Depart San Sebastian, La Gomera 7:02 AM

36.9 miles
27° 34.154' N, 17° 15.108' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 02
8-Nov-02

Ray's mother reports:

Jenny called sometime during the night. She said in the last 24 hours they've been rowing in 1 hour shifts. Yesterday they had slight headwinds and during the night there were counter-currents. They have only been able to make 1.5 knots.

The counter-current has now eased. She sounded really excited and happy.

51.2 miles
27° 06.881' N, 17° 54.601' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 03
9-Nov-02

Another message waiting on our answering machine this morning. This time from Ray.

"Had a bumpy ride during the night, today is wonderful. Blowing 18-20 knots dead astern."

Ray sounded really happy and said, "I wouldn't rather be anywhere else. It's a great trip so far"

42.5 miles
26° 44.219' N, 18° 27.254' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 04
10-Nov-02

Jenny's happy voice this morning.

"Rolling right along. Nice 18 to 20 knot wind NNE. Sea is about 8 feet, which is good."

28.9 miles
26° 29.152' N, 18° 49.664' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 05
11-Nov-02

Ray's dad answered the phone when Ray called this morning at 03:45 MST

Health report: A bit sea sick the first two days so didn't eat much. Jenny made vegetable stew yesterday. Mm good. Learning to drink a hot cup of liquid in high seas with the wind swirling around, boat going every which way is a challenge.

Last night the wind and waves prevented them rowing because they couldn't manage to keep both oars in the water, so threw out the series, or drogue. The bad news is the rope caught on the rudder, so had to retrieve the drogue and free the rope in the dark, and then carefully let out the drogue again for 5 hours.

Both are exhausted today, but rowing again an hour on and an hour off. I could hear Jenny rowing while Ray talked.

They saw lots of dolphins the first two days but no fish so far. Lots of petrels and others, not interested in the boat.

Doug Carroll kept suggesting Ray and Jenny take a hand-held VHF Radio, but they didn't have one. Then Bert Coalson from the sailing yacht Natoma came along the day they left and generously gave them a radio. What a blessing. The second day out a container ship came steaming toward them. Ray called the boat on the VHF but received no answer. The ship seemed to change course somewhat, and all was well.

Days have been cloudy. One low pressure after another, so wind and waves coming from every direction.

Ray closed with, "Well, only 15 minutes left on my sleep hour, so signing off. We love you and don't worry about us. We're doing great."

42.2 miles
26° 09.676' N, 19° 24.272' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 06
12-Nov-02

Temperature at noon: 80°F

Solar water maker working great. Have more water than needed. Could fill a bath tub.

Seemed to have more energy since eating corn pasta for supper. Have one melon and a bucket of fruit left.

Will go into water today and check the hull, even though they refinished it before they left.

Beautiful night, beautiful day. Looking forward to favorable currents.

29.4 miles
25° 56.922' N, 19° 48.895' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 07
13-Nov-02

Were too busy to talk. Sailboat spotted in area. Fixing rowing seat.

47.3 miles
25° 32.843' N, 20° 25.884' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 08
14-Nov-02

Jenny called this morning. (She's always in great spirits.) Said they've gotten some rain and clouds, however the water maker is working fine even in cloudy weather. The wind blew a gale, in fact for about an hour they experienced a real squall. Ray's dad asked about "salt water boils," she said they were experiencing some. Their foam seats are always wet. However they have plenty of baby powder and lotions etc. So no problem.

Ray has a solution to the problem of falling off the rowing seat when the ocean is wild, but hasn't had time to make adjustments.

Jenny was about to cook some baby food for their breakfast. Wanted oatmeal but stores didn't have it. She said she's learning not to fight the ocean but to work with it .

21.2 miles, with drifting SSE
25° 16.207' N, 20° 34.754' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 09
15-Nov-02

They are in a storm and unable to use their oars. They're drifting SE at a little less than a knot.

Will call again today

Ray and Jenny are experiencing 30 foot waves. All they can do is ride it out. They're being blown to the east.

They had enough fresh water today to take showers and do the laundry.

23.0 miles
24° 57.171' N, 20° 42.187' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 10
16-Nov-02

Major storm yesterday caused big waves. Now calm for a while, followed by 10 knot winds.

50.2 miles
24° 32.390' N, 21° 21.685' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 11
17-Nov-02

x

63.6 miles
24° 05.136' N, 22° 14.378' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 12
18-Nov-02

Brett T. reports: I received a call from Ray and Jenny this afternoon. It looks like I will be handling the updates for a while. Jenny's voice sounded happy and at-ease, as others have noted before, and the quality of the satellite phone connection was superb.

Jenny's firsthand account:

"Good NE winds 15-20 knots making for good progress. The night was much the same, but with several rain squalls. Have seen no other boats or airplanes for one week, although we did see a yellow oil drum and glass fishing float. We now have a small pilot fish escorting us.

"We would like to congratulation Stein Hoff on the completion of his voyage. And we would also like to convey our best wishes to Fedor. That's all for now."

More updates as circumstances allow.

55.5 miles
23° 42.193' N, 23° 00.703' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 13
19-Nov-02

Ray and Jenny tell me they are progressing really well lately, but that on whole the sea state has proven very challenging, testing both the boat and their own abilities. They have experienced a wide variety of sea and wind conditions since Day 1, with sometimes huge waves, and winds up to 35 knots. On average, waves have been between 8 and 10 feet, and winds around 20 knots .

For the past several days, winds have been out of the NE, which is a tailwind allowing for a much-appreciated extra shove. The boat is heavy and very slow to row in the absence of a beneficial wind. Without the wind advantage, the boat's top speed is about half that of a normal walking pace. And the Atlantic is a BIG ocean! Ray says there is an analogy between what they are doing and a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, for example.

They are indeed rowing around the clock, 24 hours a day, and they accomplish this by rowing individually in one hour shifts. Changing positions takes about a minute to accomplish.

Ray pointed out that this adventure is not a race; they are pushing themselves simply because they find it, in Ray's own words, "very rewarding ."

64.9 miles
23° 14.185' N, 23° 54.042' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 14
20-Nov-02

Ray and Jenny have reached another milestone in their journey with the conclusion of the second week of rowing. They say they are starting to adjust to their "little spaceship on the big galaxy of ocean." "It's quite a nice feeling," said Ray.

Answering my question regarding their sleep patterns while at sea, Ray confirmed that they are each adhering to one hour rowing shifts, with the following hour off for resting, sleeping, etc. So one of them is always rowing while the other is on break. And they make a point to begin rowing on the hour, every hour.

Occasionally, the break is extended beyond the hour, either by accident or because the person sleeping has not had the stamina to begin rowing again. Typically this would occur at night, and might result in a couple of extra, uninterrupted hours of sleep.

In general though, they cannot sleep for more than an hour, because the pattern has taken hold, and they wake up automatically at hour's end, ready to row again.

Ray admits that it is probably not a good idea to break up one's sleep as such on a regular basis, at least Physiologically. During one of this morning's rowing shifts, he noted that the horizon appeared to be canted 5 degrees, sloping upward toward the right. It remained that way for the full hour. He recognized this sort of distortion syndrome from previous trips, so wasn't alarmed.

They sleep both day and night, usually for 30 minutes or so during daylight hours, with the balance occuring at night. In total, they are going to sleep 12 times a day, which Ray admits is a bit strange, but works well, because they are relatively inexperienced and do not have the stamina to row efficiently for much longer than an hour at a time.

63.8 miles
22° 46.657' N, 24° 46.305' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 15
21-Nov-02

x

61.2 miles
22° 20.453' N, 25° 36.368' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 16
22-Nov-02

Ray reports:

We continue to make excellent progress, mainly because of a favorable NE wind. On whole, conditions are good, although we are having quite a bit of rain, especially at night; and now that we've entered the tropics, the rain seems to be heavier. However, it is not particularly cold, and because of the wind we dry fairly quickly once the rain relents.

Following one particular storm, we found that half an inch of rainwater had collected in the rowing footwell. And once or twice a heavy rain has persuaded us to hole up in the cabin and wait it out. But most of the time we're better off simply rowing through the weather, in order to maintain our westerly progress.

Very beautiful out here. We are having a wonderful adventure.

60.7 miles
21° 51.362' N, 26° 23.854' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 17
23-Nov-02

Jenny reports:

Today we had winds off of stern about 30 degrees, coming in more on our starboard quarter. This persisted throughout the day and night, slowing us down a little . We like to have that wind on the stern. Nonetheless, all is well.

Thanks to all of our skydiving friends who have sent text messages, including Astrid, Gabe, Betsy, Gordo, Johnny Eagle, Chris and Ray, and Brett. Special thanks to Chris and Ray for their helpful suggestion, which was, "Try to row in a straight line."

62.3 miles
21° 26.015' N, 27° 15.256' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 18
24-Nov-02

Jenny reports:

During the day we had 10-12 knots of wind on the starboard quarter, making for lumpy seas and slow going. Lots of cloud cover during the day and the night .

During the night the wind was from the NE, 15-20 dead on stern. And so we sped along until about 5 am, when we reached the day's 60 mile point, so we both went to bed and slept for 2 hours.

We have had some flying fish landing in the boat, mostly small ones of an inch or less in length, but there was one eight inch fish, which I scooped into my hands and returned to the sea.

We witnessed some beautiful moonbows during the night. With so much cloud cover lately, we'veseen just brief, heartening glimpses of the recent Leonid meteor shower.

61.3 miles
20° 59.824' N, 28° 05.009' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 19
25-Nov-02

Ray reports:

Lumpy conditions yesterday due to the wind switching direction back and forth a few times. Made for some difficult rowing, because the water isn't always where we'd like it to be, under the boat. Also the water maker is sucking air when the seas are rough, but we have a system that removes that air, so it's not a problem. Although, during the night we had about 2 hours that were so rough that we couldn't row at all. We were being pitched right off our rowing seats, which has actually happened to us a few times throughout the trip. So we had to just sit there and steer. But other than that 2 hour period, we've had very good rowing, with a favorable wind, so were able to make our miles.

We continue to have cloud cover, which is quite nice because it keeps us cool. Every now and then we get a hole in the sky, and the sun glares down at us, offering a hint of what to expect whenever it finally comes out full force - it's going to be hot! We do have an ocean to jump into, to cool off once in a while.

While I was rowing last night, had a flying fish smack me in the arm. Didn't get a look at it, but must have been of a pretty good size. It fell down onto the rowing deck, and moved itself through the scupper and was gone. The confrontation wasn't startling; it's just one of those humorous asides that happen out here. Good thing it got out, because otherwise it might have landed in the cook pot next morning. All our fresh food is gone, though we do have plenty of corn pasta.

60.8 miles
20° 34.350' N, 28° 54.514' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 20
26-Nov-02

Ray reports:

It was a day of light and variable winds, punctuated with rain and sudden squalls from time to time, and cloud cover that has been constant and heavy. Ultimately , though, the tailwind was sufficient for us to make good mileage.

As of this morning, we are about 80 miles from our waypoint destination of 20° N, 30° W. At that point we'll change course slightly and head directly for Barbados. So part of today's excitement lay in getting ever closer to an imaginary point in the vast expanse of sea.

We do just as much rowing at night as during the day. This is because darkness is about the same length of time as daylight. And sometimes it's so dark that we can see neither the waves nor our oars, even though the oar blades are white. Our visual sense is much reduced, and so we compensate, rowing instead by feel and by listening to the approaching waves. And when conditions permit, usually at night, we listen to our mini-disc containing books-on-tape and also music. One of the selections we recently enjoyed was "The Hobbit," among my favorite stories.

55.6 miles
20° 13.087' N, 29° 40.761' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 21
27-Nov-02

x

52.0 miles
20° 03.000' N, 30° 27.604' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 22
28-Nov-02

Ray reports:

Squally conditions continue, with heaps of rain. Very wet out here, but not considerably cold, so we dry quickly when it does relent.

Seas have continued to be rather moily, due to shifting winds. Even a 20 degree change in wind direction creates very lumpy conditions, making for challenging rowing. But judging by the cirrus cloud behavior in the last few hours, a front appears to have passed, or is passing, and with it we are beginning to experience trade winds for the first time on the journey.

Despite the weather, we're having a great time out here. It's a wonderful adventure indeed.

58.6 miles
19° 52.419' N, 31° 20.496' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 23
29-Nov-02

Ray reports:

Every three or four days, Jenny or I don snorkling gear and jump in the ocean. The underwater experience out here is very pristine, often with 150 foot visibility. While under, we also attend to a little boat maintenance: scrubbing off the barnacles which are always trying to colonize the surface of the hull. They tend to slow us down by way of friction, due to the increased surface area. We have to scrub the hull every 3 or 4 days, taking turns, one time is Jenny's, the next mine.

On the most recent occasion, I had just finished scrubbing and had climbed back in the boat, when I happened to glance out toward the horizon and suddenly noticed a huge container ship cruising almost straight for us. We hit the oars and frantically rowed in a direction perpendicular to the tanker's course. I tried hailing them on the VHF radio, but received no reply. The boat missed us by 3/4 of a mile. In every likelihood, they never even saw us.

Lots of rain again yesterday, with heavy cloud cover. Seems we are getting more and heavier rain with each passing day.

For the past couple of weeks, we have been hit by a steady procession of squalls that occur every 45 minutes or so. These last typically 5 or 10 minutes - occasionally longer - and often produce a driving rain. Minutes later we may see a patch of blue sky, before the next mini-storm is upon us.

58.3 miles
19° 37.240' N, 32° 11.750' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 24
30-Nov-02

Our weather has taken a turn for the better. The progression of squalls has ceased, and now we're experiencing a different kind of rain, in the form of a light drizzle. To us, this is a 100% improvement in conditions. Last night, we even had starry skies overhead, which made for some very beautiful rowing .

[ed. note: Ray tried to relate another tale involving the dreaded container ships, but the satellite phone cut out. Until he can reiterate, suffice it to say these ships seem to be the scourge of the tropical Atlantic ocean rower. R&J appear vigilant to the danger, and are using every means available to remain safe.]

60.9 miles
19° 25.508' N, 33° 06.392' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 25
1-Dec-02

Jenny reports:

For the last couple of days we've had unruly seas. The winds have been from astern, which is good, but it's kicked up a huge swell, which makes for difficult going. Nonetheless, we are making fairly good progress.

Yesterday we had quite a number of fish swimming and darting around the boat; we counted three or four trigger fish among them. These are beautiful, brilliantly colored fish, and their effect was all the more stunning in the aquamarine water. Also there were some dorado, sometimes known as Mahi Mahi.

Before the trip, I had stashed away some cards from friends. One was signed by at least 50 of our skydiving friends; opening that was quite a thrill! As was seeing the picture of our friends. Thank you all.

65.4 miles
19° 13.861' N, 34° 05.231' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 26
2-Dec-02

Ray reports:

A good day's run, but also one of our more difficult days, due mostly to rough seas, which were about 12-15 feet in height. They were running from the east, which is a favorable direction for us, but at that size were difficult to handle nonetheless.

During the night, which was pitch dark, we had about 12 waves break over the top of us. Nothing serious, but it certainly removes a person from the comfort zone momentarily, which is always good for the soul. In one particular instance I was sitting on the rowing deck, up to my armpits in water. The entire rowing deck was under the wave as it crashed on top of us. Usually in these conditions we just have big, breaking seas. But in this case, by happenstance, we were in the wrong place just as the seething monster wave smashed into us.

Another wave threw about five gallons of water into the cabin, rendering our quarters essentially useless, and completely soaking all of our bedding. But then we reminded ourselves that this is a water sport and not a winnebago trip. We are using homemade quilt and happen to have a couple of inflatable camping-type mattresses along. So after removing the water as best we could - sponging it up and bailing it out over the course of several hours - we used these inflatable mattresses to make a sleeping bag, one serving as the bottom layer, and one on top. This created a dry haven to crawl inside; and then over this we draped the soaking wet quilt. We actually slept quite warm this way.

Our gear, as well as the cabin, are beginning to dry out again, and we're making good progress.

60.9 miles
19° 00.487' N, 34° 59.364' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 27
3-Dec-02

Ray reports:

Conditions have moderated a bit, but are still somewhat rough. We enjoyed a day of hanging onto the boat, doing as best we could.

I neglected to mention that during the previous night's rough seas, the largest wave that crashed over the boat broke an oar, snapping it like a matchstick. This was a carbon fiber oar, 2 inches in diameter. Which just goes to show the power of these waves sometimes. I vividly recall hanging on, the wave trying to throw me off the boat. In any case, we've repaired the damaged oar and are using it again. Also we have 4 more spares in reserve.

The following afternoon, with somewhat rough seas persisting, I jumped overboard with snorkling gear to scrub the boat's hull. I found it quite covered with barnacles, and removing them required about 20 minutes of vigorous exercise using a small carpet patch as a scrubber. The winds were pushing the boat sideways at about 1.2 knots, and so it was necessary to hang on at all times.

While under, I watched a beautiful Dorado, about 3 feet long. Presumably this is the same fish we saw two days earlier. Managed to get a good look at it this time, noting a few distinguishing scars along its side. Hopefully we'll be able to recognize it again. Sometimes a fish will adopt a boat and swim along with it for a number of days, perhaps for a thousand miles or more on occasion.

70.6 miles
18° 42.628' N, 36° 01.231' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 28
4-Dec-02

Ray reports:

About midmorning yesterday the mountainous seas began to crumble, and soon we had large haystacks all around, which eventually gave way to gorgeous conditions. For the first time in a week we were able to open the aft hatch, allowing us to cross-ventilate the cabin a bit. All told, a very nice day of cruising along, followed by nighttime conditions nothing short of spectacular. It was one of those nights seemingly made for rowing on the sea.

Along the way yesterday we saw a loggerhead turtle, 3 feet in diameter, orange in color, boxy in shape. He was swimming with a large plastic bottle (five gallon size), giving the impression that he might be tied to it in some way. But as we passed, he starting swimming for us, and we could tell he was okay. However we were outpacing him, and soon he was gone.

With the good weather last night and likewise our good spirits, we really put a lot of energy into the rowing, which accounts largely for our higher mileage. It appears we are once again rowing across the ocean, and no longer the Himalayas.

57.6 miles
18° 24.937' N, 36° 50.545' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 29
5-Dec-02

Ray reports:

The wind has veered to the NNW, sending the waves into our starboard beam, and denying us the beneficial push we've had of late. This left us struggling ahead throughout the day and night, working harder for comparatively fewer miles.

Gordo, one of our skydiving friends, suggested that if the Dorado returned we should name him Dinner. And while we did not see the Dorado, we did see a whale, probably a Minke, about 20 feet in length. But we weren't that hungry, so we just let him be. We also spotted eight dolphins and a mackarel in the last day.

There is a trough of low pressure coming through, as evidenced by the wind shift. Unable to make much headway during the night, around 4am we finally decided we'd had enough. So we secured the rudder and oars and went to sleep for about three hours; both of us did, which is something that hasn't happened in quite a while. While we were asleep the boat drifted south quite a ways off course, but this is not a problem; there's plenty of room out here. We're coming up on the halfway point now. Will probably reach it later tonight .

42.1 miles
18° 12.529' N, 37° 26.702' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 30
6-Dec-02

Progress remains slow as we continue to experience a cold front coming through. This one seems to be taking its time in passing, although very mildly so, with relatively light winds. Yet it is the persistence of an unfavorable wind direction - out of the NNW - that is slowing us down. We rowed all night at about 1.5 knots, the best we could do. But otherwise, it was another beautiful night out here.

We cannot say enough good things about the boat. It is performing fantastically well under a wide variety of conditions, in seas and winds both harsh and mild, which is quite a credit to its designer, who obviously put a lot into it. A versatile boat, highly seaworthy, and we're very pleased with it.

The boat will be for sale upon our arrival in Barbados, and for anyone even vaguely considering an adventure like this, here would be a great opportunity. A couple of races are coming up next year, as detailed on the Ocean Rowing Society's website. [ORS link at top of page]

Jenny recently performed some scientific experiments that might be of interest to the world at large. She pulled out a thermometer that must measure all of an inch and a half in length (something you might find in a Cracker Jack box), and with this she resolved the daily high temperature to be 85° F, with a nighttime low of 72. And this, just to give an idea of what the December air is like out here.

60.5 miles
18° 00.503' N, 38° 20.460' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 31
7-Dec-02

The wind veered to NNE at about 10 knots, offering some assistance yesterday. And then in the evening, it came around a little bit more, but remained light, so we still had to work for our mileage. We rowed almost continually for 24 hours, keeping our shift transitions to the bare minimum of about one minute. This is just enough time for us to trade seats and get the boat moving forward again.

We saw a shark yesterday, as well as a number of other fish. Also, our tropicbird came to visit once again. We first spotted this bird, or one like it, two weeks ago. Its wings are black-tipped, with some black also on the wing feathers. [ed. note: this may be the white-tailed tropicbird. "Tropicbirds forage far from land, sometimes following ships.]

The satellite phone has been acting up, due to a small amount of corrosion on the battery. Have installed the back-up battery, and it seems to be working fine once more.

61.4 miles
17° 48.213' N, 39° 14.907' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 32
8-Dec-02

The winds veered toward our starboard quarter, so we loped along throughout the day and night, making satisfactory progress.

Lots of rain during the night, and we took another gusher into the cabin late yesterday afternoon, soaking everything. But we're starting to get used to it now, and are beginning to figure out ways to avoid it. One would think that to we could keep the hatch closed, but easier said than done when the day is sultry and ventilation so dearly needed. But these conditions are no cause for concern.

70.4 miles
17° 33.420' N, 40° 17.090' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 33
9-Dec-02

The wind is still veering slowly toward a more favorable position, which is nice. We had quite strong wind during the night, helping to speed us along. Also bit of rain - to be expected. Now enjoying a bright new day, which thankfully also features some cloud cover to keep ol' sol off our sunburned hides .

63.3 miles
17° 20.581' N, 41° 13.062' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 34
10-Dec-02

We've had lumpy seas, squally winds, rain, and pitch darkness last night, making for a very bumpy ride. It was quite an experience.

Here is a quote that seems appropriate for our voyage: "When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." - Patanjali

65.6 miles
17° 08.042' N, 42° 11.177' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 35
11-Dec-02

The trip is going very well. We are enjoying it and finding it to be every bit the challenge we had anticipated. Even with the stormy conditions, we have encountered no problem that has proven unmanageable, and our bodies are holding up very well. Lacking fresh fruit and vegetables, we eat corn pasta for dinner probably three out of four evenings, and think it's the greatest thing in cooked food, such is the go-power that it provides.

We're still rowing in one-hour intervals, meaning one of us rows for an hour while the other sleeps, the next hour we exchange positions, and so on. Yet with all of the rain we've had lately, we sometimes find ourselves extending the shifts by a few minutes, waiting out a storm if possible, in order to allow the "relief" rower to begin under more favorable conditions.

63.2 miles
16° 52.386' N, 43° 06.096' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 36
12-Dec-02

A very enjoyable day yesterday, even as we continue to experience big lumpy seas. The wind, what little there is, has veered back to the north, coming in on our starboard quarter, which hinders as much as it helps.

Last night the rains came less frequently, and we enjoyed rowing under the gorgeous moonlight for a time. Moments like this remind us of how special is this journey, and of how beneficial it is to escape from the distractions of modern life for a while. Out here our minds really open up to the beauty all around us, allowing us to clean out some of the accumulated cobwebs.

One of our more difficult decisions while planning this trip was whether or not to mount any kind of sail to the boat. This was especially tempting given our sailing background. Ultimately we decided against using a sail at all costs except in an emergency, and we've held firm to this decision throughout the trip. Too, we're thankful that we made up our minds early on, as this has improved our resolve during the more challenging moments out here.

60.3 miles
16° 41.517' N, 43° 59.510' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 37
13-Dec-02

Ray: The day before yesterday I was rowing under total darkness of night when suddenly the boat slammed to a stop and the oars quit working. Felt like they had set in concrete. Mystified, we got out our flashlights to see what had happened, but within a few seconds the boat was free again and floating along. Perhaps we had run into a fishing net or something, although we could find no trace of it. Nor had the boat suffered any damage as a result.

Last night, another dark night, Jenny was rowing while wearing her rain jacket. She had the hood pushed back, since it wasn't raining at the time, when suddenly a flying fish jumped from the water and landed in the open hood.

And one more item of humor: during my rowing shift in the wee hours of the night, I suddenly fell asleep, falling off the rowing seat and slamming into the deck. I awoke with a start, one of the few times I can recall ever waking up laughing.

58.3 miles
16° 31.619' N, 44° 51.222' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 38
14-Dec-02

Our trade winds seemed to have abandoned us for a time, and we're left with rather calm conditions. The seas have flattened to about a foot and a half in height, and without the obscuring waves the horizon now appears to expand to forever. For the first time on the trip we're getting a true glimpse of the immensity of the ocean.

Skies continue to be cloudy most of the time, with occasional sunshine. Although last night we had an absolutely magnificent time, with mostly cloud-free, calm conditions - really forcing us to dig in with the oars but we enjoyed the night immensely all the same. It was a spectacular night for viewing meteorites, and we saw literally hundreds of them. A few were brilliant blue in color, streaking across the sky like fireworks.

As this update appears it is now Day 38 of the trip, and at 11:00 GMT we reached the two-thirds point in our voyage, with approximately 1,000 miles remaining to Barbados. So we're on the downhill run now.

I would like to give a special thanks to Brett T. for handling these updates, for transcribing our messages from an answering machine and posting them to the web. I would also like to thank some special friends at the skydiving center: to Chris and Ray for polar bears and penguins, to Omar and Olivia for the little boat that could, and to Astrid for her continued support. And we would like to especially congratulate our friends who completed in the recent world record skydiving formation: a gigantic, 300 person snowflake-like formation, with 15 airplanes required for the jump.

58.2 miles for the day, 952 miles remaining to Barbados
16° 21.836' N, 45° 42.815' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 39
15-Dec-02

A high pressure cell is situated within a few hundred miles of us, depriving us of our beneficial trade winds. The seas are flat and almost glassy, undulating with large ground swells rolling in from distant storms. So we have to work for our mileage, as always, but it certainly feels like more work without the wind to assist us.

We had another glorious night, with the waxing moon illuminating the sea for two-thirds of the night. We also witnessed another meteor shower, perhaps two dozen meteors all told, one of which was brilliant green in hue. [ed. note: this may be the tail end of the recent Geminid meteor shower, one of the most consistent shows from year to year. It is believed that the parent material is from an asteroid rather than a comet, and that the resulting difference in composition and density yields the slow-moving, brightly colored meteors.]

And speaking of beautiful displays in the sky, we continue to see our tropicbird every few days. It flies to the boat, circles us a few times, then flies off. We believe it is the same bird each visit.

We don't have a lot of spare time aboard. We row for one hour and when the person comes off the rowing shift he or she tends to do a few tasks and then tries to get some sleep. The bulk of these odd jobs we perform during the morning and afternoon hours, typically averaging between 20 and 40 minutes of sleep during each hour off-row. So it's mostly work and sleep; not until about 4pm GMT do we feel like we've made sufficient headway in our chores to allow us a bit of time for simply relaxing. And this is when we usually record our thoughts on the previous day's journey. Then in a few hours we start to switch cycle again for the evening, with an emphasis on sleeping during our downtime shifts.

54.5 miles for the day, 898 miles remaining to Barbados
16° 11.905' N, 46° 30.986' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 40
16-Dec-02

Jenny reports:

We had another gorgeous day, with just the lightest breath of wind. Seas are amazingly flat: we estimate the wave height at one inch. Needless to say the view is incredible all around.

Ray went overboard to scrub the bottom of the boat free of barnacles, which had accumulated to half an inch in length. When finished, he climbed back aboard and got a freshwater rinse. About this time I noticed a large fish swimming alongside the boat near the stern. While I rowed, Ray went into the aft cabin and climbed half way out the aft hatch for a closer look at our traveling companion, which Ray believes was a marlin, about 7 feet long. The creature hung around for 15 minutes, all the while swimming not more than 10 feet from the boat.

The night was once again beautiful, with an almost-full moon overhead - we call this our Barbados moon. The stars were magnificent as well. We couldn't ask for a more peaceful, serene night.

63.6 miles for the day, 834 miles remaining to Barbados
15° 59.286' N, 47° 26.903' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 41
17-Dec-02

It was a very quiet day yesterday, with zero to three knots of wind and glassy seas. Under mostly clear skies, it was also quite hot. To protect us from the sun we erected a small awning -- a piece of reflective mylar -- and this worked well, particularly with the light winds. However we did have a little help in making progress yesterday, thanks to the north equatorial current. That, along with our hard rowing for 24 hours, yielded a very satisfactory 60 mile day.

Just at sunset, we were visited by a group of dolphin swimming about the boat. Also we saw another container ship yesterday, but this one was about 5 miles away, crossing perpendicular to our path. It presented no danger whatsoever.

About 6am GMT the winds started picking up, along with the seas, so it appears our little vacation is about over. Once more we are lumping and rolling along in good-sized chop. But we are well and enjoying the adventure as always.

63.0 miles for the day, 771 miles remaining to Barbados
15° 47.591' N, 48° 22.396' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 42
18-Dec-02

The seas were lumpy throughout the day, causing us to bounce around a bit and making for difficult rowing. Seas and winds calmed during the night. Cloud cover is very thick, but as yet without any accompanying rain.

We had trouble staying awake last night. Consequently, once we reached our 60 mile point for the day, we both hit the sack, letting the boat drift for 1.5 hours

Yesterday we saw a pair of tropicbirds. And in other news for the day, we happened to row past - not into - a drift net, suspended by a red buoy on one end and a green buoy on the other. Possibly a similar net was responsible for our sudden grinding to a halt several nights ago.

55.6 miles for the day, 715 miles remaining to Barbados
15° 36.332' N, 49° 11.076' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 43
19-Dec-02

Jenny reports:

Yesterday we saw two large frigate birds, a beautiful species, black in color. Seeing them helped to make up for our lack of fish sightings in recent days.

Conditions were quite calm, with virtually no wind. The moon is nearly full, shining brightly in the sky as we rowed through the night.

50.2 miles for the day, 665 miles remaining to Barbados
15° 27.826' N, 49° 55.400' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 44
20-Dec-02

x

56.8 miles for the day, 606 miles remaining to Barbados
15° 18.664' N, 50° 45.570' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 45
21-Dec-02

Two gorgeous days of flat water and no wind. Even without the wind's beneficial shove, these very calm conditions make for comfortable, if arduous rowing.

We are seeing more big fish lately, including our returning companion, probably a marlin.

From Ray's dad:

Had a wonderful chat with Ray. 2:30 PM. Colo. time 12-21-02

Winds have died down and sea flattened out, temperature hot, so they have fashioned an umbrella over the rower. That helps. "How about sunburn?" He replied, "Brown on south side and white on the north, with no way to reverse that trend".

They could use a little help now with East winds and favorable currents to maintain their 60 mile per day average, and to arrive in Barbados by the first of the year. They're headed for Port St. Charles around the north and west side of the island of Barbados.

One thing they have lost is their time frame. They can go to sleep for less than a minute, wake up and think it's time to go row again. When they first started, the person rowing would call out, "Five Minutes" as a signal for the other to wake up and get ready to row. Now that's confusing, "What does five minutes mean?" The rower now has to call out more specifically, "Time to get up". Their sleep is so deep, it's hard to judge time.

Ray said the sunsets and sunrises are fantastic as well as the stars at night. He also said he wouldn't think of making such a trip with anyone but Jenny. She is a jewel.

Thank you, to all the wonderful people who are following Ray & Jenny's trip and praying for them.

55.8 miles for the day, 550 miles remaining to Barbados
15° 07.568' N, 51° 34.380' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 46
22-Dec-02

Once again no wind during the day. However midway through the night the trade winds began to stir anew, and conditions became frisky, with confused seas . A very difficult night of rowing.

Early in the evening we saw another container ship, this one about two miles away.

70.8 miles for the day, 480 miles remaining to Barbados
14° 54.502' N, 52° 36.479' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 47
23-Dec-02

Favorable winds and gentle seas allowed us to make great progress throughout the day and night. We have seen more frigate birds; the storm petrels are still with us, day and night; and occasionally, the tropicbirds make their colorful appearance. So we're having a good time out here still.

We would like to convey a message to Anne Quemere: wishing her bon voyage and good luck (bonne chance). She is preparing to depart La Gomera on Christmas Day for her solo Atlantic crossing.

56.7 miles for the day, 426 miles remaining to Barbados
14° 44.473' N, 53° 26.294' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 48
24-Dec-02

Ray's dad reports:

"How I Almost Became a Tuna's Sandwich"

Ray was scrubbing the bottom of the boat in spite of the rough seas when two huge tuna started swimming around the boat. They were approximately 5 feet long and something like 150 pounds each. Ray continued to scrub the bottom of the boat, keeping a sharp eye on the fish. They kept coming closer and closer to Ray, acting almost like sharks. Eventually one drew too near and Ray had to kick at it. He's not sure whether he hit it or not but both fish backed off and eventually went away. He felt bad about kicking at the fish, but was fairly convinced it had in mind to try snacking on him.

Further update:

24 Dec 2002 at 18:30 GMT

392 miles remaining to Barbados

Vigorous trade winds helping them whiz along.

Ray and Jenny want to wish all who are tracking them a Joyous Holiday season, and they are praying for peace around the world and a new year filled with hope and peace.

71.9 miles for the day, 354 miles remaining to Barbados
14° 30.404' N, 54° 29.062' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 49
25-Dec-02

Jenny reports:

We have some great tradewinds and so our progress of course is very good.

Being as today is Christmas, Ray has been thinking along these lines and in lieu of sending Christmas cards he would like to share a visual image: Picture, if you can, Santa bounding across the ocean in a red rowing boat stacked full of presents for everyone, and pulled speedily along by his trusty dolphins.

70.1 miles for the day, 284 miles remaining to Barbados
14° 17.062' N, 55° 30.350' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 50
26-Dec-02

Our Christmas Day was blessed with classical trade wind conditions - those traditional fair winds and following seas that make for excellent progress. Sometimes the wind would back or veer, setting up cross-seas and slowing us down occasionally. But all and all, a fine day and a very pleasant night with no rain.

For the benefit of a very few, select individuals who will be meeting us upon our arrival, I might note that these updates take up to 24 hours to appear on the website. So we're actually a day ahead of how it might look on the webpages, which is not the webmaster's fault but our fault because of how we relay the data late in the afternoons. With that in mind I would note that our earliest arrival at Port St. Charles would be on the 30th of December in mid-morning. This is not necessarily our "E.T.A." [estimated time/day of arrival] but it is the earliest that we would arrive if good weather holds. And of couse any weather that slows us down likewise will delay our arrival.

73.4 miles for the day, 211 miles remaining to Barbados
14° 03.751' N, 56° 34.589' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 51
27-Dec-02

We are again enjoying glorious trade wind conditions, along with plenty of sunshine, and intermittent rain squalls to cool things down during the day when we need it and at night when we don't. Nevertheless, the wind is directly astern at a perfect 15 knots - couldn't be better for us.

We saw another container ship, this one about 3 miles away, astern and heading south, reminding us as always to keep a close watch. It seems we are continually scanning the horizon, looking out for these behemoths.

We'd like to send our sincere thanks to whoever has been praying that our water maker would miraculously repair itself. This seems to be what has happened, for it is filtering more than ample drinking water, as usual, but now the water no longer tastes saline. So we're very pleased to have fresh, healthy, potable water as we near the end of our trip.

65.3 miles for the day, 144 miles remaining to Barbados
13° 50.574' N, 57° 31.370' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 52
28-Dec-02

A very fine day of rowing yesterday, although the wind has veered somewhat to the south, coming in on our quarter panel and producing rolling, lumpy seas. Consequently we needed to redouble our efforts in order to make good progress.

We saw another container ship in the distance, which is where we would prefer to see them. It seems that we are seeing more of these as we near the Caribbean.

The nighttime rowing is as beautiful as ever; in fact, last night was among the finest, thanks to clear skies and a vast array of stars glimmering brightly overhead. We enjoy discerning the stars and constellations, and know many stars by name, due to our time spent navigating by them during the first part of our sailing trip years ago.

One more anecdote: Ray was rowing in the dark of night when from inside the cabin came a sudden shriek: "Get that fish out of here!" A misguided flying fish had flung itself into the cabin, landing on Jenny as she lay sleeping.

67.7 miles for the day, 76 miles remaining to Barbados
13° 35.477' N, 58° 29.756' W at 07:00 GMT

Day 53
29-Dec-02

Winds remain on our port quarter, while seas, we are noticing, have begun to change color. Throughout most of the trip the ocean has been a deep aquamarine blue, but yesterday it has begun to lighten toward shades of green. Probably this is corresponds to a change in the ocean's depth as we draw near land, from 5,000 meters over the open ocean to 2,000 meters at present.

We are anticipating our landing tomorrow at the island of Barbados. The landing promices to be tricky due to the reefs, currents, and winds. However, Thomas Herbert of Barbados has offered to meet us by boat a ways offshore, and to pilot us safely to Port St. Charles. We'd like to thank him very much in advance for his assistance.

30-Dec-02

00:00 GMT

28 miles remaining to Barbados

We have Barbados in sight. We're 28 miles out. Through the darkness and distance, we can see the outline of the island in its pattern of lights, a beautiful sight.

We've had to stop rowing and are simply waiting for the night to pass, our escorts to arrive, before we can draw nearer. We are looking forward to the appearnce of a few boats that we hope will be coming out to meet us in the morning, guiding us around the island to Port St. Charles and the completion of our voyage. The trip around the north and western shore supposedly takes about 5 hours.

30-Dec-02

17:48 GMT

We arrived in Port St Charles on the island of Barbados at 1:48 pm local time, 5:48 pm GMT. We had a wonderful time rowing our remaining miles along the eastern shore of the island, thanks to some fantastic people who came out in their fishing boats to escort us into port.

We're feeling terrific that we made it, and had a great trip!