Friday, November 07, 2003
Annals of Adventure--Around the Globe, Non-Stop...the Wrong Way!: There is an easy way to sail around the world and a very, very hard way. The easy way is to go from west to east, which puts the prevailing winds in the Southern Ocean--at the bottom of the globe--behind you. So you are mostly enjoying a fast, sometimes hairy, sometimes thrilling, downwind sleigh ride for about 10,000 of the 25,000 mile voyage. The hard, hard way--the way of stubborn, masochistic sailors--is to sail west to east, against the prevailing winds, into the teeth of storms, spending months and months beating into the wind, a cold, wet, existence in which every mile is a struggle. Not surprisingly, only 4 sailors in history have done the non-stop, wrong-way route. The first was an Englishman named Chay Blyth, who inaugurated the east to west misery-fest in 1970. He made the trip in 292 days and was forever after known as "Wrong Way Chay." Three subsequent sailing iconoclasts have lowered the time to 151 days. And today a Frenchman named Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (popularly known as VDH) set out to become the fifth. VDH is a stubborn guy. This is not his first attempt on the Wrong-Way Record. It is his FOURTH, and his weapon of choice is a 75-foot aluminum cutter named "Adrien." In 1999, in his first attempt, in a 60-footer, VDH hit an underwater object past Cape Horn, and barely made it to port in Chile. In 2001, in the new "Adrien," VDH was done in by Cape Horn again--a storm started to work the keel off. And just last year, after 64 days at sea--18 days ahead of the record and nearing Australia--VDH lost his mast. A lesser mortal might give up, concluding that Neptune has it in for him. Not VDH. He's off again, a model of determination and philosophical equanimity. This time, I bet he makes it. We'll let you know how he's getting on......
Stubborn Old Man: "Je refuse! West to East is for sissies...."
Stubborn Old Man: "Je refuse! West to East is for sissies...."
Thursday, November 06, 2003
Annals of Exploration--Is There Anyone Out There?: Voyager 1, launched almost 30 years ago, has just about run out of solar system. Indeed, the little probe that could, which is now 8.37 billion miles from the sun, might actually be beyond the solar system--in the vast and unknown area known as interstellar space. Scientists aren't sure, in part because the boundaries of the solar system expand and contract. But they are having a hell of a good time arguing about it. Just in case Voyager runs into any extraterrestrial life out there, it carries a high density golden disk which attempts to explain our planet. What's on it? Among other things, greetings in 55 languages, the sound of a kiss, a mother's lullaby, and written statements from President Jimmy Carter and then-UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. Carter? Waldheim? Uh-oh. Hope the Borg don't run into this thing. We are sure to get assimilated. Resistance is futile.......
Rockin' Klingons: Maybe we'll be spared.....Voyager also carries a version of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode"
(Image: NASA)
Rockin' Klingons: Maybe we'll be spared.....Voyager also carries a version of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode"
(Image: NASA)
Jacques Vabre Update--Hard Sailing: No new drama, as the boats plow south at top speed. But here are some great pictures, which convey both the speed--and daring--of the Open 60 multihulls. Looks like fun, doesn't it?:
"Help, I can't slow down! Wait, why would I want to?"
"I sure hope this is the back end....."
"Help, I can't slow down! Wait, why would I want to?"
"I sure hope this is the back end....."
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Jacques Vabre Update--All At Sea: At 10 am this morning, Froggie time, the 14 Open 60 trimarans hit the start line. These boats are like Formula 1 race cars, arguably the most powerful...and fragile racing vessels on the high seas. Off the line they were all doing speeds into the mid-20s, blasting along with their two person crews, and settling into a 4300 mile sprint (they'll sail direct for Brazil; Ascension Island was removed from the course due to the late start). When the running is tight the crews will hand steer, flying one and even two hulls, carving the fine line between speed and disaster. If they flip, they stay flipped, and they are so unbelievably powerful they can flip in almost any conditions if the helmsman makes a mistake or the autopilot decides to take a break. When they can, the crews will grab snatches of sleep, and heat up pasty freeze-dried food to try and stem the steady loss of calories that comes with racing a rocket ship shorthanded. The tris are rounding the northwest tip of France and will then cross the Bay of Biscay as they dive south for the equator. No weather bombs predicted for the moment. But hang on for the ride...Neptune never lets this race off without some surprises. Up ahead, for instance, the monohull Open 60s got pasted again overnight, with winds more than 60 knots. They're all wet, cold, tired and miserable, pining for the moment they finally hit the trade winds and can shrug out of their dry suits and get a little sun. Britain's ECOVER is still hanging on to the lead....
"Holy Merde, Michel. You dodged that chopper...but what are you going to do about the container ship?"
(Photo: Transat Jacques Vabre)
"Holy Merde, Michel. You dodged that chopper...but what are you going to do about the container ship?"
(Photo: Transat Jacques Vabre)
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
The Latest From Expedition News: Our friends at Expedition News will be sending us highlights every month from their newsletter. Here are a few November items that caught my eye:
1) Next summer a team of underwater archaeologists and geologists will launch the Deep Med One expedition, which will try to find--seriously--the Lost City of Atlantis. The expedition will feature a deep sea submersible and focus on a spot 18 miles southwest of Tarifa, Spain. What will they be looking to find? Oh, temples, buildings, prehistoric artifacts, that sort of thing. Plato described Atlantis around 355 BC. Aristotle said he made it up. Good luck, guys.....
17th Century Depiction: Sure looks easy to find....
(Image: Francis Hitchin, World Atlas of Mysteries)
2) "A Texas beer import company, Rengo Imports, is capitalizing upon the appeal of penguins and the mystery of the southern hemisphere with its launch of Rockhopper lager from Santiago, Chile (www.rockhopperbeer.com)...Not content to just give people a good buzz, Rengo throws in a natural history lesson with its promotional table tents. They explain that rockhopper penguins "are aggressive, zany and sociable. About 18 inches tall, they have a vertical leap of six feet. Their loud cries, called 'ecstatic vocalization,' announce their presence and attract females."
"Why us? We're cute, we're trendy...and the bastards were too cheap to pay royalties to Jim Belushi."
3) From an ad by climbing guide Daniel Mazur we learn that a little jaunt up Everest in 2004 can be had, Sherpas and all expenses included, for $19,500. Summit not guaranteed....
1) Next summer a team of underwater archaeologists and geologists will launch the Deep Med One expedition, which will try to find--seriously--the Lost City of Atlantis. The expedition will feature a deep sea submersible and focus on a spot 18 miles southwest of Tarifa, Spain. What will they be looking to find? Oh, temples, buildings, prehistoric artifacts, that sort of thing. Plato described Atlantis around 355 BC. Aristotle said he made it up. Good luck, guys.....
17th Century Depiction: Sure looks easy to find....
(Image: Francis Hitchin, World Atlas of Mysteries)
2) "A Texas beer import company, Rengo Imports, is capitalizing upon the appeal of penguins and the mystery of the southern hemisphere with its launch of Rockhopper lager from Santiago, Chile (www.rockhopperbeer.com)...Not content to just give people a good buzz, Rengo throws in a natural history lesson with its promotional table tents. They explain that rockhopper penguins "are aggressive, zany and sociable. About 18 inches tall, they have a vertical leap of six feet. Their loud cries, called 'ecstatic vocalization,' announce their presence and attract females."
"Why us? We're cute, we're trendy...and the bastards were too cheap to pay royalties to Jim Belushi."
3) From an ad by climbing guide Daniel Mazur we learn that a little jaunt up Everest in 2004 can be had, Sherpas and all expenses included, for $19,500. Summit not guaranteed....
Woodvale Atlantic Update--The Slow Slog: The 14 two-maniac teams still contesting the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race are more than two weeks into the voyage from the Canary Islands to Barbados and have yet to hit the halfway mark. Reality has settled in: they are going to be out there for a long time. It's hot. It's tiring. It's frustrating when headwinds, instead of expected tailwinds, show up to torment the sunbaked rowers. There are sporadic moments of exhilaration, particularly when the dolphins show up. But here's a report from Team Atlantic Wholff, currently in 6th, which begins to capture how unbelievably difficult it is to row across an ocean:
"The nights out here are particularly long, being around 12 hours of darkness. This has meant four shifts each of one and a half hours and waking each other up is becoming increasingly hard! We are however determined to keep up the pace, despite the fact that we are starting to hallucinate. Hugo had a particularly interesting conversation last night with someone about golf!"
Alternative Hallucination Explanation: Shouldn't They be Drinking Water?....
(Photo: Team Atlantic Wholff)
"The nights out here are particularly long, being around 12 hours of darkness. This has meant four shifts each of one and a half hours and waking each other up is becoming increasingly hard! We are however determined to keep up the pace, despite the fact that we are starting to hallucinate. Hugo had a particularly interesting conversation last night with someone about golf!"
Alternative Hallucination Explanation: Shouldn't They be Drinking Water?....
(Photo: Team Atlantic Wholff)
Shekhdar Update--Bon Voyage...Finally! Marathon rower Jim Shekhdar, 56, is finally ready to tackle the Southern Ocean, after a long delay for repairs to his custom-made cockleshell, followed by a long wait for favorable weather to kick in. With the weather looking good, Jim is preparing to depart Bluff, New Zealand Friday early: "No more excuses - the weather looks right and the boat is ready so I guess I'm going tomorrow morning." Ummm, how about a little enthusiasm, Jim? Though maybe it is hard to get too excited about an open-ocean row of many thousands of miles through frigid, forbidding waters. Jim hopes to eventually turn up in Cape Town, South Africa. His expected arrival date....May 6, 2004. You can track Jim's progress here, or read about it in the Wetass Chronicles. See ya, Jim......
Detailed Schematic of Jim's Vessel: It seems to float...but has been commandeered by an alien
(Image courtesy of Louisa McCulloch, 6)
Detailed Schematic of Jim's Vessel: It seems to float...but has been commandeered by an alien
(Image courtesy of Louisa McCulloch, 6)
Monday, November 03, 2003
Annals of Ouch: Surfing. Sharks. Unfortunately, the two sometimes come together. Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton lost an arm last Friday as she surfed the break off Kauai's North Shore.
"My arm was hanging in the water, and it just came and bit me," Hamilton told Honolulu television station KGMB. She said the shark pulled her back and forth, "but I just held on my board, and then it let go." Doctors at Wilcox Memorial Hospital said Bethany's top condition as a competitive athlete helped her survive the attack. "It was a very clean amputation," Dr. David Rovinsky said.
Kudos to the kid. She says she'll be back on a surf board........
Bethany Busts One.....Using Two Arms
"My arm was hanging in the water, and it just came and bit me," Hamilton told Honolulu television station KGMB. She said the shark pulled her back and forth, "but I just held on my board, and then it let go." Doctors at Wilcox Memorial Hospital said Bethany's top condition as a competitive athlete helped her survive the attack. "It was a very clean amputation," Dr. David Rovinsky said.
Kudos to the kid. She says she'll be back on a surf board........
Bethany Busts One.....Using Two Arms
Transat Jacques Vabre--Pasted!: There is a gale pounding the French coast with 30-40 knot winds, and the TJV organizers have wisely postponed the 60-foot trimaran start until Wednesday. That wasn't much comfort for the Open 60 monohull fleet, which started on Saturday, and sailed straight into the brunt of the storm. Butchers bill so far: one boat lost its keel, and the two man crew had to be airlifted to safety by helicopter; a second boat was dismasted; seven boats had to put into port with a variety of glithces and breakage; and 6 have withdrawn from the race. Ahh, deep ocean shorthanded racing. It's probably one of the most brutal sports on earth. Here's what the sailors have to say:
“It’s impossible to sleep on the boat,” said Alex Thomson on Open 60 Sill over the sat phone: “We haven’t slept for more than 3 hours in total since the start. The boat bangs down on each wave and the seas are difficult. Other than that I am having a great time sailing with Bilou, and this boat is the right one to be on in these conditions…” “The sea is still pretty huge with 6m crests and crossed seas off Ushant. There’s 38 knots of wind and I can hardly speak to my co-skipper Olivier because there is too much noise around us!” said Regis Guillemot on Open 50 Storagetek. Brian Thompson on Ecover sounded out of breath on the satellite phone: “Its been another rough night with 30-35 knots. We’re jumping over waves and heading over the continental shelf, which normally has big waves. We can’t see them, but we can definitely feel them. Last night Sam Davies on Team Cowes was finally able to send in his first report from the boat: “It has been a bit rough (understatement of the year) but it didn't feel dangerous at any point. I was knocked off the helm a couple of times by some big waves that just lifted me up as they swept down the deck. I was clipped on, of course, so managed to get back to the helm before she crashed tacked. (something that would take at least a quarter of an hour to recover from) It has been really close...I could hear some of the others around in the night doing manoeuvres, trimming sails...which was a bit weird. The boat’s been shaken around a lot - one of the solar panels on the stern has ripped off and some kit down below has literally been shaken from the fittings but apart from that we are in good shape and looking forward to when the conditions may ease a bit later tomorrow.”
Conditions are finally easing today, and the two-man crews are settling into their routines for the long run to Brazil. Britain's ECOVER has a 12.5 mile lead as the boats head towards the Bay of Biscay.....
"I say, Jack, is this thing a boat or a submarine?....."
“It’s impossible to sleep on the boat,” said Alex Thomson on Open 60 Sill over the sat phone: “We haven’t slept for more than 3 hours in total since the start. The boat bangs down on each wave and the seas are difficult. Other than that I am having a great time sailing with Bilou, and this boat is the right one to be on in these conditions…” “The sea is still pretty huge with 6m crests and crossed seas off Ushant. There’s 38 knots of wind and I can hardly speak to my co-skipper Olivier because there is too much noise around us!” said Regis Guillemot on Open 50 Storagetek. Brian Thompson on Ecover sounded out of breath on the satellite phone: “Its been another rough night with 30-35 knots. We’re jumping over waves and heading over the continental shelf, which normally has big waves. We can’t see them, but we can definitely feel them. Last night Sam Davies on Team Cowes was finally able to send in his first report from the boat: “It has been a bit rough (understatement of the year) but it didn't feel dangerous at any point. I was knocked off the helm a couple of times by some big waves that just lifted me up as they swept down the deck. I was clipped on, of course, so managed to get back to the helm before she crashed tacked. (something that would take at least a quarter of an hour to recover from) It has been really close...I could hear some of the others around in the night doing manoeuvres, trimming sails...which was a bit weird. The boat’s been shaken around a lot - one of the solar panels on the stern has ripped off and some kit down below has literally been shaken from the fittings but apart from that we are in good shape and looking forward to when the conditions may ease a bit later tomorrow.”
Conditions are finally easing today, and the two-man crews are settling into their routines for the long run to Brazil. Britain's ECOVER has a 12.5 mile lead as the boats head towards the Bay of Biscay.....
"I say, Jack, is this thing a boat or a submarine?....."
Pacific Windsurf--Finis!: On Sunday French sailboarder Raphaela Le Gouvello finally touched the shores of Tahiti....after 89 days and 7 hours at sea. Merde. The last week of her 4455 mile voyage from Peru was agony, as extremely light winds kept Le Gouvello at her sail, holding its weight, for hours and hours every day. She's not stopping there, though. After taking a break to rest and recuperate, she'll eventually continue on to Australia. Must be sunstroke.....
"Thanks, guys. Now put me down and get me a steak....."
"Thanks, guys. Now put me down and get me a steak....."
Everest Update--Bye-Bye Berg: Well, that's the way it goes sometimes. After climbing to the South Summit in near-perfect conditions, Wally Berg and his team were greeted by a sudden and dramatic increase in wind speed. Berg then made a tough, disciplined, decision. He ordered everyone to turn around and head back down the mountain. Berg explains:
"Now think about that, the South Summit is higher than K2. That's where we all were today. The South Summit of Everest is only about 400 or 500 feet lower than the summit of Everest. Of course to traverse you cross quite an exposed ridge, including the Hillary Step. I was almost shocked, although I probably shouldn't have been--Michael Fagin told me, "You'd better be careful, those winds might pick up on the 2nd." They certainly did. So with mixed emotions we turned around. It was definitely the call. The clock was running against me. I had a turn around time of 10 hours, 10 hours from the South Col to the Summit. That's a 300 foot ascent rate if you want to talk in feet. It took us nine hours to get the entire group to the South Summit. In the conditions we had this morning, we wouldn't have been out there in one hour. We would have been out there in two hours or more. And that was a factor. But those winds really clinched it for us."
It must have been a major disappointment after all the months of planning and acclimitization. But that's how you live to climb another day. Berg will be headed to Antarctica next, late in the month. Does is this guy ever take a break?
Heading Home: Everest Wins the Final Round.....
(Photo: Berg Adventures International)
"Now think about that, the South Summit is higher than K2. That's where we all were today. The South Summit of Everest is only about 400 or 500 feet lower than the summit of Everest. Of course to traverse you cross quite an exposed ridge, including the Hillary Step. I was almost shocked, although I probably shouldn't have been--Michael Fagin told me, "You'd better be careful, those winds might pick up on the 2nd." They certainly did. So with mixed emotions we turned around. It was definitely the call. The clock was running against me. I had a turn around time of 10 hours, 10 hours from the South Col to the Summit. That's a 300 foot ascent rate if you want to talk in feet. It took us nine hours to get the entire group to the South Summit. In the conditions we had this morning, we wouldn't have been out there in one hour. We would have been out there in two hours or more. And that was a factor. But those winds really clinched it for us."
It must have been a major disappointment after all the months of planning and acclimitization. But that's how you live to climb another day. Berg will be headed to Antarctica next, late in the month. Does is this guy ever take a break?
Heading Home: Everest Wins the Final Round.....
(Photo: Berg Adventures International)
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