Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
I must admit, being an oceanic adventurer myself, I do love to read about outrageous voyages. The feats of Shackleton in the Endurance stir my blood. I’ve stood on the deck of the Gjoa, the first ship to make the northwest Passage, and marveled at how tiny it was, and the steel nerves of the men who sailed it into the unknown.
But the latest crop of Arctic adventurers leave something to be desired. Last year we had the “Row To The Pole“, which didn’t … and in 2008 some other fools tried something similar in kayaks. This year, we have “Arctic Row”, whose stated goal is to make “the first, non-stop, unsupported row across the Arctic Ocean”.
Here’s the ocean in question.
Figure 1. Arctic Ocean. Greenland is the white island on the right, Alaska is at the bottom left, Canada is bottom center, Russia is at the left and top left.
Now, when I read that they were going to row “across the Arctic Ocean”, from Canada to Russia, I thought “No way”. There’s always too much ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean to make that at all possible. But I hadn’t reckoned on their ingenuity. So how exactly do they plan to make “the first, non-stop, unsupported row across the Arctic Ocean”?
I searched all over their web site for a map showing their route, but I couldn’t find one. However, I did find where they are leaving from (Inuvik, Canada) and where they are landing (Provideniya, Russia) , and with the help of Google Earth I’ve plotted out the likely route of their Arctic crossing for you …
Figure 2. Path of their rowing journey “across the Arctic Ocean”.
I guess that the term “across the Ocean” must mean something different where they come from …
They are asking for sponsors on account of their important scientific work. They are going to record all of the whales that they see, and mark down which direction they are traveling, to determine if whales use their noses to navigate to the nearest krill patch. There was no word about how they would know where the nearest krill patch might be. There was also no word on whether they are asking for sponsors who will pay for the ships and planes in case they need to be rescued … although from the looks of their route if they get in trouble they could just wade ashore.
I note that they say that “The Arctic Row expedition presents an unusual opportunity to conduct scientific research with absolutely no carbon emissions or negative impact on the Arctic ecosystem.” I’m not clear how they plan to get the boats and rowers to Canada and back from Russia without using carbon fuels.
I also note that their web site references, without a hint of irony, the discredited Nature magazine claim that the plankton in the oceans is only half as abundant as a century ago … so they are going to “create a thorough zooplankton sample transect along the entire path”. We’ll see how that goes …
I wish them well, and I do not minimize the difficulty of such a long row. I used to fish commercially from a rowboat, and rowing it eight or ten miles a night was a long and tiring pull. I’ve also fished in the Bering Sea, and I know how changeable and deadly the northern waters can be. I admire their courage and search for adventure, and I wish them a safe journey.
But calling that journey a voyage “across the Arctic Ocean”? Sorry, that’s a coastal voyage they have planned, and is hardly “across” anything but the Bering Strait. I can see why they neglected to put a map on their site showing their proposed route …
[UPDATE] An alert reader yclept “climatebeagle” noticed the following:
I wonder if their route will even cross into the definition of the Arctic Ocean?
http://www.iho-ohi.net/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S23_1953.pdf
Looks like it could just be the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
I looked into his excellent reference, and found the following (click on image for larger version):
Note that their route actually doess cross the Arctic Ocean as they claimed … looks like the crossing will take a couple of hours.
w.
They are going to row along the western Beaufort Sea & eastern Chukchi Sea coasts. Big whoop! People have been doing that in skin boats for thousands of years. And killing whales from their little boats, not just counting them, without benefit of public or private grants.
A pleasant coastal cruise disguised as an Ocean crossing = A typical manipulated warmest trick.
Hey what can go wrong???
I cannot hold my breath for that long… or my sphintcter.
They will need to watch out for endangered polar bears, polar bears are not cuddly in real life.
So far no one has attempted to waterski to the North Pole. Ski behind an icebreaker? Any takers? Oooh, what fun!!!!
They ARE asking for donations on their web site. I wonder whether UK law allows someone to challenge this as false advertising?
No negative impact? Will they carry their bodily wastes out with them?
No carbon emissions? How will they get to their launching point? How will they return from Russia? Are they buying no equipment to use on this trip then they already own? What about their calorie consumption? Why would they need contributions if this claim of theirs was true?
In short – all a bunch of BS above & beyond the initial claim as posted by Willis – they deserve all the scorn that can be heaped on them.
After the Top Gear crew drove to the North Pole in Toyota Hiluxes, all these extreme expeditions seem so silly. I cannot erase the image of Jeremy and James driving along in the Hilux eating chocolate and drinking gin and tonic because the “great explorers” told them they would need to take in 5000 calories a day. And they duly noted the lack of open water, contrary to the warmista pedictions. There has never been a more honest Arctic expedition.
US FWS estimates about 3500 polar bears in the two Alaskan populations, one shared with Canada, through which the paddlers aim boldly to go. If Alarmists are right, & their prime prey species, the ringed seal, is in decline due to loss of landfast ice, then these largest & possibly smartest of terrestrial predators, with amazing senses of smell, might be hungry for other slow-moving, temporarily marine mammals.
The story of the Endurance is one of the most fantastic that I have ever read !!
And no one died on the “adventure” !!!
No carbon emissions? How will they keep warm when not paddling?
Adapted from Elton John
Willis,
Great post. I enjoyed your comments. The story reminded me of my younger years when I also dreamed of voyages and the unknown. I even built a boat and with a friend floated down the creek near my house all the way to the mighty Ohio river. Of course back then everyone told me I had to work for a living and I believed them. Little did I know that with some moronic story I could entice even more moronic people to give money to support such a trip. Alas, I have missed the boat!
But, I really can’t think of a better way to piss away a fools money. Hum, where did I leave my krill locator?
Here is a low resolution map of their route. http://www.arcticrow.com/route/
I read through their website and fear that it is a hoax. No one could be so stupid. I think they are baiting us.
Hey why prove climate change with ersatz facts from a bogus journey when everybody whose anybody already believes? Why not openly celebrate their eco-faith instead? Maybe plant some breadfruit and palm trees along the way in anticipation of the imminent disappearance of the ice cap. Or trade some Hawaiian shirts to the Inuit for that bulky unstylish winter garb they will no longer need.
Or better still, open the Arctic’s first surfing supply shop/ cocktail bar and wait there for business to boom. I would happily contribute to the expedition if that were the plan and they promised to stay and carry it out.
Now a row from Alaska to Denmark, that would be an artic voyage. Outright fraud by greenies. Put them in jail with Al Gore!
They’ll be able to see Russia from their rowboat.
Ted says:
July 9, 2012 at 11:41 am
Hey what can go wrong???
========================
Ask Gilligan !!
This self-important stunt abuses the word ‘across’
exactly the same way AGW misuses ‘unprecedented’,
namely, to further a lie just use misleading terms.
I wish there was a way to require them to make a deposit equal to 150% of the Coast Guard’s estimate of actual costs to rescue them.
BC Bill: After the Top Gear crew drove to the North Pole in Toyota Hiluxes, all these extreme expeditions seem so silly.”
It’s Top Gear. It was silly DURING the drive, not just after.
“I’ve stood on the deck of the Gjoa, the first ship to make the northwest Passage, and marveled at how tiny it was, and the steel nerves of the men who sailed it into the unknown.”
Yes there are some gutsy people in this world. I loved Thor Hyderthal’s books and as a child was aboard a full sized recreation of a medium viking ship (not the biggest but not the smallest). To think that those crazy nordics navigated the north atlantic in a glorified row boat boggled my mind.
Great thing about Arctic is that it follows directions from deep inside the Earth (possibly as far as the core) and not from anti CO2 fanatics and now defunct Chicago Climate Exchange.
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/Arctic.htm
They should be encouraged to rescue any poor bears they find swimming in open water far from land.
This reminds me of a story my brother told me years ago. One day was paddling his kayak between islands out in the Aleutians, when he ran across a Kodiak swimming in open water. He said he followed it for a while to see where it was going, and got closer and closer. Up close he could see that the bear was becoming disturbed. Suddenly the bear dove. He said that that was the fastest paddling he had ever done.
Wonder if they’ll last as long as it would have taken the ‘HOAX?’ ice to melt….
Shackleton’s Endurance expedition was one of the most remarkable feats of survival of all time, but perhaps Matthew W’s statement that no lives were lost might be qualified by noting that three fatalities did occur among the Aurora party preparing for Shackleton’s never accomplished arrival on the far side of Antarctica. Their achievements and suffering are too often forgotten.
‘This year, we have “Arctic Row”, whose stated goal is to make “the first, non-stop, unsupported row across the Arctic Ocean”.’
Heck, that’s nothing. Last month my wife flew ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM.*
*from California to Taiwan
They may have to reconsider this – remember, there are people that are easily upset at the sight of melting ice, especially those suffering through the “heatwave” in the Washington DC area.
Then again, maybe Bill McKibben found his available source of ice. After all, does it matter if this ice melts in the Arctic, or on the Mall in DC – as long at it makes money for the “cause”?
jack mosevich says: I read through their website and fear that it is a hoax. No one could be so stupid. I think they are baiting us.
If it were a hoax, they’d have put the route straight across. Nothing is impossible to one who doesn’t have to actually do it himself.
JM VanWinkle says: They will need to watch out for endangered polar bears, polar bears are not cuddly in real life.
But surely the explorers’ noble intentions will assuage the bears’ carnivorous predilections.
I think they’d better find a little better map…. Inuvik is NOT on the Arctic Ocean. It’s on the MacKenzie River about 100 kms south of the ocean and that’s about 100 kms of very confusing delta. They’d probably get lost before they ever reach the ocean. I’d suggest they start at Tuktayuktuk right on the Arctic Ocean – and that is what their rudimentary map seems to show. There’s a small town with an airport. Or they could do as I did: take a barge up the MacKenzie from Inuvik and enjoy the river. (This was the terminus of a bicycle trip from the Gulf of Mexico/Corpus Christi.)
They’ll be able to see Alaska from their detention cell.
If their route was a few miles south, they would be able to walk across.
No problem actually. If it’s real cold, you keep moving to keep warm and, when you want to quit moving, you climb into your sleeping bag as quickly as possible.
“Dodgy Geezer says:
July 9, 2012 at 11:59 am
They ARE asking for donations on their web site. I wonder whether UK law allows someone to challenge this as false advertising?”
It’s fraudulent misrepresentation. Not negligent or mistaken.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misrepresentation
It’s a “historical feat”, Willis, but not as we know it.
I hope they pack a whistle in their kit so they can do something useful during their voyage by making some noise.
I would never knowingly wish anyone any ill wind – but this is blatant tagging along on the ‘Global Warming’ bandwagon as can be possible – and frankly, I hope they struggle to get any funds at all.
Research my ah$e !! Hmm, perhaps that’s the only way they will get anything outta me!
If they had said, ‘hey folks, fancy sponsoring a darned good pish up as we row around the edge f the Arctic’ – I’d have been far more tempted to put my hand in my pocket at the honest approach than the Bulldust publicity stunt they are trying to pull !
Wow! Now, that’s a trip, worth talking about! GK
“First Arctic Crossing”? Looks to me like the arctic part of that route has been done many times.
On the website given by jack mosevich, look at the diagram showing the solar panels. Looks pretty minimal for that latitude and doesn’t hint at any mechanism to aim them at the sun (hint: not up).
VHF contacts might be few and far between; there is no mention of satellite communication (except EPIRB) even though they obviously plan to stay connected. Do they know how much power the laptap will need? Looks to me like their own awareness needs raising.
At least this time there not claiming its only possible to do this row thanks to global warming /climate doom
Willis,
I looked at their web site and there is a map of their route; just the same as the one you worked out. And no, it doesn’t cross the Arctic Ocean.
I have to defend my old sailing buddy John Wishart on the “row to the pole” trip last year – he himself never said anything other than that they were going to row to the position that the N. Mag. Pole was in whatever year it was that he organised a race over the ice to that position. The PR of the trip kind of took over and made it look like something different.
As usual, don’t trust the MSM.
Regarding kayaks, I understand that there are reports from medieval times of manned kayaks being found near Faroe and Shetland.
They’ll need to keep their eyes open for the tankers and barges taking materials to and from the North Slope.
Oh, and watch out for the drilling platforms, boys!
From Gary Hladik on July 9, 2012 at 12:38 pm:
What’s the big deal with that? I circle around the Sun once a year!
I wonder if there route will even cross into the definition of the Arctic Ocean?
http://www.iho-ohi.net/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S23_1953.pdf
Looks like it could just be the Chuckchi and Beaufort Seas.
Only thinking of the plan created more CO2 than necessary, let alone rowing there, or, as mentioned, bringing your stuff there. Just shows how total nonsense non-CO2 events are.
And as noted bij others, ALONG the arctic ocean.
Willis, how in the world can you stay calm when reading and then blogging about this pathetic plan. Did you have some sort of training, like anger management or so? If so, please leave a link. I can use it. The green BS is getting under my skin lately. *squeezes stressball*
Regarding the Top Gear expedition, just to clarify, they went to the (1996 location of the) magnetic north pole, which is on the northern end of the Canadian Archipelago, not the geographic north pole. They were well over 1000 km (600 miles) from the geographic pole. Still an impressive feat, but driving vehicles along the coasts and the fast ice of the archipelago is a far different animal than going across the pack ice to the geographic pole.
Re Top Gear: it was, of course, the Magnetic North Pole that they drove to. On the TG website it gives the coordinates as 78 degrees 35.7 north by 104 degrees 11.9 west. This is the “certified” 1996 magnetic north pole location that the “Row to the Pole” expedition that was previously roundly lambasted on WUWT had as its target destination. This is within the Canadian archipelago, just offshore, or possibly just onshore Ellef Ringnes island.
As Robert Service put it, “There are strange things done ‘neath the midnight sun..”
Could there be a put-to-poetry legend in this story? What rhymes with plankton?
The route map could be found in WUWT Tips & Notes:
Route map: Canada, west along Alaska’s north shoreline, to Russia.
http://www.arcticrow.com/route/
Should be called Alaska Row.
[Moderator’s Note: Yes, you were the first to submit something about this. Didn’t realize Willis had also spotted it. Kudos and a hat-tip. Yer a good guy and a book-worm (some of our more vociferous trolls might not recognize the term “gentleman and scholar”). -REP]
“row across the Arctic ocean”
This use of ‘across’ crosses the bounds of normal usage, doing violence to the English language.
I see the potential for an upcoming edition of Man vs Nature
staring[Moderator’s Pedantry: I’m sure you meant “starring”… -REP] killer whales …“These solar panels will charge batteries which connect to a VHF radio, GPS, and navigation system. The team will jam out to an iPod for music and use a laptop”
Just how big are these panels?
Matthew W says July 9, 2012 at 12:03 pm
“The story of the Endurance is one of the most fantastic that I have ever read !!
And no one died on the “adventure” !!!”
The sad thing is, Matthew, that such was the devotion to duty of the crew, as soon as they were rescued many volunteered to serve in WWI: Of the 53 men who returned out of the 56 who left on the expedition (three actually died on the ‘adventure’) three were killed in action and five wounded.
(Ref: ‘South’ – E Shackleton)
More like Arctic Crow than Arctic Row…
Willis, great post, thanks!
Vukcevic, thanks for your graphs, fyi on a broken link,
on this page:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/LFC-CETfiles.htm
you have this link, and I get a 404 error for it:
http://space-env.esa.int/Data_Plots/noaa/ap_plot.html
Steve Lohr-
What creek?
It’s post-normal language. Everybody knows that Russia is on the other side of the Arctic Ocean from Alaska; our voyage starts in Alaska and ends in Russia; therefore obviously we’ll be rowing across the Arctic Ocean.
(You’ll have to imagine the withering look and condescending tone of voice for yourself.)
Nonsense!
They will breath out carbon dioxide.
They will have to go to the toilet (raw sewage) or are they carrying that back?
Are they going to carry all their waste tins, tubes, bottles etc. with them?
They will fart deadly methane (worse than co2)
and so on……….
Re: Dodgy Geezer
UK law would allow you to challenge this as false advertising if they were UK based. According to the donate page they are located in San Francisco.
I would have raised a complaint if they were UK based.
It seems as though they leave in 6 days, and as yet “The “Sponsor Name” First Arctic Crossing” still does not have a sponsor 🙁
Maybe its because the “The “Sponsor Name” First Arctic Crossing” will not be crossing the Arctic, nor will it be crossing the Arctic Ocean. DOH!
(check out the sponsor pages to see what I mean)
“The Arctic Row expedition presents an unusual opportunity to conduct scientific research with absolutely no carbon emissions or negative impact on the Arctic ecosystem.”
Alrighty then; we’re going to hold you to that promise! – No eating, breathing or farting whatsoever during the entire voyage!
Skiphil says:
July 9, 2012 at 2:21 pm
…………….
Thanks
It should be:
http://space-env.esa.int/Data_Plots/noaa/ap_plot.gif
I showed the first map to my 15 year old son and asked him if he could guess the route for rowing across the Arctic Ocean. He made several suggestions, crossing the open water etc etc.
Then I scrolled down to the second map and showed him the actual route. He laughed out loud (LOL!) and said “That’s cheating!”.
@ Man Bearpig “If their route was a few miles south, they would be able to walk across.”
LOL! Yes, very true — though rowing would probably be easier and safer. Seriously though, I suspect that the gentlemen involved are probably just a few guys who love doing wild, adventurous things and thought, “Have you ever been in the far North? Me neither. Yeah, that would be great to go see that part of the world. Hmmmm… who would be daft enough to donate some funding for our next adventure? Ohhhh — let’s say it has something to do with global warming! That will turn on the money spigots!”
I don’t think they are alarmists. I think they just want funding from alarmists. Good luck! Go get ’em!
In reality, I tip my hat to these guys even though it is a Mickey Mouse passage. The arctic waters are full of not easily recognized dangers. What could be wrong getting close to an iceberg? Icebergs will flip without warning and put out a nasty wave. Why are all those birds standing in a line? An ocean going container or a submerged log. What is that disturbance in the water ahead?
Could be wildlife or a deadhead ( a large log standing vertically but slightly below the surface). The list goes on, along with failed equipment and health out in the middle of nowhere.
Someone’s been at the North Pole in the last week! Only footsteps – no boat:
http://psc.apl.washington.edu/northpole/NPEO2012/WEBCAM2/ARCHIVE/npeo_cam2_20120707002846.jpg
WUWT?
Hope that they do the trip planning properly, including getting all necessary entry permits from our Russian friends – otherwise they will get a very frosty reception on the far side of the Bering Straits, as Karl Bushby found when he walked over in wintertime 2006.
There is some interesting blurb on the entry requirements at the link below:
http://www.angusadventures.com/beringstrait.html
agree Willis, here we go again.
see
Atlantic Odyssey rowers rescued after capsizing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16804181
&
Transatlantic rowers rescued after boat is struck by ‘enormous wave’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/dec/14/transatlantic-rowers-rescued-enormous-wave
&
Atlantic Rescue After Rowing Boat Capsizes
http://news.sky.com/story/921546/atlantic-rescue-after-rowing-boat-capsizes
& i could go on, but you know the story. adventure for some with time to spare but very lucky they got away without paying the ultimate price.
They will soon find out that they cannot row 24 hours a day. Next mistake is going west into the prevailing flow. They forgot about something called weather. They should read up on the stories of past canoeists in the National Geographic and other publications. I met some of the ones who rowed that course in the 1970’s. 30 days – not a chance!
I’d say “what a bunch of blowhards” but that would be unfair to blowhards everywhere.
They would not only cross the Arctic Ocean, but also the Pacific. Two oceans in a row is quite an achievement, is not it?
I reckon their next feat will be to walk all the way from Europe to Asia, risking a fine.
They just can’t help faking it.
Speaking of faking it, I wouldn’t trust what they claim to collect by way of donation, either. They angle everything to make themselves and their cause look good.
Hmmm… will there be cameras on them the entire “ocean crossing” or will they really be snug and warm someplace and just claim to have done it? Forgive my cynicism, I just don’t trust any of ’em with anything anymore.
Their web site uses a photo-shopped picture of a polar bear that I’ve seen many times.
The bear can be exchanged for a penguin.
http://m-francis.livejournal.com/149591.html
One of their advisers is Roz Savage http://www.rozsavage.com/. Of interest is that her most recent row was canceled because of ice bergs.
Oh, please, lets cut these guy [and or gals?] some slack.
Professional adventurers need big, dangerous, never-been-done-before, expeditions to put meaning into their meaningless existences. Since hardly a dare-devil adventurer is left who can foot the bill for his own adventuring since Steve Fossett augered in back in 2007, you have to give them credit for at least trying. These days it is almost impossible to get funding for these big, expensive, never-been-done-before expeditions except to wrap your plans for what-ever-it-is-that-YOU-want-to-do around some eco-warming-preventing-icecap-preserving fantasy that some group of school children, or some successful businessman can wrap his brain around how it will make his enterprise look good with their names plastered on the side.
So, you prostitute yourself to who ever you can, say what ever is required to get people to fork over enough bucks to get you to the start line of your private fantasy, and hope like hell that when things go south you will have enough public sympathy for some national rescue service, passing fisherman, or nearby drilling vessel to pull you out of the drink. It helps if you self-deluded enough to believe your own line of bunkum, but basically you know in your heart of hearts that its a scam, but you really don’t have any choice, what are you going to do? pay for it all yourself???
Seems like the rowing people are going the way of the yachtsmen and mountaineers. Too bad.
/Let’s leave the sarcasm running for a bit, this is just too rich…
W^3
I wonder how they will report the unprecedented discovery that they could see Russia from Alaska.
Larry says:
July 9, 2012 at 5:16 pm
“I wonder how they will report the unprecedented discovery that they could see Russia from Alaska.”
They’re stopping for lunch at the Palin residence?
Every time I go on an adventure I have to pay for it myself. Can I call it Dave’s Global Warming Expedition and have other people pay for it?
If they’re not actually entering the Arctic Ocean at any point, why not simply row from Little Diomede Island to Big Diomede Island? That’s from Alaska to Russia.They would cross the International Date Line while they’re doing it. Thus, although it would only take a couple of hours effort max, they could claim it took a day plus that couple of hours.
Or did I miss something important?
Darwin Award candidates
I’m sure rowing long distances is hard. I once paddled a kayak across the Atlantic ocean, and that took hours (from Cocoa Beach to Port Canaveral. I then jogged back so that counts in with he time).
Serously though, this story deserves snark, and lots of it, because it’s absurd to call this across the Arctic Ocean. This is a publicity stunt based on outlandish lies, nothing less.
Bob Tisdale says: July 9, 2012 at 11:54 am
So far no one has attempted to waterski to the North Pole. Ski behind an icebreaker? Any takers? Oooh, what fun!!!!
Snow skiing behind a snowmobile is *much* more fun. Esp when going uphill! Man, I just love these guys and their PR efforts. Sad that Western MFM are so in the tank, many more could revel in the yuks we have at their reindeer games!
Pilling on to the “no impact” comments, the arcticrow web page linked by jack mosevich mentions that “The team will use a desalinator which will convert 400-pounds of salt water into the 24 liters of drinking water the crew will need every day”. The page does not state the type of desalinator but I assume a solar evaporator will be impractical in the arctic even in summer. IIRC, the power consumption for “industrial” size reverse osmosis desalinators is ~2 kwh per liter for cold seawater for a daily load of ~48 kwh so those little solar cells are not going to cut it. If the plan is to hand crank the desalinator on top of the rowing the team is likely to wind up very tired, very thirsty, or both.
With respect to the comments that the claim of “Arctic crossing” represents a fraud or misrepresentation, the Ocean Rowing Society apparently has guidelines about “ocean crossings” at:
http://www.oceanrowing.com/guidelines.htm#Geography:
They don’t appear to have a specific category for Arctic crossings but the claim is consistent with the guidelines that basically boil down to “row from any point on one continent to any point on another continent separated by an ocean”. Technically the route seems to qualify as a “Pacific crossing east to west” as well.
All that said I wish the team the best of luck. Sure it is a PR stunt, but rowing 1300 miles in an open boat is a far more respectable one than a bunch of dopes watching ice melt on a hot day, or the tens of thousands of activists that jetted in to spend a week partying in Rio to “save the world”
May or may have not been mentioned here, but Dan Simmons’ book The Terror is a nifty historical fiction look at The Franklin Expedition of 1845. A bit of Inuit mythology worked in, but digging around, and it seems to have been pretty accurate. As Simmons’ books tend to be, a long read, but worth your time!
Bless. They’re just thumbing a lift from the good ship Global Warming.
Matthew W says:
July 9, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Indeed. Shackleton was one of my childhood heroes, back when it was men of iron and boats of wood, instead of the other way around … he brought every one of his men out safely in a tiny boat in horrendous seas. Amazing.
w.
jack mosevich says:
July 9, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Here is a low resolution map of their route. http://www.arcticrow.com/route/
Thanks, Jack. That’s classic, I called their route to a “T”, even to their crossing the mouth of Kotzebue Sound instead of hugging the coast, and also where they would cross the Bering Straits. Swabbies rule!
Sorry, but they are quite serious … which is quite funny …
w.
oldseadog says:
July 9, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Thanks, sea dog. I don’t trust the MSM … but the whole thing was kind of a goofy stunt, and they never got near the old pole site.
Kayaks were invented up there, and have been used for centuries by the various early Asian immigrants all across Alaska and Canada. I assume they were used before that off of Siberia. There’s a lovely book called The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America with exquisite and very detailed drawings of some lovely kayaks, umiaks, and other boats. Haven’t seen a copy in years.
w.
“Should be called Alaska Row.
[Moderator’s Note: Yes, you were the first to submit something about this. Didn’t realize Willis had also spotted it. Kudos and a hat-tip. …]
Thanks, but of course Willis earned more credit by actually writing an article. I had to ask Google for the route, as they don’t offer it in their “navigation” menu.
climatebeagle says:
July 9, 2012 at 1:14 pm
That’s absolutely hilarious. Now I understand why they say they are “crossing the Arctic Ocean”. Here’s where they are crossing it. Boundary lines are from page 12 of your excellent reference:
Too good …
w.
“Roy UK says:
July 9, 2012 at 2:45 pm
It seems as though they leave in 6 days, and as yet “The “Sponsor Name” First Arctic Crossing” still does not have a sponsor :(”
So there’s time for someone with too much money to funnel some money through a corporation called “Not Really”. Require the sponsor’s name on the press event backdrops.
OH that is hilarious W. spending a few hours inside the Arctic Ocean? And they wonder why we have no faith in many scientists and their spoutings.
I love this part too…
Route: Arctic Ocean South to North
Start: Inuvik, Canada
Finish: Provideniya, Russia
Date: July 2012
Distance: 1,300 miles
Duration: 30 days
And they say they will row for 2 hours on, 2 hours off.. for 24 hours a day. LOL… so.. no sleep at all for 30 days?
From their web site.
“Why row the Arctic Ocean: “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Because it’s never been done. Because we want to show first-hand the impact that global warming has had on the Arctic Ocean (foreshadow: it’s melting fast). Our film will chronicle this record setting expedition and showcase the effects of Arctic global warming. Each member of our team is doing the row for slightly different reasons, but we all agree that the exploratory nature of Arctic Row and the science associated with the expedition make it highly compelling and worthwhile.”
_____________
Also your donations are tax DEDUCTIBLE. Now who is being scammed besides the American tax payer? I am sorry, but i hope for an epic fail.
Jeff (of Colorado) says: July 9, 2012 at 12:47 pm
[They’ll be able to see Alaska from their detention cell.]
Actually, that is quite possible.
6 July 2012 Last updated at 10:20 ET
Russian parliament gives first approval to NGO bill
“Russia’s parliament has given initial backing to a bill requiring non-governmental organisations engaging in political activity and receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents”.
That phrase would have to be included in all the relevant NGOs’ materials.
The Kremlin says the bill is needed to protect Russia from outside attempts to influence internal politics.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18732949
James P says:
July 9, 2012 at 1:53 pm
“These solar panels will charge batteries which connect to a VHF radio, GPS, and navigation system. The team will jam out to an iPod for music and use a laptop”
Just how big are these panels?
Based on the pics here ( http://www.arcticrow.com/team/team-photos/ ), they look big enough to allow them to charge up the GPS/NAV or the iPod for a good four hours of use, or the laptop (depending on the make, model, and OS) for about ninety minutes. Kicker is, they’ll have to let ’em charge all day, then only use them at night.
They’d better not use the VHF except to transmit a Mayday, because those dinky panels won’t even give their hand-held a decent trickle-charge.
Personally, I’d opt for the GPS and an HHM (hand-held map).
From their website:
Why row the Arctic Ocean: “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Because it’s never been done. Because we want to show first-hand the impact that global warming has had on the Arctic Ocean (foreshadow: it’s melting fast). Our film will chronicle this record setting expedition and showcase the effects of Arctic global warming. Each member of our team is doing the row for slightly different reasons, but we all agree that the exploratory nature of Arctic Row and the science associated with the expedition make it highly compelling and worthwhile.”
______________
Also your donation is TAX DE-DUCT-IBLE! Now who is being shafted besides the American Tax payer? I am sorry, but i hope for an epic fail.
What they’re doing is known as “hugging the shore.”
Our film will chronicle this record setting expedition and showcase the effects of Arctic global warming.
Wait, what? They’re expecting a couple of wraparound solar panels to keep the GPS/NAV, VHF, laptop, iPod, *and* a camcorder charged?
No way anything could go wrong with that plan, right?
I have a feeling that the row across this part of the Arctic Ocean has undoubtedly been done many times, possibly even by small children in small rowboats sometimes.
Bill Tuttle: Don’t forget the desal kit!
I used to fish commercially from a rowboat, and rowing it eight or ten miles a night was a long and tiring pull.
They’re going to have to *average* 44 miles a day — against the current and prevailing winds, and the Chukchi is still at 60% ice coverage. It looks to me like somebody just drew lines on a map, measured the distance, then said, “Hey, we can row faster than 2 miles an hour, right?”
I’ll keep my eye out for them via the Barrow Sea Ice Webcam.
http://seaice.alaska.edu/gi/observatories/barrow_webcam
MikeinAppalachia says:
What Creek?
Reply: Mill Branch, Washington Co, Ohio
Rhoda R says:
July 9, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Bill Tuttle: Don’t forget the desal kit!
I remembered it a split-second after I hit “Post Comment.”
*sensing mild disbelief*
Okay, I only remembered it after you told me not to forget it — I was preoccupied trying to figure how much of that solar energy is going to become lost heat from the various transformers they’re going to need to charge AC appliances from a DC storage cell.
*sensing utter disbelief*
Okay, I forgot.
Richard111 says:
July 9, 2012 at 11:54 pm
I’ll keep my eye out for them via the Barrow Sea Ice Webcam.
Looks like two umiaks awaiting fresh walrus-hide coverings at near-left in that screenshot.
“Because it’s never been done.”
Translation: “We didn’t get any google-hits for ‘four greenies row fiberglas boat from Inuvik to Providenyia’.”
I am surprised that there has been no mention of Fridtjof Nansen’s account in his book Farthest North. He did the deed for real, in 1895, I believe (don’t quote me). When the ice stopped him, he got off his ship, the Fram, for which the strait is named, and walked and paddled as far as he could go North. He didn’t make it but he did cross the Arctic ocean. The book is out of print but I found a first edition in a thrift shop and couldn’t put it down. He and his buddy Johansen (sp?) ate walrus, seals and polar bears. These were genuine tough guys. If you liked Shackleton and the Endurance, you will definitely want to read this one. Also, Nansen was a real scientist too. His drawings and accounts of the ice and weather I found very informative and valid. I highly recommend.
commieBob says:
July 9, 2012 at 12:51 pm
What if you forget to take your sleeping bag with you when the Polar Bear is chasing you?
jack mosevich says:
July 9, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Here is a low resolution map of their route. http://www.arcticrow.com/route/
I read through their website and fear that it is a hoax. No one could be so stupid.
I lucked out with a current Terra/MODIS pic of their proposed route (the MacKenzie River Delta shows up beautifully in the lower right) — this is 1km pixel resolution:
http://lance-modis.eosdis.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/single.cgi?image=crefl1_143.A2012191230500-2012191231000.1km.jpg
I zoomed to 250m resolution to get an idea of what was beneath the clouds. They’re gonna need an 80-foot, double-hulled rowboat with a chainsaw nose until they pass Prudhoe Bay…
Quote from their website:
In ocean rowing you can either buy a boat or build a boat. We chose neither. We opted instead to rent the rights (for a year) to an existing boat that was about to be rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. The name of this boat is “Limited Intelligence.
No comment.
Ooop — correction on the MacKenzie Delta location in the Terra/MODIS pic: it’s midfield on the right. Follow the solid edge of the ice until it disappears under the cloud, then straight down.
And their double-hulled rowboat will need runners…
No carbon emissions? Presumably they mean CO2, so they don’t breathe then?
If you go to the website http://www.arcticrow.com/route/
you can contact the team. It would be chirlish of me to suggest that we all e-mail them and ask how they can describe this inshore paddle as any sort of a crossing. Also, they are knowingly trying to bask in the relected glory of true adventurers who took real risks. That, for me, makes this a self-indulgent scam.
Holy Mac-A-Doodle! Willis? Complemented for being clam, clue, and corrected? The bind moggles!
Hippos are soaring and wafting about on the winds …
>;-)
There was no word about how they would know where the nearest krill patch might be.
Easy-peasey. They’ll just look for the phytoplankton blooms
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/under-arctic-ice-scientists-discover-massive-phytoplankton-bloom-foundation-food-chain
under the four-foot-thick ice they’ll be traversing…
What? No liquor company sponsors stepping up? Seems they aren’t getting adequate return for their sponsorships, eh?
@Steve Lohr says:
July 10, 2012 at 12:07 am
“MikeinAppalachia says:
What Creek?
Reply: Mill Branch, Washington Co, Ohio”
My guess was Duck Creek over by the old Rand property.
Would it surprise anyone to note that most of the team are MBA students from Kellog Business School rather than leading climate scientists? These guys seem to have redefined the word “opportunist”.
Steve Lohr says:
July 10, 2012 at 12:45 am
I am surprised that there has been no mention of Fridtjof Nansen’s account in his book Farthest North.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I saw recently a very good doc. reconstructing that trip. What astounded me most was that the two of them overwintered in a rock and walrus skin tent, surrounded by frozen carcasses to feed them, and finished up with more carcasses of the polar bears they had to shoot that came to feed on them. I didn’t see mention of firearms on the arcticrow site, or whether the four of them could manhandle the boat onto ice.
Shell say they are postponing drilling for a month because of ice in the Chuckchi Sea, best of luck.
Going to Earth’s core for climate insights –by JPL /NASA
More than 50 or so, of you have looked at my link
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/Arctic.htm
with few graphs and not many words.
What is that all about?
I have since 2009 promoted the idea that the Earth’s magnetic field is a good proxy for climate and temperature oscillation.
http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/41/83/04/PDF/NATA.pdf
Shortly after I added soma more information:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/NFC1.htm
Not withstanding the regular ridicule, it was brought to my attention only a day or two ago, that the NASA has recently started pursuing same line of research, so I shall let NASA’s expert explain.
Coincidence, numerology spurious were attributes attached to my correlations.
“So what mechanism is driving these correlations? Dickey said scientists aren’t sure yet, but she offered some hypotheses.
Since scientists know air temperature can’t affect movements of Earth’s core or Earth’s length of day to the extent observed, one possibility is the movements of Earth’s core might disturb Earth’s magnetic shielding of charged-particle (i.e., cosmic ray) fluxes that have been hypothesized to affect the formation of clouds. This could affect how much of the sun’s energy is reflected back to space and how much is absorbed by our planet. Other possibilities are that some other core process could be having a more indirect effect on climate, or that an external (e.g. solar) process affects the core and climate simultaneously.”
My thanks to Jean Dickey and Steven Marcus of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena for explaining so succinctly what I have tried to put forward for some years. http://phys.org/news/2011-03-earth-core-climate-insights.html
Since it appears my research was not in vain, let’s make another step forward:
Dr. Dickey and Dr. Marcus, the WUWT blog has already featured this graph:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/GSC1.htm
which shows Geo-Solar Oscillation as possible driver of the N. Hemisphere’s temperature natural change. ( It is my hope that ‘where vukcevic boldly goes, NASA cautiously follows’)
Thank you all, all those who didn’t say ‘crank’, and also to those who did, now I hope you may eventually see that there may be something to it after all.
Gail Combs says:
July 9, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Darwin Award candidates
=========================
🙂 beat me to it:-)
BC Bill says:
July 9, 2012 at 12:02 pm
“After the Top Gear crew drove to the North Pole in Toyota Hiluxes, all these extreme expeditions seem so silly.”
That was a great program, I’ve watched it several times. I particularly liked Jeremy Clarkson’s comments right at the end. It’s pretty obvious what he thinks of global warming! He would certainly get my vote for prime minister, anything would be better than the moron we have at the moment.
.
But did Clarkson and co. actually drive to the North Pole? I’m a little, shall we say, sceptical. When they appeared to reach the pole there were several clear shots of the GPS readout. Maybe I’m a bit old fashioned, but I thought the latitude of the NP was 90 degrees. The GPS clearly showed a latitude reading of less than 80 degrees. Could it be that they had only reached the magnetic North Pole?
Chris
It’s more adventurous than anything I’ll ever do but still, it does all seem wildly, absurdly exaggerated. Rowing along the coast of Alaska is not rowing “across” the Arctic Ocean by any recognizable meaning of the words. They want to call attention to the Arctic for eco/political reasons. Seems like they wanted a “hook” to an adventure that could produce a film/book (from “about” page):
“Scott has only two items left unchecked on his bucket list. One of them is to produce a film/book project that sparks lasting global change. The time is now. And this is the project.
Row across the Arctic ? Must be Brits
I once paddled my kayak from the east end of Catalina Island to the west end. Does this mean I paddled across the Pacific Ocean?
I think they should row from NE Siberia to Northern Greenland replicating the ‘carbon-free’ journey of the Saqqaq-Inuk 4000 years ago. Oh wait, it was much warmer then and there was no permanent pack ice in the way at the destination. Might have to wait for a lot more warming to be able to travel that route as the Inuit once did.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100210-ancient-human-dna-hair-saqqaq-inuk/
http://suite101.com/article/first-ancient-human-genome-decoded-from-mtdna-a208672
From the latter:
Results show that this individual has genetic commonalities with three Old World Arctic populations:
•Nganasans
•Koryaks
•Chukchis
and is more distantly related to three New World groups:
•Amerinds
•Na-Dene
•Greenland Inuit.
The Nganasans inhabit the Taimyr Peninsula [no doubt planting trees for examination by future climatologists – CIW], some 2,000km from the Bering Strait and are the northernmost living Old World population. Koryaks and Chukchis inhabit Chukotka and northern Kamchatka in far eastern Siberian. The mtDNA genome also demostrated Saqqaq as related to Aleuts of Commander Islands in the Bering Sea, and Asian Eskimos the Siberian Sireniki Yuits.
Read more at Suite101: First Ancient Human Genome Decoded from Hair DNA: Evolutionary Perspectives in Personal Genomics Unmask Paleo-Eskimo | Suite101.com http://suite101.com/article/first-ancient-human-genome-decoded-from-mtdna-a208672#ixzz20EJ8hJYg
It’s been done before in kayaks, and not just by the natives. Fairly recent passage going the other way, and farther. http://www.seakayakermag.com/1998/aug98/tt_arctic.htm
And yes, I built the boat used in the trip.
“They are asking for sponsors on account of their important scientific work. They are going to record all of the whales that they see, and mark down which direction they are traveling…”
If thet are in sight of land, my guess is the whales will be traveling parallel to the shore not toward any Krill patches… you know… so they don’t bump into anything solid… or swim out of sight… um…
I’ll take my grant money now.
vukcevic says:
July 10, 2012 at 4:09 am
Dickey’s supposedly high confidence correlation could easily be coincidental overlap through a single cycle. On the contrary, the Pirana River correlation through several cycles is superb, and not at all likely to be coincidence. http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/colder_drier1.png
–AGF
tIM says:
July 10, 2012 at 3:50 am
Would it surprise anyone to note that most of the team are MBA students from Kellog Business School rather than leading climate scientists?
Nope — leading climate scientists would have planned to start at Little Diomede, row to Big Diomede, and then claim to have circumnavigated the globe.
Hunt Johnsen says:
July 10, 2012 at 7:57 am
It’s been done before in kayaks, and not just by the natives. Fairly recent passage going the other way, and farther. http://www.seakayakermag.com/1998/aug98/tt_arctic.htm
And yes, I built the boat used in the trip.
He did 50 miles a day, too. Now *that* was a challenge and an adventure!
Considering the nature of these people the rowboat is probably real.
I am up in the arctic at the moment, and very pleasant its is too. In tromso in july, it doesnt get dark, and the weather is a balmy 13c, typical for this time of year. We drove up from England in five days, emitting loads of naughty gasses.
There is a stuffed polar bear outside the tourist centre in the middle of the town
If I were a warmist rower spin meister that would be
‘Dead Polar bears in the Arctic as temperatures soar higher than the UK whist emissions rocket due to human activity’
I think walking across any ice they may encounter while pulling their boat will be considered part of the row regardless. Even if they did have to walk the whole way, the headlines on their website will read “Global Warmiing allows team to row across the Arctic”.
agfosterjr says:
July 10, 2012 at 8:18 am
the Pirana River correlation through several cycles is superb, and not at all likely to be coincidence.
I have data for one hundred year period 1890-1990 and this is what I found:
http://www.vukcevic.talktalk.net/Aa-CAM.htm
I can already feel myself taking this story to the Press Complaints Commission when reported in the British “quality press” (again!)….
leftinbrooklyn says: “Wonder if they’ll last as long as it would have taken the ‘HOAX?’ ice to melt….”
Which gives me an idea. Perhaps they should have a rowboat made of ice. It would encourage them to paddle faster.
“The Arctic Row expedition presents an unusual opportunity to conduct scientific research with absolutely no carbon emissions …”
So while the rowing crew will be accomplishing this feat, they will not be breathing or defecating. They will be achieving their goal while being clinically DEAD.
Yet again the bed-wetting hysterics, manage to forget that carbon is life itself.
“I’m not clear how they plan to get the boats and rowers to Canada and back from Russia without using carbon fuels.”
Now. come on Willis , you’re underestimating their ingenuity again. They’ll just use nuclear powered ice breakers. No “carbon emission”, see.
Larry says:
I wish there was a way to require them to make a deposit equal to 150% of the Coast Guard’s estimate of actual costs to rescue them.
Presumably such a deposit to each of Canada, USA and Russia.
Mark says:
July 10, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Larry says: ‘I wish there was a way to require them to make a deposit equal to 150% of the Coast Guard’s estimate of actual costs to rescue them.’
Presumably such a deposit to each of Canada, USA and Russia.
I’m sure they’ll insist that any rescue be made using carbon emission-free assets.
Those nuclear-powered SAR helicopters are *expensive*, too…
I have confirmed that there is a long history of very extensive kayaking by the native Eskimos in the southern tip of the Arctic Ocean, immediately offshore of Point Barrow, Alaska – the northernmost point of the United States.
From http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=151
“The ancestors of Inupiaq Eskimos, whose presence may be documented by archaeological evidence, arrived in Alaska before 4,000 years ago. Bands of Eskimos moved north and east across Alaska and northern Canada to Greenland around 4,000 years ago…”
“Inupiaq Eskimos developed two types of boats to help them in their quest for food, clothing, and shelter. They used umiaks to hunt whales and walrus and to travel long distances. About twice as large as hunting umiaks, traveling umiaks measured about 30 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. Up to 40 people could travel in such an umiak. Inupiaq men used one-person kayaks when hunting seals or ducks close to shore.
To make kayak and umiak frames the people used driftwood. They lashed the frames with rawhide cords. Next they stretched cured bearded seal or walrus hides with rawhide cord. Finally, they coated the boat with seal or whale oil.
Travel over the tundra was practically impossible in summer. The top few inches of the permanently-frozen ground melted. The ground was waterlogged, making walking very difficult. Thus, most people traveled by boat in summer.
During the dark, very cold winters, Inupiaq Eskimos traveled little. When they did, they went overland hugging the coast or following frozen rivers. They usually traveled in groups. The northern people used sleds and sometimes used up to four dogs to pull them. The northern Eskimos established a network of winter trails. Some trails connected coastal and interior areas…
Northern Eskimos rely on large sea and land mammals
Some of the coastal Inupiaq Eskimos who lived north of the Arctic Circle depended on whales for much of their meat. A large bowhead whale provided several tons of food. The people stored the meat in holes dug into the permanently frozen ground. Because hunting and butchering whales required the work of many men and women, coastal Eskimos lived in larger villages than did inland Eskimos. In the mid-1700s Wales, which in 1980 had a population of 130, had a permanent population of 500.
Bowhead whales, migrating to their summer feeding grounds in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, passed Point Hope and Point Barrow in April and May. They followed leads, or breaks in the ice, that opened close to shore. Near Wainwright, however, leads might be 20 miles from shore. The whales returned south in late September and early October following the coast.
In late March the people moved from their villages and established camps at the edge of the landfast ice. From high points they watched for whales. They maintained their watch 24 hours a day. The annual spring hunt lasted as long as whales were in the vicinity. Captains of the crews agreed among themselves when to end a season’s whaling.
When they sighted a whale, four to eight hunters ventured onto the water in an open, skin-covered boat called an umiak. Most crews consisted of a captain, a harpooner, and six paddlers. The harpooner sat in front and threw the harpoon when the whale surfaced close to the boat. Sealskin floats were attached to a harpoon to make it difficult for the whale to dive. When tired, the whale was killed with a lance. To bring the dead whale to shore required a number of umiak crews. Villagers worked together to butcher a whale and divided the meat and blubber among all village members.”
Burt Lancaster swam home in the movie The Swimmer using backyard swimming pools. Anyone who has seen the movie can tell you that it didn’t turn out too well for Burt. Will our Arctic explorers suffer a similar fate? Will their delusions slowly be stripped away as they get closer to Russia until the naked reality hits them like block of ice off a ship’s mast? I’m guessing no.
Do any of the climate alarmist have beach front property! Wouldn’t that be basically admitting you don’t believe what you say?
… or else it shows their commitment to getting everyone else to act.
They are using a crowd source fund raising Site to raise money for this and appear to be doing very well with it.
http://www.indiegogo.com/ArcticRow
There is a lot more info here than on their own website, including some video.
Launch in three days. If they hug the shore (i.e., staying within 100 meters of land) between Inuvik and Prudhoe Bay, they should be clear of the ice, but they won’t be able to follow their planned, straight line route until they pass Point Barrow…
Arctic row the route
http://www.arcticrow.com/route/
Looks like Thor Heyerdahl’s record is about to be broken.
So, feeling less cranky these days?
<8-)
One brief audio posting on their blog on the 17th after finally launching, but nothing since. 4 crew, 2 hrs alternating rowing and sleeping in pairs, 24/7? I doubt they can keep that going very long.
Brian H says:
July 21, 2012 at 6:57 am
So far, he said they’re still in the McKenzie River.
I’ve done four on, four off for long periods at sea … but it’s no fun, and likely you couldn’t row for that long. They may end up with another system of watch-standing. I assume they can all four sleep or rest inside at once, so they may go to a “row a while, everyone rest a while” kind of of setup.
While I can belittle their claim that they are “crossing the Arctic Ocean”, they are undertaking a most hazardous voyage in a very small boat … I sure hope they’ve prepared for all eventualities.
The good news, I suppose, is that if they are smart they will stay close inshore, and not venture off-shore except when they absolutely have to. If the boat sinks a mile offshore and you have your survival suit on, you have a chance to swim to land. If it sinks ten miles offshore, not so much … the bad news is that they may have more testosterone than trepidation and go a-roaming into deep waters unnecessarily.
So, I continue to wish them well, it’s fun to watch from the safety of dry land.
w.
Ah, they’ve made it out of the river and into the joys of the open ocean. From their web site:
Given that this is their first day on the open ocean after leaving the Mackenzie river, one might expect some teething problems. The real issue is that it sounds like they set out without sea trials, which is generally not a brilliant move, after all that’s why God invented sea trials, she figured that we’d need them …
I continue to wish them all the luck that the ocean can spare,
w.
Actually, 2 on, 2 off. I don’t know if the brain can handle that kind of sleep cycle.
Originally, I gave them a snowball’s, but no longer.
Brian H says:
July 22, 2012 at 1:50 pm
I did 3 hours on, 3 off for a week once … but I wasn’t rowing for three hours, just standing watch. And I did 4 on, 4 off with dog watches for a month once as well. The hard part of that one was pumping the old wooden sailboat by hand at the end of the watch. That worked up a sweat … for 15 minutes or so. Hardly like a two-hour spell at the oars.
Also, no law says they have to have two guys rowing, one guy can row that boat. If exhaustion is happening, better to switch to the 1 horse motor … they’ll figure it out.
Definitely one, maybe two of those four rowers have gone through storms in a rowboat. Storm in a small boat, when you can’t run with it you put out your sea anchor and lie down and grin and bear it. It can be stormy up there in the northern seas, but winter North Atlantic is no picnic either.
In other words, a very challenging but do-able row … keep a good thought over men in peril in the sea.
w.