Ocean Rowing Updates: Olly Rows On, Sarah Back on Dry Land

A couple of quick updates today on the two major ongoing ocean rows that I've reported on recently.

First, the big news is about Sarah Outen, who is hoping to become the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean. She set off a week or so back from Fremantle, Australia with her sights firmly set on reaching Mauritius, and doing so in record time. She also hoped to become the youngest person to ever achieve the crossing as well.

According to her blog however, that quest will be delayed a bit. It seems that the electrical systems on Sarah's boat went out and she was forced to call for a tow back to land. But fear not, while the boat is being examined, Sarah says she'll restock her supplies, rest up, and prepare to head back out onto the water as soon as she can. She's not quite done yet.

Meanwhile, her fellow countryman, British adventurer Olly Hicks, continues his attempt to circumnavigate Antartica by row boat as part of the Virgin Global Row challenge. After a slow start, that included a week of basically standing still, Olly seems to really be in the groove now, and making solid progress as he rows south and east, to drop below New Zealand before heading out across the South Pacific.

Olly continues to update his daily blog as well, with insights into his day to day life aboard the Flying Carrot. In a recent post he laments the build up of barnacles on his beloved boat, saying they only serve to remind him of how slow he is moving, saying that at times he feels like "little better than drift wood with lights and music!" He's also endured some foggy days of late, which hasn't brightened his mood much, but he seems focused and intent on just taking things one day at a time, happy to be making positive miles.

If everything continues to go as planned, Olly should reach South Georgia around June, where he'll take a break from the water, wait out the winter, and then continue on his way. All told, the expedition is expected to take 18 months to complete.

Virgin Global Row Update: Olly Calls It Quits

Just starting to dig out on all the things that have been going on since I left, but I didn't notice that Olly Hicks, who was attempting to circumnavigate around Antarctica in a row boat has decided to abandon the attempt once he reaches New Zealand.

Olly made a post to his blog over at the Virgin Global Row website a few days back announcing the decision, which wasn't an easy one. Essentially it came down to the extremely slow progress he has seen since setting out 82 days ago. In that time, he has covered roughly 1600 nautical miles, but the distance to New Zealand is just 800nm. Considering the length of the journey ahead, Olly figures that it would take him 5 years to complete the row, far longer than he had expected or was prepared to commit.

The British adventurer blames his boat, dubbed the Flying Carrot, for the extremely slow going. He says that she tracks terribly in the wind, and anything over 20 knots in speed kills forward progress, even while using the oars. Considering the legendary winds of the Southern Ocean average more than that in speed, you can begin to see how frustrating this has been for Olly.

He now hopes to make landfall in NZ sometime in the next few weeks, and he says that the trip was not a total loss. He learned a lot and will take those lessons with him into his next endeavor, whatever that may be. Something tells me we haven't heard the last from Mr. Hicks however, and it won't be long before he's planning another expedition.

Get home safe Olly!

Virgin Global Row Update: Progress at Last!

It's been a couple of weeks since I checked in on Olly Hicks and his Virgin Global Row. At that time, he was struggling each day to just hold on to his position, and for a number of days in row, that's about all he could do. The young British adventurer was rowing for several hours each day, just to attempt to hold his ground against the savage winds and waters of the Southern Ocean.

Loading up the map on the Global Row website today though shows that he has indeed made solid progress over the past week or so. Olly has actually had a couple of calm days and has made the most of them, rowing with renewed vigor. He's now more than 40 days into his attempt to circumnavigate Antarctica by rowboat, with an estimated 450+ to go, and by his regular blog posts, I'd say he's still in good spirits, despite his early struggles. I can't say I'd feel the same way all things considered.

The entries in his blog tell of his daily struggles with things that seem hard to comprehend for those of us who have never attempted to row across an ocean. In one recent post he mentions the "cross seas" that send waves at him from different directions, making it nearly impossible to keep a rowing rhythm and requiring constant concentration to keep on course. He also talks about how his custom made rowboat, lovingly dubbed the Flying Carrot, will roll in the water, pulling the oars from his hands, and smacking him in the knees in the process.

Checkout the photo attached to this post to get an idea of the kind of seas that Olly is dealing with here. Now imagine facing that day in, and day out, alone for weeks at a time. Seems like a grim prospect, but Olly can look forward to making landfall for a short break from all of that in about six months time. Hang in there Olly we're pulling for you.

Virgin Global Row Update: Rowing and Reading

Reading the latest updates from Olly Hicks on the Virgin Global Row website leads me to believe that the British adventurer has finally found his rhythm and gotten into a routine. He continues to make good progress, after struggling early on, and his tracking system shows that he is generally moving in a south easterly direction these days, far better than the backwards drift he was experiencing just days after he launched.

For those that haven't been following Olly, he is attempting to become the first person to circumnavigate Antarctica in a row boat. He plans to be at sea for approximately 18-22 months, with a couple of resupply stop overs mixed in as well. The planned route has him dropping south below the 50th degree, before proceeding east, crossing the South Pacific Ocean, round Cape Horn and through the Drake Passage, before heading towards South Georgia. If all goes according to plan, Olly will arrive there in June of this year, where he will take on supplies and wait out the winter before heading out once again.

In his latest blog posts, Olly talks about his long days behind the oars, some better than others. He mentions that he has seen only one ship so far on his journey, which is not unusual that far south, and he seems to be passing the time by reading a lot. I'm not sure how many books he brought along with him, but he's knocking them off at an alarming rate. In today's dispatch he notes that he completed three books today alone, and since I'm pretty sure Amazon doesn't have express delivery to the Southern Ocean, he might want to pace himself some.

It's good to see that Olly has fallen into a bit of a routine and is continuing to making progress. He'll need to stay focused and upbeat, as he's obviously got months of paddling ahead of him before a real break, but for now he seems content to go about his daily work and pass the hours while not rowing in any way that he can.