Michelle has been out in the Pacific for over 3 months. Her resolve is still as strong as it was on day one. These are her latest musings.
It’s day 96 and boy there’s been some real tough days. We’ve had high winds, big seas, fast seas. So fast that I’ve achieved some personal bests, I was doing 10 knots coming down the face of a wave, squealing in exhilaration, squealing like a cowgirl, going “yeehah… yes!!!! 10 knots – new PB”. I was literally shouting out as I would fly down the wave, then when you’re at the bottom of the valley and you can see this massive wall of water in front of you, you know it’s going to yield a really good sea, then I do that final dig deep into the waves with my oars to lift the bottom of my boat up, and with a reef of the oars in the water you slide down the face of the wave.
It felt like being on the ride at Universal Studios in LA, the Homer Simpson ride.
As I sit in the boat, there’s dumping waves, hitting me on the side, with two sets of swells, one in the front and one on the side. The one from the side hits me with such a force. I’ve been thrown off my rowing seat so many times.
I saw this massive grey shadow beneath the water, and then I saw another one behind it. I peered closer and saw they were whales. They swam across the back of my boat. They didn’t give two hoots about me either, they gracefully swam past the boat. So graceful! So majestic! So awesome.
I spent moments just in awe that I’m out here in their space, a visitor in their space! Just awe inspiring.
I’ve got about another 660 miles to the equator, and with the current pace I’m doing of about 60 miles a day, it’s about 12 days away. Then I’ll be in the South Pacific.
Then later that evening, it was dark, and a storm had set in, it was pouring with rain. It sounded like pellets at my boat, the winds were so high, the waves were huge. In that moment, I had to make a comfort call. It was just so unnerving. It’s in these moments, we just have to trust our gear.
This was proper conditions to be putting out the storm drogue that I invested in from Jordan Series drogue. So, I deployed the drogue and within an instant, there was relief on my boat, there was stability of my boat in an instant. I was so impressed and relieved at the same time.
Sydney’s getting closer now, getting across the equator to the South Pacific will be such an amazing feeling – it’ll feel like I’m almost there. I have to work really hard to keep a lid on my impatience. I just want to get back on land now so much.
Can’t wait to see the boats coming out to greet me and join me as I cross the finish line… can’t wait!
Keen to find out more about my earlier row across the Atlantic, I’ve got a book I’ve written coming out very soon, “Alone”
Thanks to all my sponsors;
The Quays Marina LTD Southern Seas Marine Dunbier Trailers Fibre Marine Boat Repairs Simrad Yachting Survitec Group Ltd. Deep Cycle Systems Chief Nutrition Speedo Sharkskin Tiller and Kites CAMPERS PANTRY Pty Ltd Crewsaver Australia One Party Silva Method Australia
This adventure could not be done without you all!
