Over 6,000 Nautical Miles Rowed, and over 120 days at sea!
In the last update the girls had been struggling with some high-pressure systems, flat calm and so hot they described it as being in some serene desert, with very little wind at all but amazing sunsets. This is all part of the convergence zone we mentioned before. Things have changed somewhat!
🌬️High Winds and Surfing the waves🌊
The weather has changed dramatically and for the past two weeks they have been battered by squall after squall, with a constant 15 to 2020+ knots of wind and up to 30 knots when the squalls come through. Luckily this has mostly come from the South or Southeast making for some great surfing conditions and amazing mileage each day as a result.
They report that the weather is coming from the port (left rear) quarter and that every few minutes a wave comes overboard, making for very wet and uncomfortable conditions. Their salt sores and other skin rashes have re-emerged with a vengeance.
But with these conditions they can gain good speed and momentum. Their daily averages have gone from 50nm to 60nm each day and they made an impressive 72nm a couple of days ago!
Their spirits remain high and they have been revelling in the changes; not a single day is the same when out at sea.
Gone are the days of calm, as in the picture below!
📜Ships Log - 3rd September
Wow, we can’t believe it’s been over 120 days at sea already, even more so if you count the first attempt! We are also fast approaching the 6,000 miles rowed and 2,000 miles to go mark 💪🏼💪🏼
The time has gone incredibly fast, but it also feels like the Pacific has been our home for ages, in a great way. It’s going to be rather strange when we eventually step on land.
The best news we have is that after 9+ repairs, we finally have a solution to the pipe situation on Salty, our water maker. Our land team has been in contact with Jim, from Mactra Marine, regularly. Jim is a legend in ocean rowing as he’s responsible for saving many an ocean rower with water maker issues! He’s figured out that we can bypass the accumulator, therefore, shortening the distance from the pump to the intake. This means we now have enough rated pipe and don’t have to worry about any more burst pipes. It is such a weight off our shoulders! We now won’t have to hand pump our water unless our batteries are really low, or a different issue presents.
We are often asked how we cope with the both of us rowing all day and then going into our two hours, 1 on the oars, shifts during the night. The answer is with difficulty! We’ve had a couple of very tough nights where we seem to flop from side to side from passing out. I’ve even fallen asleep on the bucket a few times. After nodding off, it can be rather disorienting opening your eyes to find the horizon is not where you left it!
Our boring diet has been a source of constant conversation on board, and what our first meal on dry land might be. After over hundred days of eating freeze dried rations, it’s starting to take its toll… We are having to force feed ourselves a lot of the time. Our only respite has been from the Home Harvest mini greenhouse which we have on board, and this amazing bit of kit enables us to supplement our dried food with fresh greens every 5 days or so. I’m dying for a simple slice of toast with butter and a cold beer - but I’d take anything normal!
REMEMBER: You can track Mims and Jess on the homepage or on the YB Races App 📱 by searching Seas the Day.
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.
