Tiny hitches ride on current - 1000 miles to Antigua
Apr 15, 2005 12: 48 EST
Tiny predicts that he’ll arrive in Antigua, fingers crossed, in the middle of May. But he only has enough cooking gas until roughly May 6th. Looks like lots of sushi and cold coffee during the home stretch. That might not be the worst thing, though, as Tiny reports recent temperatures around 40 C (104 F).
Lately, he’s been getting a little help from the current and the wind. While before it took considerable effort for Tiny to break the 2.5 knot barrier, with the current in his favor he can skim along at a brisk 3.4 knots without too much trouble.
A current companion
“The boat started moving at 1 knot. When I rose and left the cabin, half a knot was added to our speed. As I sat on the rowing seat another half knot. Picking up the oars and dipping them gently into the ocean another half knot, and moving the oars oh so gently took our speed up to 3 knots. As the sun rose our speed crept up and steadied at 3.4 knots, where it remained all day. We seem to get on so well, I do hope the current becomes a regular visitor.”
Leaping 20 feet out of the water
“The Dorado have not had a mention for a while. Any flying fish which land on deck during the night are collected and donated to the first fish to realize that I’m offering them. Today it was the turn of the biggest of them, a Leviathan at 1.5 meters long and weighing probably as much as me. The squadron currently number about fifty and make an eerie sight when swimming beside the boat in the dark. They look silver when the moon is up. During the day they dine on flying fish and are exceedingly fierce predators. In the evening they all return to the boat and act as loyal escort. A successful catch is an impressive sight. They can leap twenty feet out of the water and often do it seemingly for fun.”
Tuesday April 12th, 2005
“Great conditions again today, a little bouncy here and there, but good miles and not too hot with fifty per cent cloud cover. A twelve hour shift today yielded 36 miles, and the boat is currently (pun intended) heading west at 1.9 knots! Our next event is the passing of the 1000 miles to go mark, which will be tomorrow morning. A lime cheesecake to celebrate, I think.”
James “Tiny” Little set out from La Gomera in the Canary Isles to Antigua in the Caribbean to attempt a solo and unsupported Atlantic crossing. Only 25 people have completed a solo, unsupported east to west crossing of the Atlantic. Tiny is a pub-owner from Norwich, England who spent 14 years in the navy. More information on Tiny’s voyage, his daily diary updates, and his charity, The Davenport Trust, can be obtained on his website.
Image courtesy of Rob Sastre and oceanrowing.com.
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