Garbage Island
Only 1000 miles left to row! (She says writing in a nice warm and dry office).
The last time I spoke to Peter, he did not sound too happy. Suffering from clawed hands, bleeding blisters, bad weather and having to ration their desalinated warm water!
They have been chasing the trade currents that will make them reach their goal, but these are proving elusive and sadly they have lost ground to the finish.
The first week of this adventure was one of nausea, cold, rain and getting used to the sea. The second week was a bit more exciting with sights of wildlife and bright stars. At the beginning of the third week, they were concentrating on reaching the middle line despite currents pushing them toward the opposite direction. This week seems to be the hardest.
Instead of sights of beautiful wildlife, in the last few days, all they have seen is plastic rubbish floating about (Garbage Island)!
Temperatures are extremely high and there is no place for them to take shade. The boat has a tiny “cabin” that can only be used if you lie down, but it is quite suffocating.
If they leave the cabin hatch ajar, water can come in and flood it. (This happened once already and it took them days to dry it out). But if closed, the temperature rapidly rises making it almost impossible to stay in there.
Lack of sleep, being hot, sticky, dehydrated, unable to walk, fed up and just a couple of inches away from each other for over 700 hundred hours cannot be good for their mood, and I can just imagine how tempers must fly from time to time.
A vital piece of equipment broke down (the auto helm) and they were drifting for over 6 hours thinking that they might have to be rescued as they were unable to control the boat. But just when they were about to call an SOS, they managed to fix it! Horray!
So if you are reading this having had a rotten week, just think of these guys who do not even have the luxury of being able to sit on the loo to contemplate their troubles!
Thank you for your messages of support and please keep them coming! Goodwill from all of you means a lot and keeps them going!
"Courage is contagious. When brave men take a stand, the spines of others are stiffened". - B. Graham
See where Peter Gadiot is right now!
Wow! is the first word that comes to mind when reading this blog. I admire the strength and courage of these men. And it's all for a great cause ;)
ReplyDeleteI will pray for their safety and for God to give them more patience courage and strength. U__U and to think I had a bad/blue day ::: reading this makes me be really thankful for both the good days and the not so good days too. It also inspires me because this is another example of how people can make a difference when they really want to... Nothing is impossible. Thankyou for sharing this ;) p.s love and hugs to the team. XoXoXoXo #StopHumanTrafficking
Tremendous endurance. It is hard to imagine in the comfort of a warm sitting room just how tough this must be. You will have enough intention to punch through metal doors by the end of this!!
ReplyDeleteYours in admiration, Gary Byrne
PS I imagine those algae bars must have provided some welcome sustenance :-)