Back on the Pacific After Rudder Repairs
While Velocity was being manhandled through the seas back to La Punta, the shore team were working flat out and we engaged a specialist boatyard in Norfolk, UK, who could build 4 spare rudders out of carbon laminate in enough time so that they arrived a couple of days after the girls, with Ben, the engineer, to fit them. Ben arrived in Peru on 1st May, his birthday, and the team took him out to celebrate in style. I don’t think he knew what hit him!
After 6 days preparing to launch again and refuelling on copious amounts of food (they had not been able to break into their rations as freeze-dried food is not available in Peru) they were ready to go again and left on 5th May at 1611hrs Peru. An extremely quick turnaround. Thanks again go to the Peru shore team who handled their re-entry and exit very smoothly and to the Peruvian Navy who again accommodated them and had probably hoped to see the back of them!
In all it was extremely fortunate that they lost the rudder after only 6 days at sea. It would have been an entirely different matter if the were 1,000nm out at sea.
The first days back at sea
The girls reported being much colder. After almost a month between the first and second departure the Peruvian autumn had already set in and there was cloud cover for most days. In the first 4 days they average 47nm per day which was extremely good considering Velocity weighed 1,500kg.
A break in the clouds - rays of light shine over the Pacific as the team pushes on after relaunch.
A Curious Visitor from the Galápagos
On day 5 they were visited by a Masked Booby, probably from the Galapagos, and it rested on the forward cabin for most of the day.
A surprise visitor from the Galápagos - a curious Masked Booby joins Jess and Mims on their ocean rowing boat ‘Velocity’.
Power Struggles: Solar Challenges and Hand-Steering
On day six, as a result of the continued cloud cover, and a loose connection in their circuit, their batteries were severely depleted, and they had to swich off the auto-helm and hand steer. This meant little sleep as one steered and the other rowed through the day and night.
By day 5 they had not really established their routine, found it slow going with little sleep and reported having no appetite to finish their 5,000 calories of rations each day. Much of this, apart from the huge volume they were supposed to take on, it is hard adjusting to a primarily freeze-dried diet. Luckily, they have their home harvest kit on the forward cabin where they can grow greens like radish and cabbage in a humidity controlled environment.
Golden hour on the Pacific - a rare moment of calm for Mims and Jess as they get back into the swing of their epic ocean row.
Cabin comfort essentials: Jess has a quick nap, all important loo roll, snacks and good vibes. It’s the little things that keep morale high.
Mims on a mission - food hunting in the deck lockers, proving that fuelling up is a full-time job at sea.
Ships Log Day 30
Tuesday 3rd June
“We may be moving slowly, but we’re still moving in the right direction!
We’ve had some sunnier days with clearer skies which has been nice after all the cloud cover.
During the after we row two up for an extra couple of hours to try and get a little more momentum pushing through the water and have been working on identifying different cloud types as well as learning Spanish with the help from a podcast. Something we wished we’d had more time to do before our time in Peru!
Conditions are still beam on and we’re wondering if we’ll ever get following wind and seas. (Perhaps this is just a luxury of the Atlantic trade winds route)! This makes rowing quite tricky as technique becomes poor when you can’t get both the oars in the water at the same time. The swell has only been between 2-3 metres on average so hoping for this to pick up too for a little bit of surfing. 🏄♀️
The nights have been dark as full cloud cover has prevented the moon from shining down on us, keeping us more awake. Rowing in the pitch black certainly makes you feel sleepy and without the stars to gaze at, you’re left staring at the deck repeater numbers showing how slowly you’re rowing! We’re convinced that the wayfinders used to navigate by clouds rather than stars!!
We’re so grateful to all our snack sponsors who really have kept us going through the day and night. 🥩 🍫🍬🍪🥥🫐
We’ve been getting in the water every four days to clean the growth off the hull which rapidly slows our speed and we always look forward to these dips as it’s the most we’re able to stretch out properly! Its’s followed by a bucket wash with fresh water and a set of clean clothes which really feels like a treat.
We’ve not seen as much wildlife over the last week other than a few fish that jump meters high out the water and lots more sea birds. We’ve plans to get the fishing gear out to see if we can catch something for a more wholesome meal.
We’ve also found that there’s not been many flying fish landing on the deck, only a couple of little ones which we find in the morning. Alec who towed us back to shore has given us a recipe for flying fish soup which I’m keen to try once there’s enough of them onboard (Mims is going to take a little more convincing)!
We’re both enjoying the simple life out here in the elements - it’s so peaceful and we’ve not seen a single vessel nearby. The days are flying by and we’re looking forward to hitting 1500 miles soon!”
Until Next Time...
Life at sea is anything but predictable, but Mims and Jess continue to row with resilience, humour, and heart. Stay tuned for more updates from the Pacific as they edge closer to the halfway point and hopefully spot a few more flying fish on deck!
Please follow the journey on Instagram @seasthedayoceanrowing and share your encouragement with the team. ❤️💙💛🚣♀️🌊
Jess and Miriam are raising vital funds for The Outward Bound Trust, a charity helping young people get outdoors, push their limits, and grow in confidence. The team hopes to inspire the next generation to take on challenges of their own.
If you’d like to be part of their story and help Seas the Day make history with the Great Pacific Escapade, please donate.
