Tiny's fantastic row: "This is not a rescue"
May 25, 2005 13: 43 EST
Last week, Exweb reported that James “Tiny” Little completed his cross-Atlantic row after 116 days. According to the Ocean Rowing Society, Tiny was towed in the final 51 miles to Antigua, but there were no updated dispatches from the rower himself. Now, Tiny’s daily diary is complete, and we can follow him on the agonizing and ecstatic last days of his journey.
On the 15th of May, Tiny reports, “A fresh current caught us as we headed southwest towards the seventeen degree line and took us north, then northeast and we spent the whole day trying to crab out of it, which was achieved at 2300 this evening. Just another day.”
Plan B and plan C
Monday, May 16th. "This morning at 0300 as we rowed away from yesterdays entertainment we found today’s. A current sprung up and began taking us north. This as I was lining up for final approach into Antigua. As I type, we await the abatement of a strong southerly wind (not forecast) to see if any headway can then be made for the harbor. Plan B will be to go to Barbuda instead, but I do not like plan B; it is complicated and I have no contacts there. Plan C is a tow, but that will only be done when all other options are exhausted.
This is not a rescue
Later in the day, the rower reports: “At 1300 the current turned to the North East and gained speed, this wiped out my last chance of rowing to any of the islands in the chain and at 1330 I called my wife and asked her to arrange a tow. I would like to point out that this is not a rescue; it is a commercial tow paid for by myself and no calls have been made on any emergency services.”
If anyone thinks I haven’t, they should get out more
”It is such a shame that it should work out this way; the harbor was a mere 49 43 nm away when we were at our closest point. However I am perfectly happy with what I have done; I have crossed the Atlantic in my rowing boat and if anyone thinks I haven’t, they should get out more. I did quite a bit of it twice and some of it three times for heaven’s sake.”
Wombling my way to Greenland
“As we approached the island I chatted to Chris about the eddies and the currents around the area, he pointed to the GPS as we went along saying that we had just lost or gained a knot here and there. We were transiting more eddies. By now I would have been wombling my way to Greenland.”
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.
James 'Tiny' Litle gets official welcome from Andrew McDonald of Antiqua Tourist Authority. Photo by Pippa McGrevy.
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