeon is universally met with a mixture of horror …… and childish laughter! Mitigation: a) evacuations under para anchor should take place within Bucket 1 or Bucket 2 whilst on deck, or b) crew mates counter balance Roxy by loading the side opposite the selected Outrigger to cause Roxy to tip, thereby raising the scuppers on the rigger side above the waterline and successfully removing the point of entry for the Homing Pidgeon. This is highly effective and welcomed by all crew mates.

6. Insufficient toilet tissue or wet wipes, potentially leading to soreness of sensitive areas. Mitigation: a) ensure approved Methodology is followed by checking the storage box BEFORE evacuation, or b) grovel to crew mates requesting deep storage wipes be retrieved and passed. No crewmate will be awoken to provide such a service! You’re on your own!

7. In event of storm at time of desired evacuation, a dynamic risk assessment will be conducted by the Skipper to decide upon Rower use of bucket or Outrigger, and if Outrigger, whether Port or Starboard.

COMMUNICATION

Primary form of communication during the evacuation process will be verbal.

The volume used will depend upon the Rowers personal level of required discretion, the time of day/night and the noise of the crashing waves and clattering oars.

Non-verbal communication by means of sign language or ‘mouthing’ is discouraged as it may cause confusion, and may not be seen at night.

If a Rower is too shy to communicate verbally with crewmates over this entire procedure, the Rower is most certainly in the wrong place, on the wrong type of boat and is undoubtedly pursuing the wrong sport! Time to re-evaluate, Buttercup!

HUMAN RIGHTS

Issues of Legality, Necessity and Proportionality have been considered.

Legality:

Given that Rowers have consensually signed away their rights under the Human Rights Act, use of the buckets or Outriggers for this purpose are considered Legal.

Despite that, in event of a subsequent legal challenge, it is considered that their use ensures that the Rowers Right to Life (Article 2) is preserved. There’s little worse then dying from voluntary constipation!

The Rowers Right to Private Life (Article 8) was thrown out with the bath water as soon as they signed on the dotted line and handed a load of hard earned dosh to Roxy!

Necessity:

A Rowers self- declared need is accepted as proof of necessity. A medical examination is not required under any circumstances.

Proportionality:

It is for the Skipper of Roxy to determine whether a disciplinary intervention is required should a Rower be considered to be spending a disproportionate amount of time on the Outrigger, or visiting it too often, thereby cleverly reducing their time on the oars!

Never, in the history of mankind, has the desire to use a ‘proper’ toilet been so strongly felt than by the entire 2024/25 crew currently aboard Roxy!!

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BLOG 8

Day 32

New year's day - 1000nm to go!

We welcomed in the new year with a short pause from rowing to share a couple of cans of coke and Christmas cake left over from the Christmas celebrations. We had planned to sing Auld Lang Syne but none of us knew the words. Now I come to type it, it turns out no-one knows how to spell it either! Just prior to the new year, we had a nice crew chat about our 2024s and our hopes for 2025. Loved ones may or may not be pleased to know that spending more quality time with partners and children was high on everyone's agenda.

Conditions are flat and calm. We are making steady but consistent progress of around 7.5 - 8 miles per 3 hour shift. It is reasonably hard work, as we are not wind assisted, although the current is helping us. Our bodies are slightly shocked by going from 3.5 days of being sedentary to back rowing hard for 12 hours a day, but motivation is high.

We hoped to cross the 1000nm to go point at around midnight. Into the early evening we looked like we were about 1.5nm behind target. It was the shift with Martin, Brian, Ian and Jim on. Martin started leading a 'push for 1km' and soon had the boat clattering on at great speed. They then decided that it would be good to set a manageable target of 8.5nm left to the 1000nm by the end of their shift at 9pm. It looked like they were having lots of fun so I jumped into one of the empty seats. Next up was a 1nm push, which we rattled out in 15 minutes. Then there was only 9.7nm to go until the thousand so the new target was 1008nm. So after a 3 minute easy recovery we went hammer and tongs for 22 minutes from 9.5nm to 8nm, finishing at 9.01pm and handing over. Sure enough the 1000nm to go milestone came in at 11.45pm and we marked it with some of Louise's remarkable un-meltable chocolate.  

The 'training session' was so much fun. We were just playing and enjoying going as fast as we could - hitting a stroke rate of 42 and maintaining over 5 knots at times. Definitely one of my highlights of the trip so far, and worth sacrificing some of my rest period for.

It is remarkable that we had this kind of energy for playing at rowing really hard, considering none of us have slept for more than 2 hours at a time for over a month. And a month ago, Ian was curled up in a ball, unable to keep even a sip of water down. A fortnight ago, Jim's heel blister had turned into an open sore the size of your fist. The human body is truly remarkable!

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Day 33

I've had some questions come in from the blogs adoring fans. Okay, from my husband, who is bored with descriptions of the weather, and whether we have seen a fish. I'll answer some of them when we have not very exciting days.

Who rows with who? Do you shuffle seats?

Each cabin is split into 2 watches. The fore cabin (pointy end of the boat) has one watch with shifts staring at 9am, 3pm, 9pm and 3am, consisting of Johnny, Dave and Damian. The other watch, consisting of Ian, Jim and Brian starts at 12am, 6am, 12noon and 6pm. The aft cabin (non-pointy end, with navigation equipment) has Martin and Neil (skipper) whose shifts are 7.30am, 1.30pm, 7.30pm and 1.30am. Kitty (me) and Louise (co-skipper). Our shifts are 10.30am, 4.30pm, 10.30pm and 4.30am. We are using GMT (UK time) for the entire crossing. This ensures we hopefully all know what time it is and turn up on time! We are currently close to the third hour of time difference, so sunrise is now around 9am and sunset about 9pm.

The shift system ensures two things. There is always a skipper or co skipper on watch. And there is fresh blood on the oars every hour and a half. Sometimes we rotate seats like a merry-go-round but more often we have a default setting. The boat is 'stroked' from S1 (starboard seat 1). This position is at the front left of the rowers, or the back right of the boat, as we face backwards when rowing (one of the many, many reasons why my husband does not 'get' rowing). The stroke sets the tempo of the boat and all the other rowers (are supposed to) match the stroke length and speed.

The merry-go-round approach has the benefit that everyone gets to sit alongside everyone else (except those on the opposite watch who you share a cabin with, you never row with them unless someone is rowing extra time). The more structured system hopefully maximises speed and prevents 10 minutes of excessively polite English questioning of who wants to sit where.

At the moment typically David starts in S1 with Johnny in P1 (other side, parallel with S1), Martin in P3 and Damian in S3. Neil is currently a part time rower, gradually returning to the oars after an injury. At change over Martin comes into the cabin. I move from the cabin into S1, Louise comes on duty into S2. Johnny moves to S3, swapping with Damian who comes forward to P1. David moves back to S3.

An hour and a half later Johnny, David and Damian go off watch. I go to P1, Louise to P2 and Ian and Jim come out and take S3 and P3 with Brian coming in at S1. Another hour and a half later and Louise and I go off and Martin comes into S1, Brian shifts across to P1 and Jim and Ian swap at the back. When Neil is rowing he sits in P2 or S2 depending on what is spare and what helps balance the boat.

We generally like to swap sides half way through our shifts as it works our bodies equally on both sides. On Roxy we row 'sweep' (with one oar each) rather than 'sculling' (with 2 oars each), so you can end up resembling a crab if you stay on one side for too long. Ideally you want someone in S1 who has a nice stroke length and speed, who can hold a consistent rhythm that is comfortable for most people to row to.

Balance of the boat is important. If one side is low, rowers that side 'catch crabs' getting their oars stuck in the water. On the high side you end up taking air shots. The balance is affected by the weights of rowers on deck, the positioning of people in the cabins or deck and the prevailing weather conditions. So if there is strong weather coming from one side we may end up with three on one side and one on the other, and sometimes we need to stay on the same side for a whole shift to make the boat balance. Equally if conditions mean it is hard to stay on the desired heading we may make the decision to have minimal changeovers. Generally however the chance to stand up for 30 seconds, adjust seat cushions and maybe foot straps, before rowing on the other side, is most welcome.

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Day 34

Another milestone knocked down - 900nm to Antigua. And we managed the 100 to 900 from 1000 in just under 36 hours, which is pretty good going. Conditions are very favourable, with 12 knot winds in the right direction, and forecast to stay there for several days. After tracking south to try and keep in the better winds, we are now on the heading that we hope to stay on until Antigua. The mood on board is pretty happy and positive, with various degrees of focus on arriving in Antigua.

A ship passed about 5 miles from us in the night, and a couple of planes have gone overhead in the last couple of days, which provides some feeling of connection. There's not much else to report, so I'll answer another couple of questions.  

What happens if someone is tired or has a sore of some kind and just wants to shift about and give some part of their body a break?  

Hmm, this one can basically be summed up as 'Suck it up, Buttercup'. The reality is that there is a lot of compassion and empathy, but you are fundamentally expected to row for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and to the best of your ability. It is a heavy boat, and we have a smallish crew. It is possible to row with 4 up, but in most conditions, the boat goes faster and feels lighter with 5 rowing.

There is a clear distinction made for injuries or illness where rowing on is likely to cause serious harm or long term damage, or where someone is physically completely debilitated. But the bar is quite high - think delirious or completely incapacitated with sea sickness. In this case, the afflicted person will be treated as best as is possible in a small rowing boat in the middle of the ocean, and left in the cabin and everyone else will manage as best they can on deck.

During very rough weather, it can be very hard to coordinate rowing with 3 on one side, in which case we would row as a 4 and each person could have a 20 minute rest per shift, or start late or finish early, but we have only had a handful of days like this.

Prevention is definitely better than cure, so self management is very important. We are all responsible for ensuring we get enough sleep, eat properly, stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, etc. Personal hygiene and clothes management helps keep salt sores at bay, but certain people are naturally more susceptible. Equally, blisters and sore hands are more of a struggle for some. Using lubricant and wearing gloves can help.

The next stage defence is our medic, Johnny. He is a master at dressing various sores, strapping things up and dispensing advice and pills.

Some people have been very lucky with aches, pains and injuries, and the rest have been incredibly stoical. The bar is quite high and people have rowed on with some horrible sores, despite what must be significant, constant levels of pain. The language used is interesting. People tend to talk of 'discomfort' or say things like 'well, after 20 minutes it goes numb' or 'it's only pain'. There are small adaptations that can be made - you can row with one foot in the foot straps and one sitting on top of the footplate to relieve the pressure on a blistered heel. Equally if someone has a bad back, they may stand up for a minute every hour or so to stretch, and we would try to accommodate any requests to just row on one side temporarily whilst an injury resolves.

Maxing out on Ibuprofen and Paracetamol is completely normal, needing stronger stuff, much less so. Sores and injuries take forever to heal, and can get infected. Antibiotics are probably prescribed slightly more liberally than on land, as infections need to be stopped quickly.

Virtually everyone gets a sore bum, just from the pressure of sitting on it constantly. Sudocrem and seat pads are our friends, with different people having different pad preferences. I think Brian is the only one hardcore enough to row consistently with no extra seat pads!

Tiredness affects people differently. Some still really struggle to stay awake through every night shift and you will spot them gently nodding at the oars. Others will struggle intermittently, and some seem to be absolutely fine.

Generally if someone is struggling with a niggle or is knackered they will ask to sit in the 'cheap seats' at the back, where you can get away with a shorter stroke or losing rhythm without having so much impact on the rest of the boat (and where less people can see you)!

Kindness goes a long way, and we do all really look after each other. Sometimes, just a couple of supportive words or offering someone a sweet or encouraging them to take a minute off the oars goes a long way. Equally a valuable skill is knowing whether the person next to you would like to chat and be distracted or just needs to battle on in their own heads.

Rowing an ocean is not always easy or comfortable, but that is kind of the point. We are a really strong bunch, and we do look after each other. We are all coping very well. I will certainly come away from this trip with an increased respect for my body and what it is capable of not only doing, but actually thriving on.

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Day 35

We are still making good progress, with a similar forecast for the next 5 days. We should go through 800 miles to Antigua late this evening.

We have started to see the odd bird again after a week or so of no birds - possibly fairy terns.

How do you try to motivate one another to all keep in time or pull equally hard. Are you looking around all the time, or just staring at a spot on the floor and counting repetitions, clock-watching until the end of your shift?

Motivation is really interesting as the people on a pay-per-seat crossing like this one have different motivations. On a pair or a four, hopefully, the rowers will be closely aligned on whether they want to push hard, enjoy the scenery, arrive by a certain date, go for a record, etc. On Roxy that isn't the case so it needs careful management. We are probably pushing a little harder than some would like and a little less hard than others would like. It's not a problem. Again, it just comes down to empathy and trying to find a middle ground. There is also some variation in rowing ability and stamina and again that just needs a bit of tact. The crossing will have taken longer than we hoped, due to the weather we have encountered. So now we do typically have the stronger rowers at the front where their power and technique can be most effective.

The second part of the question I can only answer personally. I try really hard to look around but I am terrible for fixating on the 'scores on the door', a display that shows our current speed over the ground and the distance to the next way point. We do comment on things like the sunset, stars, moon and any wildlife, but as you can imagine we have seen quite a lot of the sea and the sky now...

Afternoon and early evening shifts we tend to have someone's Spotify playlist on, not too loud as there are always people trying to sleep. Personally, I like shifts where I have a good conversation with the person sat next to me. Wind, boat, and wave noise makes it hard to play games around the boat or have conversations with the wider group.

Occasionally in the early evening, Martin will share a Mate tea session with the crew, which is both really tasty and a lovely coming together type thing. Martin will also sometimes lead an evening 'training' session. This is one particular shift that likes to muck around and go fast a bit more.

Some sessions do drag. Last night for some reason lots of people were knackered and a couple had to have a power nap on deck for a few minutes.  

When it is wavy, you need to concentrate more and keep an eye on the sea. It is a bit more mentally and physically tiring, but for me, this distracts me from watching the numbers and I would tend to find the flat calm shifts where the boat is heavy more of an endurance test.

Talking of endurance, I'm going to be slightly upping my hours on the oars for the last phase of the crossing, so the blogs will get a bit shorter.

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Day 36

Another day of solid miles. Winds are light and the seas are not exactly mountainous but the current is with us and we are knocking out around 8 miles per 3 hour shift, albeit working fairly hard to achieve that. We should pass through the 750 miles to go mark around 5pm today. To celebrate we will have a little Mate tea ceremony and perhaps one of the now strictly rationed remaining bags of sweets. There is an area of low winds forecast for the 10th-11th, so we don't want to make any predictions on arrival time until we are through them.

This morning we had some welcome visitors - a pair of frigate birds that hung around hunting flying fish for around an hour. These magnificent birds show that we are getting a bit nearer to land. Apparently, yesterday's birds were the descriptively, but rather unimaginatively named long tailed tropic bird. The fairy tern was a previous visitor.

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As it is the 12th Day of Christmas, it only seemed appropriate to rehash the song for Roxy. I've only written up the final verse but I'm sure everyone can extrapolate...

The 12 Days of Christmas - Roxy version:

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me

Twelve bum pads numbing,

Eleven wet bog rolls for wiping,

Ten salopettes a-leaking,

Nine dolphins a-prancing,

Eight bowls of muesli without milk in,

Seven rowers a-swimming,

Six Top Trumps games a-playing,

Five rowers who can sing,

Four falling turds,

Three Sharpie pens,

Two pairs of gloves,

And a Roxy rowing boat in the sea!

Tomorrow, we will have a whole crew blog, and then on Tuesday, there will be a special guest written segment!

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‍BLOG 7

Day 30

We are now heading into our third day on para anchor. There's no sugar coating it - it's dull and frustrating. Life is normally so full on board, and we are all naturally busy people, so time hangs heavily. We are all also very focused on getting to Antigua, and the lack of progress towards our destination, pushing back our arrival date, and shortening our holidays when we arrive, is demoralising.  

Whilst on para anchor, we largely maintain our shift system, spending our rowing time sitting or laying on deck. At night, those of us without really good waterproofs get into survival bags - foil lined plastic bags. If anyone were to overlook us, they would see what appears to be a tiny drifting boat, which has been taken over by enormous orange sea slugs.

We had some light storms last night - sharp showers and some distant sheet lightning. It's really loud in the cabins in any stronger weather, with the noise of the waves hitting the boat and things creaking and banging. The boat also judders as the waves pull the boat away from the para anchor, and it then pulls tight. You feel cocooned in the cabin, but when you actually get outside, the conditions are always slightly less than they felt inside. So long as you are properly dressed, it is pretty majestic to be so in the elements. When the skies are clear the stars are unbelievable. When it is cloudy or stormy you are truly immersed in it. None of us ever feel scared. Roxy is so solid and safe, and the crew is so capable.

It is now looking like it will be tomorrow afternoon before we will be underway again. The forecast is then very promising for the next week. I can promise everyone of us will be working as hard as we can as soon as we can to get this boat to Antigua!

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Day 31

A day of two halves. Another night on para anchor with unsettled weather. And disappointingly still a decent south westerly headwind when the light came up. Slowly, slowly throughout the morning and into the afternoon, the wind dropped, and the sea became flatter.

We could tell that the current was with us because the distance we had gone backwards was minimal, but the waves were coming from directly behind us. Our route plot on para anchor was a cute little heart, going the wrong way a total of just about 7 miles. This compares very favourably to when skipper Neil had 5 days on para anchor in the pacific - they went backwards 70 miles and their route plot for this time resembled a giant penis! It is hard to estimate how strong the current, waves and wind are when you are on para anchor, and what you might be able to row against. One rather unpleasant indicator that the water direction was fairly neutral was the product of the morning's ablutions stayed with us for far too long!

With next to no wind, conditions on board were very hot. We were expecting conditions to become manageable in early evening but at least half the crew was rather fractious, all the non-rowing jobs were done, and we managed to persuade Neil and Louise to haul the para anchor in and we set off at 3.30pm. We started rowing with 6 up, to give us the best possible chance of rowing against the now light headwind and waves. A few of us put in some extra time on the oars in the first couple of hours, particularly Brian, as he is a magnificent rower, and me, because 'the puppy needs exercising' (thanks Ian).

We have made surprisingly good progress and are now back on our regular shift pattern. It is a beautiful evening and the sea is flat and there is almost no wind. What with the frustrations of the last few days and the discipline of rowing as a six the rowing has been really good. (If you don't row in time as a six everyone clashes oars and gets in a mess). It is such a relief to be back underway, not only to be counting down the miles again, but also for enjoying the sheer physical pleasure of rowing, and rowing well as a crew.

Just to make the evening a little more special, we have been surrounded by our biggest pod of dolphins yet. They were a little coy and only stayed a few minutes, but there were definitely quite a lot of them.

We have some bits and pieces planned for midnight to welcome in the new year, which will appear in tomorrow's blog. We are also hunting down the 1000-mile to go mark - possibly very late on the 1st or early on the 2nd.

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BEING ON PARA ANCHOR

Stillness,

In endless movements,

Without purpose.

But the sea has no care for our purpose.

The sea just is.

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A pause.

All the blues;

Ink, indigo, ultramarine, turquoise.

Beauty everywhere,

And melancholy.

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And the stars,

Stars without number.

An infinity beyond comprehension.

But the stars do not look to comprehend us.

The sky just is.

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The flash of a hunt,

The flying fish pursued

By the leaping tuna.

More iridescent blues,

More beauty. And urgency.

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We watch. We wait

Dull in comparison

Muted, purposeless, stilted

But the sea has no care for our purpose.

The sea just is.

BLOG 6

Day 25 - Christmas Day

I honestly don't know where to start this one. I think a few of us were a bit apprehensive about spending Christmas in the middle of the ocean, away from our families. Well, the Roxy family truly delivered an extraordinary Christmas day that we will all remember for the rest of our lives.

It started with the Roxy Rector, aka Neil delivering a short midnight service comprised of 3 songs - Feliz Navidad for Martin, All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey for Brian and Merry Christmas everyone by Shakin' Stevens for the Brits. All were beautifully introduced by Neil and then sung with great enthusiasm by all and with skill by a few.

We then rowed on until midday when Roxy's rector delivered the main service. This comprised a very short sermon, Good King Wencyles as the hymn and a reminder of the Roxy 10 Commandments, the first of which is 'thou shall always be clipped in when on deck'. Neil had also prepared a touching 3 word description of each crew member whilst handing each person a Christmas pudding.

After the 'formal' bit was done, rowing ceased for a couple of hours, and there was sharing of the Christmas treats - cokes and Christmas cakes - and a few small gifts the crew shared amongst each other.

Those who wanted to swam. I was first in, and no sooner had I got in than a dorsal fin appeared! It was soon determined to be a dolphin, and my throw line was let out again. Once the boys had seen that I had not been eaten, they too ventured in, with Ian and Jim cleaning the hull whilst in the water. We all took advantage of a unique photo opportunity, swimming in 3 mile deep water 1200 miles from land whilst wearing Santa hats.

Most of the crew had a phone call to home, adding another layer of joy to a pretty incredible day.

Day 26

A day of light conditions and hot sunshine, making for slow progress during the afternoon in particular. The nights are cooler and we make a few more miles. The forecast doesn't look very fast for the next few days so the reality is our arrival time is likely to be slipping back to the mid 40 days marks, albeit still too early to call.

A couple of contrasting vignettes to share with you. I was in charge of the BGAN, our satellite WiFi device, this evening. I set it up on the fore cabin canopy and stood with it and watched the most beautiful sunset, with the pinks and oranges of the sky reflected in the blues of the sea. Truly a moment to reflect and enjoy. The second one is a little less pretty but much funnier - Ian and Jim took to the rigger simultaneously to go to the loo - a sight that will be etched in our memory for some time!

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Day 27

In the spirit of using this time of year to publish pointless lists, here is ours! 27 things you learn rowing an ocean on Roxy:

1. The Atlantic is quite big.

2. You can see more stars in the sky above the ocean here than you could believe.

3. You see less wildlife in the ocean here than you can believe.

4. You can make an air conditioning unit out of a toilet seat, a large bin bag and lots of duct tape.

5. Buckets make poor toilets.

6. Riggers make good toilets.

7. Opening a boiled sweet with one hand whilst rowing is an essential skill.

8. Opening a Babybel cheese is a more advanced, but none the less essential, variation of the skill above.

9. Doing both the above in the dark, in 20 foot waves is the true ultimate accomplishment of the ocean rower.

10. Like many luxury getaways, Roxy comes complete with rainfall showers. There are no controls for the timing, duration or temperature but the water pressure is excellent.  

11. When you have no access to Amazon next day deliveries, you become far more resourceful and learn to make or repair almost anything out of almost nothing.  

12. Conversations are better when you are not surgically attached to your phone.

13. Where we are is a place on earth where the nearest next human beings to you, outside of the boat, can be on the space station.  

14. Seat pads come in 4 varieties - foam, honeycomb, cheese grater, and batman. These are probably not the description in the catalogue.

15. You hear about another boat capsizing and losing their seat pads. You are far more traumatised by the idea of losing your seat pads than capsizing.

16. You get to watch the moon rise everyday and watch it wax and wane through every phase. It is beautiful.

17. You get to see several full moons on deck every day. Some have salt craters. It is not beautiful.

18. Standard day dress for men is sunhat, black boxer shorts, waist harness, sealskin socks and trainers. It is a look unlikely to be seen at London Fashion Week anytime soon.

19. Folding up slightly damp clothes and using them as a pillow does not result in dry, ironed clothes. It results in a slightly damp and smelly pillow.

20. Take the pills, take the break when it is offered. There are no prizes for being a hero but you will piss people off if you are grumpy!

21. Charlie Pitcher is a master boat builder but is unlikely to have a second career as a builder of luxury beds (Charlie says "ha ha")!

22. If you are tired enough, it is possible to sleep anywhere, even in one of Charlie's beds.

23. You will miss home more than you expect. Then, when you get off the boat, you will miss the boat more than you expect.

24. That it is possible for 6 grown men to live in a space smaller than a double bed for 6 weeks without committing murder (just).

25. Being 'gophered' is to be drenched by a wave. This happens approximately every 5 minutes during big seas and 5 minutes before you go off shift in calm seas.

26. When the sea is big and winds are strong, you go fast and want easy rowing. When the sea is flat and there's a headwind the boat is heavy and slow, and you want big seas and strong winds.

27. The body will do what the mind tells it to do. Generally.

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Day 28

Hmm, not the day we wanted. Overnight, the wind strengthened and became almost due south, but with some bouncing around. We battled on, sometimes rowing 3 on one side and one on the other to stay on course. Half an hour later, it would be different, and we would swap positions again. If we lost the heading, we would row like mad on one side to bring it back, sometimes needing to also raise the daggerboard and/or reset the autohelm. We also had myriad small changes of heading to try and find a course the boat could hold. There was also some significant and prolonged rain which only added to the experience! At first, we made decent progress, but by early this morning, we were working hard for approximately 1 knot. The next thing to try was to turn off the autohelm, which was working dangerously hard as we were not maintaining sufficient speed through the water. The rudder was set to maintain a heading and, for a while, that worked, albeit still with very slow forward progress. When that could no longer hold a heading, Neil manually steered for a bit. At about 1pm, we admitted defeat and the para anchor came out.

This was particularly demoralising as the wind is forecast to be all over (except in the right direction) until at least Monday afternoon, so we are unlikely to get off para anchor until at least then. This is clearly a significant delay and will push back our arrival into Antigua later than we hoped.

We have spent the rest of the day quietly resting, either in the cabins or on deck. There is some music on in the background and some of us have audio books or kindles. There is a bit of chatting and the odd game of Top Trumps sea creatures. But mostly, the mood is a bit reflective and resigned. The enforced break will give us a chance to rest up and for aches and sores to resolve. The weather is by no means extreme, just coming from the wrong direction, so we are all safe and comfortable.

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1. Favourite moment

2. Biggest challenge

3. Favourite meal on board

4. Personal catchphrase or mantra

‍Jim

1. Being tethered down on deck on day 3 in torrential rain in monster waves. Watching Ian fall asleep as a bath of water was thrown on him every couple of minutes.

2. The very confined living quarters.

3. Pasta bolognese.

4. We paid for this, right?!

Ian

1. Sleeping through the monsoon on deck and swimming 1228 miles from land in 3 miles deep water.

2. Convincing my body that its okay to poo on a bucket in front of 9 other people - it took me 7 days!

3. Vegetable Chipotle chilli with a Babybel and cracker sandwich.

4. Are we playing hide and seek again? (I can never find my stuff).

Kitty

1. Christmas Day.

2. The huge influence of the weather on progress and time spent on para anchor.

3. Vegetable chipotle chilli followed by chocolate mouse.

4. But I like rowing (whenever I am offered a break).

Dave

1. Christmas sermon from the Roxy Rector.

2. Being told to sit on all 4s with my arse in the air for the Dr!

3. Pasta arabiata, but my cremate have banned me from eating it due to it making me fart!

4. I've changed my mind! From Bridget Jones baby.

Martin

1. Rowing!

2. Sleeping and the toilet!

3. Macaroni cheese or salmon and broccoli pasta.

4. Come on! Just do it. And one more row done, one less row of do.

Louise

1. Looking up at the stars on para anchor.

2. Trying to turn the boat around when the heading is lost and no-one else is rowing!

3. Couscous with spinach and lentils.

4. It'll be okay.

Brian

1. Saturday evening rows with sea shanties and Mate.

2. Sitting at para anchor doing nothing.

3. The red one or the brown one.

4. This is something I'd do differently on the next ocean row...

Johnny

1. Petrel brushing my face with its wing. Also providing comfort by dressing people's sores.

2. You can endure anything with the right knowledge and equipment.

3. Pasta bolognese doubled with macaroni cheese.

4. I'm proper tired!

Damian

1. The stars at night and the sunrises in the morning.

2. Lack of personal space.

3. To pick a favourite is difficult, maybe Babybels?

4. I will get to Disneyland!

Neil

1. Being able to row!

2. Constant concern about the auto helm.

3. Macaroni cheese and jelly babies.

4. It will pass.

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‍CHRISTMAS MESSAGES FROM THE CREW

‍Martin

After 25 days with this amazing crew, I want to say if you have a dream like this, just do it and make your dream come true. Every day is a different blue paradise with amazing skies, sunrise, and sunsets on this magic machine of a boat. Hugs and greetings from Argentina to the world. Happy Christmas and New year!

Damian

I've been waffling on about the "Gift of Time" for years, as it is the memories we create with our loved ones that will then last a lifetime. My thoughts on this trip have been full of those such memories of those I care about the most. We are hoping to reach land by mid-January 2025 and I can't wait to get home to share the "Gift of Time" with my family and friends again. Merry Christmas from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean as we push forward to raise funds for Claire House Children's Hospice. Take care, Damian

Neil

Happy Christmas to everyone at home. Have a lovely time with the dogs. See you in the New Year!

Kitty

As Christmas fast approaches thoughts are at home with my family. I hope they have a fabulous Christmas and New Year. But I am also looking forward to spending the day at sea, doing something utterly different. This is an extraordinary journey with extraordinary people and it will be another unique and special day. I am sure it is a part of this journey I will look back on and cherish every future Christmas. Much love to everyone at home. Please raise a glass to me during Christmas dinner and I will raise my water bottle to you during ours! Also the very happiest of 21st birthdays to my son Will on the 27th. I am so proud of you. Kitty x

Ian

Christmas is principally about love... "for God so loved the works he gave his only begotten son" (I hope that's right Johnny E! He won't thank me for miss quoting the bible)! There is something about this row that heightens emotions and the feelings of love I have towards all those who are closest to me. I hope all of you who are reading this enjoy a wonderful Christmas and that my family and friends feel the love I have for them as I appreciate all the love they have shown me over the years. Happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you all in a wonderful 2025 xxx

Dave

Merry Christmas y'all and thank you so much for your support for Chestnut Tree House. I hope you all have a wonderful day and I will imagine you all enjoying Christmas Dinner with your families. On a more personal note - make sure the boys do the washing up. Grandad wants to get a small sailing boat next so we can go fishing and cook our mackerel. Yes it has been tough as expected. We experienced 3 days on para anchor, awful weather, 2 broken oars, replaced a destroyed rudder, repaired 2 autopilot rams, a water delivery pipe, a sliding seat. There have been various personal injuries. Yet we are all soldiering on and appear to be on schedule. I am very salt sore but still healthy to row. Love to everybody.

Johnny

Very merry Christmas to you all from the middle of the Atlantic. What a journey. Rough weather, calm weather, big season and flat. Broken bits of boat, slightly worn out crew. Resilience and fortitude in abundance. We are currently closer to the astronauts in the space station than we are to you, my love and gratitude to you all is no less for that. I am reliably informed we have 1366 miles to run. Last night a petrel flew across the deck, its wings brushing my cheek as it ghosted away. I felt blessed and am blessed to have such amazing friends and family. Happy New year when it comes around.

Brian

To my family and friends I am very much missing celebrating the holidays with you. But bringing many warm thoughts and memories of you with me across the ocean. It makes me smile. I can't wait to reunite when I return. Love Brian

Louise

My first Christmas at sea, wishing my friends and family a happy Christmas and a wonderful New year. Lots of love xxx

Jim

To all my family and friends I wish you a very merry Christmas and a fabulous 2025. To my mum simply thank you and I love you. This little adventure has delivered massive waves, monsoon rain, sunsets, belly laughter and new friendships. At this time of year you think of the ones you love. I cannot wait to see Rebecca and my kids in Antigua. When I am cold, damp and a little tired, the thought of them always puts a smile on my face. In the words of Strictly Come Dancing 'keep on rowing'.

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Day 19

Another nice day with favourable conditions and good mileage made. The afternoons are currently quite warm, despite being a bit overcast, so everyone is a bit turgid.

We received the first batch of messages from home. Louise read them out individually to each of them. Even for those of us with no significant news these are quite emotional. They are lovely to receive, but I think they made us aware of how far from home and our loved ones we are and the mood was a bit reflective afterwards.

We then had a glorious evening with Martin bringing out his Argentinian Mate tea for us to share, and lots of chatting and interaction and some good tunes. It was perfectly summed up by Jim when he said 'This is what I want to remember - good rowing, ground covered and great conversations.'

There was also a very cool moment when Martin led a fun fine boat training exercise few minutes - gradually building the stroke rate to 38 and with the speed touching 7.2 knots, which is remarkable in flat water.

Whilst a lot of time what we are doing is quite mundane and repetitive, there are these beautiful spontaneous vignettes that will become memories we smile about for a lifetime.

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Day 20

I've tried to keep the blog very much about the whole crew, but as a one off indulgence today is my personal diary, which I hope might be interesting to get a feel of how we spend our days.

4.15 alarm call. I was killing zombies in my dreams, which I was glad to leave behind, but deeply asleep and felt very sluggish. Despite the short sleep periods we are all having very vivid dreams.

Drowsy first half shift sat in Port 1 next to Johnny. Snacks were a couple of Ritz cracker and few salted peanuts. 2nd half in Starboard 3 next to Ian, snacks as above plus a few sweets. Distance to our next way point went from 274 to 265 miles. Off shift at 7.30 am. Remove sallopettes and running top, wet shoes and socks. Wipe down body with a flannel. Sleep on and off until 10am. Interrupted by various coming and goings in the cabin, but still good rest. Tooth brush followed by sour cherry and chocolate musili breakfast.

Food is made by using the jet boil to heat water. The contents of a package of freeze dried food are tipped into a plastic bowl, covered with hot water and then a lid is put on. 10 minutes later and voilà, a gourmet (or not) meal is ready to eat with a spork. Washing up is done in the sea. Pre row prep - voltarol gel on my slightly sore heals, suncream across spots on bum and feet. Suncream applied. Water bottle filled and 1/2 electrolyte tab added.

Then, into sallopettes, wet shoes and socks and on deck. 10.30-1.30pm row. 255 to 247 miles. Snacks - lots of salted peanuts. Starboard 1 next to Johnny, 2nd half in port 3 next to Ian. Dave operates the water maker and EFOY battery system during this shift. Come off and make pasta bolognase up. Write yesterday's blog whilst it is getting ready. Eat, then start today's blog.

On board we have 4 rowing and the 5th rotating, doing general tasks - cleaning the deck, stowing yesterday's rubbish, cleaning the solar panels and getting more puddings out of the hatches. I'm writing sat on the deck as the aft cabin is hot with the sun shining directly in for this rest period.

I will dive inside shortly and carry out my daily personal hygiene - washing with a small amount of fresh water, clean pants and socks on and then wash said pants and socks and hang out to dry. A bit of face cream, some deodorant and I'm almost decent again - at least by boat standards! Rest periods tend to be spent in a vest and loose shorts to allow air flow and skin to dry.

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Day 21

The last few days have had a similar feel. Slower conditions (light winds and small waves/flat seas and somewhat overcast). Ian has just described it as a 'workmanlike phase, gently getting the job done.' Progress is steady, with around 63 miles done yesterday and similar today. The conditions have allowed the crew to take a breath and after an action packed first fortnight or so this has been welcome. However, we are now hankering after some bigger waves, stronger winds, and faster progress.

The guys' beards are coming on a treat, except for Dave, who somehow manages to shave every day.

Very little to see for the last few days - the odd petrel and loads of flying fish. The sea is the most stunning indigo blue, and when we do get a wave they are sometimes topped with a beautiful turquoise crest.

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Day 22

Conditions have quickened a little. The sea is still very rowable, but the tailwind has picked up a few knots and with it the waves and current. We have just knocked out a 10NM 3 hr shift following a 9NM, the quickest day so far for a few days.

Topic of the day has been the creation of a windsock for the aft cabin. This cabin has become increasingly hot, especially in the afternoons, making it very difficult to rest. The fore cabin has come up with an ingenious design, featuring a toilet seat, a pair of trousers and a coffee carton. The aft cabins design (okay Louise's) is somewhat less elegant, comprising of a large heavy duty plastic bag and duct tape. Both work, with Louise's having the bigger diameter but lacking the added coffee aromas of Johnny et al design! It has made a real difference to the cabin, meaning it is possible to rest without being drenched in sweat and uncomfortable.  

Further excitement has been provided by the sight of an aeroplane, the first sign of human life nearby for about a week! We truly are in the middle of the ocean now!

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Day 23

Halfway point reached! We have reached a massive milestone today with the news that we have now passed the halfway point and have around 1350 miles to go to Antigua. Almost as exciting was the revelation from Louise that there will be chocolate to celebrate this milestone later!

This halfway point is slightly arbitrary as the course taken varies from a straight line, but we should have now covered at least half of the distance. Often the second half of the crossing is faster, as wind and currents tend to be more helpful in the latter half. However, the wind and other factors are so variable that our projected arrival time cannot be predicted with any accuracy. 42-45 days currently seems a reasonable guess, but it is absolutely still a guess. That doesn't stop lots of calculations and speculation from the crew!

Conditions have been variable, from beautiful big rolling waves to biblical rain showers and speed has been a bit variable accordingly. We are taking a slightly more southerly course, in the expectation of more southerly winds (which will blow us north) in the middle of this week.

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Day 15‍

During the afternoon most of the crew took advantage of being on the para anchor to have a swim. We swam in pairs, with each person in the water held via a grab line by a person on the boat. It was a truly special experience, swimming hundreds of miles out to sea and in water 5km deep.

During late afternoon the wind dropped and we came off para anchor. Initially the rowing was quite hard work and slow, but there was a surreal beauty to the flat, cloudy ocean. Overnight the wind has shifted to a northerly direction, so we now have a gentle cross wind and can maintain 2 knots.

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Day 16‍

A day of steady progress. Light cross winds and intermittently slight choppy seas have allowed continous progress towards Antigua. During the evening, we crossed the 1/3 point, and we will now hunt down the 1000 mile marker over the next couple of days.

Overnight excitement was provided by 2 flying fish landing in Martin's bed, who fortunately, was not in it at the time. I can now add cleaning fish scales out of a bed to my previously unknown ocean rowers skill set. It's up there with, but not as enjoyable as, opening a boiled sweet one-handed whilst rowing.

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Day 17‍

Today can only really be described in one word - brutal! Lots of cross wind, choppy rough seas, and a constant struggle to keep the boat on course. Rowing requires full concentration to try and get your oar in the water, but not get it stuck in the water. If you imagine a rowing machine on the back of a bucking bronco, you wouldn't be a million miles away.

Brian and I won 'crab of the day' awards, both being pushed out of both shoes and off the back of our rowing seats. Jim took a flying fish to the face. On the positive side, we were able to row continuously, and good mileage has been covered.

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Day 18‍

An easier day, which was very welcome. Also very welcome was finally hitting the 1000 mile mark. With recently losing 2 days to being on para anchor and then making back the distance lost, we had missed our initial 1000-mile 'target' and it had felt like ages coming.

We are now looking towards the halfway mark, which will hopefully happen on Christmas eve. Currently, headway is good, with us making 8-9 miles, occasionally 10, per 3 hour shift. But as we have already discovered, anything can and does happen at sea, so we cannot extrapolate current progress into future progress.

This part of the trip can be subject to trade winds and favourable currents, and that is what we are currently enjoying. Potentially, this makes the later stages quicker than the earlier ones, which is what we are all hoping for. It is still much too early to predict an arrival time, but 40-something days seems likely.

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Day 13

Friday 13th got off to quite a start, with Captain Neil suddenly taken unwell in the early hours. Speedy treatment from Damian and Johnny suggested it was probably the virus that had affected Louise earlier in the week.

We have been pushing quite hard to get south and hopefully avoid the worst of headwinds at the weekend. Rowing off the wind - heading in a south westerly direction in a westerly wind - can be pretty relentless. Morale had been a little bit lower but a really lovely display of flying fish and Dorado’s around the boat has really lifted spirits later this afternoon.

Day 14

Overnight, the winds strengthened and turned against us. Rowing was abandoned and a bit later, as the winds swung to easterly, we went onto para anchor. We are likely to remain on para anchor until well into tomorrow. Conditions are pleasant now, but it was a wet and fairly rough night and morning, with a few biblical downpours. Obviously, there is some frustration that we are not progressing towards Antigua, but relief that the para anchor is doing a good job and we have travelled only a few miles in the wrong direction.

The crew system has gone a bit out of the window with lots of us on deck for a lot of the day. This gives us the opportunity to chat to those on the opposite watches who we normally don't see much of. Johnny has been diligently trying to catch a fish, but so far, no luck. Neil is recovering from his virus very well but struggling with a muscular type of pain in his arm/ribs.

The skies have been utterly spectacular, and we have got to see the sunset and sunrise, even if we would normally be in our cabins. The enforced rest has also given the sore bums and muscles a welcome rest.

As is so often the case on this boat some of the best times are at what could be the grimmest, such as 4 of us laughing huddled together under a canopy in the heaviest rain you have ever seen whilst Johnny did an impression of a super stoical gnome. Hood literally pulled down to cover his entire face, body hunched against the wind and rain, fishing away from his rowing seat.

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Day 15

Whilst we are currently on para anchor we thought it would be nice to do another whole crew update:

Damian

If it was easy, everyone would be out here doing it. Thoughts are full of family and friends. Being on para anchor is like having a never-ending plane delay.

Jim

We have witnessed the most amazing sunsets at sea, made some great mileage. The crew is working well together. It would be nice to not need to but on our waterproof gear. Antigua here we come. Highlight of the week was singing sea shanties.

Brian

Another week of amazing sunrises, sunsets, laughter and some brutal night shifts. Feeling rested after para anchor and ready to get back on the oars.

Louise

I've enjoyed the last week, feeling time rich, being in the moment with only our small boat out to sea.

Neil

I've got the best co-skipper in the world! Feeling better now and looking forward to getting back on the move.

Ian

This week I have been struck by how reliant on Mother Nature we are. I've really enjoyed the sunsets, the rapidly changing skies, the moonlight, the stars and stunning cloud formations and shapes. Highlight for me being on deck during a monsoon like downpour with the ocean and rains merging and flowing. Privilege to be exposed to it all.

Kitty

Being on para anchor has been a challenge for my boredom threshold... But we've had some lovely conversations and found humour and joy in some slightly unlikely situations! Great progress earlier in the week, and looking forward to being back on the oars soon. Love to family and friends.

Johnny

End of week 2. Everything still fantastic on board. Really good to hear snippets from home that everyone is okay. Mixture of frustration and physical relief from 36 hours on para our bodies will definitely thank us for giving them a break. Cos we ain't there yet!

Dave

I'm particularly chuffed with my new personal best record achieved on day 3. Looking up at a 4m breaking wave and surfing down it at 10.6knots whilst sat on the poo bucket. There's no such thing as waterproof socks but they do retain water and keep your feet warmer a bit like wet suits.

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Day 8

500 nautical miles reached! Our first big milestone was hit at around 4.30pm. Neil has waypoints plotted all the way to Antigua - now a mere 2150nm! The weather continues much the same with moderate winds leading to some choppy conditions and regular drenching, but decent speeds.

The actual big event of the day was Ian being the last person to break his poo bucket duck. Typically for Ian this event was marked by plenty of commentary, whilst the 'earlier adopters' took the mick.

Poor Louise has been poorly today, but hopefully following a rest day, and ably ministered to by paramedic Johnny, she will be back to full fitness soon.

Not much wildlife today but I was recently listening to a discussion as to what the collective noun for flying fish is - Jim was probably most accurate with his comment as to what they might be called when a shoal/flock hit you in the dark...

We have now moved on to a conversation on favourite cocktails and the first drinks people would like in Antigua.

Happy first wedding anniversary to Martin and his wife.

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Day 9

Last night, I was slightly perturbed to come out for a night shift and see the half moon was the wrong way up! In reality, it is a welcome sign of our changing latitude.

The weather has settled down this afternoon, giving flatter, less splashy rowing conditions. This also gives the welcome possibility of getting clothes hung out to dry. The unrelenting soggy knickers (and everything else) have led to some salt sores, but everyone is coping well, and Louise is much better today.

Progress is still good and spirits are high with the slightly easier rowing conditions.

Some sophisticated snack bag management led to both Babybel cheese and crackers being available together. The lack of port and pickle was noted by some...

Random quote of the day goes to Damian with "there are more airplanes in the sea than submarines in the sky".

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Day 10

Today has seen relatively low winds and slightly flatter waves. Progress is a bit slower but the wet stuff is mainly staying on the outside of the boat, which is nice! The calmer weather gave the opportunity to get a few jobs done. This included laundry, so the boat looks like a floating washing line.  There was also the opportunity for a few bits of minor maintenance and general tidying and cleaning of the cabins.

Ian went over the side on a line to check the bottom of the boat for barnacles, which was still clean. Swimming in the middle of the ocean was a big goal for Ian on this trip, so a special day for him, especially as it is also his wedding anniversary today.

We will continue on our south westerly course for the next few days, to try and avoid as far as possible an expected low pressure system. Whilst it is not expected to be severe, it will bring head winds - and Roxy is a big girl to row into the wind.

We had a 'musical interlude' in the early evening. There was some very enthusiastic (but not necessarily tuneful) singing along to a playlist of sea shanties. Martin also made some Mate Argentinian tea for us to drink and we all enjoyed a magical half hour as the sun set.

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Day 11

A beautiful big flying fish had made it's final home in the boat overnight. At least it didn't have quite such an undignified end as the smaller one a couple of days ago that had jumped into the loo bucket!

A couple of milestones were passed today - we are now more than 700nm from Tenerife and have less than 2000nm to go to Antigua. Story of the day went to Ian (again) with his tale of the contested cat cremated remains. There were a couple of games played on deck, and no one could believe that Dave, who we all had down as a Radio 4 man, had never heard of 'Just A Minute'.

Today we are back up to rowing as a 5 after various niggles and some people having the odd rest shift. It was a good opportunity to practice rowing properly together as a crew to maintain speed in quieter conditions.

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Day 12

We had some changeable weather overnight, including a couple of absolutely torrential downpours. This did wash the salt from our foul weather gear, and to some extent, our hair.

We have completed a task of great importance - the onboard snack audit. We were concerned that we had burnt through a disproportionate number of snacks early on due to sea sickness. Fortunately, there are a lot of snacks on board, and as long as we stick to one packet of sweets, one of dried fruit or nuts, and one of biscuits per day, we will be okay. That sounds a lot, but between 10 people working 12 hours each, it does need rationing! There is also 1 (fairly squashed) Babybell and half a high calorie flapjack per person per day.

More excitement has been provided by 2 ships passing within a couple of miles of us within half an hour, the first boats close enough for us to see for several days. For some reason, a tiny rowing boat bobbing around in the Atlantic ocean seems to entertain the ships?!

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Day 1

We met at the dock and said our goodbyes to loved ones, either by phone or in person. We rowed away, turned around and headed out of the harbour to a sound track of Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now'. There was a great send off, with some fog horns and cheering. Some of the goodbyes were difficult, but the mood of the crew was one of excitement - we were underway!

The first 24 hours have seen ideal conditions. It started quite calm with the wind gently building overnight. We have had a nice bit of swell, but nothing scary or difficult. There was a minor problem with the auto helm, fixed at first light by the skipper, which has resulted in a slightly more westerly course than planned. There has been some seasickness, but everyone is managing to keep some food down. Spirits are high and everyone is encouraged by our good early speed.

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Day 2

We spent most of the day flying. The conditions got slowly stronger, which was great for speed but not helpful for sea sickness. Most of the crew were able to keep some food down but one or two really struggled.

At around 8pm two Atlantic dolphins came and spent a few minutes observing us.

At 1.30am the auto helm lost the ability to hold a course. Neil & Louise tried various options and decided a lost rudder was the most likely option. We went on para anchor and got as many crew as possible crammed into the cabins like sardines. Most of us slept amazingly well, as we waited to see what first light would bring.

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Day 3

At daylight, Neil went over the side and found the rudder had snapped off. A plan was devised to remove the fixings of the old one and then Neil was back in the water with the spare rudder. With Jim guiding from inside the boat, the rudder slotted into place at the first attempt. With rather less good fortune, a jelly fish then stung Neil on the hand as he tried to get back in the boat. We got back underway just after 10am UK time and have made really good progress again.

The seas are pretty big, averaging 3m waves, with some bigger ones thrown in, so we are getting regular soakings. The sea sickness is still a struggle for some of the crew, but on the positive side we reached 8.4 knots surfing down one wave!

Overnight, the weather continued to strengthen, which made for some great speed, but sometimes, it was a challenge to keep on the correct heading. Some of the night was very clear with some superb shooting stars.  

‍Day 4

Another day of strong winds and big waves - our top speed surfing down a wave was 10.6 knots! We have got better at maintaining course, using the flags as directional aids and holding water on one side, and rowing harder on the other as necessary. The rowing is quite tough in the strong conditions, but everyone is working hard and getting the job done.

Thankfully, even those worst affected by seasickness are improving and now able to eat at least some food.

It looks like the wind is here to stay for a bit, so speeds should be good, but it would be nice to get some clothes washed and dried at some point. I think we have all had a wave over our head at least once today, so there are lots of wet and smelly clothes already.

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Day 5

We ate the oranges we had onboard, and they were absolutely delicious. With the easier conditions, we had more time to look around and spotted the first flying fish and 2 butterflies. We also had a fish onboard, but it arrived via a wave rather than flying in!

With the calmer weather, the silliness returned and one of the more technical amongst us referred to the forward cabin as the 'pointy end' and the S and P on the hull were rechristened Salt and Pepper. Overnight conditions strengthened somewhat, but we managed to continue to make good progress on an acceptable course.

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Day 6

Another day with some really good rowing and some more challenging times with rougher seas and stronger winds. In the more difficult conditions we had been rowing the two sides separately, but overnight we put some graft into rowing as a team again.

The easier conditions lead to the best chatting conditions when the miles and hours fly by. The crew are now all pretty settled and in a nice routine. Some people are quite fatigued and there are a few salt water sores appearing. But overall we feel like a happy, settled, established bunch. The challenges over the first few days have built resilience and confidence in ourselves, each other and the boat and life onboard is good!

‍CREW UPDATES

Louise

Everybody has risen to the challenges, and I'm so impressed with every single person and the team spirit. Loving being part of the team.

Kitty

So far this trip is everything I hoped it would be. We have had some gnarly times but I wanted adventures and I'm getting them. It is an absolute privilege to be part of this crew living this experience.  

Johnny

Team is everything. When you are struggling it is gratifying to know everyone will dig out for you. That is the team we have. I am doing a very bad of being the onboard ornithologist but I am the crew crab catching expert!

Martin

This week was so challenging with the weather. I am so grateful and it is honour and privilege to share this trip with these amazing people who are there for each other. Let's go for the first 1000 miles!

Damian

I have been trying to take the advice of my father and 'just relax'. Its proving quite difficult when you have the equivalent of the Yorkshire dales coming at you in waves every few minutes. I know that any discomfort we feel out here will be to the benefit of Claire House Children's hospice.

Neil

Changing the auto helm, diving in to replace the broken rudder and 2 long stints on the para anchor tested my responsibilities as skipper in the first 4 days. The support from my co skipper and the acceptance from the crew to spend 2 very uncomfortable nights in big seas bought the crew together right at the start of the expedition.

Dave

In the words of Bridget Jones' Baby 'I've changed my mind'! Mary will understand. Joking apart, it's been an amazing experience. The teamwork required in ocean rowing has been outstanding and once over our initial 3 days when nearly everyone felt seasick, we have all been very supportive of each other. It has been a joy to get back on the ocean. And to have seen pilot whales and to experience living and breathing the motion of the ocean.

Jim

It is clear to me now that the Atlantic is bigger than the river Exe. Best bit is being on deck under the para anchor with the waves crashing over us, the tales of which I will bore the family with. Time on board has been fantastic fun if a little tiring!

Ian

Awesome experience. I'm glad I never thought about it too much before I came! Otherwise I may have missed out on what will undoubtedly be one of the most amazing, challenging and rewarding experiences of my life.

Brian

Settling in quickly to life at sea. So much experienced just in the first few days. Amazing watching the crew tackle any challenge with calm and humour.

And they're off!

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TRAINING WEEK NOVEMBER 2024 IN TENERIFE

Day 1

Over the last couple of days, the Roxy Atlantic Ocean 2024-25 crew has arrived in Tenerife from all corners of the UK, Seattle, Argentina and Antigua. Last night we met as a full crew, over a couple of beers and pizza, generously hosted by Rannoch.

This morning it was time to meet Roxy down on the dock. She was put in the boat crane, and skipper Neil and co- skipper Louise oversaw her being lowered into the dock and taken to her mooring.  

The crew were allocated watches and tasks, and we unpacked and repacked the boat. My job is to be quartermaster of the aft cabin, so now I know where everything lives in that cabin.

Once the boat was repacked and we had all been allocated and fitted with our safety harnesses, PLBs (personal locator beacons) and life jackets, it was time for some rowing‍‍.  

We all got a chance to row in beautiful conditions and the boat was cruising along at a good speed, averaging nearly 3 knots into the wind and 4 knots with the wind behind us. There are clearly some strong, talented rowers on board, with rowing coach and master rower, Martin, being in stroke position at the start, setting us off in a fantastic rythym (the 'stroke' rower sits in the starboard number one seat and the rest of the crew matches their pace).

The crew has come together really well and the atmosphere is very positive. There is already plenty of banter and nonsense - as I write this, Ian is giving Johnny a swimming lesson and talking about 'mature swingers' which is apparently swimming terminology...

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Day 2

A slightly earlier start today for an 8.30am row. We covered about 12km in 2.5hr with 6 rowers up‍. This week is a really good opportunity not only to practice rowing together as a crew, but also to harden our hands and settle our stomachs, which will hopefully make the start of the crossing more comfortable.

Whilst we were on the oars, Neil and Louise spent some time with each crew member, talking about our current feelings and our expectations, hopes and anxieties for the row ahead.

Back on the dock, we had a demonstration of the para anchor. This is pretty much exactly as it sounds - a parachute that acts as an anchor. It can be deployed to prevent us from being blown off course when weather conditions are too strong to row against.

This afternoon we had a fantastic training session with Dawn Smith of Row Aurora, predominantly covered navigation, looking at how to plot our course on paper charts, and what we might do in the unlikely event of failure of the electronic navigation equipment.

The difference between true North and magnetic North was explained, and how this affects the heading needed. We also looked at the difference between the boat's heading and the heading over the ground, with the latter being the important one for staying on course.

We moved on to viewing the predominant wind, current and wave maps, and how we would manage our course to optimise the positive conditions and minimise the negative ones (at least in theory)! Apparently, there is a saying that on an Atlantic crossing east to west at this latitude, you head south "until the butter melts" (i.e. the weather gets warm), and then head west to take advantage of the prevailing winds.

There was lots of discussion around how to manage the boat efficiently in all sorts of weather conditions. Dawn also regaled us with tales of her crossings, both in Roxy and smaller Rannoch boats. Her enthusiasm and passion (combined with some coffee and cake) made for an afternoon that flew by.

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Day 3

Today started with a 12km row, again in beautiful conditions. Skipper and co skipper, Neil and Louise, were off the oars and spent time working out logistics and testing equipment 'in action'.

As we will be rowing with 5 people on the oars at a time, we worked out how to store the unused 6th oar quickly and easily in any one of the vacant 4 rowing positions.  The watermakers (2 small desalination plants) were run and checked. Dave will be helping with the watermaker so this was an opportunity for him to develop his knowledge of the system.

Back on shore, Neil, Louise, Jim and I met with Terry Daniels from Range Global Services, our telecommunications provider. Terry gave us a very informative session on the comms equipment on board - satellite phones, a Garmin InReach, an Iridium GO and the BGAN. We have several different options to provide ample contingency.

This afternoon was First Aid training with Dawn Smith of Aurora Sea School. We covered everything from more major incidents and how they might be handled at sea, to the mundane (but much more likely) sore bottoms and sea sickness.  We are lucky to have a wealth of first aid and medical knowledge on board, as well as an extensive first aid kit.

The last structured element of the day was a whole crew Q&A. The main topics covered were personal hygiene, managing changeovers, resolving conflict and communication with the outside world. It was a good opportunity for the seasoned rowers to share best practice and their personal experiences.

The crew has come together so well in Tenerife. Everyone is determined to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity, and to look after each other.

Day 4

Today was sea survival day! The morning was spent learning the theory: the priorities of survival are protection, location, water and food. We covered emergency equipment on board, distress signals, capsize, life rafts and rescue at sea. It was quite sobering as we learnt from previous incidents, although we are reassured by the exceptional safety record of Rannoch boats.

The afternoon had a very different tone -  practical sea survival! We refitted our on-board personal safety equipment and looked again at the boat's safety equipment. Then the (serious) fun began in the water.

We practiced getting in the life raft dry from the dock. Then it was time to inflate our life jackets and learn how to buddy up in the water and swim in crocodiles. We made sure we could climb into the life raft from the water, then practiced being dragged into it as casualties. Dignity was certainly not preserved!

The session finished with a team race of swimming as a crocodile to the life raft, getting in and shouting the raft mantra of

CUT (release the life raft from the boat), STREAM (let out the drogue), CLOSE (the life raft opening) and MAINTAIN (the conditions in the raft and health of those on board).

Eduardo, Roxy's pet crocodile, was fully involved, but somewhat concerned his claws might puncture the raft.

It was a very serious subject but we had so much fun in the water. A huge thank you must go to Dawn Smith for leading the last 3 days. It has been a superb training programme.

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Day 5

Today started with practicing shift changes on board the boat - safe to say the practice was required! Hopefully we will have mastered them after the 350 or so shift changes that we will do during the crossing!

We also used this time to get really comfortable with the clipping in system we use. We have three clips - one is attached to us, one to the boat at all times, with the third clip enabling us to move around without ever becoming detached from the boat.

We sorted and packed various bits of kit and food, ensuring there is a variety of flavours in each cabin.

Nicola's took our official crew photographs, and yet again no one could resist the chance for a bit of silliness.

Lunch was more expedition food, then we went for a short row and practiced another man overboard drill. It is sobering to see how quickly the person overboard ends up a significant distance from the boat if they are not clipped on, but the procedures we learnt worked well, and our skipper was soon safely recovered.

Rowing back to the marina, we realised that next time we get into the boat to row, we will be starting our crossing. I think we are all itching to get going, yet for some of us (like me!) the scale of what we are about to undertake probably hasn't really sunk in yet.

Tomorrow is a rest day and a chance to tie up any loose ends and for some of us to spend time with friends and family who have come to see us off.  I suspect for a lot of us it will also be a day to spend some time in our own heads and prepare mentally.

No blog tomorrow so next time you hear from me, we will be underway!

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‍Meet our 2024-25 crew:

Row 1 L to R:

Skipper: Neil Blackeby

Retired firefighter who can’t say no to an adventure at sea. This will be my third Atlantic crossing  (one by sail), and fifth ocean rowing attempt with another already in the pipeline. Doing it while I still can!

Co Skipper: Louise Brown

Sailed across the Atlantic and back in ‘96 and 2000. Rowed Roxy on her first Atlantic crossing in ’21 - best 42 days of my life. I love horses and dogs. Mother of three boys, granny of 3 sweeties.

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Row 2 L to R:

Brian Dykas

‍From Seattle, USA. Aerospace engineer and aspiring astronaut and explorer. Love the outdoors and being on the water; this will be my first ocean crossing. Excited for this trip, but wary as the last time I spent 40+ days in isolation, I emerged on 9-Mar-2020 to the world just retreating into isolation!

Kitty Hamilton

From England. Farmer, amateur event rider and mum of 4.  Part of the Roxy North Sea crossing in 2024 and Roxy GB row in 2021. Loves an adventure. Blogger for this crossing.

‍Johnny Bakewell

Can’t sit still for long. Looking to appreciate how big this world really is by rowing an ocean with people who already know the answer to the question, why?

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Row 3 L to R:

Martin Carosso

Argentinean, Buenos Aires, Don Torcuato. 36 years old. Teacher / Professor / Athlete / Entrepreneur. 13 years Rowing Coach. Lover of nature and challenges. When they ask me why? I answer; Why not?  When they ask me for what? I answer; To be me. Lightness, Gratitude, Enjoyment, Love, Teamwork.

‍Damian McCafferty

I'm 45 and live in the North-West of England.  Trained as a psychiatric nurse after leaving the military.  I am currently describing this trip as an attempt to be windswept and interesting, rather than a midlife crisis. I've always been a sucker for a good cause and an adventure, so the opportunity to row an ocean to support Claire House Children’s Hospice was too good of an idea to let pass.

Dave Coles

Retired pilot, 18 years in the Navy, 23 years in the airlines. Life long sailor. This will be my 4th Atlantic crossing - 3 sailing, 1st row. Now I want to give something back and do something useful for charity.

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Row 4 L to R:

Ian Tyers

English, 60 yrs old; swims oceans……. Tenerife to Antigua is too far ….. so will row it instead, with help from new friends! Why? ‘Coz I don’t know if I can but will have to once started.

‍James Nye

Retired police officer who decided getting blisters from rowing was more fun than working again. Looking forward to the mental and physical challenge of 40 days at sea.

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TRAINING WEEK SEPTEMBER 2024

‍Preparing to take on the Atlantic Ocean!

Our 2024-25 Roxy Atlantic crew met up at Ye Olde White Harte pub in Burnham on Crouch on the evening of Sunday 1st September. There was immediate rapport and good humour as they talked about why they had signed up for the row, and their hopes for the upcoming training week, designed to prepare them to take on the Atlantic Ocean.

On Monday morning, they assembled on the pontoon for an introduction to Roxy and some great photos were captured before they set off. After discussing the safety aspects of offshore rowing, how to stay attached to the boat, and where to find food and water, they set off for their first row together. Departing at 1100, they set off up the River Crouch and rowed in shifts until 1600, taking it in turns to row non-stop for 3 hours. They got used to each other’s rowing styles and made good progress. They practised rowing with and against the tide, covering a total of 35km. The evening was spent at The Ship pub, comparing blisters and their 'ape index' (ratio of arm span to height).  A good first day on Roxy!

On Tuesday the crew are in the Roxy yurt, discussing blister treatment before another day of rowing. White Spirit is proving effective but painful! The sun is shining as they set off on Roxy at 1100, heading out of the River Crouch against the incoming tide. They practice MOB drills and seat changeovers every 2 hours, as well as preparing meals on board. They had a surprise visit from Charlie (Founder of Rannoch) in a RIB - it was good to say a (rather damp) hello! They covered 28km, exploring the mouth of the River Crouch and the River Roach, rowing with and against the fast running tide. They finished at 1600 and after a review of the day at Ye Olde White Harte pub, thoughts turned to what to pack for the 48 hour row, starting on Wednesday. It's an opportunity to try out their kit and find out how they are going to sleep eat and row as a team. Exciting!

On Wednesday they set off, in a westerly direction then turned north up the east coast, headed for the Suffolk coast. This gave the crew a wonderful chance to get into the 3 on, 3 off rowing regime, learn to cook on board and become familiar with life in the cabins. The weather was kind, morale was high.

An interesting night row on Thursday from the River Blackwater back to Burnham-on-Crouch! After leaving at 1930 on the last of the ebb tide and powering down the river for 90 mins with 6 rowers, the crew then went into their shift pattern of 4 rowers, rowing 2 hours on, 2 hours off. Not too much wind but the tide was driving Roxy north and she needed to go south! Everyone put their backs into rowing but there were long periods when the boat speed was 0 knots - a real perseverance test.  

Eventually, at about 0530, the crew turned Roxy into the Slipway channel and started the long approach to the River Crouch. However, the tide was not co-operating. Through a foggy dawn, they rowed with boat speeds of 0 - 1 knot, barely able to see the navigation lights on the river, until about 0700, when the tide slacked off, and they started to make progress.

Charlie visited them in the RIB at 0900 to simulate a man overboard drill which the crew handled in a calm, effective manner. They covered the last few miles at good speed and arrived at the Marina at 1015 to a warm welcome from Charlie, Nicola and Quentin - the bacon butties were so welcome after 2 days of expedition food! Hot showers, coffee and a de-brief before they were on their way - with the foundations of an Atlantic crew firmly in place.

Thank you to skippers Neil and Chris, for a memorable and enjoyable experience. They rowed 167 km (104 miles) in 5 days, and whilst their bodies felt every bit of the journey, this crew developed a new and exciting level of resilience in rowing Roxy as a team.