After a tough start to the year, I have finally turned a corner!
Last week I rowed to the Farallons Islands. 70.2 miles total in 48 hours, with the ships and the whales and the sharks!!! I recommend a comfy chair and a fresh brew to read the theee ‘Snakes & Ladders’ blogs on how the row went!
My Farallon Record Attempt is coming up next – when is subject to ratification from the Guinness World Record Association.
Departing from the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, I will row some 70 nautical miles, solo and unsupported, clockwise around the Farallon Islands, passing beneath SE Farallon and rounding North Farallon before rowing back to the Golden Gate Bridge.
According to Point Blue Conservation Science and the US Fisheries department who monitor activity on the islands, there is only one record in history of anyone rowing to or from the Farallon Islands. That was in 1898 several days after Christmas Day, when the lighthouse keeper’s son became very ill. The lighthouse keeper and his wife set off for the mainland in a storm, in a 14ft dory. They managed to row 14 nautical miles, before they were met by a pilot boat. Click here for the full story.
From the NY Times article on the Farallon Islands:
Named for the Spanish farallón, meaning a rocky pillar jutting from the sea, the Farallones were called “the devil’s teeth” by sailors in the 1850s for their ragged profile and treacherous shores.
Today, the string of four groups of small islands totaling 211 acres, is a National Wildlife Refuge home to the largest colony of nesting seabirds in the contiguous United States. Five species of marine mammals all breed or haul out here, and great white sharks visit regularly to feed on many of them.”
Meanwhile on Patreon, my chosen crowdfunding platform…
Patreon has turned out to be a wonderful portal to share homemade-videos, photographs and ideas. For example, I have been documenting the design process of my new boat, making my meetings with naval architect Jim Antrim into short films! I’ve made a couple of “marathon videos” too. One was a hilarious run-through of the pros and cons of the 16 – SIXTEEN – seat pads I have tried to date and in another I strip off all the clothes I wear to row!
They say it takes a village to pull off something like this and my Believers on Patreon are fast becoming my village.
In other new, lots of exciting things are in gestation and soon they will see the light! For starters, the project has a new name. Mission> Pacific. What do you think?
If you’re thinking of becoming a Believer, now’s the time!!! Patreon is like Kickstarter but monthly, with sign-up starting from $1 per month. Give it a whirl 🙂
Our first Patreon party is set for the end of this month. Part thank you, part fundraiser, the theme is FLOATING because – thanks to my Believers, Mission> Pacific is still afloat. Sign-up on Patreon for details. It’s going to be fantastic fun!
