Day 93 - 500nm push is on!
Hello it’s me thought I’d do my bit of the blog today together with my list of things to bring out!
All is good on Flying Ferkins, we’ve been making good ground putting in the hours rowing, we’re burning the miles rowing to the 500 mark as quick as we can and ready to push from there. The food consumption is around 6000 calories a day and the rations are looking good and we’ve had some good sleep. The weather is looking good for the week and our spirits are high.
We heard a whale last night blowing through his blow hole couldn’t see him though but he was very close, quite eerie it was very calm last night light and variable conditions - so that was quite exciting. At first we couldn’t work out where he was coming from.
Chorlty I blundered Alan Partridge is not on the iPod - I will make up for it by watching him when I get back!! Is it really Cowes week soon……………….!
Thank you everyone for all your support it’s really keeping us going especially when the conditions have been awful. Not a lot else to report so I will give you my list of things to bring - Mum Angel cake please, family size of course, in your hand at the finishing line!!
Andrew out
To follow our progress please go to the official Woodvale Challenge site.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:08 am
The boys have downshifted now, pedal to the metal and are getting a bit of a wiggle on in favourable conditions and they are starting to double up on the rowing which they haven’t done much of so far.
The are currently doing the highest mileage that they have done in any part of the race to this point.
The boat’s in great shape all moving parts lubricated and looked after.
The boys are upbeat and eating their way through all their supplies to make the boat lighter, and Guy’s nuts are almost back down to twice their size, after all the moving parts were lubricated and looked after.
All good news - this is going to be a quick few days.
Jem
July 21st, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Andy and Guy on full rations.
SC on half rations
500+ miles to go.
I put my money on Andy and Guy to get to Mauritius first.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Just had a look at Sarah Outen’s website - both Ferkins and Southern Cross appear to have overtaken her. She still has 550 nm to row.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I don’t know if there are some mind games at play here re rations but I don’t blame you if there are.
Last November when I was at the start of the Vendee Globe word spread around the dock that Seb Josse had only rationed for 80 days - if it was true it was a sign of supreme confidence that the Frenchman could smash the solo round the world record. But even if it was false it had a lot of the competition scratching their heads, re-assessing their own victualling.
Keep pulling boys - this really is an epic effort. I’m checking your progress every hour, praying your dot remains in front.
Your recent mileage is phenomenal - and consistently stonking!!
Russ
July 21st, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Very happy to see the progress x x
July 21st, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Well done to both of you.
We think that this challenge you have both taken on is quite incredible. We have been following your progress with interest and can’t help but be amazed at your determination and courage. All the sights and experiences you’ve been though are staggering. Keep up the amazing effort and we are all willing you on over the final stretch.
Keep safe.
Dee & Richard
July 21st, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Hola.
Every time I check the dot, I can’t quite believe how fast you’re going. Amazing. As per usual have been boring people with the tales of my ocean-rowing friends. I mentioned you guys in a job interview today, they seemed impressed (not sure it will help me get the job though).
Epic distances being achieved at the moment, however, Guy, please don’t eat all the food just yet, I know what you’re like!
Anyway, keep up the awesome progress. Can’t wait to see you back on English soil.
Lots of love xxxx
July 21st, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Have done over 20k on the rowers in the gym this week in your honour. delighted to report that my balls are still about the same size now, although am told still bigger than most. Waaaaa haaaa!
Couldn’t resist.
“Keep keep moving on, keep moving on!”
July 21st, 2009 at 6:00 pm
6000 calories is…….
28 packets of wossits,
or 12 big macs
or 13 chicken kormas,
or 43 cans of coke,
or 56 kitkats (two fingers…..just incase you wondered!)
or 130 jaffa cakes,
or 300 individual jelly babies.
if you had to go for one of those which would it be?!!
July 21st, 2009 at 7:11 pm
mind game or not
sedgley’s combinations have got to get those taste buds tingling
could YOU do 12 big macs in a day?!
Jem
July 21st, 2009 at 7:20 pm
now that would be balls out eating…
J
July 21st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
wahooooooooooooooooooo broken the 500 mark - COME ON LEG-ENDS!!!!
Not sure i could do the 12 big macs in a day but i’ve decided that’s my challenge for tomorrow - tonight i am working on the kit kat challenge . . . . . and the jaffa cake challenge . . . . and i might start on the jelly babies too!!!!
July 21st, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Wicked progress boys…. I was listening to Guys podcast and we were cracking up when Guy said he was gonna rest his testicles. Pure Guy comment. Sitting here at home with pure admiration. Love you long time lads.
Thew
x
July 21st, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hi guys, is the progress website accurate? Are you ahead of Southern Cross? If so, wahey! Well done and well done to you Tom for your tireless and consistent reporting, am looking forward to the welcome home party if we’re invited! It’s our first anniversary on Sunday, put in an extra oar or two for us! So pleased you are almost there, well done Uncle Nigel and Auntie Tina too, you must so be looking forward to seeing the boys. Much love Chris & Ali xxxx
July 21st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Wassup,
According to the official Indian Ocean Rowing Race website you both did 60 odd miles during the last 24 hours. Like shit off a shovel lads, brilliant stuff. That is like from Dover to Calais 3 times. Who needs Ferry’s when we have you two. I know how I am getting to France next time!
Del, loving the Angel Cake comment, typical of you mate. I will make sure I save you some wedding cake if you do not make it back in time. You will also get a curry on me eat all you want as promised and for Guy as well. That should be the motivation to make you row harder.
I don’t believe you forgot your Alan Partridge dvd, classic schoolboy error Del.
Guys, I am so impressed with the progress, not far to go now.
Keep it up
Chorlts
July 21st, 2009 at 9:58 pm
35 miles ahead tonight can the gap be widened!!
I think Andrew would go for the Chicken Kormas closely followed by the Jelly Babies….or jaffa cakes or of course angel cake……..!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:35 am
Just a normal day’s eating for me…..pass the garibaldis!
Trumpet Out (of biscuits)
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:10 am
Can’t help myself to blog again… over 70nm covered in the last 24hr period - is that accurate? It’s an incredible total! I don’t remember seeing the other teams achieve much more than that.
Jeremy / Tom can you confirm why the boys seem to be going faster and faster? Is it a combination of lighter boat, taking on more fuel, better conditions, currents??
At this rate they’ll reach land in less than a week!
Russ
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:14 am
Russ I spoke to Andrew this morning he was in really high spirits the boat is whipping along nearly 4 knots he said……………and that was with only Guy rowing!!
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:13 am
I reckon they have averaged 55nM per day over the last eight days!! Incredible achievement! I knew that outboard motor was a good investment!
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 am
This is getting massively exciting. You are simply amazing to be in such high spirits and to have so much fuel left in your weary tanks!
Del - I tried to hurdle an ergo in the gym last week, I got the timing all wrong and ended up kicking the rower in the head. Made me think of you!
Huge love X
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:45 am
Russ,
At this point I can say that the boys have been playing a strategic current game over the last two weeks, and have been playign positive and adverse current [which swirls around the Indian Ocean] to get a jump on SC.
Now all of that’s over and both boats are on a similar degree of latitude [ie parallel with the equator], the current game is finished and it’s a straight sprint between these two awesome and feisty crews - credit to both of them. First one in buys the beers…
The increasing speeds are due to a number of factors not least of which is needing a drink and resting sore arses/nads…
Others include;
Increased motivation
Starting to row together for periods, adding about 0.5 kn] especially during tactically crucial ones.
The boat getting lighter [especially with Guys nuts getting smaller].
The favourable winds [a strong easterly].
Associated favourable following swell.
The two of them being serious units and able to manage themselves ultra well in endurance exercise and looking after their kit very well.
Just to say that the mileages are accurate, but the distances to the finish will be slightly out as Google Earth sees the earth as a flat plane, so there’s some slight error, which is why I use degrees west separation, but this will reduce as they near the finish.
That said they did SEVENTY-TWO MILES YESTERDAY [taken from the woodvale site] which is awesome, as bexhill the race winner only did that once as did Auld Eamus, the fastest boat of all.
I could cry I’m so proud of them.
Ok, gushing over, heads down push on for the last few days, stay safe and go girls!
Jem
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
Don’t forget the other factor in increased speed - baked beans and breaking wind in the correct direction for extra propulsion.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:15 am
For separation distances,
FF and SC are about 61nm apart
FF and Sarah Outen about 110nm
SC and Sarah Outen about 62nm
This assumes the earth is a perfect sphere of radius 3443.9nm (and a perfect sphere it is not). Perhaps Jeremy can give us the correct radius in the area that these three boats occupy.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:53 am
someone with a logarithmic calculator can work that one out.
However, I know it’s 6% shorter going the south route from Aus rather than the northely one [underlining Behxhiil’s excellent work given their route], and that this will be exacerbated at the earth is wide at the equator.
J
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Have just received two pairs of THE MOST FANTASTIC “Happy Socks” in the post this morning xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Especially made for Team MSS by Helen ~ Sarah Outen’s Mum ~ Helen, you could go into business with these”Ocean Rowers Socks” Love them.
I shall take them out with me ~ I know Guy and Andy will love them too.What a lovely presy.
Tx
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Andrew,Guy
72nm - awesome.Total Respect. You will need carbon ceramic brakes to slow the boat down !!
Ian
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Thanks Jem for the 6% shorter comment. This means that the radius earth for long 0 (ie the equator) is greater than say theNorth/South direction.
I see that the 12:00 UTC update now shows 73.88nm in the previous 24hours. Gets more impressive every day. It must be the thoughts of the angel cake.
To put the figure in perspective these are the best daily figures given by the Woodvale site for the other competitors.
Aud Eamus - 74
Bexhill - 81
Pura Vida - 72
RFP - 75 (discounting phantom amounts of 178, 248 and 102)
Southern Cross - 57
Old Mutual - 43
Doing Time - 24
Whatever it Takes - 70
Dream It - 29
Hoppipolla - 11
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
G Bear,
I’m not sure if you require any motivation and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure whether what I’m about to ask of you warrants the title “motivation” but can you hurry up and finish. For the last 94 days I’ve spent 5 minutes each day checking up on how things are going and it’s starting to take its toll on me - I’m exhausted. Not to mention the fact I’ve lost nearly 8 hours to your race! Yeah, we’re all proud of you both and you’re both doing a fantastic job, but come on, get yourself to the finish line pronto then we can all get back to normal!
Love you
Nath
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Thanks for the updates Jem, Claire, JohnP et al - this race is proving a real distraction!
Hats off to them both - I’m knackered just watching it.
R.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Re Russ’s comment about boys getting faster: I think the fact that Del and Guy can now smell the food odours wafting across from Mauritius is helping.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I almost feel excited and exhausted reading this blog, and I think I will like many others I’m sure, really miss looking at it each day!
It is amazing what motivation can do, I know the weather and currents are a bonus, but I’m sure the feeling that you’ve almost cracked this must be helping!
I am beginning to wish I could see you coming over the horizon in Mauritius, what a moment that will be!
Well done both of you, just go easy on the beer in the first few hours!!
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:05 pm
god what a blog fest today, great to see all the support, and as always we are all in awe of what you have done already and what you are about to acheive, not long to go now, weather good and ahead of SC, put the pedal to the metal now, dig deep and be the first doubles to do it,
Mike
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Wow, i cannot believe the mileage covered in the last 24 hours it is incredible. I had did a double take when i first saw it. Talk about digging deep for that last push. And what a response from the bloggers, this must be the most in a day as well! Keep it up boys you are doing amazingly well and it really is not long now until the finish line. We are all watching with a huge amount of admiration. Masses of love Fiona xxx
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Wow, wow, wow (this is an echo wow)….. this is the most amazing day ever, this number of comments is a record for the blog…thanks everyone, we love gaining a few records us Watts’!
Come home safe boys that’s all that matters to us…. Kat & Mimi xx
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Andrew / Guy
Its our first blog, naughty us. But we are here nonetheless.
Amazed at your progress, loving the addiction of the blogs, and watching your little blob scurry towards Mauritius. We’ve been totally fascinated by the journey and all that it has been. Oh Andy, you were definitely missed and talked about at this year’s Tesco gala dins ! ha !
So good that the end is in sight, u deserve a bloody good time when you get on dry land, enjoy, and we will celebrate with you sometime soon.
Love from your Novtis chums Lar and James xx
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