Your Question and Answers
As you might imagine alot of the people I come across have alot of questions so this is where I do my best to answer them…
What happens at night? Do you just drift?
When I'm not rowing, the boat just drifts with the wind and the currents. The currents are very modest - about a knot at best. The wind is far more significant and wind alone will blow the boat along at a couple of knots. Once the wind has been in a certain direction for a while and a set of waves develops, the boat then starts to surf down the waves at quite high speeds.
When the wind and waves are coming from the wrong direction, I can put out a para anchor that holds the boat relatively still in the water and minimises the drift in the wrong direction. On days where the wind and waves are strongly against me, there will be no point trying to row and I will lose less ground if I just put out the para anchor.
How Much sleep will you get each day?
I plan to row for 12 - 13 hours per day. A few more hours will be needed to maintain the boat, eat, send the daily log, navigate etc. That should leave plenty of time for sleep. I'm not sure if I'll sleep all night for around 6 - 7 hours in one go or have maybe 3 smaller sleeps. The danger of one long sleep is that you are more likely to be hit by a boat but your body is set up for one big sleep each day.
So probably 6-7 hours sleep each day but I'm not sure what pattern I'll use yet.
What equipment is carried on board?
All teams, pairs, solos, and fours will carry the minimum designated equipment, which includes safety items such as life jackets, liferaft, EPIRB (Emergency Positioning indicating radio beacon) VHF Radio, line of sight for navigational purposes and a medical kit. Full kit list to be found under "Boat & Equipment" section.
How is drinking water produced on board?
All boats will carry a water desalinator, which turns salt water into drinking water. In case that breaks I will have a second water desalinator in the form of a hand operated one. Also there will be 100 litres of fresh water stored below deck as ballast. Rationing this to 4 litres per day will keep me going for up to 25 days so a combination of these safety measures should get me across without getting to thirsty.
What happens in an emergency?
The racing fleet of ocean rowers will be followed by support vessels that will provide cover in emergencies. A medic will also form part of the safety vessel crew, trained to provide medical assistance either over VHF radio or onboard. Any rowers that need emergency assistance can be reached within 24 hours regardless of their position in the Atlantic.
What navigation systems are used?
All teams will use a GPS (Global Positioning System) to navigate their way across the Atlantic. A sextant will also be carried and will be a mandatory peace of equipment which can be used to manually navigate if the GPS fails.
How is the electrical equipment powered?
Electrical equipment is powered by a series of solar panels fixed to the cabin roofs. This is the only source of producing energy onboard the boats so some electrical items are fitted with their own power supply.
How do you go to the toilet?
The number one question asked. Basically it's "Bucket and chuck it"
What food rations are required for the race?
Due to the long duration of the race, most of the food will be freeze dried or boil in the bag. Treats such as chocolate, dried fruit and energy bars are essential and also help to boost morale.
Please email me james@atlanticadventurer.com if you have any questions, no matter what they are. I will endeavour to answer them to the best of my abilities.
